The Federal Government on Monday said that many critics of the current President Muhammadu Buhari – led administration were looking for monetary ‘settlements’ to keep quiet.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, while reacting to the numerous criticisms that trailed the President’s Independence Day Speech, said the trend of paying critics to keep quiet has been abolished.

He also said it was unfair for the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo to blame the current unrest in the South – East region of the country on the Federal Government.

“As for those critics who are used to being settled by successive governments, with false alarms to being the so-called conscience of the society, popping out from the cupboard on and off to drive the country towards religious and ethnic polarization, they have no other motive but to rock the boat of good governance,” Shehu said.

“What they yearn for is to be picked out to be paid to keep quiet. The Buhari government has abolished settlement.

“Polarising speeches that pitch a Nigerian against a Nigerian brother are causing damage to our democracy, rocking at the very foundation of our unity and they better not cross the red lines as warned by the President,” he added.