Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has advised Nigerians not to expect sudden fixes to the mirage of challenges facing the country.
The acting President said yesterday that it will take some time to solve both the economic and political problems of Nigeria which have been accumulated by mistakes of the long past.
In a nationwide broadcast to mark the 2017 Democracy Day celebration and two years of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government, Osinbajo said, “we did not find ourselves in crises overnight, and we simply do not expect overnight solutions to our challenge.”
Osinbajo stated that given the quantum of problems created by the bad leadership of the immediate past Goodluck Jonathan government, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2016, dedicated greater percentage of the budget to clearing up the ‘mess’ and putting things in order.
“Indeed, much of 2016 was spent clearing the mess we inherited and putting the building blocks together for the future of our dreams; laying a solid foundation for the kind of future that you deserve as citizens of Nigeria,” he said. Osinbajo, who noted that every Nigerian deserved a country that works, said the nation was not merely for the rich or those connected in high places.
The acting President, therefore, stressed that the vision of the administration was to ensure that the nation’s wealth would no longer be stolen by a few. He added that the situation where there was widespread corruption with impunity, whether in the public or private sectors, will no longer be standard operating practice in the country.
The Federal Government, according to him, would strive to rid Nigeria of all bandits and terrorists in every part of the country.
His words: “Our promise to you is that we will, with your support and cooperation, take every step needed to create that country of our dreams. “And that vision is also for a country where the wealth of the many will no longer be stolen by or reserved for a few; and where the impunity of corruption – whether in the public or private sectors – will no longer be standard operating practice; a land rid of bandits and terrorists.
“As citizens, you all deserve a country that works, not merely for the rich or connected, but for everyone. And our promise to you is that we will, with your support and cooperation, take every step needed to create that country of our dreams.
“We also know that this journey will, of necessity, take time. But we will not succumb to the temptation to take short-cuts that ultimately complicate the journey. We did not find ourselves in crises overnight, and we simply do not expect overnight solutions to our challenges.”
He, however, assured that Nigeria was on the path of achieving greatness, especially with some of the policy actions being implemented by the Federal Government.
“The most important thing is that we are on the right path, and we will not deviate from it, even in the face of strong temptation to choose temporary gain over long-term benefit. As the President has summed it up, the old Nigeria is slowly, but surely, disappearing and a new era is rising,” he said.
While listing most of the gains achieved so far, Osinbajo said that the government has delivered on its promise of restoring security in most parts of the country, especially in the North-East and degrading of the Boko Haram sect.
The acting President, who declared that the administration was on course in the fight against corruption, said government was making concrete arrangement for creating special courts that will facilitate speedy prosecution of corruption cases. “We have focused on bringing persons accused of corruption to justice. We believe that the looting of public resources that took place in the past few years has to be accounted for.
“Funds appropriated to build roads, railway lines, and power plants, and to equip the military, that had been stolen or diverted into private pockets, must be retrieved and the culprits brought to justice,” he added. Speaking specifically on government’s efforts to tackle security challenges in the country, the Acting President explained that one of the immediate strategies to resolve this was to ensure that anyone who uses violence, or carries arms without legal authority is apprehended and sanctioned.
“More recent threats to security, such as the herdsmen’s clashes with farmers in many parts of the country sometimes leading to fatalities and loss of livelihoods and property have also preoccupied our security structures. “We are working with state governments, and tasking our security agencies with designing effective strategies and interventions that will bring this menace to an end. We are determined to ensure that anyone who uses violence, or carries arms without legal authority is apprehended and sanctioned,” the acting President said.
Osinbajo, who also prayed for the quick recovery of President Buhari, assured Nigerians of a better future, saying that the administration would not exclude any part of the country in these developmental strides. Osinbajo, however, acknowledged that the economy had proven to be the biggest challenge of all.
“Let me first express just how concerned we have been since this administration took office, about the impact of the economic difficulties on our citizens. “Through no fault of theirs, some companies shut down their operations; others downsized.
People lost jobs and had to endure rising food prices. “We have been extremely mindful of the many sacrifices that you have had to make over the last few years.
“The economy is no longer helplessly dependent on the price of crude oil,” the acting president stated. – New Telegraph.
