HANDING-OVER GIST: President Buhari's Inaugural Speech
Inaugural speech by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari
following his swearing-in as President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria on 29th May, 2015
I am immensely grateful to God Who Has preserved us to witness this
day and this occasion. Today marks a triumph for Nigeria and an
occasion to celebrate her freedom and cherish her democracy. Nigerians
have shown their commitment to democracy and are determined to
entrench its culture. Our journey has not been easy but thanks to the
determination of our people and strong support from friends abroad we
have today a truly democratically elected government in place. I would
like to thank President Goodluck Jonathan for his display of
statesmanship in setting a precedent for us that has now made our
people proud to be Nigerians wherever they are. With the support and
cooperation he has given to the transition process, he has made it
possible for us to show the world that despite the perceived tension
in the land we can be a united people capable of doing what is right
for our nation. Together we co-operated to surprise the world that had
come to expect only the worst from Nigeria. I hope this act of
graciously accepting defeat by the outgoing President will become the
standard of political conduct in the country.
I would like to thank the millions of our supporters who believed in
us even when the cause seemed hopeless. I salute their resolve in
waiting long hours in rain and hot sunshine to register and cast their
votes and stay all night if necessary to protect and ensure their
votes count and were counted. I thank those who tirelessly carried
the campaign on the social media. At the same time, I thank our other
countrymen and women who did not vote for us but contributed to make
our democratic culture truly competitive, strong and definitive.
I thank all of you.
Having just a few minutes ago sworn on the Holy Book, I intend to keep
my oath and serve as President to all Nigerians.
I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody. A few people have
privately voiced fears that on coming back to office I shall go after
them. These fears are groundless. There will be no paying off old
scores. The past is prologue. Our neighbours in the Sub-region and our
African brethenen should rest assured that Nigeria under our
administration will be ready to play any leadership role that Africa
expects of it. Here I would like to thank the governments and people
of Cameroon, Chad and Niger for committing their armed forces to fight
Boko Haram in Nigeria. I also wish to assure the wider international
community of our readiness to cooperate and help to combat threats of
cross-border terrorism, sea piracy, refugees and boat people,
financial crime, cyber crime, climate change, the spread of
communicable diseases and other challenges of the 21st century. At
home we face enormous challenges. Insecurity, pervasive corruption,
the hitherto unending and seemingly impossible fuel and power
shortages are the immediate concerns. We are going to tackle them head
on. Nigerians will not regret that they have entrusted national
responsibility to us. We must not succumb to hopelessness and
defeatism. We can fix our problems. In recent times Nigerian leaders
appear to have misread our mission. Our founding fathers, Mr Herbert
Macauley, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Ahmadu
Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Malam
Aminu Kano, Chief J.S. Tarka, Mr Eyo Ita, Chief Denis Osadeby, Chief
Ladoke Akintola and their colleagues worked to establish certain
standards of governance. They might have differed in their methods or
tactics or details, but they were united in establishing a viable and
progressive country. Some of their successors behaved like spoilt
children breaking everything and bringing disorder to the house.
Furthermore, we as Nigerians must remind ourselves that we are heirs
to great civilizations: Shehu Othman Dan fodio's caliphate, the Kanem
Borno Empire, the Oyo Empire, the Benin Empire and King Jaja's
formidable domain. The blood of those great ancestors flow in our
veins. What is now required is to build on these legacies, to
modernize and uplift Nigeria. Daunting as the task may be it is by no
means insurmountable. There is now a national consensus that our
chosen route to national development is democracy. To achieve our
objectives we must consciously work the democratic system. The Federal
Executive under my watch will not seek to encroach on the duties and
functions of the Legislative and Judicial arms of government. The law
enforcing authorities will be charged to operate within the
Constitution. We shall rebuild and reform the public service to become
more effective and more serviceable. We shall charge them to apply
themselves with integrity to stabilize the system. For their part the
legislative arm must keep to their brief of making laws, carrying out
over-sight functions and doing so expeditiously. The judicial system
needs reform to cleanse itself from its immediate past. The country
now expects the judiciary to act with dispatch on all cases especially
on corruption, serious financial crimes or abuse of office. It is only
when the three arms act constitutionally that government will be
enabled to serve the country optimally and avoid the confusion all too
often bedeviling governance today.
Elsewhere relations between Abuja and the States have to be clarified
if we are to serve the country better. Constitutionally there are
limits to powers of each of the three tiers of government but that
should not mean the Federal Government should fold its arms and close
its eyes to what is going on in the states and local governments. Not
least the operations of the Local Government Joint Account. While the
Federal Government can not interfere in the details of its operations
it will ensure that the gross corruption at the local level is
checked. As far as the constitution allows me I will try to ensure
that there is responsible and accountable governance at all levels of
government in the country. For I will not have kept my own trust with
the Nigerian people if I allow others abuse theirs under my watch.
However, no matter how well organized the governments of the
federation are they can not succeed without the support, understanding
and cooperation of labour unions, organized private sector, the press
and civil society organizations. I appeal to employers and workers
alike to unite in raising productivity so that everybody will have the
opportunity to share in increased prosperity. The Nigerian press is
the most vibrant in Africa. My appeal to the media today – and this
includes the social media – is to exercise its considerable powers
with responsibility and patriotism. My appeal for unity is predicated
on the seriousness of the legacy we are getting into. With depleted
foreign reserves, falling oil prices, leakages and debts the Nigerian
economy is in deep trouble and will require careful management to
bring it round and to tackle the immediate challenges confronting us,
namely; Boko Haram, the Niger Delta situation, the power shortages and
unemployment especially among young people. For the longer term we
have to improve the standards of our education. We have to look at the
whole field of medicare. We have to upgrade our dilapidated physical
infrastructure. The most immediate is Boko Haram's insurgency.
Progress has been made in recent weeks by our security forces but
victory can not be achieved by basing the Command and Control Centre
in Abuja. The command centre will be relocated to Maiduguri and remain
until Boko Haram is completely subdued. But we can not claim to have
defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other
innocent persons held hostage by insurgents. This government will do
all it can to rescue them alive. Boko Haram is a typical example of
small fires causing large fires. An eccentric and unorthodox preacher
with a tiny following was given posthumous fame and following by his
extra judicial murder at the hands of the police. Since then through
official bungling, negligence, complacency or collusion Boko Haram
became a terrifying force taking tens of thousands of lives and
capturing several towns and villages covering swathes of Nigerian
sovereign territory.
Boko Haram is a mindless, godless group who are as far away from Islam
as one can think of. At the end of the hostilities when the group is
subdued the Government intends to commission a sociological study to
determine its origins, remote and immediate causes of the movement,
its sponsors, the international connexions to ensure that measures are
taken to prevent a reccurrence of this evil. For now the Armed Forces
will be fully charged with prosecuting the fight against Boko haram.
We shall overhaul the rules of engagement to avoid human rights
violations in operations. We shall improve operational and legal
mechanisms so that disciplinary steps are taken against proven human
right violations by the Armed Forces.
Boko Haram is not only the security issue bedeviling our country. The
spate of kidnappings, armed robberies, herdsmen/farmers clashes,
cattle rustlings all help to add to the general air of insecurity in
our land. We are going to erect and maintain an efficient, disciplined
people – friendly and well – compensated security forces within an
over – all security architecture.
The amnesty programme in the Niger Delta is due to end in December,
but the Government intends to invest heavily in the projects, and
programmes currently in place. I call on the leadership and people in
these areas to cooperate with the State and Federal Government in the
rehabilitation programmes which will be streamlined and made more
effective. As ever, I am ready to listen to grievances of my fellow
Nigerians. I extend my hand of fellowship to them so that we can bring
peace and build prosperity for our people.
No single cause can be identified to explain Nigerian's poor economic
performance over the years than the power situation. It is a national
shame that an economy of 180 million generates only 4,000MW, and
distributes even less. Continuous tinkering with the structures of
power supply and distribution and close on $20b expanded since 1999
have only brought darkness, frustration, misery, and resignation among
Nigerians. We will not allow this to go on. Careful studies are under
way during this transition to identify the quickest, safest and most
cost-effective way to bring light and relief to Nigerians
Unemployment, notably youth un-employment features strongly in our
Party's Manifesto. We intend to attack the problem frontally through
revival of agriculture, solid minerals mining as well as credits to
small and medium size businesses to kick – start these enterprises. We
shall quickly examine the best way to revive major industries and
accelerate the revival and development of our railways, roads and
general infrastructure.
Your Excellencies, My fellow Nigerians I can not recall when Nigeria
enjoyed so much goodwill abroad as now. The messages I received from
East and West, from powerful and small countries are indicative of
international expectations on us. At home the newly elected government
is basking in a reservoir of goodwill and high expectations. Nigeria
therefore has a window of opportunity to fulfill our long – standing
potential of pulling ourselves together and realizing our mission as a
great nation. Our situation somehow reminds one of a passage in
Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar
There is a tide in the affairs of men which,
taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life, Is bound in shallows and
miseries. We have an opportunity. Let us take it.
