Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
As the country continues to face security challenges, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday reiterated his commitment to a safe Nigeria.
He gave the assurance while meeting members of Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo (MBO) Dynamic Support Group led by the National Coordinator, Usman Ibrahim, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Buhari said the aim was to have a Nigeria where families will be safe and children having opportunities for comfortable lives.
“As leaders in your various communities, I urge you all to take the message back to your communities. It is not about politics, religion or tribe. It is about having a Nigeria where our families will be safe and our children will have plenty opportunities to earn a living and live comfortable lives,” he said.
Thanking the group for the hard work and dedication during the 2019 campaign, he said that his administration was committed to delivering on its mandate.
He said: “Our vision for CHANGE is to have a safe and secure country for our citizens – a vibrant and inclusive economy that provides jobs and livelihoods for our young and energetic population. And of course, a governance system that is free of corruption – a system where any Nigerian has the same opportunity as the next one.”
Buhari who assured the group that he would study their demands, described Nigeria’s constitution as the fairest document where a state like Bayelsa with eight local government areas and Kano with 44 local government areas have the same number of senators (three each) representing their people.
“The constitution facilitate one thing, that is there must be a member of the executive council from each state of the federation. Why I praise the authors of our constitution is that Bayelsa with eight local governments has three senators and Kano with 44 has three senators. So, you can’t be fairer than that in the context of one Nigeria.
“Please try to understand that I appreciate you; you are doing a thankless job for which nobody is paying you. You use your resources and time to come together and discuss national resources. I pray God will help us to keep this country strong economically and morally.”
Ibrahim in his remarks earlier, described Buhari’s victory in the 2019 election as no handout but a reward of the president’s painstaking commitment he made with Nigerians.
He emphasised that the victory was achieved through the sacrifices of many Nigerians including those who paid the supreme sacrifice and others who sustained permanent disability.
Ibrahim said some members of MBO were attacked in FCT and they narrowly escaped death when one of their businesses were smashed; they lost the Kwara coordinator and the Bayelsa State woman leader, while Ogun, Abia, Bayelsa states coordinators were yet to recover from the beating they received during the elections.
He reminded the president that the group embarked on a cashless campaign but were never deterred as they ensured their members were fully on the ground.
Ibrahim said the group had developed citizen-government information flow that would help the government scaled its policies from the bottom-up approach while the citizens have a sense of belonging that will further generate wider participating governance.
The group suggested a next level summit that would address various challenges and prospect in the country.
The group also pledged its readiness to become an asset to Buhari’s administration, noting that it had qualified professionals that have excelled in various fields of endeavours that would impact the next level administration positively.
“We therefore request that you give consideration to this noble men and women; we promise that we will never let you down.”