Presidency explains why Buhari didn’t mention Lekki shooting in speech

There was no vital omission in President Muhammadu Buhari’s address to Nigerians on Thursday, Femi Adesina, has said.

Mr Adesina, a media adviser to the president, in an interview with Channels Television on Friday night, argued that the much-criticised speech adequately met Nigerians’ demands.

He argued that Mr Buhari deliberately refused to make comments on Tuesday’s Lekki shootings because both the Lagos State government and Nigeria Defence Headquarters are yet to conclude their investigations on the matter.

Many across social media have condemned Mr Buhari for failing to speak on the shootings of Nigerians protesting against police brutality at Lekki plaza in Lagos on Tuesday night by the country’s military operatives.

The incident, where some youth were killed while many more sustained different degrees of injuries had earlier been reported to have informed Mr Buhari’s meeting with some of Nigeria’s past leaders.

The meeting, held virtually, was attended by Nigeria’s immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan; his predecessor, Olusegun Obasanjo; Yakubu Gowon, among others.

Mr Adesina, highlighting the issues raised at the meeting, said past leaders in attendance, including Mr Obasanjo, only praised the incumbent president and made recommendations.

“He said the speech was quite good and the country has been waiting for it. He mentioned specific things in the speech which he felt were very good. He then made his recommendation going forward, particularly in the area of economy and security,” the media aide said, dismissing the claim that people are outraged against President Buhari-led administration.

“The thing about Nigeria is that there are 200 million of us and 200 million people will not see things the same way. And each will have a right to the way it sees things.

“The president thanked those (international community) who had sought to know before making comments, in other words, he was telling those who were hasty in their judgements to seek out information. He didn’t miss out on anything.

“You and I know what he was talking about. That message to the international community was on Lekki,” Mr Adesina said, reiterating his boss’s concern on how international views govern his governance as well as the people.