Buhari resumes work in Presidential Villa main office

Holds first armed forces council meeting since 2014

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday resumed work in his main office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja after repair works by construction giant, Julius Berger.

In the main office, the President held a meeting of the Armed Forces Council, the first since he was inaugurated over two years ago. It was also Buhari’s first official engagement in the main office since he returned on August 19 from a medical sojourn in the United Kingdom (UK).

Aides of the President had declared then that rodents vandalised the office and that repair works were ongoing while the President, before the new development yesterday, had been carrying out state duties in his official residence within the State House, Abuja.

Reacting to online media reports that Buhari had not used the office for 81 days, his Personal Assistant on New Media/Engagement Unit, Bashir Ahmed, confirmed the resumption of work at the main office through his twitter handle@BashirAhmaad.

There was a corresponding statement yesterday, of photographs of President Buhari presiding over the Armed Forces Council meeting at the main office, a development which indicates that repair works had been completed by the construction giant, Julius Berger, which manages infrastructure works at the villa.‎

The last time the Armed Forces Council held its meeting was in July 2014, during the leadership of former President Goodluck Jonathan.A statement by Col. T. U. Gusau, the Public Relations Officer to the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, after the meeting said the council considered the ratifications of the National Defence Policy 2017 (Revised); Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service of Officers 2017 (Revised); and Harmonized Terms and Condition of Service Soldiers/Ratings/Airmen 2017 (Revised) amongst others.

Gusau explained that the ratifications were deemed necessary in view of contemporary security challenges and to enhance welfare, command, discipline and administration of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Gusau said considering several transformations in terms of development as well as security challenges that have taken place in Nigeria, it is believed that the ratification of the documents wiould enable the armed forces cope with the ever changing contemporary security challenges. Dan-Ali, chief of defence staff and service chiefs of the army, navy and airforce attended the meeting.