President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu writes Nigerians
“Nigeria: At the cusp of the renewed hope”
By Bola Tinubu
A fair, credible election has been held and has been won. The honor of that victory and the steep responsibility it entails has fallen on me. I say this not to gloat or boast because there is no room for such behavior. I merely state the facts as they are.
I realize many good and well-meaning Nigerians voted for other candidates. They are naturally disappointed that their favored candidate did not win. Other candidates have voiced their dissatisfaction, stating they will go to court to contest the election, this is inherent to the democratic process. We defend their right to seek legal recourse.
While they exercise the legal rights afforded them in our democracy, I have set my course and mind on the leadership of this nation, we have important work to do and I am committed to getting that work done for the benefit of all the people, whether or not they voted for me or even voted at all. This is not the time for continued acrimony and partisan recrimination, these negative things can incite strong passions; but they are not the pathway to a better nation.
Only unity and national commitment can serve that purpose.
Critics of Nigeria have been too quick to conclude that our political system is fragmented because of the impressive showing of new parties and their candidates. These critics are wrong. The emergence of the new parties and their candidates underscores the dynamic strength of our democracy. People want democracy to work and they want to have their voices heard and interests met within it. This is a good thing to be promoted, not something to be feared.
What must concern us is not the growth of parties but the regrowth of old prejudices and bigotries such as ethnicity, creed and place of origin. As a nation and as individuals imbued with the love of God and of our fellow man, we are better than this.
At some point we must decide whether we shall be enticed by the ills of the past or shall we more bravely and nobly be encouraged by the eminent prospect of a brighter future.
There have been times in our past when our governing institutions created more questions than they answered. But the arc of our political history gives me confidence that we can overcome that past.
We have walked through the thick of the night to emerge into the light of brighter days to come. There is no good reason to retreat into the darkness of years past. We must begin to repair and rebuild this national home of ours. There is time to complete the task, but time is also of the essence. We must not tarry or fret over the enormity of what we face. We are able of mind and body. Now, we must show the spirit and willpower to accomplish the historic things that lie within our grasp.
As your incoming president, I accept the task before me. There has been talk of a government of national unity. My aim is higher than that. I seek a government of national competence. In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to abiilty and performance. The day for political gamesmanship is long gone. I shall assemble competent men and women and young people from across Nigeria to build a safer, more prosperous and just Nigeria. There shall be young people. Women shall be prominent. Whether your faith leads you to pray in a church or mosque will not determine your place in government. Character and competence will.
To secure our nation and to make it prosperous must be our top priorities. We cannot sacrifice these goals to political expediencies. The whims of politics must take a backseat to the imperatives of governance.
We have bridges and roads to build not just for commerce and travel but to connect people of different faiths, parties and different outlooks in harmonious dialogue and common purpose. We have families to feed, not just to eliminate hunger but to nurture enlightenment, civic responsibility and compassion. We have jobs to create, not merely to put people to work but to afford all a better standard of living by which families and communities are improved and democracy deepened.
We have water to replenish not just to quench physical thirst but to ignite a thirst for creative and better solutions to society’s challenges. We have a nation to protect such that we eliminate danger and even the fear of danger.
An important step toward restoring economic normalcy has been taken by the Supreme Court’s decision on the parity of old and new notes, restoring both the rule of law & economic decency. It is merely the beginning of a more comprehensive solution to our economic challenges.
We are committed to an economy of double-digit GDP growth, greater food security and one with a strengthened manufacturing base as well as an active digital economy in which young people will have ample space to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.
Dear Nigerians, this is our country. This is our moment. We dare not waste it. Nor do we back away to accept a lesser version of ourselves and of our collective fate. We can no longer be satisfied with calling ourselves the giant of Africa. We must devote ourselves to doing those great and historic things only a giant can do.
As your president elect, I shall do my utmost in this regard for this is my sworn duty. I call upon you to come bravely forth as well, not for me but out of abiding love of country and for the people who inhabit it with you.
I, for one, am standing. But this time, I shall not be the last or only one standing. Imagine how great we can be if over 200m other souls stand with me. Let the world see a Nigeria that nothing can stop.
H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu,
President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Add Comment