I
am immensely grateful to God Who Has preserved us to witness this day
and this occasion. Today marks a triumph for Nigeria and an occasion to
celebrate her freedom and cherish her democracy. Nigerians have shown
their commitment to democracy and are determined to entrench its
culture. Our journey has not been easy but thanks to the determination
of our people and strong support from friends abroad we have today a
truly democratically elected government in place.
I would like
to thank President Goodluck Jonathan for his display of statesmanship in
setting a precedent for us that has now made our people proud to be
Nigerians wherever they are. With the support and cooperation he has
given to the transition process, he has made it possible for us to show
the world that despite the perceived tension in the land we can be a
united people capable of doing what is right for our nation. Together we
co-operated to surprise the world that had come to expect only the
worst from Nigeria. I hope this act of graciously accepting defeat by
the outgoing President will become the standard of political conduct in
the country.
I would like to thank the millions
of our supporters who believed in us even when the cause seemed
hopeless. I salute their resolve in waiting long hours in rain and hot
sunshine to register and cast their votes and stay all night if
necessary to protect and ensure their votes count and were counted. I
thank those who tirelessly carried the campaign on the social media. At
the same time, I thank our other countrymen and women who did not vote
for us but contributed to make our democratic culture truly competitive,
strong and definitive.
I thank all of you.
Having just a few minutes ago sworn on the Holy Book, I intend to keep my oath and serve as President to all Nigerians.
I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody.
A
few people have privately voiced fears that on coming back to office I
shall go after them. These fears are groundless. There will be no paying
off old scores. The past is prologue.
Our neighbours in the
Sub-region and our African brethren should rest assured that Nigeria
under our administration will be ready to play any leadership role that
Africa expects of it. Here I would like to thank the governments and
people of Cameroon, Chad and Niger for committing their armed forces to
fight Boko Haram in Nigeria.
I also wish to assure the wider
international community of our readiness to cooperate and help to combat
threats of cross-border terrorism, sea piracy, refugees and boat
people, financial crime, cyber crime, climate change, the spread of
communicable diseases and other challenges of the 21st century.
At
home we face enormous challenges. Insecurity, pervasive corruption, the
hitherto unending and seemingly impossible fuel and power shortages are
the immediate concerns. We are going to tackle them head on. Nigerians
will not regret that they have entrusted national responsibility to us.
We must not succumb to hopelessness and defeatism. We can fix our
problems.
In recent times Nigerian leaders appear to have
misread our mission. Our founding fathers, Mr Herbert Macauley, Dr
Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna
of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Malam Aminu Kano, Chief J.S.
Tarka, Mr Eyo Ita, Chief Denis Osadeby, Chief Ladoke Akintola and their
colleagues worked to establish certain standards of governance. They
might have differed in their methods or tactics or details, but they
were united in establishing a viable and progressive country. Some of
their successors behaved like spoilt children breaking everything and
bringing disorder to the house.
Furthermore, we as Nigerians
must remind ourselves that we are heirs to great civilizations: Shehu
Othman Dan fodio’s caliphate, the Kanem Borno Empire, the Oyo Empire,
the Benin Empire and King Jaja’s formidable domain. The blood of those
great ancestors flow in our veins. What is now required is to build on
these legacies, to modernize and uplift Nigeria.
Daunting as the
task may be it is by no means insurmountable. There is now a national
consensus that our chosen route to national development is democracy. To
achieve our objectives we must consciously work the democratic system.
The Federal Executive under my watch will not seek to encroach on the
duties and functions of the Legislative and Judicial arms of government.
The law enforcing authorities will be charged to operate within the
Constitution. We shall rebuild and reform the public service to become
more effective and more serviceable. We shall charge them to apply
themselves with integrity to stabilize the system.
For their
part the legislative arm must keep to their brief of making laws,
carrying out over-sight functions and doing so expeditiously. The
judicial system needs reform to cleanse itself from its immediate past.
The country now expects the judiciary to act with dispatch on all cases
especially on corruption, serious financial crimes or abuse of office.
It is only when the three arms act constitutionally that government will
be enabled to serve the country optimally and avoid the confusion all
too often bedeviling governance today.
Elsewhere relations
between Abuja and the States have to be clarified if we are to serve the
country better. Constitutionally there are limits to powers of each of
the three tiers of government but that should not mean the Federal
Government should fold its arms and close its eyes to what is going on
in the states and local governments. Not least the operations of the
Local Government Joint Account. While the Federal Government can not
interfere in the details of its operations it will ensure that the gross
corruption at the local level is checked. As far as the constitution
allows me I will try to ensure that there is responsible and accountable
governance at all levels of government in the country. For I will not
have kept my own trust with the Nigerian people if I allow others abuse
theirs under my watch.
