Nigerians Have Experienced Significant Hardships Over The Past Months - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari's New Year Message to Nigerians 

Welcome to the beginning of a New Year of the continuation of CHANGE in our beloved nation. I am aware that Nigerians have experienced a number of significant hardships over the past months. Living in the State House has not alienated me from your daily sufferings. I am aware of the lengthy queues at fuel stations and of the difficulties businesses have faced in acquiring foreign exchange.

These challenges are only temporary; we are working to make things better. When I presented myself to you as a presidential candidate and asked you to vote for me, I wanted to be a leader who keeps his promises. I wanted to be a leader who restores the people's hope in those elected to serve them. I wanted to be a leader who initiates positive and enduring CHANGE.

I am still totally committed to being that kind of leader. Unforeseen circumstances and other distractions notwithstanding, I shall still do my utmost best to keep every promise I made to Nigerians during my election campaign. In the past seven months since our inauguration on May 29, 2015, my administration has focused on laying the right foundation for the CHANGE you voted for during our historic presidential election. Nigerians will in due course begin to enjoy the fruits of all our ongoing work.

The effective and efficient implementation of our 2016 budget proposals will address many of the socio-economic issues that are of current concern to our people. One area in which Nigerians, especially those in the northeast, have already begun to experience major CHANGE is in the war on terror. I commend our Armed Forces for significantly curtailing the insurgency which has ravaged the northeast of Nigeria over the past few years.

However, there is still a lot of work to be done in the area of security. Our Armed Forces will maintain, consolidate and build on their successes in the war against Boko Haram and violent extremism. This government will not consider the matter concluded until the terrorists have been completely routed and normalcy restored to all parts of the country that have been adversely affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Our crackdown on corruption will continue to be vigorously undertaken. I urge the courts to support our efforts and help in the recovery of stolen funds by speedily concluding trials and showing that impunity no longer has a place in our country.

There is much work to do in other areas as well and I have charged all my ministers and other appointees to ensure that Nigerians experience positive changes in their lives in 2016. We must reduce our country's reliance on oil. We must diversify our economy.

And we must do all we can to promote job creation. Our challenges are many but our determination to succeed is strong and unshaken. So too is our confidence in God. I wish you all a very

Happy New Year.

MUHAMMADU BUHARI

President Buhari: Enough Of Excuses, Please!

By Sunny Ikhioya

Excuses do not get things done. Those at the helm of the nation’s affair must begin to realize this by now. Six months after, there should be signs of the so much trumpeted change or a positive approach towards that direction.

People are becoming weary of promises and excuses, they want to see action. A couple of days back, I received a mail from Mr Dan Ekoko, President of the Salimo-wits foundation, an NGO that is silently impacting lives in Nigeria through; youth leadership initiatives, wealth empowerment and positive health advancement. Mr Ekoko has this to say about present situation in the country; “It’s time to call Mr President to change his negative talk about Nigeria.

Yes, we have had bad leadership at all levels of government in the past.
Yes, corruption has been around with us a while
Yes, infrastructures are in bad shape, need refurbishment renewal and additions to our road, rails ,ports, etc

What we need more than ever to stem the current situation of these problems is not talking endlessly about them but speaking out the measures that his administration wants to adopt to change how govt biz will be managed going forward.” And, I absolutely agree with him.

The crying and lamentation s of the present leadership is beginning to give everyone headache, it is as if they were unaware of the challenges facing the nation before deciding to delve in.

Almost everyone agrees that there was misrule during the sixteen years of PDP’s rule and that accounted for why they performed woefully in the last election.

The APC government therefore, is assumed to be a corrective and change one, they did leave us with the impression during campaigns that, they already have the formula to steer the nation’s sinking ship on course, so, why the whining now?

Our obsession with the performance of the immediate past government will not allow us to move forward. Whatever happened, has happened. The previous leadership did not do well, that is why they were voted out, we must forget about the past and move forward. If anyone has done anything against the law, the normal process of investigation and trial should be followed but we must move forward.

It is important for our president to know that no amount of foreign trips and lobbying will change the situation of this country, it is only the people- Nigerians- that can make it happen. He will succeed if he genuinely carry the people along and not through instruments of coercion or condemnation.