Buhari in closed-door meeting with Saraki, Ekweremadu

FILE PHOTO: L-R: Senator Bukola Saraki and President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, in Abuja, met separately behind closed doors with the Senate President Bukola Saraki, Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara and South East Caucus in the Senate.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who led the South East Senate Caucus to the meeting with President Buhari, told State House correspondents that they presented some of the concerns of the South East region to the president.

According to him, the meeting also discussed issues bordering on security, Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), roads and general infrastructure.

“For us from the South East, we believe that dialogue is better than any other form of engagement.

“So, we decided to visit the President and present to him some of the concerns of the South East including the issues of roads, general infrastructure: the rail, airports.

“We also discussed the issue of security with him and of course the issue of IPOB. We had a good conversation and he promised to look into the issues,’’ he said.

Also commenting on the outcome of the meeting, the Chairman of South East Senate Caucus, Sen Eyinnaya Abaribe, said they had a fruitful discussion with the President.

According to him, there is a concerted effort from the people of the South East to be sure that they engage with the President Buhari-led administration, meaningfully.

Abaribe revealed that the President had promised that he was going to look into the problems facing the South East region.

“We know that there are problems everywhere but we also believe that the South East is the zone that is far much shortchanged at this time than other zones.

“We also talked about the issue of appointments from the South East, especially with respect to the National Security Council.

“The President also told us that governors of the South East have also engaged him on the same problems we engaged him on.

“We are reassured with the response we got from the President and we look forward to further interaction with him in this manner,’’ he said.

Governor Yari of Zamfara was in the Presidential Villa to further brief the President on the security situation in his state following the murder of 36 miners in Maru Local Government Area on Monday.

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