PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI'S 55th YEAR
INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATION BROADCAST ON
THURSDAY 1st OCTOBER,2015

October 1st is a day for joy and celebrations for
us Nigerians whatever the circumstances we find
ourselves in because it is the day, 55 years ago;
we liberated ourselves from the shackles of
colonialism and began our long march to
nationhood and to greatness.
No temporary problems or passing challenges
should stop us from honoring this day. Let us
remind ourselves of the gifts God has given us.
Our Creator has bequeathed to us Numbers –
Nigeria is the ninth most populated country on
the planet. We have in addition:
• Arable land
• Water
• Forests
• Oil and gas
• Coastline
• Solid minerals
We have all the attributes of a great nation. We
are not there yet because the one commodity we
have been unable to exploit to the fullest is unity
of purpose. This would have enabled us to
achieve not only more orderly political evolution
and integration but also continuity and economic
progress.
Countries far less endowed have made greater
economic progress by greater coherence and
unity of purpose.
Nonetheless, that we have remained together is
an achievement we should all appreciate and try
to consolidate. We have witnessed this year a sea
change in our democratic development. The fact
that an opposition party replaced an entrenched
government in a free and fair election is indicative
of the deeper roots of our democratic system.
Whatever one’s views are, Nigerians must thank
former President Jonathan for not digging-in in
the face of defeat and thereby saving the country
untold consequences.
As I said in my inaugural speech, I bear no ill will
against anyone on past events. Nobody should
fear anything from me. We are not after anyone.
People should only fear the consequences of their
actions. I hereby invite everyone, whatever his or
her political view to join me in working for the
nation.
My countrymen and women, every new
government inherits problems. Ours was no
different. But what Nigerians want are solutions,
quick solutions not a recitation of problems
inherited. Accordingly, after consultations with the
Vice President, senior party leaders and other
senior stakeholders, I quickly got down to work on
the immediate, medium-term and long-term
problems which we must solve if we are to
maintain the confidence which Nigerians so
generously bestowed on us in the March elections
and since then.
As you know, I toured the neighboring countries,
marshal a coalition of armed forces of the five
nations to confront and defeat Boko Haram. I met
also the G7 leaders and other friendly presidents
in an effort to build an international coalition
against Boko Haram. Our gallant armed forces
under new leadership have taken the battle to the
insurgents, and severely weakened their logistical
and infrastructural capabilities. Boko Haram are
being scattered and are on the run. That they are
resorting to shameless attacks on soft targets
such as I.D.P. camps is indicative of their
cowardice and desperation. I have instructed
security and local authorities to tighten vigilance
in vulnerable places.
On power, government officials have held a series
of long sessions over several weeks about the
best way to improve the nation’s power supply in
the safest and most cost effective way. In the
meantime, improvement in the power supply is
moderately encouraging. By the same token,
supply of petrol and kerosene to the public has
improved throughout the country. All the early
signs are that within months the whole country
would begin to feel a change for the better.
Preliminary steps have been taken to sanitize
NNPC and improve its operations so that the
inefficiency and corruption could be reduced to a
minimum. Those of our refineries which can be
serviced and brought back into partial production
would be enabled to resume operations so that
the whole sordid business of exporting crude and
importing finished products in dubious
transactions could be stopped.
In addition to NNPC, I have ordered for a
complete audit of our other revenue generating
agencies mainly CBN, FIRS, Customs, NCC, for
better service delivery to the nation. Prudent
housekeeping is needed now more than ever in
view of the sharp decline in world market oil
prices. It is a challenge we have to face squarely.
But what counts is not so much what accrues
but how we manage our resources that is
important.
We have seen in the last few years how huge
resources were mismanaged, squandered and
wasted. The new APC government is embarking
on a clean up, introducing prudence and probity in
public financing.
At an early stage, the federal government
addressed the issue of salary arrears in many
states, a situation capable of degenerating into
social unrest. The APC government stepped in to
provide short-term support to the owing states
and enabled them to pay off the backlog and
restore the livelihood of millions of Nigerians.
Fellow Nigerians, there have been a lot of anxiety
and impatience over the apparent delay in
announcement of ministers. There is no cause to
be anxious. Our government set out to do things
methodically and properly. We received the
handing over notes from the outgoing government
only four days before taking over. Consequently,
the Joda Transition Committee submitted its
Report on the reorganization of Federal
Government structure after studying the hand
over notes. It would have been haphazard to
announce ministers when the government had not
finalized the number of ministries to optimally
carry the burden of governance.
Anyway, the wait is over. The first set of names
for ministerial nominees for confirmation has been
sent to the senate. Subsequent lists will be
forwarded in due course. Impatience is not a
virtue. Order is more vital than speed. Careful and
deliberate decisions after consultations get far
better results. And better results for our country
is what the APC government for CHANGE is all
about.
I would like to end my address this morning on
our agenda for CHANGE. Change does not just
happen. You and I and all of us must appreciate
that we all have our part to play if we want to
bring CHANGE about. We must change our
lawless habits, our attitude to public office and
public trust. We must change our unruly behavior
in schools, hospitals, market places, motor parks,
on the roads, in homes and offices. To bring
about change, we must change ourselves by being
law-abiding citizens.
Happy Independence Celebrations. Long live the
Federal Republic of Nigeria. God Bless.