In a nationwide
broadcast Independence Day broadcast read this morning on national television, President
Muhammadu Buhari has called for a radical “change” in national orientation,
saying this could only be accomplished if Nigerians change by “being
law-abiding citizens”.
ThisDay reports…
The president
explained that he had ordered for a complete audit of the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Customs Service
(NCS) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), among other
revenue-generating agencies of government, for improved service delivery and
better management of the country’s resources.
He equally confirmed
that the first list of ministerial nominees was sent to the Senate president
Wednesday, adding that “subsequent lists will be sent in due course”.
Buhari, in the
broadcast, reminded Nigerians that Independence Day is a day for joy and
celebrations “irrespective of the circumstances we find ourselves in because it
is the day, 55 years ago, we liberated ourselves from the shackles of
colonialism and began our long march to nationhood and to greatness”.
“No temporary
problems or passing challenges should stop us from honouring this day. Let us
remind ourselves of the gifts God has given us. Our Creator has bequeathed to
us numbers – Nigeria is the ninth most populated country on the planet. We have
in addition: arable land, water, forests, oil and gas, a coastline, and solid
minerals,” he said.
The president noted
that Nigeria has all the attributes of a great nation, but acknowledged it had
not attained its full potential “because the one commodity we have been unable
to exploit to the fullest is unity of purpose”.
Unity, he said, would
have enabled Nigeria to achieve not only a more orderly political evolution and
integration but also continuity and economic progress.
“Countries far less
endowed have made greater economic progress by greater coherence and unity of purpose.
“Nonetheless, that we
have remained together is an achievement we should all appreciate and try to
consolidate. We have witnessed this year a change in our democratic
development.
“The fact that an
opposition party replaced an entrenched government in a free and fair election
is indicative of the deeper roots of our democratic system.
“Whatever one’s views
are, Nigerians must thank former President Goodluck Jonathan for not digging-in
in the face of defeat and thereby saving the country untold consequences,” he
said.
Buhari recalled that
in his inaugural speech, he informed the nation that he bore no ill will
against anyone on past events, adding: “Nobody should fear anything from me. We
are not after anyone. People should only fear the consequences of their
actions. I hereby invite everyone, whatever his or her political view to join
me in working for the nation.”
Speaking on the
problems inherited by his administration, Buhari acknowledged that what
Nigerians want are quick solutions, stating: “As you know, I toured
neighbouring countries, marshalled a coalition of armed forces of the five
nations to confront and defeat Boko Haram. I met also the G7 leaders and other
friendly presidents in an effort to build an international coalition against Boko
Haram.
“Our gallant armed
forces under new leadership have taken the battle to the insurgents, and
severely weakened their logistical and infrastructural capabilities. Boko Haram
are being scattered and are on the run.
“That they are
resorting to shameless attacks on soft targets such as IDP camps is indicative
of their cowardice and desperation. I have instructed security and local
authorities to tighten vigilance in vulnerable places.”
On power, the
president said government officials have held a series of long sessions over
several weeks about the best way to improve the nation’s power supply in the
safest and most cost effective way.
“In the meantime,
improvement in the power supply is moderately encouraging. By the same token,
supply of petrol and kerosene to the public has improved throughout the
country.
“All the early signs
are that within months the whole country would begin to feel a change for the
better,” he said.
The president added
that preliminary steps had also been taken to sanitise the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in order to improve its operations so that
inefficiency and corruption could be reduced to a minimum.
On the corporation’s
refineries, he said those that could be serviced and brought back into partial
production would be enabled to resume operations “so that the whole sordid
business of exporting crude and importing finished products in dubious
transactions could be stopped”.
However, he stopped
short of stating what would be done with plants that cannot be brought back on
stream.
“In addition to NNPC,
I have ordered for a complete audit of our other revenue generating agencies
mainly CBN, FIRS, Customs, NCC, for better service delivery to the nation.
“Prudent housekeeping
is needed now more than ever in view of the sharp decline in world market oil
prices. It is a challenge we have to face squarely.
“But what counts is
not so much what accrues but how we manage our resources that is important.
“We have seen in the
last few years how huge resources were mismanaged, squandered and wasted. The
new APC government is embarking on a clean up, introducing prudence and probity
in public financing,” he said.
On the bailout
provided to the states of the federation, the president recalled that at an
early stage the federal government addressed the issue of salary arrears in
many states, “a situation capable of degenerating into social unrest”.
He said the All
Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government stepped in to provide
short-term support to the states that owed workers’ salaries and enabled them
to pay off the backlog and restore the livelihood of millions of Nigerians.
On the constitution
of his cabinet, the president noted that despite anxiety and impatience over
the apparent delay in the announcement of ministers, said there was no cause
for the anxiety
He explained: “Our
government set out to do things methodically and properly. We received the
handing over notes from the outgoing government only four days before taking
over.
“Consequently, the
Joda Transition Committee submitted its report on the reorganisation of federal
government structures after studying the hand over notes.
“It would have been
haphazard to announce ministers when the government had not finalised the
number of ministries to optimally carry the burden of governance.
“Anyway, the wait is
over. The first set of names for ministerial nominees for confirmation has been
sent to the Senate. Subsequent lists will be forwarded in due course.
“Impatience is not a
virtue. Order is more vital than speed. Careful and deliberate decisions after
consultations get far better results. And better results for our country is
what the APC government for CHANGE is all about.”
While harping on his
administration’s agenda for “change”, Buhari said: “Change does not just
happen. You and I and all of us must appreciate that we all have our part to
play if we want to bring about change.
“We must change our
lawless habits, our attitude to public office and public trust. We must change
our unruly behaviour in schools, hospitals, market places, motor parks, on the
roads, in homes and offices. To bring about change, we must change ourselves by
being law-abiding citizens.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment