“When people ask you to remove subsidy ask them to define it. Who is subsidizing who? Let me make it clear. The people are gleefully saying ‘remove subsidy’. They want petrol to cost N500 per litre. If you are working and subsidy is removed, you can’t control transport, you can’t control market women, the cost of food, the cost of transport,” said Buhari.

He added that there would have been no problem if Nigerian refineries are working. “If Nigeria was not an oil producing country – all well and good. Our refineries are not working. We have a lot of work to do.”

He also dismissed insinuation that his administration is being too slow in taking crucial decisions relating to governance and appointment of political office holders.

“In some quarters they are now calling me `Baba Go Slow’. I’m going to go slow and steady,’’ the President declared.

At a speech he delivered at the USA Institute of Peace, Buhari raised alarm that the dogmatic application of the Leahy Law by the United States is denying Nigeria the much needed weapons to battle Boko Haram. The law forbids the United States from selling weapons to countries abusing human rights, a constant accusation against Nigerian armed forces prosecuting the Boko Haram war since 2009.

“The blanket application of the Leahy Law by the United States on the grounds of unproven allegations of human rights violations levelled against our forces has denied us access to appropriate strategic weapons to prosecute the war against the insurgents,” Buhari said at a session moderated by former Secretary of state for African Affairs, Ambassador Johnnie Carson.

According to him, the Nigerian military has remained largely impotent in responding to insurgency activities of Boko Haram like abduction of innocent school girls from their hostels, indiscriminate bombings of civilians in markets and places of worship because of lack of appropriate weapons and technology which they could have had, had the so called human rights violations not been an obstacle.

”Unwittingly, and I dare say, unintentionally, the application of the Leahy law amendment by the U. S. Government has aided and abetted the Boko Haram terrorist group in the prosecution of its extremist ideology and hate, the indiscriminate killings and maiming of civilians, in raping of women and girls, and in their other heinous crimes.

The President therefore strongly appealed to both the Executive Arm and the US Congress to examine how the US Government can provide Nigeria with far more substantial counter-terrorism assistance with minimal strings.

“The longer we delay, the deadlier the Boko Haram gets. At all events, we have re-written the rules of engagement protecting the rights of combatants and in particular safeguarding civilians in theatres of conflict,” Buhari said.

So, what benefit will the four day trip to the US bring to Nigeria, especially as regards the most important twin issues of the Boko Haram insurgency and corruption? There have been unconfirmed reports that the US may have changed its stands on sale of weapons to Nigeria, including the much sought after Apache helicopter. But this hope became doubtful, with Buhari himself railing at the obstacle posed by the Leahy law.

The man who inspired the law, Senator Patrick Leahy also dabbled into the arms supply no-deal, when he urged President Buhari to direct his anger, not at the law but Nigeria’s military, which has been caught red-handed on many occasions violating the rights of people in the most reckless manner. Leahy even said some sections of the Nigerian military are filled with ‘rapists and murderers’.

“It is well documented by the State Department and by respected human rights organizations that Nigerian army personnel have, for many years, engaged in a pattern and practice of gross violations of human rights against the Nigerian people and others, including summary executions of prisoners, indiscriminate attacks against civilians, torture, forced disappearances and rape.”, said Leahy in a post on his website.