It is Nigeria’s 62nd Independence anniversary and traditionally, President Muhammadu Buhari marked the special day with a special broadcast to Nigerians as early as 7am.
The national broadcast, was meant to sum up the President’s thoughts and feelings about the country and the administration in the last twelve months, as well as project what more should be expected in the new national year.
Here are some ten take aways from Buhari’s national broadcast:
One, this year’s anniversary will be President Buhari’s last as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Number two, he summed up successes recorded in the fight against corruption, including the ongoing recoveries of hitherto looted public resources.
He also expressed regrets over the protracted strike by the Academic Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), calling on them to sheath the sword, return to work, as government works to sort matters out with them.
The President also expressed pains over the effects of the security challenges the nation has faced on the people, assuring that he would continue to do more to ensure the nation surmounts the current challenges.
He noted the importance of instituting a strong governance system, without which he said the country cannot hope to make sustainable gains, hence his resolve to bequeath an electoral system, which hallmarks will be universal acceptability, free, fair, credible and transparent elections.
He re-echoed his earlier call on all candidates in next year’s general elections to conduct issues-based campaigns devoid of hate speeches as well as other negative and divisive tendencies.
He acknowledged Nigeria is afflicted by common global issues of rising debt burden, growing inflation, falling living standards, all of which have been made worse in Nigeria by the growing population, but assured that his administration would continue attending to them, and many others, till its last minutes.
He also noted that the country had gone through and surmounted quite a number of challenges that would ordinarily have destroyed it, but noted further that the indefatigable spirit of the Nigerian people had kept the nation going.
Lastly, Buhari acknowledged and thanked Nigerians, whom he said believed in him, propelled and stood by him in his quest to bequeath a country where all citizens have equal opportunities to achieve their lives desires, in a peaceful atmosphere.