Thank you
Muhammadu Buhari
President Federal Republic of NIGERIA
and
Commander in-chief-of the Armed forces
following his swearing-in as President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria on 29th May, 2015
I am immensely grateful to God Who Has preserved us to witness this
day and this occasion. Today marks a triumph for Nigeria and an
occasion to celebrate her freedom and cherish her democracy. Nigerians
have shown their commitment to democracy and are determined to
entrench its culture. Our journey has not been easy but thanks to the
determination of our people and strong support from friends abroad we
have today a truly democratically elected government in place. I would
like to thank President Goodluck Jonathan for his display of
statesmanship in setting a precedent for us that has now made our
people proud to be Nigerians wherever they are. With the support and
cooperation he has given to the transition process, he has made it
possible for us to show the world that despite the perceived tension
in the land we can be a united people capable of doing what is right
for our nation. Together we co-operated to surprise the world that had
come to expect only the worst from Nigeria. I hope this act of
graciously accepting defeat by the outgoing President will become the
standard of political conduct in the country.
I would like to thank the millions of our supporters who believed in
us even when the cause seemed hopeless. I salute their resolve in
waiting long hours in rain and hot sunshine to register and cast their
votes and stay all night if necessary to protect and ensure their
votes count and were counted. I thank those who tirelessly carried
the campaign on the social media. At the same time, I thank our other
countrymen and women who did not vote for us but contributed to make
our democratic culture truly competitive, strong and definitive.
I thank all of you.
Having just a few minutes ago sworn on the Holy Book, I intend to keep
my oath and serve as President to all Nigerians.
I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody. A few people have
privately voiced fears that on coming back to office I shall go after
them. These fears are groundless. There will be no paying off old
scores. The past is prologue. Our neighbours in the Sub-region and our
African brethenen should rest assured that Nigeria under our
administration will be ready to play any leadership role that Africa
expects of it. Here I would like to thank the governments and people
of Cameroon, Chad and Niger for committing their armed forces to fight
Boko Haram in Nigeria. I also wish to assure the wider international
community of our readiness to cooperate and help to combat threats of
cross-border terrorism, sea piracy, refugees and boat people,
financial crime, cyber crime, climate change, the spread of
communicable diseases and other challenges of the 21st century. At
home we face enormous challenges. Insecurity, pervasive corruption,
the hitherto unending and seemingly impossible fuel and power
shortages are the immediate concerns. We are going to tackle them head
on. Nigerians will not regret that they have entrusted national
responsibility to us. We must not succumb to hopelessness and
defeatism. We can fix our problems. In recent times Nigerian leaders
appear to have misread our mission. Our founding fathers, Mr Herbert
Macauley, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Ahmadu
Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Malam
Aminu Kano, Chief J.S. Tarka, Mr Eyo Ita, Chief Denis Osadeby, Chief
Ladoke Akintola and their colleagues worked to establish certain
standards of governance. They might have differed in their methods or
tactics or details, but they were united in establishing a viable and
progressive country. Some of their successors behaved like spoilt
children breaking everything and bringing disorder to the house.
Furthermore, we as Nigerians must remind ourselves that we are heirs
to great civilizations: Shehu Othman Dan fodio's caliphate, the Kanem
Borno Empire, the Oyo Empire, the Benin Empire and King Jaja's
formidable domain. The blood of those great ancestors flow in our
veins. What is now required is to build on these legacies, to
modernize and uplift Nigeria. Daunting as the task may be it is by no
means insurmountable. There is now a national consensus that our
chosen route to national development is democracy. To achieve our
objectives we must consciously work the democratic system. The Federal
Executive under my watch will not seek to encroach on the duties and
functions of the Legislative and Judicial arms of government. The law
enforcing authorities will be charged to operate within the
Constitution. We shall rebuild and reform the public service to become
more effective and more serviceable. We shall charge them to apply
themselves with integrity to stabilize the system. For their part the
legislative arm must keep to their brief of making laws, carrying out
over-sight functions and doing so expeditiously. The judicial system
needs reform to cleanse itself from its immediate past. The country
now expects the judiciary to act with dispatch on all cases especially
on corruption, serious financial crimes or abuse of office. It is only
when the three arms act constitutionally that government will be
enabled to serve the country optimally and avoid the confusion all too
often bedeviling governance today.
Elsewhere relations between Abuja and the States have to be clarified
if we are to serve the country better. Constitutionally there are
limits to powers of each of the three tiers of government but that
should not mean the Federal Government should fold its arms and close
its eyes to what is going on in the states and local governments. Not
least the operations of the Local Government Joint Account. While the
Federal Government can not interfere in the details of its operations
it will ensure that the gross corruption at the local level is
checked. As far as the constitution allows me I will try to ensure
that there is responsible and accountable governance at all levels of
government in the country. For I will not have kept my own trust with
the Nigerian people if I allow others abuse theirs under my watch.
