President reassures foreigners, Nigerians of safety

NIGERIANS and poll observers were reassured yesterday of their safety before, during and after tomorrow’s presidential poll. The reassurance came from President Muhammadu Buhari in his broadcast to the nation.

Besides, the President restated that the elections will be free, fair and credible.

In the 20-minute nationwide address, Buhari urged observers, especially international observers, to take whatever threats issued to them as personal opinions of those who issued such.

“I want to assure all Nigerians, the diplomatic community and all foreign election observers of their safety and full protection,” the President said.

The address reads: “On Saturday, February 16, 2019, you will, once again, be called upon to choose the leaders who will pilot the affairs of our great nation for the next four years. This is a constitutional right which should be freely exercised by all eligible voters.

“I wish, therefore, to start by assuring all Nigerians that this government will do its very best to ensure that the 2019 elections take place in a secure and peaceful atmosphere.

“It was indeed such free, fair and peaceful elections that made it possible for our Government to emerge, despite the fact that we were contesting against a long-standing incumbent party.

“And as your president and a fellow Nigerian, I ask that you come out and queue to fulfill this important obligation you have to yourselves and your fellow citizens – and to our common future.

“Let me at this point, reaffirm the commitment of the Federal Government to the conduct of free and fair elections in a safe and peaceful atmosphere. Just yesterday, I signed the Peace Accord alongside 72 other presidential candidates.”

According to the President, comments or threats of intimidation from any source do not represent the position of the Federal Government.

The President also pointed out that citizens, just like the government, have a critical role in maintaining the democratic traditions.

He added: “I therefore urge you all, as good Nigerians, to take a personal interest in promoting and maintaining peace in your respective neighbourhoods during the elections. This is certainly not a time to allow personal, religious, sectional or party interests to drive us to desperation.”

The President renewed his plea to youths, urging them to avoid violence.

He said: “Do not allow yourselves to be used to cause violence and destruction. The people who want to incite you are those preparing the ground for discrediting the elections. Having lost the argument, they fear losing the elections.”

The President chronicled the landmarks of his administration.

He said: “When you elected me in 2015, it was essentially in consequence of my promise of CHANGE. We committed ourselves to improving security across the country, putting the economy on a sound footing and tackling rampant corruption, which had in many ways become a serious drawback to national development.

“Our government spent the last three years and nine months, striving faithfully to keep this promise, in spite of very serious revenue shortages caused mainly by a sharp drop in international oil prices and an unexpected rise in the vandalisation of oil installations, which, mercifully have now been curtailed.

“We nevertheless pressed on in our quest to diversify the economy, create jobs, reduce commodity prices and generally improve the standard of living among our people.”

The President described as incalculable the damage done to the collective livelihood of Nigerians by insecurity and corruption.

He added: “However, it is pleasing to note that our frontal attack on these twin evils is gaining momentum and bringing about visible progress.

“The recovery of the economy from recession is complete and Nigeria is back on the path of steady growth.

“The key to creating more jobs lies in accelerating this momentum of economic growth. Happily, we have succeeded in making the fundamental changes necessary for this acceleration, and we are now beginning to see the efforts bearing fruit.

“Our ease of doing business policies and programmes are already impacting medium, small and micro industries, as well as manufacturing, mining and agriculture, among other key sectors.”

He said that the economic recovery that his administration promised was being implemented, as demonstrated by the recently released statistics.

Buhari said: “In 2018, the economy grew by 1.93 per cent with the Fourth Quarter growth being 2.38 per cent, up from 1.81 per cent in the Third Quarter.

“Remarkably, the strong economic performance was driven by the non-oil sector, which grew at two per cent as at full year. Indeed, non-oil growth rose to 2.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2018, up from 2.32 per cent in the third quarter. These results further underscore our commitment to diversifying the economy away from the past dependence on oil.

“Other indicators confirm the economy’s steady recovery. Our monthly food import bill has declined from $664 million in January 2015 to $160 million as at October 2018. Inflation fell from 18.72 per cent in January 2017 to 11.44 per cent in December 2018. Our external reserves have risen from $23 billion in October 2016 to $43.12 billion as at 7th February 2019.

“Now that the recession is well behind us, our next task is to redouble our efforts, accelerate the growth and use it to create even more jobs for our people.

“The Executive Orders, No. 5 and No. 7 issued by me, and the recently approved National Infrastructure Maintenance Policy demonstrate our commitment to accelerated job creation and infrastructure development.

“We believe that governments cannot simply proclaim jobs into existence. Job creation will only expand as a result of economic policies that enable the private sector to flourish, and this is the approach our Administration has taken.

“Executive Order No 5, which promotes Nigerian Content in Contracts, as well as Science, Engineering and Technology, will preserve and prioritise job creation for our citizens.

“Executive Order 7, on the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, seeks to mobilise private capital and capacity for infrastructure development.”

The President told Nigerians that the landmarks of his administration would be built upon with their endorsement for a fresh mandate in tomorrow’s poll.

He said: “I will conclude by going back to where I started: that our choices have had consequences about employment and cost of living. In making your choice this time, please ask yourself whether, and in what ways, others will do anything different to address the issues of agriculture, infrastructure, security, good governance and fighting corruption.

“If they are only hoping to do what we are already doing successfully, we are clearly your preferred choice. Think carefully and choose wisely. This time, it is a choice about consolidating on growth for Jobs and Prosperity.

“February 16th is all about a choice. But it is more than a choice between APC and the opposition. It is a choice about you; it is a choice between going back or keeping the momentum of CHANGE.

“The road to greater prosperity for Nigeria may be long, but what you can be assured of is a Leadership that is not prepared to sacrifice the future well-being of Nigerians for our own personal or material needs. You can be assured of my commitment to remain focused on working to improve the lives of all Nigerians.”