Criticizing Buhari for Russian trip is unfair, unnecessary – Sajoh

From Umar Dankano,Yola

The recent criticisms that greeted President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Russia for African Economic Summit in some quarters have been viewed as unfair and unnecessary.
A member of the Board of Trustee of Mind shift Advocacy for Development Initiative, Comrade Ahmad Sajoh who reacted on the critics opined that president Buhari’s attendance to the summit in faraway Russia is a blessing to us as a country and as a people due to the strategic importance of our country in Africa.
Sajoh who is the immediate past Commissioner of Information and Strategy in Adamawa said the newspapers action looked more like being inspired by the opposition.
“It’s misinformed, parochial and probably with all respect opposition inspired. If not opposition inspired, I don’t expect a reputable national paper to begin to criticize officially using their position as editorial something that is not only legitimate but beneficial to the country,” Sajoh said.
He explained that Buhari as the president is the number one diplomat and not the minister of foreign affairs.
“He is also the number one sales person for this country and nobody has the capacity to market the country outside and be accepted as such like him because at the end of the day the bucks stop at his table.
“He is the Chief Public Office of this country. He is our reputation manager and in the best position to go and manage our reputation,” Sajoh said.
Sajoh noted that Buhari’s travels particularly the trip to Russia was a huge success citing the decision to complete Ajakuta Steel rolling mill, rail line from Lagos to Calabar and cooperation in the energy, petroleum, and gas, trade and investment as well as defence and security among others.
Sajoh urged for Nigerians to support Buhari administration to succeed in its efforts to improve the economy pointing out that such support became necessary as part of sacrifice for the needed change.
Sajoh said measures like the closure of border and the move to borrow money from World Bank to improve power supply were some of the hard decisions recently taken to improve the economy.
“Nigerians need to know that Nigerian Government signed Africa Free Trade agreement and not free smuggling agreement that will deprive it of legitimate revenue and continue to do incalculable damage to our local agricultural production, “ Sajoh said.