Buhari stated that from different angles, the opposition was sponsoring mischief against his government which could not be absolutely stopped.

He was speaking at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday while receiving the Buhari Media Organisation.

The president also said it was not easy for anyone to defend his administration, especially him.

He said he could not thank the organization enough for its steadfastness in fighting the opposition under very difficult circumstances.

"I don't think I can thank you enough for your steadfastness under very difficult circumstances. It is not easy to defend this administration and more in particular, to defend me. But your consistency has given me a lot of confidence.

"And I know you are doing it as a sacrifice; both physical, mental and material because as I keep on saying, the opposition now are sitting on incredible resources which I am afraid we might not match it at all.

"For that reason, the opposition is sponsoring mischief from different angles which, in spite of the incumbency of government, we cannot absolutely stop," he said.

The president recalled his detention ordeal as a military head of state, saying most of the people he jailed had given back all that they had taken before he was jailed.

"Most of those people that were being judged by various tribunals have given back what they have taken. I spent 18 months in detention and luckily, they did not find anything against me and I was released. But my problem was that there was a journalist from Edo State, he wrote an article against me. He wrote that my mother had to die to save me. Because I was only released when my mother died to go and bury her, of course, you know as a Muslim tradition, you are buried where you die.

"So, I can remember what most of you here sitting, the sacrifices you have made in terms of materialism even losing friends to continue to support me. I have been here for three years. You have proven to people that you are not here for material things, your opinion is out of sacrifice and the strength of the moral courage you have is the strength of the physical, it is the strength of losing the friends you have," he said.

President Buhari said he was sure that members of his media organisation were being asked what the hell they were getting from supporting him.

"And that is why I commend your steadfastness, and I am very grateful for it. And in this country, whether people like it or not, they will remain grateful for your courage because you have the courage to do the research, take your time to reply mischievous representation and we are very grateful," he said. (Daily Trust)

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