President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday received a former Head of State retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar at the State House, Abuja.
The meeting was announced by Bashir Ahmad, Personal Assistant on New Media to President Buhari on his Twitter handle @BashirAhmaad.
“President @MBuhari receives in audience former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar (rtd) at the State House, Abuja,” he tweeted.
President @MBuhari receives in audience former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar (rtd) at the State House, Abuja. pic.twitter.com/pi8Geui1LZ
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) March 26, 2021
The agenda of the meeting is not known and no statement was issued after the closed door one-on-one discussion.
However, the former head of state has been expressing concern over the security situation in the country.
On February 24, retired General Abubakar said negotiating with bandits is not the best option to banditry while speaking when a delegation of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) visited him at his residence in Minna, Niger State when some students of Government Science College, Kagara.
The former head of state said: “The law enforcement agencies need to work together to map new strategies on how to deal with the problem.”
General Abubakar, who is the chairman of the National Peace Committee, had earlier on February 16 said that the growing tension in the wake of ethnic crisis can lead the country to a point of no return.
Speaking with journalists at his Hilltop residence in Minna, Niger State capital, the former head of state described the recent happening in some parts of the country as unfortunate.
“We appeal to the citizens of our dear country who have borne so much pains and suffering to remain resilient and patient,” he said.
“Thousands of our people are homeless and refugees across the length and breath of their own country. We know what farmers have faced in the last few years and the harvests will be a serious challenge this year.
“Therefore, let us all rally together in these hard times, make the required sacrifices and remain vigilant, standing by one another.”
He appealed to governors to tone down their rhetoric and take full responsibility for managing the divergent voices and frustrations within their states.
He said, “It is true that we are all in a state of fear and collective anxiety. However, the last thing we need is for the enemy to sense a lack of unity on our part or a break in our ranks.
“We appeal to the new service chiefs and IGP to rise to the urgent demands of the moment by rallying their troops and designing the best strategy for ending the tragic war that has continued to consumed and destroy the foundations of our dear country.
“We hope that based on their field experiences in the war, they can draw up a well-coordinated programme to ensure that all our resources are deployed to achieve the much-needed victory in this avoidable war.”
