President Bola Tinubu delivered his inaugural address on
Monday, May 29 at the Eagle Square, Abuja.
Here is the full text.
My Fellow Citizens,
I stand before you honoured to
assume the sacred mandate you have given me. My love for this nation is abiding.
My confidence in its people, unwavering. And my faith in God Almighty,
absolute. I know that His hand shall provide the needed moral strength and
clarity of purpose in those instances when we seem to have reached the limits
of our human capacity.
This day is bold and majestic yet
bright and full of spirit, as is our precious nation.
As a nation, we have long ago
decided to march beyond the dimness of night into the open day of renewed
national hope.
The question we now ask ourselves
is whether to remain faithful to the work inherent in building a better society
or retreat into the shadows of our unmet potential.
For me, there is but one answer.
We are too great a nation and too grounded as a people to rob ourselves of our
finest destiny.
This nation’s journey has been
shaped by the prayers of millions, and the collective sacrifices of us all.
We have endured hardships that
would have made other societies crumble.
Yet, we have shouldered the heavy
burden to arrive at this SUBLIME moment where the prospect of a better future
merges with our improved capacity to create that future.
To the surprise of many but not
to ourselves, we have more firmly established this land as a democracy in both
word and deed.
The peaceful transition from one
government to another is now our political tradition. This handover symbolizes
our trust in God, our enduring faith in representative governance and our
belief in our ability to reshape this nation into the society it was always
meant to be.
Here, permit me to say a few
words to my predecessor, President Muhammadu Buhari. Mr President, you have
been an honest, patriotic leader who has done his best for the nation you love.
On a more personal note, you are a worthy partner and friend. May History be
kind to you.
For many years, Nigeria’s critics
have trafficked the rumour that our nation will break apart, even perish.
Yet here we are. We have stumbled
at times, but our resilience and diversity have kept us going.
Our burdens may make us bend at
times, but they shall never break us.
Instead, we stand forth as
Africa’s most populous nation and as the best hope and strongest champion of
the Black Race.
As citizens, we declare as one
unified people devoted to one unified national cause, that as long as this
world exists, NIGERIA SHALL EXIST.
Today, Fate and Destiny join
together to place the torch of human progress in our very hands. We dare not
let it slip.
We lift high this torch so that
it might shine on every household and in every heart that calls itself
Nigerian. We hold this beam aloft because it lights our path with compassion,
brotherhood, and peace. May this great light never EXTINGUISH.
Our administration shall govern
on your behalf but never rule over you. We shall consult and dialogue but never
dictate. We shall reach out to all but never put down a single person for
holding views contrary to our own.
We are here to further mend and
heal this nation, not tear and injure it.
In this vein, may I offer a few
comments regarding the election that brought us to this juncture. It was a hard
fought contest. And it was also fairly won. Since the advent of the Fourth
Republic, Nigeria has not held an election of better quality.
The outcome reflected the will of
the people. However, my victory does not render me any more Nigerian than my
opponents. Nor does it render them any less patriotic.
They shall forever be my fellow
compatriots. And I will treat them as such. They represent important
constituencies and concerns that wisdom dare not ignore.
They have taken their concerns to
court. Seeking legal redress is their right and I fully defend their exercise
of this right. This is the essence of the rule of law.
Over six decades ago, our
founding fathers gave bravely of themselves to place Nigeria on the map as an
independent nation.
We must never allow the labor of
those who came before us to wither in vain but to blossom and bring forth a
better reality.
Let us take the next great step
in the journey they began and believed in.
Today, let us recommit our very
selves to placing Nigeria in our hearts as the indispensable home for each and
every one of us regardless of creed, ethnicity, or place of birth.
My supporters, I thank you. To
those who voted otherwise, I extend my hand across the political divide. I ask
you to grasp it in national affinity and brotherhood. For me, political
coloration has faded away. All I see are Nigerians.
May we uphold these fitting and
excellent notions as the new Nigerian ideal.
My fellow compatriots,
The Nigerian ideal which I speak
of is more than just an improvement in economic and other statistics. These things
are important; but they can never convey the fullness of our story.
Our mission is to improve our way
of life in a manner that nurtures our humanity, encourages compassion toward
one another, and duly rewards our collective effort to resolve the social ills
that seek to divide us.
Our constitution and laws give us
a nation on paper. We must work harder at bringing these noble documents to
life by strengthening the bonds of economic collaboration, social cohesion, and
cultural understanding. Let us develop a shared sense of fairness and equity.
The South must not only seek good
for itself but must understand that its interests are served when good comes to
the North. The North must see the South likewise.
Whether from the winding creeks
of the Niger Delta, the vastness of the northern savannah, the boardrooms of
Lagos, the bustling capital of Abuja, or the busy markets of Onitsha, you are
all my people. As your president, I shall serve with prejudice toward none but
compassion and amity towards all.
