•Report by Mudasir Opeyemi
President Muhammadu Buhari has charged Nigerians to resist attempts by desperate politicians to disrupt the 2023 general elections.
The President in his new year message also urged the citizens to play their part in ensuring that next year’s general elections are free, fair and credible.
“In year 2023, Nigerians go to the polls to exercise our right to vote and elect a new administration. It is an important year for our country to ensure that we have another smooth transition of government, to whoever the people have decided upon.
This Administration’s landmark Amended Electoral Act will ensure that we have free and fair elections across the Nation.
“We as Nigerians must also take responsibility to ensure we participate in ensuring that the 2023 elections are free and fair by not engaging in anti-state activities and other nefarious acts that may affect the run of the polls.”
“We must also resist every attempt to be used by politicians to create unrest in any form to disrupt the elections. We, as government will ensure such activities are met with the full force of the law,” the President said in a statement issued by his media aide, Garba Shehu.
According to the Nigerian leader, his government proved its commitment to the nation’s democratic ideals by signing the Amended Electoral Act that will guarantee credible polls.
He described 2023 as an important year for Africa’s most populous nation because Nigerians will go to the polls to elect credible leaders.
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“This year is particularly important to me because this message is in essence valedictory. After having the honour of serving you, my compatriots, for the last seven-plus years, my tenure as your President in the most revered tradition of our ongoing and maturing democracy must necessarily come to an end.
“In the next five months we would have gone to the polls and elected a new president along with new governors and a plethora of other elected officials at both the national and state levels,” the President added.
While restating his administration’s commitment to conduct free and fair elections, Buhari said, “the collective electoral will and votes of Nigerians will be fulfilled, even in the twilight moments of my watch.”
On security, President Buhari urged Nigerians to support Nigerian troops in the war against criminal activities in the country by providing needed community intelligence in ensuring that Nigeria remains safe and peaceful for us all.
“Therefore, we have a duty and obligation to support our troops and intelligence agencies by being alert and reporting anything suspicious. The fight against insurgency in the North East region has continually recorded very clear wins in the past year. The Federal Government, and the Borno State government, have started the journey of returning internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes earlier taken by the insurgents.
“Also, over 82,000 insurgents with their families have surrendered to the Nigerian military. A number of surrendered insurgents are currently being processed by the rehabilitation (Operation Safe Corridor) program. The fight against banditry, kidnapping and other crimes in the North West and other regions is gaining momentum and showing very clear results. One of which is the resumption of Train Service along the Kaduna to Abuja corridor,” Buhari said
He said un the aftermath of the EndSars, his administration took heed and instituted the ongoing Police Reform program based on a new Presidential Vision for Policing in Nigeria.
He added that,this new vision was framed in a clear road map that transcends the tenure of his administration and it is predicated on six principles:Building Trust and Legitimacy, Leadership, Accountability and Oversight,Technology and digital media, Community Policing and Crime Reduction.
Others according to the Nigerian leader include Officers Training and Education and Funding, Officers’ Welfare, Wellness and Safety.
“This reform program is very much in its foundational phase but has recorded noteworthy successes in improving police welfare and their emoluments. Other gains have been the ongoing training of 500 police cadet trainers to enable a better training regimen for the 2022 first batch of the 10,000 new cadets with an additional 10,000 set for 2023.
“In support of these reforms has been the provisioning of new material for the Nigeria Police to steadily improve on its constitutional responsibility to enforce law and order, protect lives and property as well as street level peace and security.”
President Buhari further stressed that despite the ongoing global economic crisis, his administration have been able to weather the storms.
According to him,”inflation across the globe is at its highest, the Federal Government has been resolute through its economic interventions to remain above water during this period.2022 brought a combined impact from ongoing wars and aftereffects of COVID-19.
“Though creating its own fiscal challenges, we have continued to subsidize our energy costs to buffer households from inflationary pressure of high energy costs. In 2023, we are focused on building on our GDP and sustain the huge surge in the non-oil GDP growth,” he added
President Buhari assured Nigerians that, 2023 would be a year his administration would work to solidify on delivering key strategic priorities under his “SEA” (Security, Economy and Anti-Corruption) agenda.