Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, exulted Nigerians as the nation marked the 19th year of uninterrupted democratic government.
According to the president in his early morning broadcast , “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.”
Buhari who insisted that his administration came at a time Nigerians were in dire need of change assured that he would soon sign into law the “Not too young to run” bill, which is a campaign seeking to reduce the age limit for running for elected office in Nigeria and globally.
The campaign started in support of bills and motions in Nigeria’s National Assembly sponsored by the Tony Nwulu in the House of Representatives and AbdulAziz Nyako in the Senate.
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Buhari also urged Nigerians to conduct themselves “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.”
Buhari who admitted that his administration has faced a lot of challenges in its efforts to deliver on its three cardinal points- security, corruption and the economy- commended Nigerians for not wavering in their support.
He said apart from degrading the capacity of the insurgents, government, so far, has rescued 16,210 abducted persons including 106 Chibok and 104 Dapchi girls.
Buhari who described as “unfortunate” the 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, assured that the menace was being addressed.
“All the three tiers of government are presently engaged with communities and religious organisations 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.”
He said Nigerians and the international community have begun to applaud the successes of the administration in the anti-graft war.
Buhari listed some of the results recorded to include N200 billion saved from elimination of ghost workers in public service, over N500 billion from the Whistle-Blowing Policy, and over 52,000 ghost workers removed from government’s payroll.
He also said more taxes have been recovered from tax defaulters through the Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) while the Sovereign Wealth Fund project portfolio has been expanded with an injection of US$650 million, a move he said would strengthen investment in local infrastructure, power, health, re-construction of Abuja-Kano road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, East West Road among others.