Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel has disclosed the purpose of his recent closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He stated that his visit on Tuesday, August 9, was to brief President Buhari on the security situation in Akwa Ibom state.
Addressing State House correspondents, Emmanuel said: “I’m still serving a state and the state is within the country and the President is the father of the country. I think it is part of my responsibility to let the President know how things are being done and how we are faring.
“We discussed issues of security. Unfortunately, everything discussed under security is covered.”
On whether or not he made a request to the President, he said: “Not really a request but a feedback. At times, a feedback could be effective than a request. This is because a feedback is necessary for further actions and the rest of things you want to do.
“But I also want to use this platform to say we are running one project, which is project Nigeria. If we are running project Nigeria, all hands must be on deck to move the country to the level we expect and dream of.
“I think this is the essence of the whole thing: to keep letting everybody know that at this point it is a time everybody must join hands to work for the country and see what we can do from the state to the local government level, to support the vision of making Nigeria reach where we want it to be.
He further stated that it was time everybody joined hands to work for Nigeria and see what can be done both from the state to the local government level to at least support the vision of making the country reach where it should be.
“Well, I don’t know whether you want me to redefine that word ‘restiveness’, but permit to also say you are still pushing me to discuss security, which we don’t discuss on camera. Spare me for today. But rather than call it restiveness, I will say everything we discussed is about the wellbeing of Nigerians. How can we make their situation better? I think that is the way I look at it.
“Whether you look at it; from security, infrastructure, security or any other angle, that is the ultimate. At times, I move from ‘what do I set to achieve and how do I want to do it?’ I think that is the way I look at it. What have I set to achieve at the end of the day? It is the interest of everybody that we are working for.”