Trump Won’t Get Buhari’s Response On ‘Lifeless’ Comment – Presidency

Presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, has said the Presidency won’t respond to U.S President Donald Trump’s recent comment describing President Muhammadu Buhari as “lifeless”.

International daily newspaper, the Financial Times, had quoted President Trump as telling his aides that he never wants to meet someone as “lifeless” as President Buhari again following their meeting at the White House some time in April.

But speaking on the statement credited to the U.S President while arriving in Beijing, China, where President Buhari had gone to participate at the 7th summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Shehu said the alleged remark by Trump Won’t stop other world leaders from associating with his principal.

“You know that as a policy, we said that we are not going to answer the American President, however, the fact that the entire world and world leaders are cueing up to meet President Muhammadu Buhari, is an indication that there is something about President Buhari, there is something about the Nigeria he now leads, that the world likes,” said the presidential spokesperson.

“I think that Nigerians themselves should better look at this from this positive point of view, is a major development.

“We had situations in the country in the past where key world leaders didn’t want to meet our own leaders, all of that has changed in the last three years.” he stated

On Buhari’s visit to China, he said “You know that from the last summit in South Africa, the Chinese financing of projects in Nigeria has more than doubled under President Muhammadu Buhari and so therefore, we expect that if the same momentum is maintained, we hope that going forward, all of the projects that are outstanding like the Kaduna-Kano rail project, the coastal rail scheme, Mambilla power project, the second phase of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport expansion project, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja/ Kano.

“All of these projects, they will move more steadily and thankfully, we have virtually everyone who matters on our own side.

“So, we hope that what ever is left, the dotted lines will be signed, and we are hoping that we will take back with us, quite a number of schemes that will take Nigeria forward.” he said.