The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on Wednesday felicitated with Christians in the country as they mark Christmas, assuring that Nigerians would have better reasons to celebrate the festival if elected in 2015.
Buhari, in his goodwill message signed by the Director of Communications, Buhari Campaign Organisation, Mr. Dele Alake, expressed displeasure over security challenges in the country and the poor state of Nigerian roads.
According to him, while many Nigerians travelling towards the eastern part 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.
Buhari , who also condemned rising poverty in the country, said, “In a nation where a few individuals could raise ₦21bn because they want 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.
He noted that millions of Nigerians celebrate the Christmas season in poverty and misery because “the system of production and distribution of national resources have 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, commission 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 dare-devilry 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 consultations with military generals across the world to devise “an alternative and effective strategy to crush this insurgency within the shortest possible time if elected president on February 14, 2015.”
He said his presidential ambition was borne out of the need to alleviate poverty and establish a system where the rule of law prevails.
He added, “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 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.My duty as your president will be to make the condition of living of the common man the index for the assessment of our policies, not the amount of billionaires our administration would have made.
“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. Ours is the most populous black nation on earth and a potential global superpower. Our manifest destiny is to empower our people so that we can take our prominent place in the comity of nations.
“I pledge that the Christmas of year 2015 will meet us all in greater joy and happiness. It is indeed significant, the February 14, 2015, the date of the presidential election, falls on the Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate love among mankind. I urge you all to keep sharing the love that binds us together. Let us eschew hatred and make our nation the land of justice, peace and progress.”
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