following his swearing-in as President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria on 29thMay, 2015
I am immensely grateful to God Who Has preserved us to witness this
day and this occasion. Today marks a triumph for Nigeria and an
occasion to celebrate her freedom and cherish her democracy. Nigerians
have shown their commitment to democracy and are determined to
entrench its culture. Our journey has not been easy but thanks to the
determination of our people and strong support from friends abroad we
have today a truly democratically elected government in place.
I would like to thank President Goodluck Jonathan for his display of
statesmanship in setting a precedent for us that has now made our
people proud to be Nigerians wherever they are. With the support and
cooperation he has given to the transition process, he has made it
possible for us to show the world that despite the perceived tension
in the land we can be a united people capable of doing what is right
for our nation. Together we co-operated to surprise the world that had
come to expect only the worst from Nigeria. I hope this act of
graciously accepting defeat by the outgoing President will become the
standard of political conduct in the country.
I would like to thank the millions of our supporters who believed in
us even when the cause seemed hopeless. I salute their resolve in
waiting long hours in rain and hot sunshine to register and cast their
votes and stay all night if necessary to protect and ensure their
votes count and were counted. I thank those who tirelessly carried
the campaign on the social media. At the same time, I thank our other
countrymen and women who did not vote for us but contributed to make
our democratic culture truly competitive, strong and definitive.
I thank all of you.
Having just a few minutes ago sworn on the Holy Book, I intend to keep
my oath and serve as President to all Nigerians.
I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody.
A few people have privately voiced fears that on coming back to office
I shall go after them. These fears are groundless. There will be no
paying off old scores. The past is prologue.
Our neighbours in the Sub-region and our African brethenen should rest
assured that Nigeria under our administration will be ready to play
any leadership role that Africa expects of it. Here I would like to
thank the governments and people of Cameroon, Chad and Niger for
committing their armed forces to fight Boko Haram in Nigeria.
I also wish to assure the wider international community of our
readiness to cooperate and help to combat threats of cross-border
terrorism, sea piracy, refugees and boat people, financial crime,
cyber crime, climate change, the spread of communicable diseases and
other challenges of the 21stcentury.
At home we face enormous challenges. Insecurity, pervasive corruption,
the hitherto unending and seemingly impossible fuel and power
shortages are the immediate concerns. We are going to tackle them head
on. Nigerians will not regret that they have entrusted national
responsibility to us. We must not succumb to hopelessness and
defeatism. We can fix our problems.
In recent times Nigerian leaders appear to have misread our mission.
Our founding fathers, Mr Herbert Macauley, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief
Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Malam Aminu Kano, Chief J.S. Tarka, Mr Eyo
Ita, Chief Denis Osadeby, Chief Ladoke Akintola and their colleagues
worked to establish certain standards of governance. They might have
differed in their methods or tactics or details, but they were united
in establishing a viable and progressive country. Some of their
successors behaved like spoilt children breaking everything and
bringing disorder to the house.
Furthermore, we as Nigerians must remind ourselves that we are heirs
to great civilizations: Shehu Othman Dan fodio's caliphate, the Kanem
Borno Empire, the Oyo Empire, the Benin Empire and King Jaja's
formidable domain. The blood of those great ancestors flow in our
veins. What is now required is to build on these legacies, to
modernize and uplift Nigeria.
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