My fellow Nigerian brothers,
sisters and friends of Nigeria.
2. I address you today, in my
last assignment as a democratically elected President of our great and
well-endowed nation, with a deep sense of gratitude to God, a great deal of
appreciation to the Nigerian people and a modest sense of fulfilment.
3. Today we mark and celebrate
another peaceful transition of power from one elected government to another in
our steady march to improve and sustain Nigeria’s democracy.
4. This year we witnessed the
most keenly contested Presidential Elections since the first Republic and this
demonstrates that our democracy is getting better and more entrenched with each
election.
5. We must as a nation improve
and sustain gains we make in the electoral process, on an incremental basis for
Nigeria to take its rightful place among Nations.
6. Our democracy provides for,
allows and encourages seeking redress for perceived injustices, enabling some
candidates and political parties that did not agree with the results to go to
court.
7. Irrespective of the outcome of
the various cases, I urge all parties involved to accept the decision of our
courts and join hands to build a better Nigeria.
8. I salute the doggedness and
resilience of all the Presidential Candidates and their political parties for
believing in our judicial system by taking their grievances with the election
results to court.
9. In the course of the
campaigns, we had argued and disagreed on how to make Nigeria better but we
never disagreed or had any doubts that Nigeria has to be better.
10. As your President, I call on
all of us to bring to bear the strength of our individualism, the power of our
unity, the convictions of our beliefs to make Nigeria work better and together
with one spirit and one purpose.
11. To my brother, friend and
fellow worker in the political terrain for the past ten years – Asiwaju Bola
Ahmed Tinubu -, I congratulate you on the realisation of your dream, which was
propelled by a burning passion to put Nigeria amongst the leading nations of
the world.
12. You have indeed worked for
this day and God has crowned your efforts. I have no doubt that your passion
for excellence, reliance on competence, fairness in relationships, commitment
to equity, loyalty to the country and desire for Nigeria to be globally
relevant would come through for you, under God’s guidance, as you lead our
country to levels higher that I am leaving.
13. You are the best candidate
among all the contestants and Nigerians have chosen well.
14. The last eight years have
been an exciting experience in my desire and commitment to see a Nigeria in
which public goods and services are available, and accessible within a united,
peaceful and secure nation.
15. Fellow Nigerians, on the
strength of your overwhelming support for me and my political party, I started
this journey with a great deal of promise and expectation from you. I never
intended to be just politically correct but to do the correct things that will
make meaningful impact on the lives of the common Nigerian.
16. This high expectation was not
misplaced because, like the ordinary Nigerian, I had grown tired of watching
the country progressively moving away from the path of correctness.
17. To ensure that our democracy
remains resilient and our elected representatives remain accountable to the
people, I am leaving behind an electoral process which guarantees that votes
count, results are credible, elections are fair and transparent and the influence
of money in politics reduced to the barest minimum. And Nigerians can elect
leaders of their choice.
18. We are already seeing the
outcome of this process as it provided an even playing field where persons
without any political God-Father or access to money defeated other
well-resourced candidates.
19. The Nigerian economy has
become more resilient due to the various strategies put in place to ensure that
our economy remained afloat during cases of global economic downturns.
20. You would all recall the
supply chain disruptions and economic downturn that the world witnessed between
2020 and 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The deftness of our
response to the pandemic still remains a global best practice.
21. Furthermore, we increased the
ability of the poor and rural Nigerians to earn a living, provided more food for
millions in our villages and gave our women opportunities to earn a living.
22. Young men and women in urban
centres were also supported to put their skills into productive use. Our
administration also provided an enabling environment for the private sector to
engage in businesses for which their return on investments is guaranteed.
23. The private sector proved a
strong partner in our drive to build a resilient and sustainable economy as
evidenced by the growing number of turn-key projects in various sectors of the
economy.
24. In the course of revamping
the economy, we made some difficult choices, most of which yielded the desired
results. Some of the measures led to temporary pain and suffering for which I
sincerely apologised to my fellow countrymen, but the measures were taken for
the over-all good of the country.
25. Mindful of the need to ensure
adequate infrastructure to drive economic growth, we completed age-long
projects and processes notably amongst which are the Petroleum Industry Act,
completion of some power projects, completion of the second Niger bridge and
various important roads linking cities and states.
26. Our battle to ensure that all
Nigerians live in a safe and secure environment has achieved considerable
results. As I complete my term in office, we have been able to reduce the
incidences of banditry, terrorism, armed robbery and other criminal activities
considerably.
27. To sustain the gains made so
far, I call on all Nigerians to be more vigilant and support the security
agencies by ensuring that our values defined by being your brothers’ keeper
govern our actions.
28. Up-till now, I still grieve
for our children still in captivity, mourn with parents, friends and relatives
of all those that lost loved ones in the days of the senseless brigandage and
carnage. For all those under unlawful captivity our Security Agencies are
working round the clock to secure their release unharmed.
There was a brief confusion in
court as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who is not a part of the Labour Party’s
team of lawyers announced an appearance for the party on Friday.
29. Fellow Nigerians, you know
how dear the desire in my heart is, to rid the country of corrupt practices
that had consistently diminished our efforts to be a great country.
30. I did pursue this commitment
relentlessly, in spite of the expected push back. I am happy that considerable
progress had been made in repatriating huge sums of money back to the country
and also taken over properties illegally acquired from our common wealth.
31. To improve service delivery,
we began the implementation of a number of reforms aimed at producing an
Efficient, Productive, Incorruptible and Citizen-oriented (EPIC) Federal Civil
Service and the results are beginning to show.
32. On the international scene,
Nigeria’s influence continues to grow as exemplified by notable Nigerians
occupying headship and leadership positions in renowned global bodies.
33. Our democracy is built on and
continues to thrive on the principles of separation of powers. The leadership
and members of the National Assembly deserve my appreciation for their
patriotism which did not detract from their roles as a check to the executive
arm.
34. I also want to use this
opportunity to express my appreciation to a good number of Nigerians who
provided their support and encouragement to help me navigate the exciting
journey in moving Nigeria forward.
35. I cannot and will not forget
the millions who prayed for me during my illness in my first term of office. I
am constantly praying for you and for Nigeria to thrive in peace.
36. As I retire home to Daura,
Katsina State, I feel fulfilled that we have started the Nigeria Re-Birth by
taking the initial critical steps and I am convinced the in-coming
administration will quicken the pace of this walk to see a Nigeria that fulfils
its destiny to be a great nation.
37. I am confident that I am
leaving office with Nigeria better in 2023 than in 2015.
38. I thank you all. And may God
Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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