President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday at the graduation ceremony of Course 24 at the National Defence College in Abuja, says he has mandated security agencies to deal decisively with all acts of banditry and criminality perpetrated in the name of herdsmen-farmers clashes.
“On the matter of herdsmen/farmers’ clashes, I wish to state that this administration will not tolerate or condone acts of banditry and criminality, under any guise. As such, our security agencies have been mandated to deal with such acts decisively,” he said.
President Buhari said his government had been working with local and international partners to rebuild damaged communities in the North East.
“Similarly, we are committed to tackling the issues of underdevelopment and neglect in the Niger Delta area.
“This is a priority we have set before us and we intend to make appreciable gains in correcting the ills of the past in the Niger Delta by assuaging inherent grievances.”
The president, who was represented by Garba Shehu, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, said Nigeria had made “tremendous progress” since he assumed power last year.
“International confidence in our country and its future is beginning to return, because of how we are slowly finding ways to solve our problems,” Mr. Buhari said.
“The nation is beginning to have faith in the ability of our society’s institutional capacity to tackle our problems. But we must work doubly hard to restore our nation to higher glory. The Nigerian Armed Forces have proven to be equal to the task of maintaining our internal and external security.”
He also said legal processes had been set in motion to recover looted funds, as part of efforts to address the problem of corruption.
“You will all recall that on being sworn into office on 29 May 2015, I outlined certain core areas of our national life that require immediate intervention, some of which I would like to reiterate here today,” he said.
“First, we should seek to secure the country, improve the economy and fight corruption. As it is, this is our unfinished business from the past and dates back to the creation of our republic, yet to this day, corruption and poverty remain our main national problems.
“Thus far, we have been able to recover billions of naira from indicted companies and individuals. In addition, through the implementation and enforcement of the Treasury Single Account, we have been able to save more for our nation.”
The president further said his administration had set up social interventions and reliefs for the poor to help end poverty in the country, adding that data is already being collated by the Economic Planning Office of the Vice President in conjunction with the World Bank.
“In addition, through our 2016 budget, we intend to stimulate the economy, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development; delivering inclusive growth; and prioritizing the welfare of Nigerians.
“We believe that this budget, while helping industry, commerce and investment to pick up, will as a matter of urgency, address the immediate problems of youth unemployment and the terrible living conditions of the very poor and vulnerable Nigerians.”
