President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed disappointment over insinuations that some aides of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo recently disengaged from the presidency were sacked.
Instead, the president said they were redeployed to some newly created ministries as part of the ongoing reorganisation at the presidency aimed at enhancing service delivery to Nigerians.
A statement by the President’s spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday, said the president stated this when he fielded questions from State House Correspondents, shortly after his arrival from London on Friday night.
President Buhari said: ”It is unfortunate that the recent disengagement of some political appointees from the presidency had been given ‘‘ethnic and political’’ interpretations.
‘‘They said 35 people were sacked in the Vice President’s office. We just created some ministries and we reorganised and people are giving it ethnic and political dimensions. It is unfortunate.”
Responding to a question on what next for his administration after a well deserved rest in London, the President said: ‘‘We are going to work harder and be accountable.
“We have tried to make Nigerians understand why we do certain things. Accountability from bottom to top is absolutely necessary.
‘‘Whoever is responsible for government property, [should know] it is public property, it is not personal and he has to manage it according to the law.
‘‘That’s what I expect and I think that we have been around long enough to impress on people that we mean what we say.”
