The Presidency has denied claims that President Muhammadu Buhari is favouring Northerners and Muslims in his appointments.It also described claims that President Buhari is targeting Christians and the opposition, as baseless and without foundation.The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this in a statement while reacting to The London Telegraphs article Children Face Death by Starvation in Northern Nigeria published on July 30.According to the Presidential spokesman, since assuming office, President Buhari has treated all Nigerians without bias for ethnicity or religion .He remarked that to suggest President Buhari s government as deepening Muslim-Christian division is not only untrue, but plays into the hands of Boko Haram who wish to divide Nigerians along religious lines.He said, As for claims that the administration is targeting Christians and the opposition, these are without foundation.Since assuming office, President Buhari has treated all Nigerians without bias for ethnicity or religionas the composition of his cabinet and the policies and programmes of his Administration demonstrate.To suggest his government as deepening Muslim-Christian division is not only untrue, but plays into the hands of Boko Haram who wish to divide Nigerians along religious lines. Fighting this group is key priority of President Buharis Administration.Indeed the international community has widely acknowledged his determination to defeat terrorism in Nigeria and the entire Lake Chad Basin.Shehu said there is nothing to gain by attempting to mould public opinion against these facts adding that, Therefore we invite The Telegraph to visit Nigeria: to witness first hand not only the challenges we face, but the Administrations determination to confront them.The Presidency also faulted claims by the London Telegraph that Nigeria is diverting UK aid monies away from defeating the Islamist terror group Boko Haram towards those the newspaper identifies as political opponents of the administration.The London Telegraphs article Children Face Death by Starvation in Northern Nigeria (30th August) repeats a claim from an earlier piece Nigeria Using UK Aid to Persecute Presidents Political Foes (12th April)that Nigeria is diverting UK aid monies away from defeating the Islamist terror group ,Boko Haram towards those the newspaper identifies as political opponents of the administration. This is as incorrect as it is unhelpful.According to Shehu, these claims in both articles are attributed to an unnamed source in the United States, and Western officials and yet when the first article was published it drew the condemnation of the US Embassy in Abuja as having drawn conclusions directly opposite to the position of the US government.He said, To state the facts: the UK government does not give development aid to the Nigerian administration for use in military operations against Boko Haram. Where British military supportsuch as intelligenceis provided, it is precisely and only, given for operations directly against Boko Haram.
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