Things are better when Osinbajo is in charge, I regret supporting Buhari – Senator Bello

A former Senate Majority Whip, Kanti Bello who represented Katsina North Senatorial District on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before joining the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, has noted that the country is better whenever Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo acts as president.

Senator Bello noted that the country was almost collapsing under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari, while noting that he did a lot to put the current government in place.

Bello said he thought the President Buhari-led government would put smile on the faces of Nigerians but lamented that reverse is now the case.

He said, “We thank the acting president, because each time he comes in, there seems to be some improvements in the way things are done. We don’t know why it is happening that way. Maybe it is his luck, but there are some little improvements.

“Power generation and transmission is one of the problems met by Buhari. Up till today, how much are we generating?

“4,000 megawatts? It hasn’t gone beyond that! Is it not a disgrace for a government that is supposed to be moving forward? Up till now, our factories, our industries are dead, our people are poorer.

“Look at our economy, it has been so bad; the exchange rate, they say it has been improving. Improving? From N160 to a dollar, now it is N368 to a dollar. Is that an improvement? Two years ago, it was N160 to the dollar. Is that something to be proud of? It reached almost N500.

“I will be frank with you. This is the first interview I am giving in the last two years. I have decided to be quiet.

“The reason is simple: this is our government and I contributed a lot for the government to be formed, both at the state and national level. I did it not for personal gain, but I thought it would be the government that would assist the ordinary people; a government that will turn round the economy.

“I am a very practical person. I thought that a government, when it comes to Buhari, will be able to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians. I know that there are some difficulties; I know that the price of oil has gone down.

“I know all that but the human expectations, of the ordinary people, the way the government works, I can say 90 per cent of Nigerians are disappointed. And the simple reason is this; when we voted for this government, we believed, it was not only corruption that we wanted it to stop.

“We also felt that ordinary people should have enough to eat; they should have work to do. We expected some of our factories, especially up North here, would be revitalised.

“But look at what is happening. I can tell you, no nation with 120 million people can live and be a great nation when it has to import the food it will eat and it has to import clothing.

“We have the land, a favourable climate. We have sunshine. So, there is no reason we should be importing food and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be clothing ourselves. The reason is simple; there is no agenda to get things done.

“I really regret it now, because I thought it is going to be better than what we are having now. That’s why I couldn’t speak for two years, because you cannot bring somebody and say he is the best, work hard for him and after one year you say he isn’t good.

“Is it fair? But after two years and looking at it, I can talk. I hope he gets well, come back and finish his two years. Whichever way, I don’t see much out of it anyway, because the first two years have been wasted, nothing to show for it. My regret is what I would tell the ordinary people I convinced to vote for Buhari.