President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to keep faith with the current administration as it remains committed to the tenets of good governance. President Buhari made the call at the 2018 democracy day lecture, which held on Monday at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. President Buhari said his administration is working hard on delivering more democratic dividends to the citizens of the country.
“I call on Nigerians to remain steadfast and keep faith with this administration as we remain committed to peacebuilding and good governance, to deliver the best of dividends of democracy to Nigerian people,” he said.
Reflecting on the achievements of his administration in the last three years, President Buhari said the country has had its rough times but the government has not allowed itself to be overwhelmed by the many challenges.
He said the government has taken the needed steps to sustain peace in all parts of the country affected by the crisis.
“We have engaged in several rounds of dialogue and town hall meetings, targeted at peace building between the aggrieved persons and communities. We have worked hard to decimate insurgents in various parts of the country,” he said.
President Buhari, who sympathized with people affected by the insurgency, said the rebuilding of the North-east is ongoing, in order to return displaced persons to their ancestral homes.
The Nigerian leader again stated the resolve of his administration to fight corruption to a standstill because it is the bane of development.
“Our resolve to fight corruption was informed by the realization that reducing corruption and ensuring the effective and just utilization of public resources are crucial for achieving sustainable growth and development in Nigeria. Corruption has been at the root of most of the development challenges of our country. The can be no progress in any facet of our national life unless we tackle and curb corruption,” the President stated.
He noted that good governance is the polar opposite of corruption thus, the government will not relent in its efforts to eliminate the menace in spite of the strong opposition against such a moves.
According to him: “Corruption manifests itself in several forms, including accelerating poverty, conflicts and civil disturbances, resulting into violence and destruction, therefore all must be done to stop it.”
He noted that Nigeria’s security situation has greatly improved against the background of what the current government inherited in 2015.
“Incidences of bombings in towns and villages have been drastically curtailed, series of plots have been averted with many culprits arrested through the vigilance, patriotism and professionalism of security agencies,” he said.
He, therefore, restated government’s decision to continue to equip and prepare troops, to confront agents of violence, until total victory is attained.
President Buhari said the economy is also improving with government achieving its objectives, some of which he listed to include increased food production and food security, rapid economic diversification into sectors that were hitherto neglected or under explored, adding that the country’s foreign reserves have reached new heights.
The Nigerian leader thanked those who have worked hard or contributed one way or the other, leading to the many successes recorded so far by his administration.
Present at the occasion were the President of the Nigerian Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and members of the Federal cabinet among others.
