General Muhammadu Buhari Protocols: Declaration Speech For President Primaries, Abuja
04 November 2014
By A.S.M Jimoh
Protocols
First I would like, Mr Chairman, if I may, pay tribute
to Nigerians as a whole who are enduring all sorts of
hardships and deprivations on a daily basis. Many
millions are grappling with extreme poverty and barely
eking out a living. Nearly all are in fear of their
lives or safety for themselves and their families due
to
Insurgency by the godless movement called Boko Haram;
- By marauding murderers in towns
and villages;
- By armed robbers on the highways;
- By kidnappers who have put whole
communities to fright and sometimes to flight.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is everyone's
duty to resolve and help the national effort to
overcome these immense challenges. I would like us to
place on record our appreciation for the efforts of
our Armed Forces under new leadership and police in
confronting these challenges.
I would like, secondly, to thank our supporters up and
down the country for their perseverance and resolve in
face of an oppressive PDP government.
Mr Chairman, this is an occasion to celebrate our
efforts and to resolve to continue until victory is
won. I humbly wish to present myself before you,
before all of Nigeria and before God seeking to be
elected as APC's Presidential candidate. Having
appreciated that the only way to relieve Nigerians of
the PDP, the main opposition parties decided to pool
their strengths into one party. We have worked very
hard in the last 18 months to put up structures from
the polling units to wards, local governments, states
and the centre.
We have tried to ensure all processes in our party
formation to be transparent and credible. These
structures will lead to free and fair polls. There is
no point in holding elections if they are not free and
fair.
Interference in the form of rigging which PDP
Government has practised since 2003 is the worst form
of injustice – denying people their right to express
their opinions. Whether they like it or not, injustice
cannot endure.
Since 1999 PDP has presided over our country's
decline. Nigeria in my experience has never been so
divided, so polarized by an unthinking government hell
bent on ruling and stealing forever whatever befalls
the country. Mr Chairman, we in APC are resolved to
stop them in their tracks and rescue Nigeria from the
stranglehold of PDP.
The last 16 years of PDP Government has witnessed
decline in all critical sectors of life in Nigeria
There is now general insecurity in the land
Quite apart from Boko Haram, there is prevalence of
Armed Robbery, kidnappings and killings, cattle
rustling, market and farmland arson.
These outrages have taken a new and a frightening
dimension, disrupting economic and social life across
whole communities.
The economy continues to deteriorate while the
Government continues to announce fantastic growth
figures but manufacturing is down, agriculture is
down, commerce is down
Simply because you sell oil and steal part of the
money does not entitle you to cook figures and
announce phantom economic growth when all the major
indices namely,
- Employment
- Manufacturing
- Farming
- Trading
- are demonstrably on the decline.
When PDP came to power in 1999 Nigeria
was generating about 4,000 M/W of electricity. After
15 years and $20 billion spent we are generating
between 3,000 – 4,000 M/W. No failure is more glaring
than this.
We in APC are resolved to bring change to Nigeria. We
plan to do things differently.
We plan to put priority on
- Protection of lives and property.
- Pursuing economic policies for
shared prosperity and immediate attention on youth
employment.
- Quality education for
development, modernity and social mobility.
- Agricultural productivity for
taking millions out of poverty and ensuring food
security.
- Reviving Industry to generate
employment and "make things" not just to remain
hawkers of other peoples' goods.
- Developing solid minerals
exploitation which will substantially attract
employment and revenue for government.
- Restoring honour and integrity to
public service by keeping the best and attracting
the best.
- Tackling corruption which has
become blatant and widespread. The rest of the world
looks at Nigeria as the home of corruption. Nigeria
is a country where stealing is not corruption.
- Last, (but not the least or
final) respecting the constitutional separation of
powers between the executive, legislatures and
judiciary and respecting the rights of citizens.
Mr Chairman, there, in outline are some
policy proposals about the direction APC should take
when, by the grace of God, we are given the
responsibility of serving Nigeria in Government.
General Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR
©
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