The coast is now clear for President Muhammadu Buhari and his team to take Nigeria and Nigerians to the next level of governance.
Nigerians in the past four years have gone through some restructuring pains as a result of the administration’s claim of clearing the mess left behind by the 16-year rule of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Preparing for its campaigns last year towards reelection for another term of four years, the Buhari administration promised that it was poised to take Nigeria to the next level.
It claimed that it had laid the necessary solid foundation and made substantial progress in the past four years, especially in the three main areas of security, economy and fighting corruption.
Launching the ’Next Level – APC Road Map’ and flagging off it’s 2019 election campaign on the 18th of November, 2018, Buhari said “The next four years will be quite significant for our country. Nigeria is faced with a choice to keep building a new Nigeria- making a break from its tainted past which favoured an opportunistic few.
Our choices will shape us – our economic, security and our future prosperity. Nigeria, more than ever before, needs a stable and people-focused government to move the agenda for our country forward.
“Four years ago, we promised Nigerians real change – in what we do and how we do it. Nigerians sent a clear message in the last election, and our platform offered a new, ambitious plan for a secure, prosperous and corruption-free country.
“We have worked hard to fulfill our promises – and while the road may have been difficult, over the last three and a half years, we have laid the foundations for a strong, stable and prosperous country for the majority of our people.
“Foundational work is not often visible, neither is it glamorous – but it is vital to achieving the kind of country we desire. Judging by the prior depth of decay, deterioration and disrepair that Nigeria had sunken into, we are certain that these past few years have put us in good stead to trudge on the NEXT LEVEL of building an even stronger nation for our people.
“First things had to come first. We were a nation at war – but we delivered on our commitment to secure the territorial integrity of our nation in the face of a raging insurgency that devastated many parts of the Northeast. We liberated 17 Local Government Areas from the grip of insurgency. Brokering and sustaining peace in the Niger Delta has also been crucial to stabilising the polity.
“Despite the difficult circumstances presented by weak oil prices and reduced oil production, we delivered on our commitment to make public investments to spur economic growth, job creation, and broad-based prosperity. Agriculture continues to expand our economic base, as do our investments in our deficient infrastructure across the length and breadth of this nation.
“We implemented a responsible and transparent fiscal plan for the challenging economic times that saw us doing more even with lesser oil revenues.
“The past history of grand-scale corruption perpetuated by the highest office in the land has been nipped in the bud just as the Treasury Saving Account has made it more difficult for ministries, departments and agencies to exercise the unrestrained liberties that helped foster a climate conducive to corruption.
“Now, for the first time, investments in capital projects to expand infrastructure continue to connect people, goods and opportunities by rail, road and air,” he said.
He said, “Through the National Social Investments Programme, we are providing direct support to over 12 million Nigerians who need it by giving relief and assistance to unemployed youth, our children, the weak and vulnerable as well as small and medium businesses.
“But even as we lay the foundation for a stable and prosperous nation, we acknowledge there is still much work to build on. The next level of effort has an immense focus on job creation.
“From an enlargement of the N-Power programme to investing in technology and creative jobs to Agriculture and others, there is scope for 10 million new jobs.
“The march away from a mono-economy must continue with our focus on an industrialisation plan coming to fore. With specific plans underway to exploit the comparative advantage of the geo political zones and different states by developing 6 Industrial Parks and 109 Special Production and Processing Centres (SPPCs) across each senatorial district, our incremental move away from oil dependence is assured. In addition, our development of the Special Economic Zones will quickly concretise our Made in Nigeria for Export (MINE) plan.
“To sustain food production and value addition, our mechanisation policy for agriculture will make tractors and processors easily accessible and available for farmers across Nigeria. We will continue a wide scale skilling policy, prioritising technology to reach the demography of young people within the productive sector on a massive scale even as we create jobs and growth within our economy.
“We believe that our people who are still in poverty have a direct way out and up through our expanded National Social Investments Programme. We believe we can implement the painstaking and comprehensive work we have done to bring an end to the perennial conflict between farmers and herders- a conflict which is heightened by a struggle for land, water and pasture and the effects of climate change and every now and then, opportunistic and cynical manipulation by political actors.
“We are implementing a blend of measures that ensures that justice, order, modernisation and new economic paradigms emerge,” he added.
The President then also added “Perhaps our biggest ambition yet is the overhaul of our education sector. Every child counts – and simply, whatever it takes to prepare our teachers, curriculum and classrooms to attain the right educational goals that grow our country, will be done.
“We will remodel 10,000 schools every year and retrain our teachers to impart science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics using coding, animation, robotics to re-interpret our curriculum.
“We know that, to succeed, moral integrity and conscience must continue to form the dominant character of our nation and its leadership. Corruption is an existential threat to Nigeria.
“Despite the gains we have made in closing the gates, we know that there is still much ground to cover to stop systemic corruption. We are committed to deepening the work we started this first time such that the nation’s assets and resources continue to be organised and utilised to do good for the majority of our people. Join us on this journey to the NEXT LEVEL of a prosperous, strong and stable Nigeria!” the President said while unveiling his plans for Nigeria last November.
Apart from the natural love many Nigerians have for President Buhari, it’s believed that the next level promise must have made more Nigerians go all out to give their votes to President Buhari and another four years in the saddle.
So, directly or indirectly, they contributed massively to the final outcome of the 2019 Presidential election.
The February 23, 2019 election results as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last Wednesday, had given Buhari 15,191,847 votes against 11, 262, 978 for the People’s Democratic Party Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
After getting the fresh mandate, President Buhari, showing that the ‘next level’ promise was not just made to win election, still harped on his desire to move Nigeria to the next level.
Speaking last Wednesday after receiving the certificate of return from the Chairman of the INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Buhari said: “I am grateful to God for sparing our lives to witness another milestone in Nigeria’s democratic development – namely conclusion of the Presidential election in an overwhelmingly peaceful manner.
“I therefore want to assure that we will continue to engage all parties that have the best interest of Nigerians at heart. Our Government will remain inclusive and our doors will remain open. That is the way to build the country of our dream; safe, secure, prosperous, and free of impunity and primitive accumulation by those entrusted with public offices.
“The hard work to deliver a better Nigeria continues, building on the foundations of peace, rule of law and opportunities for all. We will roll up our sleeves afresh, and give it our all. We have no other motive than to serve Nigeria with our hearts and might, and build a nation which we and generations to come can be proud of.
“I am very grateful to the over 15 million citizens who voted for me, those who contributed in many ways in the running of our successful campaign, and those at home and abroad who expressed confidence in me and the APC Government. I thank you all.
“I can assure that you will see a country moving to the Next Level, as we consolidate on our fundamental areas of securing the country, reviving the economy, and fighting corruption.
“Many other focal areas, as stated in our campaign manual, will be added, to the good things we plan for our country,” he stated
With the mandate given to rule for the next four years, it is hoped that the pains to Nigerians, which came through reshaping of the various sectors in the last dispensation, will soon be over.
Also the solid foundation being laid and progress made in the various sectors should begin to make Nigerians reap the great dividends of democracy.
Not only should poverty be urgently eliminated among Nigerians, they should begin to enjoy opportunities and benefits corresponding to the huge natural resources Nigeria is blessed with.
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