Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye and Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
Dignitaries at the swearing-in ceremony of President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term in office, have unanimously given the president a vote of confidence that he will perform better in his second term.
Amongst the dignitaries are 3rd Republic Senate President, Senator Ameh Ebute; former Senate Minority Leader and ex-Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obot Godswill Akpabio and the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi.
For Ebute, it was a day of joy that President Buhari was given an opportunity for a second term in office.
“I am happy that the president is being given the second opportunity to continue with the programme that he started since 2015, especially his programme on anti-corruption and the war against corruption.
“So, it is a happy day for me and I have been in the system for some time. And we are very, very expectant of the good things to come,” Ebute said.
Ebute further said having been in the saddle for some time, President Buhari had learnt his mistakes, if there were any, and would definitely do better in his second term than the first.
Also speaking, Akpabio said fixing the inauguration ceremony at the early hours of the day was a fantastic decision which showed clearly that President Buhari was ready for business.
“Amazing! First of all, the timing is fantastic. That is Mr President for you. As far as this second term is concerned, it is a clear indication that he is ready to hit the ground running and I am excited because clearly speaking, this is one President that his integrity speaks volumes and he has been able to give us a sense of direction,” Akpabio said.
Akpabio further assured Nigerians that President Buhari will not just perform well in his second term, but will definitely do better and take Nigeria to the next level.
On his part, the Oluwo of Iwo said the most striking aspect of the Buhari administration was his disgust for corruption.
“He started well and my only concern is about corruption. When a leader stands for one thing which is corruption, which is the only disease that is killing Nigerians more than the World War One and Two combined, no other massacre in the world is worst than corruption. And this leader stands out saying this is what I want.
“Yes, he will have chiefs or other people that have been in the game of corruption before, but when a leader stands out and says this is what I want, this is my path, he is the leader. People will tend to move forward.
“So, we have never seen a leader that has done that. Murtala tried; it was only for six months. Buhari is the next one that tried after him. And Buhari has been sustaining what he has been saying,” Oba Akanbi said.