The President elect, Mohammadu Buhari, on Sunday said the change Nigerians are expecting cannot happen overnight.
Buhari also said the incoming administration will, in the short term, lay emphasis on agriculture and mining to deal with the challenge of youth unemployment.
He said this while receiving in audience members of some northern groups, led by Alhaji Maitama Sule and the Northern Elders Forum, in Abuja, on Sunday.
According to him, the task before the northern leaders, especially the clergy, is to help sensitise the public that the change they desire and voted for, cannot happen overnight.
He pointed out that it took 16 years to destroy the nation’s economy, noting that the nation earned more within the last 16 years under the Peoples Democratic Party, than it did since 1914, but that most of it was frittered away.
He said, “The biggest message is to try and persuade the people that it is not possible to change the state of affairs now. It took 16 years and those 16 years, most of you know it better than myself, Nigeria earned revenue more than what it earned from 1914 to then.
“You know that we used to have Nigeria Airways, Nigeria National Shipping Line, Nigeria Railways. Where are they now? Where is the infrastructure? Between then and now and what we earned in-between and what is on the ground.
“That is how efficiently how the PDP managed Nigeria in the last 16 years. Now we have invariably inherited all the problems, especially in the north east.”
Buhari added, “So, you have to convince your constituencies that you have virtually arrived at the wrong time and that they have to temper their expectation with some justice towards the leadership.
“I think whatever has to be deployed especially in the churches and mosques, this is the quickest way to communicate this to the ordinary people, continue to remind them if all the things I said in all the states I visited.
“We picked three fundamental problems. The first is security. The country has to be secured before anything can be put in place and then the economy. The fact is that more than 60 per cent of the Nigerian population are youths and most of them, whether they have been to school or not, are unemployed and this is the biggest danger if we don’t know it.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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If they like, let them not be patient. They will still be alright. Buhari will work according to his priorities and what he thinks is best for Nigeria. Everyone spewing rubbish!
ReplyDeleteNigerians are an almost infinitely patient people. As long as government is making appreciable progress in addressing the critical issues of insecurity, unemployment and infrastructure proportionate to the time they have spent in power, we will wait and cooperate with GMB regime. But if they continue to give excuses endlessly, we will lose our patience and vote them out in the next elections, period!
ReplyDeleteWe will be patient and support you as long as we see the sincerity of purpose. Nigerians may not start to be inpatient not until after about two years of your regime.
ReplyDeleteAfter all, the damage of sixteen years cannot be expected to be undone in six months. Besides, the outgoing GEJ's administration has misused most of our earnings especially that of the past 5 years when oil sold for above $100 a barrel.
Hmmm....i smell a rat o! I voted for you and i don't want story o. This is not a good sign sir. Please don't let us be mocked.
ReplyDeleteMy dear Buhari, we are very patient. Just get ready to start work and be comfortable in your new role.
ReplyDeleteYour presence in your new office will make a big difference to all Nigerians. As you and your team will not support corruption, you will save a lot of money.
I hope you know tha situation is so terribu now. We need gud time and it will take the coming govt doggedness,determination and readiness to make things happen. Change will surely come.
ReplyDeleteStop giving advance excuses. You knew all these before you promised what you knew you cannot deliver. Where you not part of the destruction?
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHAHA APC change , Buhari stories has start now , Open your dirty mouth change change . Now you have seeing that is not easy as you think ,
ReplyDeletePlease leave this pontification about PDP and 16 years........get there and do the work! You campaigned as if the change will be over night, we know it cannot be, just get there and WORK!
ReplyDeleteSir, you should have said this before the election! We are no fools!
ReplyDeleteMr President-elect, please focus on how to move Nigeria forward and stop this your distraction strategy of always referring to the wasted 16 years of the pdp. You have no excuse to fail Nigerians. This administration MUST be better than the past ones, so must the next one after you be better than yours. Anything short of this meets with our impatience.
ReplyDeleteThis is not the right time to say this. Buhari shouldn't be saying that now. Totally wrong time. U are not a novice in government nor were u out of the country since 1985. Don't tell us what we already know and give us excuses for your likely failures neither. Neithee tell us to be impatient. U campaigned as if u possess the credibility/agility/ability to turn things around, and that time u never told us time. When Fashola started, he never told us time, he hit the ground running; when Tinubu did his own, hit the ground running. Buhari don't give us excuses, we are not asking for what u cannot do, but what u can do. U will be judged by your campaign promises. Petrol must be N40. The wealthy must show the source of their wealth, including Tinubu - according to AIT, the largest landlord in Nigeria who worth over N1trillion. 2million jobs u must provide each year. There must be stable power supply. Naira must become N10 to a dollar. Etc
ReplyDeleteGud talk.u guys were all shouting change.nobody is saying anyting u have nt yet asume office u r now talk of patience.are u now geting afraid that u will fail? Why d excuses even b4 u start.we r watching is another 4yrs u will be shown d way out
DeletePlease may I remind you that OBJ who has suddenly become a high profile APC member spent 8 of the 16 years. He was the minister of petroleum. I understand he is putting up a force for juicy portfolio. Amaechi.......hmmmmm. If the people we know are the ones Buhari will work with-through godfatherism, then he is most pitiable. They will mess him up
DeleteTick tock tick tock enough of the complian you need another 16yrs or what? Well you never said that during your campaign, you spoke as if you are a magician so pls start performing the magic.
ReplyDeletePlease be patient with our President elect, since PDP took 16years to destroy the Country, Our President Elect needs another 16years or more to fix it back. During the State wide campaigns, the slogan was 'CHANGE' now after the elections and eventual victory, the slogan is 'BE PETIENT'.
ReplyDeleteDear President elect, PDP did not destroyed Nigeria, the military robbed this country blind, institutionalised corruption and put the country into mess.
ReplyDeleteSir, you have no excuse to give at this point in time, you always sounds as if you re beginning to realized that the challenges are enormous before the journey starts, so long as you continue to give excuses any time you speak, we begin to cast a sense of doubt on the validity of your promises. You just have to settle down and work.
The honey moon will soon be over.
Habba Baba Buhari. One thing u should remember is that Nigeria started witnessing destruction right from series of military regimes of which YOU were a part of them; where U OVERTHROWN THE NIGERIA'S NUMBER ONE DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT. This is an unforgettable situation because that action contributed to what YOU called destruction. Though u claimed that d administration was misusing d nation's economy, But what difference did u made, as u carelessly let your own regime slipped into another person's hand that continued for a decade b4 democracy resumed back again. If u are talking about 16 YEARS of destruction, u should always remember the flash backs. I don't even know what kind of rule to prefer anymore. Is it the so called military regime or the self centered democracy.
ReplyDelete