The President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said that due to the myriads of problems bedeviling the country, the starting point of his administration might not be rosy but assured Nigerians that they will surmount the challenges rapidly.
He said this on Friday in Abuja at the Jumat Prayer and lecture as part of activities lined up for the May 29 handover ceremony.
Tinubu who was represented by the Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, said he is aware they are short of time, and that delay might compound the deteriorating situation of the country.
According to him, the issue of subsidy removal and the multiple exchange rate system among others have become a serious challenge that the administration must surmount in record time.
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He said, “Tinubu is a fair-minded person. He will do justice to Nigeria irrespective of affiliation with political parties, religious and tribal background. We are united by our common heritage of poverty and insecurity among others. This is time for all of us to form a single force.
“Ours is a great nation waiting to unleash its great potential to the world. China was once called a sleeping giant but today, China had woken up. Nigeria needs to wake up. We are calling on all of you to pray for us for God’s guidance. I want to assure you that Tinubu will hit the ground.
“We do not have the luxury of time. The challenges facing us are getting worse. We are living in a pressing time. Rest assured that in the fullness of time, Nigeria will pay glowing tributes to us. The starting point might not be rosy let me be very honest with you.
“Oil Subsidy is albatross on our neck. The multiple exchange rate system is a drain on the national economy. There are certain decisions the president-elect will take but in the fullness of time, Nigerians will not only appreciate but also celebrate us.”
He, however, promised that women would be well represented and compensated in the incoming administration.
“To my sisters, be rest assured you would be well represented in the incoming administration. Not only this, I promise you, you will be well compensated,” he said.
The President Muhammadu Buhari on his part, said the economic, security and other problems faced under his watch were a global phenomenon.
Buhari, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said that the way Nigerians handled the problems showed that they have surmount other challenges.
He said,” The problems we have had within the economic, security, and social sector are not peculiar to us. The potentials are always there to make the country great. How we managed during COVID-19 and the Russian /Ukrainian war among others have shown how Nigerians can come out of difficult situations.”
He urged Nigerians to put aside their differences in the polls aside and support the incoming administration.
He said,” Elections have come and gone. Another set of leaders has been elected. It is our duty to give them the necessary cooperation to enable them deliver their plans towards transforming Nigeria. As citizens we must turn our differences into our source of strength to enable progressive development.
“We must also strive to ensure peaceful coexistence, harmony, respect for the rule of law. A solid foundation has been laid in the last administration for successive administrations to build on.”
In his goodwill, the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Prof. Is-haq O. Oloyede, prayed that the incoming administration shall be a successful one for the ummah and the Nigerians at large.
He urged Tinubu and his administration to remember that the “Good we do comes back to us in the moment of need one way or the other. You may go through some traumatic experiences but the end will be sweet.
“The irony of the Muslim condition is that when Muslims are in power, they are not often in power in the real sense since they want to please the world and when they are out of power, they are completely not in power. A census of Muslims in the positions of authority had been taken over some periods of time by the Council and the results of how we are marginalised, especially in the South, are shocking.
“The last part is a request. There are certain areas of our national life that are dear to the hearts of Muslims and one of them is the education of our children. I speak the mind of the President-General of the Council and Sultan of Sokoto that there are many evils sneaking into Nigeria like a thief in the night.
“Homosexuality, lesbianism and sexual perversions are being deodorised as sex education and the evil is being surreptitiously introduced to our youth and children through the school system and the (social) media.
“In order not to jeopadise the future of our children, the Muslim ummah requests to retain aspects of our national life that engender education, information and spiritual wellbeing of the citizens,” Oloyede said.
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