By John Ikani
President Muhammadu Buhari in the early hours of Saturday, October 1, addressed Nigerians on the occasion of this year’s independence anniversary.
The President in his address – the last of his presidency – spoke about the state of the nation among other critical issues of national interest.
Heritage Times HT lists 7 key highlights from the president’s speech below.
1. On the journey so far
Although the President admitted that Nigeria is far off its desired destination, he said the country, on his watch, had made “appreciable progress” in its focal areas including economy, insecurity and fighting corruption.
2. On Insecurity
In the area of insecurity, Buhari said his government worked methodically in reducing Insurgency in the North East, Militancy in the Niger Delta, Ethnic and Religious Tensions in some sections of Nigeria along with other problems threatening the nation.
The President said as the nation continued to de-escalate the security challenges that confronted it at inception of this administration, newer forms alien to the country began to manifest, especially in the areas of kidnappings, molestations/killings of innocent citizens, banditry, all of which were being addressed by the security forces.
“At the inception of this administration in 2015, I provided the funding requirements of the security agencies which was also improved in my second tenure in 2019 to enable them to surmount security challenges. We will continue on this path until our efforts yield the desired results.”
3. On Economy
Buhari said his administration has re-positioned the Economy by providing strategic interventions in core areas at both the Federal and Sub-National levels.
He said his administration efforts in re-setting the economy manifested in Nigeria exiting two economic recessions by the very practical and realistic monetary and fiscal measures to ensure effective public financial management.
The President added that “the growing contribution of non-oil exports, especially in agriculture, information and communication technology as well as the performing arts to our national economy will enhance our foreign exchange earning capacity.”
4. On Sustaining Nigeria’s Democracy
The President pledged to bequeath a sustainable democratic culture which will remain lasting.
He said: “Fellow Nigerian, no matter what gains we make, without a good governance system anchored on electing credible leaders on the basis of free, fair, credible and transparent elections, our efforts will not be enough.
“It is for this reason that I have resolved to bequeath a sustainable democratic culture which will remain lasting. The signing of the Electoral Act 2021 with landmark provisions further assures us of a more transparent and inclusive electoral process.”
5. On 2023 General Elections
The President promised that he will ensure fair, credible and transparent elections as the country elects its leaders next year.
According to him: “You will all agree that the recent elections in the past two years in some States, notably Anambra, Ekiti, and Osun have shown a high degree of credibility, transparency and freedom of choice with the peoples’ votes actually counting. This I promise will be improved upon as we move towards the 2023 general elections. ”
He further implored all candidates to eschew violence and maintain issue-based campaigns as they canvass for votes.
“As we begin the transition process to another democratically elected government, I want to implore all candidates to conduct issue-based campaigns devoid of hate speeches as well as other divisive tendencies.”
6. On ASUU Strike
The President reiterated his call for the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities to return to the classroom, promising that his administration will continue to address the demands of the lecturers within the limits of the “scarce resources”.
He said ” I’m using this independence Day celebration to reiterate my call for the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities to return to the classroom while assuring them to deal with their contending issues within the limits of the scarce resources available.
“This administration has made appreciable progress in redressing these issues that have been lingering for over 11 years “.
“The federal government will continue to mobilize resources both internationally and nationally towards funding education to ensure that our citizens are well educated and secured in various vocations in view of the fact that education is a leading determinant of economic growth.”
7. On Fighting Corruption
The President said his administration has tackled “endemic corruption” through strategic intervention leading to the recovery of “huge sums of money illegally kept outside the country”.
He also said, under his watch, there has been a surge in the number of prosecutions and repatriation of loot stashed abroad.
