I have created a better Nigeria – Buhari

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I guarantee election of leaders by citizens - Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari

 

I guarantee election of leaders by citizens

 

Emmanuel Thomas l Saturday, October 1, 2022

 

LAGOS, Nigeria – “​I was called to serve, along with my team, I saw an opportunity to create a better Nigeria which we have done with the support of Nigerians. Almighty God and the good people of Nigeria supported us in laying a solid foundation for the Nigeria of our dreams”, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.

Buhari, who made the remarks in his last independence speech to Nigerians said the tremendous goodwill he enjoyed gave him the opportunity to provide leadership for Nigeria at one of the trying times in Nigeria’s history.

He said he has resolved to bequeath a sustainable democratic culture which will remain lasting and that the signing of the Electoral Act 2021 as amended with landmark provisions further assures us of a more transparent and inclusive Electoral Process.

“Having witnessed at close quarters, the pains, anguish and disappointment of being a victim of an unfair electoral process, the pursuit of an electoral system and processes that guarantee election of leaders by citizens remains the guiding light as I prepare to wind down our administration”, he said.

“​You would all agree that the recent elections in the past two years in some states (notably Anambra, Ekiti and Osun) and a few federal constituencies have shown a high degree of credibility, transparency and freedom of choice with the people’s votes actually counting. This I promise would be improved upon as we move towards the 2023 General Elections.

“​As we begin the transition process to another democratically elected government, I want to implore all aspirants to conduct issues-based campaigns devoid of hate speeches as well as other negative and divisive tendencies.

“I also want to express my wish that we see more female and youth participation in the forth-coming electoral cycle. I am sure that our teeming and energetic youths now realise that violence generally mar elections and so should desist from being used by politicians for this purpose”, he said.

 

He alluded to his electoral promises, where in he pledged to Improve the Economy, Tackle Corruption and Fight Insecurity  with commitment to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in ten years as the central plank of his second term in 2019.

“To the Glory of God and His Grace as well as the commitment and passion displayed by many Nigerian supporters, we have made appreciable progress in these areas but not yet at our destination”, he said, acknowledging that take off was slow but that he re-positioned the economy by providing strategic interventions in core areas at both the Federal and Sub-National levels.

“​One of the areas where we have made significant progress is in the eradication of deeply entrenched corruption that permeates all facets of our national development.

“​We strengthened the Institutions for tackling corruption and also cultivated international support, which aided the repatriation of huge sums of money illegally kept outside the country. ​The increasing number of prosecutions and convictions, with associated refunds of large sums of money is still ongoing. Furthermore, we would continue to block opportunities that encourage corrupt practices”, he said, stressing that  in order to address Insecurity, “we worked methodically in reducing Insurgency in the North East, Militancy in the Niger Delta, Ethnic and Religious Tensions in some sections of Nigeria along with other problems threatening our country”, he said.

He explained that efforts in re-setting the economy manifested in Nigeria exiting two economic recessions by the very practical and realistic monetary and fiscal measures to ensure effective public financial management.

“In addition, the effective implementation of the Treasury Single Account and cutting down on the cost of governance also facilitated early exits from recessions”, he said.

According to him, this administration removed several decades uncertainty for potential Investors in the Oil & Gas sector with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021.

“This landmark legislation created opportunities for foreign investments in addition to improving transparency in the management of the sector”, he said.

He said his administration has given the desired priority to the Agricultural Sector through a series of incentives to Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises that resulted in creating millions of jobs. Leading this initiative, the Central Bank of Nigeria’s intervention in a number of areas as well as the Anchor Borrowers Programme had created the required leverages for Nigerians towards self-sufficiency in food and the necessary attraction for farming as a business.

He said his government is confronting current economic challenges such as debt burden, growing inflation, living standards and increasing unemployment accentuated by our growing youthful population and that the problems are globally induced  but that government would continue to ensure that their negative effects are addressed in our policies.

He explained that the recent Monetary Policy Committee decision to maintain all parameters, especially interest rates and marginally increased the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) from 14% to 15.5% and the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) from 27.5% to 32.5%  is done to insulate the economy from over exposure to uncertainties at the international market by restraining growth in core inflation.

On insecurity, he said at the inception of this administration in 2015, “I provided the funding requirements of the security agencies which was also improved in my second tenure in 2019 to enable them to surmount security challenges. We will continue on this path until our efforts yield the desired results.

The President said he is very pained by the recurring disruption to our tertiary education system.

“I am using this Independence Day celebration to re-iterate my call for the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to return to the classroom while assuring them to deal with their contending issues within the limits of the scarce resources available.

“This administration has made appreciable progress in redressing these issues that have been lingering for over eleven years. The Federal Government will continue to mobilize resources both internationally and nationally towards funding education to ensure that our citizens are well educated and skilled in various vocations in view of the fact that education is a leading determinant of economic growth and employment generation”, he said.

 

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