President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja vowed to take the war against corruption to the doorstep of looters despite the moves by some powerful people in the society to stall the fight.
The president remarked that he took over the country’s leadership at a time when morale was at its lowest ebb in all strata of the Nigerian society, with the nation functioning as a rudderless ship.
Buhari made the above comments while presenting a keynote address at the 15th National Productivity Day and conferment of National Productivity Order of Merit Award organised by the National Productivity Centre in Abuja.
According to him, Nigerians had recognized that while inadequacy of resources is one of the nation’s problems, “mismanagement of the little we have, largely through corrupt practices and impunity, is the more impactful.
“To get to the Promised Land as a nation, we must leave no stone unturned in taking the battle to the doorstep of corruption. Corruption is dangerous and cancerous to the nation and this administration is not prepared to stay in bed with it. We are therefore resolute in our commitment to fight corruption in all its virulent forms, in all facets of our national life.”
The president, who was represented by the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, said when he assumed office, people were completely disillusioned with government.
“I want to commend the organizers of today’s ceremony for the choice of the theme, ‘The Role of Productivity in the Change Agenda,’ which is apt and germane. As you are all aware, this administration assumed office at a time when morale was at its lowest ebb at all strata of the Nigerian society and the nation was functioning as a rudderless ship,” he said.
‘There was clear evidence that the system was not working the way it should and the people had even lost confidence and hope in the government hence the inevitable clamour for the much needed change.
“I must commend the usual great resilience of our people and the speed at which they woke up from slumber to respond positively to the realities of our time. Given the right political leadership and judicious management of human and material resources, the Nigeria of our dream can still be attained.
“This is the onerous task that this administration has taken upon itself and we shall not rest on our oars in the quest to achieve this objective. All we need is your support, patience, loyalty, patriotism and perseverance.”
He pointed out that the mission of his administration was to move Nigeria forward and make it a strategic and proactive state through pragmatic and productivity-conscious programmes.
“We want to rebuild Nigeria into a competitive, virile, strong and productive economy; a state whose citizens are creative, innovative, responsive, accountable, incorruptible, patriotic and diligent,” he said.
In consonance with the resolve of this administration to chart a new course for good governance in Nigeria, he said a great deal of premium has been placed on making change a reality in all spheres of our national life, especially through productivity improvement initiatives.
No comments:
Post a Comment