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 brethenen 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: "I BELONG TO
EVERYBODY AND I BELONG TO NOBODY"
- PRESIDENT BUHARI

calculator123:



MUHAMMADU BUHARI: "I BELONG TO
EVERYBODY AND I BELONG TO NOBODY"
- PRESIDENT BUHARI

this is what ashawo say.
that is why they open to everybody.

bunmititi:


this is what ashawo say.
that is why they open to everybody.

he is only trying nt to sound tribalistic

calculator123:
he is only trying nt to sound tribalistic

i dont care.
that is how ashawo think.
that is why they open to everybody.

Anybody can form this comprehension.

let just hope he doesn't fumble like his predecessor.