In a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday to mark this year’s Democracy Day and the third anniversary of his government, he listed the achievements of his government and spoke of efforts to deal with the problems besetting the nation.
The president regretted the ongoing killings by herdsmen and bandits in parts of the country and vowed that his government would bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to book.
He said government was boosting the capacity of the security agencies to deal with the situation through training, procurement of equipment and better intelligence gathering.
He said: “This administration came at a time that Nigerians needed Change, the Change we promised and the Change we continue to deliver. We have faced a lot of challenges on this journey and Nigerians have stood by us in achieving the three cardinal points of this administration namely; Security, Corruption and the Economy.
“The commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day is a celebration of freedom, a salute to the resilience and determination of Nigerians and a recommitment by Government to keep its promise to lead Nigeria into a new era of justice and prosperity.”
On violence, he added: “The unfortunate incidences of kidnappings, herdsmen and farmers clashes in several communities which have led to high number of fatalities and loss of properties across the country is being addressed and the identified culprits and their sponsors shall be made to face the full wrath of the law. All the three tiers of Government are presently engaged with communities and religious organizations to restore peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.
“This administration is pained over the grievous loss of lives and properties occasioned by the carnage of insurgency and other forms of criminality in the country. I wish to assure Nigerians that we will not rest until all criminal elements and their sponsors are brought to justice.
“Government is boosting the capacity of our security agencies through recruitment of more personnel, training and procurement of modern equipment, enhancement of intelligence gathering as well as boosting their morale in the face of daunting challenges.”
Also speaking on the fight against corruption, Buhari expressed his administration’s commitment to it, noting that success achieved in the endeavor has been applauded by the international community
He stated: “The second primary object of this Administration is to fight corruption headlong. Like I have always said, if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will destroy the country.
“Three years into this Administration, Nigerians and the international community have begun to applaud our policies and determination to fight corruption. We are more than ever before determined to win this war, however hard the road is. I therefore appeal to all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to support us in this fight.
“Various policy measures already put in place to stem the tide of corrupt practices are yielding remarkable results. Some of these key reform”
He pointed out that the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has realized Billions of Naira being saved from maintenance fee payable to banks while N200 Billion has also been saved from elimination of ghost workers in public service.
Similarly, he said the Whistle-Blowing Policy has helped to recover over N500 Billion while the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit set up with a mandate to validate controls, assess risks, prune personnel costs, ensure compliance with Public Financial Management reforms has helped to identify and remove over 52,000 ghost workers from the Federal Government MDAs Payroll;
According to him, the fight against corruption through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has resulted in recoveries of Billions of Naira, as well as forfeiture of various forms of assets.
Continuing, he pointed out: “This alongside other efforts has improved Nigeria’s international image and regional cooperation,” he said, adding: “We have retained the services of one of the world’s leading assets tracing firms to investigate and trace assets globally.
“This is in addition to the exploitation of provisions of existing Treaties, Conventions as well as Bilateral Agreements with Multilateral bodies and Nations. Nigeria has also signed Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements to ensure that there is no hiding place for fugitives.”
He highlighted achievements recorded through the implementation of the Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) aimed at expanding tax education and awareness which he noted has offered the opportunity for tax defaulters to regularize their status in order to enjoy the amnesty of forgiveness on overdue interest, penalties and the assurance of non-prosecution or subject to tax investigations.
On the Sovereign Wealth Fund, he said the project portfolio has been expanded with an injection of US$650 million so as to strengthen its investment in local infrastructure, power, health, re-construction of Abuja-Kano road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, East West Road (Section V) and the Mambilla Hydro-electric Power project as well as the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge.
While noting the impact of his administration’s Social Investment Programmes (SIP) on Nigerians, he observed that power generation reached its peak in 2017 when about 5,223.3mw was generated and delivered.
The president added: “The country achieved 5, 222.3 MW representing the highest peak of power generated onto the national grid and delivered to customers in December, 2017.
“With new facilities, repairs and rehabilitations by government and private investors, generation capability now exceeds 7,500mw.
He lauded the role of women in the country, saying: “It is pertinent to also make mention of the immeasurable contributions of the Nigerian woman to national development and advancement of democracy, over the last three years. The government and people appreciate you all as mothers of our great country.
“My dear country men and women, as we all celebrate our democratic experience, let us resolve to avoid hatred and intolerance; we can only achieve our objectives in an atmosphere of harmony and peaceful co-existence.”
While warning on proper conduct as the nation heads into election period, the president revealed that he will assent to the “Not Too Young to Run” Bill in the next few days.
He stated: “Finally, the up-coming months will usher us into another season of general elections. Let me use this opportunity to urge us all to conduct ourselves, our wards and our constituencies with the utmost sense of fairness, justice and peaceful co-existence such that we will have not only hitch free elections but also a credible and violence free process.
“In few days to come, I will be joined by many promising young Nigerians to sign into law the “Not Too Young to Run” Bill.”
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