Says, we’ll uphold due process
Admin l Tuesday, September 24, 2019
NEW YORK, United States – “The present Nigerian government is facing the challenges of corruption head-on,” President Muhammadu Buhari declared Tuesday in New York.
Presenting the country’s National Statement as the fifth speaker on the first day of the General Debate during the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA74), the Nigerian leader also warned:
“We are giving notice to international criminal groups by the vigorous prosecution of the P&ID scam attempting to cheat Nigeria of billions of dollars.”
Holding social media outlets responsible for fuelling major crimes such as mass killings, President Buhari called on major tech companies to be alive to their responsibilities, adding that, “They cannot be allowed to continue to facilitate the spread of religious, racist, xenophobic and false messages capable of inciting whole communities against each other, leading to loss of many lives. This could tear some countries apart.”
He explained that Nigeria, government has made significant strides to “put our own house in order. We will work tirelessly to uphold due process. The rule of law remains the permanent, unchanging foundation of the world order. Freedom, tolerance and the rule of law are universal values and underline the best that this General Assembly represents. And that binds us all“, he said.
He also declared that, “No threat is more potent than poverty and exclusion,” noting that, “They are the foul source from which common criminality, insurgency, cross-border crimes, human trafficking and its terrible consequences draw their inspiration.”
Describing poverty “as one of the greatest challenges facing our world,” President Buhari noted that, “Its eradication is an indispensable requirement for achieving sustainable development,” while highlighting his administration’s efforts to overcome the challenge.
On the 2019 presidential elections, he said “our people backed the politics of tolerance, inclusion and community over the politics of protest and division.”
In his speech reproduced below, the President reaffirmed Nigeria’s position on certain issues which impinge on global peace, security, progress, democracy and development.
To ensure access to education for all, our Government has introduced the Home Grown School Feeding Programme to address the challenge of out-of-school and forced-out-of-school children.
“This social intervention programme, Mr President, is aimed at encouraging increased school enrolment through provision of free school meals. The benefits extend beyond the school environment. In addition, we have introduced mainstreaming and implementation of Safe Schools Declaration laws and policies across all educational institutions in Nigeria”, he said.
