The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari (rdt.) says, he will lead Nigeria to prosperity and not adversity, if voted into power-in the March 28 presidential election.
In a speech at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, United Kingdom, Gen. Buhari also lamented the increasing rate of poverty in Nigeria, adding that by official estimate, 33.1 percent of Nigerians live in extreme poverty.
“That’s at almost 60 million, almost the population of the United Kingdom. There is also the unemployment crisis simmering beneath the surface, ready to explode at the slightest stress,” he said.
The APC presidential candidate also said that the economy of Nigeria is more of a paper growth “a growth that on account of mismanagement, profligacy and corruption has not translated to human development or shared prosperity.
“With all these, it is not surprising that our performance on most governance and development indicators are unflattering”, he said.
He said that his government would tackle corruption and waste which are the hallmark of the present administration.
“I will, if elected, lead the way, with the force of personal example. On corruption, there will be no confusion as to where I stand.
“Corruption will have no place and the corrupt will not be appointed into my administration”, he added.
He said that measures would be taken to ensure that revenue producing entities such as NNPC, and Customs and Exercise would have one set of books, noting that their revenues would be publicly disclosed and regularly audited, while the institutions of state dedicated to fighting corruption would be given independence and prosecutorial authority without political interference. He also stressed the need for the International Community to focus more on Nigeria at this critical moment, pointing that it was in the interest of all Nigerians that the postponed election should not only hold on the rescheduled dates, but must be free and fair.
He said that his election would return Nigeria to its stablising role in West Africa while special attention would be paid to the welfare of Nigerians to ensure the protection of the nation’s territorial integrity.
The APC presidential hopeful noted that as a starting point to trigger a wave of democratic consolidation in Africa, there was need to get this critical election right by ensuring that they go ahead, and deprive those who want to scuttle it the benefit of derailing Nigeria’s fledging democracy.
Similarly, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday said he would not grant amnesty to Boko Haram insurgents, if elected President next month. He also said he is fit and ready for the poll.
Buhari, who made the submissions during a question and answer session at Chatham House in London, said he would also personally lead the battle against Boko Haram and assured the audience that Nigeria will not break. .
He said: “I think I will not go to that office with that promise. I have said in my address how, at least 13,000 Nigerians have been killed by Boko Haram, how millions of them have been displaced and are now kept in different camps called Internally Displaced Persons camps.
“Schools have been burnt, there is so much disruption to normal life, people could not farm and where they are able to farm, they cannot harvest. So, granting amnesty to Boko Haram will be unfair to the system. We will secure Nigeria. We must have the time to collect enough intelligence to make sure that those that we got are given the chance in civil courts to be properly prosecuted.”
On his alleged health challenge, Buhari said he is fit as fiddle and battle ready for the March poll.
He added: “I am very happy that I have been able to visit 35 states out of the 36. I haven’t broken down even though somebody announced my death yesterday (Wednesday). I had a call from Maiduguri that somebody rushed into a friend’s house crying and said they have just announced that Buhari has died in hospital in London and so, he called me, and I laughed my head off. Certainly, I will be expecting too much if I don’t expect people to wish me dead. But I am very pleased that I am fit, the doctors have declared me fit, and I am going back for the final onslaught.”
Responding to a question, Buhari said Nigeria cannot afford to break up again as a nation because its nationalities have bonded.
He said: “I appreciate the full import of this question. We have a problem as a people and if you are following my statements, I warned about six months ago that we have to be careful of Somalialization of Nigeria.We are a group of nationalities like some people want to call it. We are very different people, religiously, culturally and from different backgrounds and we happen to have come together after the amalgamation by the British in 1914.
“We find it difficult to separate now because there have been so many inter-marriages and some, have become interdependent. Our constitution has been very deliberate in respecting our sensitivities and the freedom given in that constitution is a guarantee that we will certainly manage our differences.We are making a lot of efforts to make sure that we continue to understand ourselves and accommodate ourselves in spite of whatever impression is created among ourselves, especially when people are talking so much about religion,” he said
The APC presidential candidate also spoke on his top three priorities to attract foreign investment.
Buhari said: “Nobody will take his investment to an environment that is insecure. That is why security is going to be one of our major priorities. We will secure the country and efficiently manage it. That efficient management is stopping corruption and getting jobs, among others.
“The way of attracting investors is to persuade investors the world over that Nigeria is poised to cooperate with them by securing the country and helping them recoup their investment. It is not a question of having a free ride. They don’t invest for humanitarian reasons, but so that they can recover their capital and make some profit because that is what sustains them. So, we have to think very quickly and put in place assurances and improve the system so that the environment can be suitable for investment,” he added.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari also stated that corrupt persons will not be appointed into his government.
Buhari promised that Nigeria will be restored to its old glory.
“In the face of dwindling revenues, a good place to start the repositioning of Nigeria’s economy is to swiftly tackle two ills that have ballooned under the present administration: waste and corruption. And in doing this, I will, if elected, lead the way, with the force of personal example,” he said.
Noting that: “on corruption, there will be no confusion as to where I stand. Corruption will have no place and the corrupt will not be appointed into my administration. First and foremost, we will plug the holes in the budgetary process. Revenue producing entities such as NNPC and Customs and Excise will have one set of books only. Their revenues will be publicly disclosed and regularly audited. The institutions of state dedicated to fighting corruption will be given independence and prosecutorial authority without political interference.
“But I must emphasise that any war waged on corruption should not be misconstrued as settling old scores or a witch-hunt. I’m running for President to lead Nigeria to prosperity and not adversity. In reforming the economy, we will use savings that arise from blocking these leakages and the proceeds recovered from corruption to fund our party’s social investments programmes in education, health, and safety nets such as free school meals for children, emergency public works for unemployed youth and pensions for the elderly.
“As a progressive party, we must reform our political economy to unleash the pent-up ingenuity and productivity of the Nigerian people thus freeing them from the curse of poverty. We will run a private sector-led economy but maintain an active role for government through strong regulatory oversight and deliberate interventions and incentives to diversify the base of our economy, strengthen productive sectors, improve the productive capacities of our people and create jobs for our teeming youths.
“In short, we will run a functional economy driven by a worldview that sees growth not as an end by itself, but as a tool to create a society that works for all, rich and poor alike. On March 28, Nigeria has a decision to make. To vote for the continuity of failure or to elect progressive change. I believe the people will choose wisely,” he stated.
Representative of the Governor of Rivers State and Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Hon Gogo Charles (right) conferring with Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Hon Patricia Simon-Hart (left) during the official flag-off of the RSWSRC in Port Harcourt, yesterday