“Fellow Nigerians, my major ambition in government as a Senator in the aborted Third Republic, as Governor of Lagos State for eight years and now as the President of this blessed country is to build a fair and equitable society and close the widening inequality’’
President Bola Tinubu says he is passionate about building a fair and equitable society and closing the widening inequality among Nigerians.
Tinubu, however, said he could not guarantee equal outcomes for all when we work hard, pointing out that God did not create us with equal talents and strengths, Persecondnews reports.
“Fellow Nigerians, my major ambition in government as a Senator in the aborted Third Republic, as Governor of Lagos State for eight years and now as the President of this blessed country is to build a fair and equitable society and close the widening inequality.
“While I believe the rich should enjoy their legitimately earned wealth, our minimum bargain must be that any Nigerian who works hard and diligent enough will have a chance to get ahead in life.
“I must add that because God didn’t create us with equal talents and strengths, I cannot guarantee that we will have equal outcomes when we work hard. But my government, in this New Year 2024 and beyond, will work to give every Nigerian equal opportunity to strive and to thrive.
“For the New Year to yield all its good benefits to us as individuals and collectively as a people we must be prepared to play our part.
“The job of building a prosperous nation is not the job of the President, Governors, Ministers, Lawmakers and government officials alone. Our destinies are connected as members of this household of Nigeria.
“Our language, creed, ethnicity and religious beliefs even when they are not the same should never make us work at cross purposes,’’ President Tinubu said in his maiden new year broadcast to Nigerians on Monday.
Persecondnews recalls that the Federal Government had already declared January 1, 2024, a public holiday to usher in the new year.
He also said: “It gives me immense joy to welcome each and every one of you – young and old- to this brand new year 2024. We must lift up our hands to Almighty God, in gratitude, for His grace and benevolence to our country and our lives in the year 2023 that has just gone by.
“Though the past year was a very challenging one, it was eventful in so many ways. For our country, it was a transition year that saw a peaceful, orderly, and successful transfer of power from one administration to another, marking yet another remarkable step in our 24 years of unbroken democracy.
“It was a year, you the gracious people of this blessed nation, entrusted your faith in me with a clear mandate to make our country better, revamp our economy, restore security within our borders, revitalize our floundering industrial sector, boost agricultural production, increase national productivity and set our country on an irreversible path towards national greatness that we and future generations will forever be proud of.
“The task of building a better nation and making sure we have a Nigeria society that cares for all her citizens is the reason I ran to become your President. It was the core of my Renewed Hope campaign message on the basis of which you voted me as President.
“Everything I have done in the office, every decision I have taken, and every trip I have undertaken outside the shores of our land, since I assumed office on 29 May 2023, has been done in the best interest of our country.
“Over the past seven months of our administration, I have taken some difficult and yet necessary decisions to save our country from fiscal catastrophe. One of those decisions was the removal of fuel subsidy which had become an unsustainable financial burden on our country for more than four decades.
“Another was the removal of the chokehold of a few people on our foreign exchange system that benefited only the rich and the most powerful among us. Without a doubt, these two decisions brought some discomfort to individuals, families and businesses.
“I am well aware that for some time now the conversations and debates have centered on the rising cost of living, high inflation which is now above 28%, and the unacceptable high under-employment rate.
“From the boardrooms at Broad Street in Lagos to the main streets of Kano and Nembe Creeks in Bayelsa, I hear the groans of Nigerians who work hard every day to provide for themselves and their families.’’
Tinubu said he was aware that the government had been stridently criticized and bashed by citizens for the hardships they are facing and even asked if this is how the administration wants to renew their hope.
He advised that they should not worry and hold their peace, saying the socio-economic challenges of today should energize and rekindle our love and faith in the promise of Nigeria.
“I am not oblivious to the expressed and sometimes unexpressed frustrations of my fellow citizens. I know for a fact that some of our compatriots are even asking if this is how our administration wants to renew their hope.
“Dear Compatriots, take this from me: the time may be rough and tough, however, our spirit must remain unbowed because tough times never last. We are made for this period, never to flinch, never to falter. The socio-economic challenges of today should energize and rekindle our love and faith in the promise of Nigeria.
“Our current circumstances should make us resolve to work better for the good of our beloved nation. Our situation should make us resolve that this new year 2024, each and every one of us will commit to being better citizens,’’ Persecondnews quotes the president as saying.
On the administration’s resolve to deliver a reliable supply of electricity to homes and businesses, Tinubu said power installation projects to strengthen the reliability of transmission lines and optimize the integrity of the national grid are ongoing across the country.
He said: “Just this past December during COP28 in Dubai, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and I agreed and committed to a new deal to speed up the delivery of the Siemens Energy power project that will ultimately deliver a reliable supply of electricity to our homes and businesses under the Presidential Power Initiative which began in 2018.
“My administration recognizes that no meaningful economic transformation can happen without a steady electricity supply. In 2024, we are moving a step further in our quest to restart local refining of petroleum products with Port Harcourt Refinery, and the Dangote Refinery which shall fully come on stream.’’
On food security, Tinubu declared: “To ensure constant food supply, security, and affordability, we will step up our plan to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmlands across the country to grow maize, rice, wheat, millet, and other staple crops. We launched dry season farming with 120,000 hectares of land in Jigawa State last November under our National Wheat Development Programme.’’
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