However, no matter how well organized the
governments of the federation are they can not succeed without the
support, understanding and cooperation of labour unions, organized
private sector, the press and civil society organizations. I appeal to
employers and workers alike to unite in raising productivity so that
everybody will have the opportunity to share in increased prosperity.
The Nigerian press is the most vibrant in Africa. My appeal to the media
today – and this includes the social media – is to exercise its
considerable powers with responsibility and patriotism.
My
appeal for unity is predicated on the seriousness of the legacy we are
getting into. With depleted foreign reserves, falling oil prices,
leakages and debts the Nigerian economy is in deep trouble and will
require careful management to bring it round and to tackle the immediate
challenges confronting us, namely; Boko Haram, the Niger Delta
situation, the power shortages and unemployment especially among young
people. For the longer term we have to improve the standards of our
education. We have to look at the whole field of medicare. We have to
upgrade our dilapidated physical infrastructure.
The most
immediate is Boko Haram’s insurgency. Progress has been made in recent
weeks by our security forces but victory can not be achieved by basing
the Command and Control Centre in Abuja. The command centre will be
relocated to Maiduguri and remain until Boko Haram is completely
subdued. But we can not claim to have defeated Boko Haram without
rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons held hostage by
insurgents.
This government will do all it can to rescue them
alive. Boko Haram is a typical example of small fires causing large
fires. An eccentric and unorthodox preacher with a tiny following was
given posthumous fame and following by his extra judicial murder at the
hands of the police. Since then through official bungling, negligence,
complacency or collusion Boko Haram became a terrifying force taking
tens of thousands of lives and capturing several towns and villages
covering swathes of Nigerian sovereign territory.
Boko Haram is a
mindless, godless group who are as far away from Islam as one can think
of. At the end of the hostilities when the group is subdued the
Government intends to commission a sociological study to determine its
origins, remote and immediate causes of the movement, its sponsors, the
international connexions to ensure that measures are taken to prevent a
reccurrence of this evil. For now the Armed Forces will be fully charged
with prosecuting the fight against Boko haram. We shall overhaul the
rules of engagement to avoid human rights violations in operations. We
shall improve operational and legal mechanisms so that disciplinary
steps are taken against proven human right violations by the Armed
Forces.
Boko Haram is not only the security issue bedeviling our
country. The spate of kidnappings, armed robberies, herdsmen/farmers
clashes, cattle rustlings all help to add to the general air of
insecurity in our land. We are going to erect and maintain an efficient,
disciplined people – friendly and well – compensated security forces
within an over – all security architecture.
The amnesty
programme in the Niger Delta is due to end in December, but the
Government intends to invest heavily in the projects, and programmes
currently in place. I call on the leadership and people in these areas
to cooperate with the State and Federal Government in the rehabilitation
programmes which will be streamlined and made more effective. As ever, I
am ready to listen to grievances of my fellow Nigerians. I extend my
hand of fellowship to them so that we can bring peace and build
prosperity for our people.
No single cause can be identified to
explain Nigerian’s poor economic performance over the years than the
power situation. It is a national shame that an economy of 180 million
generates only 4,000MW, and distributes even less. Continuous tinkering
with the structures of power supply and distribution and close on $20b
expanded since 1999 have only brought darkness, frustration, misery, and
resignation among Nigerians. We will not allow this to go on. Careful
studies are under way during this transition to identify the quickest,
safest and most cost-effective way to bring light and relief to
Nigerians.
Unemployment, notably youth un-employment features
strongly in our Party’s Manifesto. We intend to attack the problem
frontally through revival of agriculture, solid minerals mining as well
as credits to small and medium size businesses to kick – start these
enterprises. We shall quickly examine the best way to revive major
industries and accelerate the revival and development of our railways,
roads and general infrastructure.
Your Excellencies, My fellow
Nigerians I can not recall when Nigeria enjoyed so much goodwill abroad
as now. The messages I received from East and West, from powerful and
small countries are indicative of international expectations on us. At
home the newly elected government is basking in a reservoir of goodwill
and high expectations. Nigeria therefore has a window of opportunity to
fulfill our long – standing potential of pulling ourselves together and
realizing our mission as a great nation.
Our situation somehow reminds one of a passage in Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar
There is a tide in the affairs of men which,
taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life,
Is bound in shallows and miseries.
We have an opportunity. Let us take it.
Thank you
Muhammadu Buhari
President Federal Republic of NIGERIA and
Commander in-chief-of the Armed forces
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