VP Osinbajo speaks about Buhari:
“As you know, Mr President decided that since government provides accommodation, food and transportation for the President and the Vice-President, we didn’t need a full salary.
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“Now, how much is this salary by the way? It is public knowledge and I think it is N1,750,000.00 or so, which is under N2 million. He said he would take only half of his salary and so I had no choice but also to take half of my own salary.
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“In a country where politicians sometimes want to be as wealthy as Dangote, it is refreshing to have a President who most people won’t even dare to discuss any private benefit on a project with let alone a bribe or a kick-back.
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“I remember when he was on medical vacation, and I was speaking to him on the phone fairly regularly and giving him a rundown of what was going on, especially when he was on the first medical vacation. He said to me, ‘don’t worry about telling me all that is happening, I rely on your judgment keep doing your best, what if I drop dead?! You would have to run it anyway.’
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“I had to say to him, that his dropping dead was not part of the plan.
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“What has happened so far under this government is the tough business of laying strong foundations. The first, is honesty and good governance, and prudence in government spending.
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“The second is in ensuring that we have an infrastructure that can sustain our economy, not now, but in the next decades. For the first time, in at least a decade, we are spending 30% on capital expenditure”.
.
“Now, how much is this salary by the way? It is public knowledge and I think it is N1,750,000.00 or so, which is under N2 million. He said he would take only half of his salary and so I had no choice but also to take half of my own salary.
.
“In a country where politicians sometimes want to be as wealthy as Dangote, it is refreshing to have a President who most people won’t even dare to discuss any private benefit on a project with let alone a bribe or a kick-back.
.
“I remember when he was on medical vacation, and I was speaking to him on the phone fairly regularly and giving him a rundown of what was going on, especially when he was on the first medical vacation. He said to me, ‘don’t worry about telling me all that is happening, I rely on your judgment keep doing your best, what if I drop dead?! You would have to run it anyway.’
.
“I had to say to him, that his dropping dead was not part of the plan.
.
“What has happened so far under this government is the tough business of laying strong foundations. The first, is honesty and good governance, and prudence in government spending.
.
“The second is in ensuring that we have an infrastructure that can sustain our economy, not now, but in the next decades. For the first time, in at least a decade, we are spending 30% on capital expenditure”.
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