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We Will Make Nigeria Work Again, Buhari Promises

January 30, 2015

“Let me make you this promise today: We will protect your children,” he assured Nigerians. “We will protect your wealth. We will make this country work again. This is why I am running for the office of the president of Nigeria. This is my promise.” He stressed that his opponents were resorting to false accusations because they were unable to attack his records, noting they could never accuse him of corruption, or of mediocrity, or of lying.

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, General Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday restated his reason for wanting to be Nigeria’s president from May 2015, stressing that it is to make Nigeria work again.

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In a statement in which he drew attention to his previous leadership as head of state, he said of his record, “We were not perfect, but we were effective; we solved problems.”

The world, he recalled, admired Nigeria at that time.

“Let me make you this promise today: We will protect your children,” he assured Nigerians. “We will protect your wealth. We will make this country work again. This is why I am running for the office of the president of Nigeria. This is my promise.”

He stressed that his opponents were resorting to false accusations because they were unable to attack his records, noting they could never accuse him of corruption, or of mediocrity, or of lying.

According to Buhari, “my only desire is to prove to you that Nigeria can truly work. Allow me prove to you that in your lifetime, you can be proud of this country.”

He assured Nigerians that no matter whom they are, the nation needs a new direction under a new leadership, pointing out that while the task ahead will be challenging and daunting, but it is surmountable. 

“This is what leadership is about,” he said. 

Read Buhari’s full statement below:

“Fellow Nigerians, People accuse me of many things. But one thing they never accuse me of is corruption. They never accuse me of mediocrity, or of lying. People accuse me of many things. I have led this country and I have a record. We were not perfect, but we were effective; we solved problems, and we made Nigerians proud. In our government, we fought corruption, we stabilized the
Naira, and we shut down insurgency. We shouldn’t forget so soon that there was the Maitatsine ravaging the North east and we dealt with it. We also overran the Chadian rebels.We rebuilt industries, Nigerians queued up and treated each
other with respect; Nigerians took pride in our reputation for discipline.

The world admired us. We were proud to be Nigerians. However, because they can’t attack our record, they accuse me falsely of ethnic jingoism; they accuse me falsely of religious fundamentalism . Because they cannot attack our record, they accuse us falsely of calling for election violence – when we have only insisted on peace. Even as Head of State, we never imposed Shariah. All my running mates have been either Igbo or Yoruba and are always devout Christian of indisputable repute. I have and will continue to condemn those who burn God’s places of worship, be they churches or mosques and wish God’s judgment upon them. As your President, their punishment won’t stop there, we will also ensure Boko Haram and other such elements, are found, are arrested and face the full wrath of the law as punishment for their crimes against our country.

My dear friends, this is very important to note: It doesn’t matter if you are Igbo,Yoruba, Ijaw, Hausa, Idoma, Efik, Ekwere, Urhobo, Igala and, no, it does not matter if you are Christian, Muslim,animist or atheist: we need a new direction under a new leadership. The task ahead will be challenging and daunting, but it is surmountable. This is what leadership is about. My only desire is to prove to you that Nigeria can truly work. Allow me prove to you that in your lifetime, you can be proud of this country.

Let me make you this promise today: We will protect your children. We will protect your wealth. We will make this country work again. This is why I am running for the office of the president of Nigeria. This is my promise.”