President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to resist every attempt by politicians to create unrest in any form to disrupt the 2023 elections, promising that his government would also ensure such activities were met with the full force of the law.
Gatekeepers News reports that Buhari, in his valedictory 2023 New Year message to Nigerians which he personally signed on Saturday, also gave his administration a pass mark.
He also prayed that his successor would continue in the drive to make Nigeria one of the best countries in the world by the turn of the 21st century.
The President said the buck stops on his desk, saying he accepts all the blames and accolades in the course of his service to the country.
He said: “I welcome and accept both the accolades and criticisms in equal measure in the conviction that I did my best to serve our dear country Nigeria and I pray that the next President will also pick up the baton and continue the race to make Nigeria one of the leading countries of the world by the end of this century.”
Buhari promised that in the New Year his government would intensify efforts aimed at turning round the economy, fighting insecurity and stepping up the war against anti-corruption in the country.
According to him: “The year 2023 would, indeed, be a time when we would work to solidify on delivering key strategic priorities under our “SEA” – (Security, Economy and Anti-corruption) Agenda. Some of the key priority areas we would direct our attention and strengths to include:
“Focus on security; we will continue to engage, push back and dismantle the operations of both internal and external extremist and criminal groups waging war against our communities across the nation. We will also focus on ensuring that free and fair elections would be held come February 2023. Our security forces are working in partnership to ensure the wins we have got in the war against insurgency, banditry, secession and other crimes are sustained and more wins acquired;
“For the economy; our focus would be on maintaining and building economic growth through the national economic diversification agenda that supports the goal of national food self-sufficiency and growth in non-oil sources. The ongoing infrastructure revolution by our administration will see us deliver key projects across the nation in power, rail, roads, ports and technology;
“Anti-corruption: On the anti-corruption drive of our administration, we have created new records in this fight, growing from 117 convictions in 2017 to 3,615 convictions as of December 2022. We as a government are committed to ridding our nation of all forms of corruption, through the collaboration with all the arms of government to effectively prosecute this fight.”
On the upcoming elections, the President also stated: “In addition is my personal commitment and executive promise to see to the letter that the 2023 elections being diligently conducted by INEC will be free and fair. The collective electoral will and votes of Nigerians will be fulfilled, even in the twilight moments of my watch,” he added.
President Buhari called on Nigerians to ensure another smooth transition of government, to whoever the people have decided upon.
He pointed out that his administration’s landmark Amended Electoral Act would ensure free and fair elections across the nation.
“We as Nigerians must also take responsibility to ensure we participate in ensuring that the 2023 elections are free and fair by not engaging in anti-state activities and other nefarious acts that may affect the run of the polls. We must also resist every attempt to be used by politicians to create unrest in any form to disrupt the elections. We, as a government will ensure such activities are met with the full force of the law,” Buhari explained.
He also called on Nigerians to continue to assist the country’s patriotic forces by providing much-needed community intelligence.
The president pointed out that it is the collective responsibility of the people to ensure that Nigeria remains safe and peaceful for all.
On the fight against insurgency in the North-east, he said the war has continually recorded very clear wins in the past year.
“The federal government and the Borno State government have started the journey of returning internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes earlier taken by the insurgents. Also, over 82,000 insurgents with their families have surrendered to the Nigerian military,” Buhari said.
He said in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests, his administration took heed and instituted the ongoing Police Reform programme based on a new presidential vision for policing in Nigeria.
This new vision, he said, is framed in a clear road map that transcends the tenure of his administration, adding that it is predicated on six principles – building trust and legitimacy; leadership, accountability and oversight; technology and digital media; community policing and crime reduction; officers training and education; and funding, officers’ welfare, wellness and safety.
“This reform programme is very much in its foundational phase but has recorded noteworthy successes in improving police welfare and their emoluments,” he added.
On youth welfare, Buhari stressed the need to secure the future of the youth, recognising that young people are the country’s most valuable natural resource, at home and abroad.
“In this regard, we worked with the legislature to develop an enabling law to turn their passions into ideas that can be supported, groomed and scaled across regions. 2023 will see the implementation of the Nigerian Start-Up Act nationwide,” Buhari added.
