For the second time in less than two weeks, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met with the embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

Unlike a fortnight ago when he forcefully bared his mind on the budget padding controversy and vowed not to resign, saying budget padding was not an offence, Dogara declined comments when he was approached by State House Correspondents on his visit to the villa.

He was accompanied by some lawmakers representing Bauchi State in the Senate.

Leader of the Latter Rain Assembly Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Buhari’s running mate in the 2011 presidential election, was also at the Presidential Villa.

Bakare who spoke with State House correspondents after the meeting which lasted for about 45-minutes, urged Nigerians to exercise patience with the present government, saying that it meant well for them.

“I came to see the President and he is doing very well, healthwise. That is all I came to do,” he added.

On the prospects of the administration delivering the change it promised Nigerians, Bakare explained: “When you are driving on a wrong direction, for example, you are going to Ibadan and you face Badagry and you get to Cotonou and you realise you have gone in the wrong direction for too long a time, then you turn back, there will be some suffering you have to go through.

“Pain is part of gain. No pain, no gain. The years of wastage and all that we have done wrong has finally caught up with us. All we are praying for is wisdom for this government to do the right things, so that gradually, we can begin to come out of the woods.”

He said it was too early to rate the administration’s performance, saying Buhari loves and means well for Nigeria and Nigerians and should be given some time to deliver.

On the budget padding issue, Bakare said: “I just returned to the country last Friday. I am still reading about it. I will make my decision when I have checked both sides and I will definitely speak on that.”