TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari says he will deal with any government official who is found guilty of pilfering public funds, regardless of the person’s religion or ethnic group.

The president said this on Friday when he received an All Progressives Congress (APC) delegation from Benue state, led by senator George Akume, at the presidential villa, Abuja.

He said: “I honestly don’t know how people sleep when workers have not been paid. The workers have to pay rent, buy food, send their children to school and they have health care to take care of.

“I assure you that my main interest is all Nigerians in all parts of the country.

“Therefore, if anybody who tries to create any impression that I prefer any group across ethnicity or religion let him dare me by being caught red-handed stealing public funds. I will deal with him.’’

The president told the APC delegation that the federal executive council had been monitoring the plight of workers across the country and utilisation of the bailout and Paris Club funds by some states.

“I thank you for your courage to come and see me. This visit has resuscitated our morale,’’ he said.

He said the government had made significant progress in diversifying the economy by investing in agriculture and encouraging more individuals and entrepreneurs to go into farming.

Buhari noted that the killings across the country, including in Benue, Zamfara and Taraba, were carried out by “ungodly’’ people who had no religious or ethnic inclination.

“We know about herders. The ones we knew carried sticks, and sometimes cutlasses to cut foliage for their cattle,” he said.

“We now have people who carry AK 47s and pretend they are herdsmen.

“We are working hard to secure our borders. We are going to see how the old cattle routes can be opened. We will control movement. Please beg our people to be patient.”

The president pointed out that security personnel were already uncovering the network of the killers and arresting them.