Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)
He also promised to involve serving and
retired military generals to devise an effective strategy to crush
insurgency in the country, if elected as President in 2015.
Buhari, in his Christmas goodwill message
signed by the Director of Communications, Buhari Campaign Organisation,
Mr. Dele Alake, expressed displeasure at the security challenges in the
country and the poor state of Nigerian roads.
He said his administration would focus on
how best to “make the condition of living of the common man the index
for the assessment of our policies and not the amount of billionaires
our administration would have made.”
Buhari felicitated with Christians in the
country as they celebrated Christmas, assuring Nigerians that they
would have better reasons to celebrate the festival if he is elected in
2015.
He said, “On my part, I intend to
initiate consultations with serving generals and those who have served
our country and distinguished themselves on the battlefield across the
world to work out an alternative and effective strategy to crush this
insurgency within the shortest possible time if elected president on
February 14, 2015.
“I have said that I live the life of a
pensioner. I share the burden and anxiety of majority of our poor,
powerless people. I have offered myself on the platform of the All
Progressives Congress, the party of change, because I desire to give
back to a country that clothed, fed and trained me to be what I am
today. Our people are poor. But our country is rich.”
The former Head of State, who berated the
President Goodluck Jonathan administration over rising poverty in the
country, said, “In a nation where a few individuals could raise N21bn
because they wanted to make their friend President, millions of
citizens, who truly own the resources being accumulated by a few, are
left to suffer in sorrow, tears and blood.
Buhari said while many Nigerians
travelling towards the eastern part of the country would encounter “the
failed promises of the Second Niger Bridge;” those travelling through
the South-West would “have to bear the gridlock on the Lagos-Ibadan
Expressway.”
He noted that millions of Nigerians would
celebrate the Christmas season in poverty and misery because “the
system of production and distribution of national resources has been
rigged against the vast majority of our people.”
He said, “We promise that, by Christmas
2015, our administration would have brought out efficiency in management
and allocation of public resources to make the inter-state roads
smoother and easier to ride.
“Christmas is a season when we all embark
on journeys to join our brothers and sisters in our native towns to
hold town hall meetings, inaugurate community projects and exercise our
cultural rights.
“This year’s celebration of the birth of
Jesus Christ symbolises peace, love and togetherness to mankind. It
reminds us, once again, of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ and the
ordinary yet spectacular circumstances of His birth. His life enjoins
all of us to follow his path by offering to sacrifice our selfish
desires for the good of our country and mankind in general. This event,
however, is taking place at a period of serious security challenges
across the length and breadth of our dear country.
“The right to life, guaranteed by our
constitution, is under savage assault. The stories of murder in the
print and electronic media make you shiver to the bones. The daredevilry
of the Godless Boko Haram, which penetrated battle lines in the
North-East to commit suicidal blasts in the north central capital cities
of Bauchi and Gombe, demonstrates the crucial need to review the
military strategy of our defence forces.”
Buhari also promised to initiate policies
that would ensure the empowerment of the masses, adding that his
presidential ambition was borne out of the need to alleviate poverty and
establish a system where the rule of law prevails.
He added, “Certainly, there will be
changes in policies. We cannot continue to enslave our country to those
who tell us that we are in economic crises because of loans.”
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