In the coming days and weeks, my
team will publicly detail key aspects of our programme. Today, permit me to
outline in broad terms a few initiatives that define our concept of progressive
good governance in furtherance of the Nigerian ideal:
The principles that will guide
our administration are simple:
1. Nigeria will be impartially
governed according to the constitution and the rule of law.
2. We shall defend the nation
from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability
of our country and our subregion.
3. We shall remodel our economy
to bring about growth and development through job creation, food security and
an end of extreme poverty.
4. In our administration, Women
and youth will feature prominently.
5. Our government will continue
to take proactive steps such as championing a credit culture to discourage
corruption while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the various
anti-corruption agencies.
SECURITY
Security shall be the top
priority of our administration because neither prosperity nor justice can
prevail amidst insecurity and violence.
To effectively tackle this
menace, we shall reform both our security DOCTRINE and its ARCHITECTURE.
We shall invest more in our
security personnel, and this means more than an increase in number. We shall
provide, better training, equipment, pay and firepower.
THE ECONOMY
On the economy, we target a
higher GDP growth and to significantly reduce unemployment.
We intend to accomplish this by
taking the following steps:
First, budgetary reform
stimulating the economy without engendering inflation will be instituted.
Second, industrial policy will
utilize the full range of fiscal measures to promote domestic manufacturing and
lessen import dependency.
Third, electricity will become
more accessible and affordable to businesses and homes alike. Power generation
should nearly double and transmission and distribution networks improved. We
will encourage states to develop local sources as well.
I have a message for our
investors, local and foreign: our government shall review all their complaints
about multiple taxation and various anti-investment inhibitions.
We shall ensure that investors
and foreign businesses repatriate their hard earned dividends and profits home.
JOBS
My administration must create
meaningful opportunities for our youth. We shall honour our campaign commitment
of one million new jobs in the digital economy.
Our government also shall work
with the National Assembly to fashion an omnibus Jobs and Prosperity bill. This
bill will give our administration the policy space to embark on
labour-intensive infrastructural improvements, encourage light industry and
provide improved social services for the poor, elderly and vulnerable.
Agriculture
Rural incomes shall be secured by
commodity exchange boards guaranteeing minimal prices for certain crops and
animal products. A nationwide programme for storage and other facilities to
reduce spoilage and waste will be undertaken.
Agricultural hubs will be created
throughout the nation to increase production and engage in value-added
processing. The livestock sector will be introduced to best modern practices
and steps taken to minimize the perennial conflict over land and water
resources in this sector.
Through these actions, food shall
be made more abundant yet less costly. Farmers shall earn more while the
average Nigerian pays less.
INFRASTRUCTURE
We shall continue the efforts of
the Buhari administration on infrastructure. Progress toward national networks
of roads, rail and ports shall get priority attention.
FUEL SUBSIDY
We commend the decision of the
outgoing administration in phasing out the petrol subsidy regime which has
increasingly favoured the rich more than the poor. Subsidy can no longer
justify its ever-increasing costs in the wake of drying resources. We shall
instead re-channel the funds into better investment in public infrastructure,
education, health care and jobs that will materially improve the lives of
millions.
MONETARY POLICY
Monetary policy needs thorough
housecleaning. The Central Bank must work towards a unified exchange rate. This
will direct funds away from arbitrage into meaningful investment in the plant,
equipment and jobs that power the real economy.
Interest rates need to be reduced
to increase investment and consumer purchasing in ways that sustain the economy
at a higher level.
Whatever merits it had in
concept, the currency swap was too harshly applied by the CBN given the number
of unbanked Nigerians. The policy shall be reviewed. In the meantime, my
administration will treat both currencies as legal tender.
FOREIGN POLICY
Given the world in which we
reside, please permit a few comments regarding foreign policy.
The crisis in Sudan and the turn
from democracy by several nations in our immediate neighbourhood are of
pressing concern.
As such, my primary foreign
policy objective must be the peace and stability of the West African subregion
and the African continent. We shall work with ECOWAS, the AU and willing
partners in the international community to end extant conflicts and to resolve
new ones.
As we contain threats to peace,
we shall also retool our foreign policy to more actively lead the regional and
continental quest for collective prosperity.
Conclusion
This is the proudest day of my
life. But this day does not belong to me. It belongs to you, the people of
Nigeria.
On this day, Nigeria affirms its
rightful place among the world’s great democracies. There, Nigeria shall reside
forever.
The course of our past and the
promise of the future have brought us to this exceptional moment.
In this spirit, I ask you to join
me in making Nigeria a more perfect nation and democracy such that the Nigerian
ideal becomes and forever remains the Nigerian reality.
With full confidence in our
ability, I declare that these things are within our proximate reach because my
name is Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and I am the President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
May God bless you and May He
bless our beloved land.
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