Coming on the heels of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s claim that President Muhammadu Buhari was bent on Islamising Nigeria, Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has said that President Buhari proved critics and doomsday prophets wrong in that regard.

 

The Transport Minister said he was happy that Buhari disappointed those who taught he had an agenda to Islamise Nigeria.

 

Amaechi said this yesterday during the valedictory Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja to mark the end of President Buhari’s first term in office.

 

Also, acting against popular expectation, President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, refused to sack his cabinet as many expected him to do.

 

He presided over the last Federal Executive Council meeting held in Abuja but instead of asking his ministers to vacate their various positions, as many thought he would do, but directed them to continue work till Tuesday, May 28, a day before the expiration of his first tenure.

 

The President, however, asked his ministers to submit their handover reports to the Office of the Secretary to the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

 

In his words, “Although, today is our last council meeting, I expected all of you to continue work until Tuesday, 28 May 2019 when you will officially hand over your schedules to your respective permanent secretaries, your handover letters should be submitted to the Office of the Secretary of the Federation.”

 

President Buhari buttressed his action of maintaining his cabinet till May 28 by appreciating their unique skills and ability while they were serving the country.

 

He said, “over the past three years and a half, we worked together to deliver our campaign promises. I strongly believe that it is this teamwork that led to the success recorded during our first term.

 

“Although, we all have a common vision, we frequently had heated debates in this room on the best way to achieve our goals. These differing views are what made the decisions we took all the more rational”.

 

He took out time to recall the death of a former cabinet member, James Enojo Ocholi who served as Minister of State for Labour and Productivity from November 2015 to March 2016.

 

He identified the enormous challenges facing the country as they came on board in 2015 and appreciated the efforts of the ministers for their hard work and achievements.

 

In his remarks, when the Ministers were given the opportunity to share their experiences, the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu defended the delay in appointment of ministers in 2015 for six months and noted that the delay was worth it with the choice of ministers that were chosen.

 

He said, “I wish to say that the lateness or the delay has been worthwhile because over the last three years and a half years, we have had one team which has been very compact, focused and determined to contribute its quota under your leadership.