President Muhammadu Buhari has encouraged the newly-elected and returning governors to deliver on their campaign promises or get ready to be voted out in the next elections. Buhari spoke on Monday during the induction of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) organised ahead of the May 29 inauguration. President Buhari was represented by Ibrahim Gambari, his chief of staff who stressed that Buhari’s government has tackled the nation’s challenges, including infrastructure, agriculture and strengthening the armed forces. “The road has been bumpy due to a challenging fiscal climate, but I am proud to state as we leave office in about two weeks, that we have built a firm foundation for a prosperous Nigeria,” Buhari said. “Despite the difficult fiscal conditions, we remained committed to our promises. These key areas were strategically targeted.
“Our focus on infrastructure was to improve access to markets, improved linkages and reduce overall supply chain costs. This singular commitment to infrastructure development for roads, rails, airports, ports and affordable housing was designed to create better means of livelihood for our people and facilitate access to jobs.
“I am happy that we are succeeding in investing the nation’s wealth in every state of the federation and a clear path for sustainable development has been set.”
“One interesting development that we all saw from the last elections is that the electorate is maturing, and people are increasingly finding their voices. Any public officer who fails to either meet up with the expectations of the people or deliver on his campaign promises would be voted out in the next election. That is what democracy is about. Deliver or get shown the door out!
“With the elections now over, it is time for us to deliver the promises we made during the campaigns.
“I have always maintained that democracy is not an end state nor is it a static event. It is an evolutionary process that takes its participants on a journey of self-realisation. The process forces us to hold a mirror to ourselves, and by doing so, we are made to constantly review and improve its critical elements to ensure that we have an inclusive democratic practice that gives faith to voters.
“We must therefore be patient, tolerant and use the appropriate channels to seek redress if we believe there have been unfair practices along the way. As you can tell, I am speaking as a veteran of the process, with the scars to show for it.”
