Failure comes to mind when I hear PDP – Buhari [VIDEO]

President Muhammadu Buhari has opined that whenever he hears the abbreviation “PDP”, what comes to mind is “failure”.

He said this during a special interview with Channels TV on Thursday.

One of the interviewers, Maupe Ogun, told the President “all we are going to ask you to do is that for these last words tell us what comes to mind, maybe in one sentence or two”.

The first teaser was on Nigeria’s young people.

Responding, the president said; “I wish when they go to school, when they work hard, when they have a degree, they don’t do it thinking government must give them a job”.

“You get educated because an educated person is certainly better than an uneducated one. Even in identifying personal problems.

“So, education is not just to hang on to government to give you job. And what the colonials indoctrinated on, to have a car, to have a house, and to start work at 8 O’Clock and close at 2 O’Clock”.

The second interviewer, Seun Okinbaloye, in a follow-up asked, “Another word, another phrase is PDP, what comes to mind?” Without mincing words, the president in a terse response said; “PDP! Failure!”

During the interview, Buhari also told Nigerian youths to use their education and exposure to improve themselves and not see them as tickets to depend on the government.

“I wish when they go to school; when they work hard; when they earn their degree, they don’t do it thinking that government must give them jobs,” he noted.

“You get educated because an educated person is certainly better than an uneducated person even in identifying personal problems. So, education is not meant just meant to hang on to the government to give you jobs and then what the colonialists indoctrinated in us to believe – have a car, have a house; start work by 8:00 am and close by 2 pm.”

Aside from this, Buhari also spoke on a wide range of national issues including his decision not to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

Buhari had declined assent to the bill, citing the inclusion of the direct primaries mode of elections.

Speaking during the interview, he said he will sign the bill if the National Assembly makes the needed adjustment.

“All I said (is that) there should be options,” he said. “We must not insist that it has to be direct; it should be consensus and indirect.”

Asked if he would sign if the lawmakers effect the change in that direction, he affirmed, “Yes, I will!” I will sign.

“There should be options, you can’t dictate to people and say you are doing democracy. Give them other options so they can make a choice.”

Earlier in the interview, President Buhari had also reiterated his government’s resolve to tackle banditry in the country’s northwest region.

“So, I think the only language they understand – we have discussed it thoroughly with the law enforcement agencies; the security chiefs, the Inspector General of Police – is to go after them; the terrorists,” he added.

“We labelled them terrorists, are we are going to deal with them as such.”