However, no matter how well organized the governments of the
federation are they can not succeed without the support, understanding
and cooperation of labour unions, organized private sector, the press
and civil society organizations. I appeal to employers and workers
alike to unite in raising productivity so that everybody will have the
opportunity to share in increased prosperity. The Nigerian press is
the most vibrant in Africa. My appeal to the media today – and this
includes the social media – is to exercise its considerable powers
with responsibility and patriotism. My appeal for unity is predicated
on the seriousness of the legacy we are getting into. With depleted
foreign reserves, falling oil prices, leakages and debts the Nigerian
economy is in deep trouble and will require careful management to
bring it round and to tackle the immediate challenges confronting us,
namely; Boko Haram, the Niger Delta situation, the power shortages and
unemployment especially among young people. For the longer term we
have to improve the standards of our education. We have to look at the
whole field of medicare. We have to upgrade our dilapidated physical
infrastructure. The most immediate is Boko Haram's insurgency.
Progress has been made in recent weeks by our security forces but
victory can not be achieved by basing the Command and Control Centre
in Abuja. The command centre will be relocated to Maiduguri and remain
until Boko Haram is completely subdued. But we can not claim to have
defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other
innocent persons held hostage by insurgents. This government will do
all it can to rescue them alive. Boko Haram is a typical example of
small fires causing large fires. An eccentric and unorthodox preacher
with a tiny following was given posthumous fame and following by his
extra judicial murder at the hands of the police. Since then through
official bungling, negligence, complacency or collusion Boko Haram
became a terrifying force taking tens of thousands of lives and
capturing several towns and villages covering swathes of Nigerian
sovereign territory.
Boko Haram is a mindless, godless group who are as far away from Islam
as one can think of. At the end of the hostilities when the group is
subdued the Government intends to commission a sociological study to
determine its origins, remote and immediate causes of the movement,
its sponsors, the international connexions to ensure that measures are
taken to prevent a reccurrence of this evil. For now the Armed Forces
will be fully charged with prosecuting the fight against Boko haram.
We shall overhaul the rules of engagement to avoid human rights
violations in operations. We shall improve operational and legal
mechanisms so that disciplinary steps are taken against proven human
right violations by the Armed Forces.
Boko Haram is not only the security issue bedeviling our country. The
spate of kidnappings, armed robberies, herdsmen/farmers clashes,
cattle rustlings all help to add to the general air of insecurity in
our land. We are going to erect and maintain an efficient, disciplined
people – friendly and well – compensated security forces within an
over – all security architecture.
The amnesty programme in the Niger Delta is due to end in December,
but the Government intends to invest heavily in the projects, and
programmes currently in place. I call on the leadership and people in
these areas to cooperate with the State and Federal Government in the
rehabilitation programmes which will be streamlined and made more
effective. As ever, I am ready to listen to grievances of my fellow
Nigerians. I extend my hand of fellowship to them so that we can bring
peace and build prosperity for our people.
No single cause can be identified to explain Nigerian's poor economic
performance over the years than the power situation. It is a national
shame that an economy of 180 million generates only 4,000MW, and
distributes even less. Continuous tinkering with the structures of
power supply and distribution and close on $20b expanded since 1999
have only brought darkness, frustration, misery, and resignation among
Nigerians. We will not allow this to go on. Careful studies are under
way during this transition to identify the quickest, safest and most
cost-effective way to bring light and relief to Nigerians
Unemployment, notably youth un-employment features strongly in our
Party's Manifesto. We intend to attack the problem frontally through
revival of agriculture, solid minerals mining as well as credits to
small and medium size businesses to kick – start these enterprises. We
shall quickly examine the best way to revive major industries and
accelerate the revival and development of our railways, roads and
general infrastructure.
Your Excellencies, My fellow Nigerians I can not recall when Nigeria
enjoyed so much goodwill abroad as now. The messages I received from
East and West, from powerful and small countries are indicative of
international expectations on us. At home the newly elected government
is basking in a reservoir of goodwill and high expectations. Nigeria
therefore has a window of opportunity to fulfill our long – standing
potential of pulling ourselves together and realizing our mission as a
great nation. Our situation somehow reminds one of a passage in
Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar
There is a tide in the affairs of men which,
taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life, Is bound in shallows and
miseries. We have an opportunity. Let us take it.
Thank you
Muhammadu Buhari
President Federal Republic of NIGERIA
and
Commander in-chief-of the Armed forces
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