PRESIDENT, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF
NIGERIA, JULY 16, 2015
Fellow Compatriots,
I greet and felicitate with you all, especially our citizens of the
Islamic faith on this auspicious occasion of the 2015 Eid-el-Fitr
celebrations.
I congratulate all those who have successfully completed the Ramadan
fast in keeping with the injunction of our Creator.
Although we have come to the end of this year's month of Ramadan, I
believe that a greater acceptance by Nigerians of its key lessons of
self-denial and sacrifice will serve our dear country well as we
strive to overcome our present challenges, undo the damage done by
years of bad governance and accelerate the pace of national
development.
Reviewing our dire circumstances and the many missed opportunities of
the past, some commentators and observers have said that this is
Nigeria's last chance to get its act together and finally begin to
fulfill its God-given potential for greatness.
While not going that far, I certainly believe that now, more than ever
before, our country needs greater self-denial, sacrifice and
patriotism from all of its citizens, if we are to quickly recover from
our numerous problems and start moving in a positive direction.
This current period of our life as a nation offers us a great
opportunity to break from the vicious triangle of insecurity,
corruption and under-development. We must collectively resolve to
seize this opportunity and unite to confront our problems.
I remain wholly committed to giving the required leadership towards
undoing the wrongs of the past, ensuring that Nigeria truly begins to
unlock its great potential and that the benefits of our immense
national resources are shared and enjoyed by all, not just by
successive cabals of corrupt leaders and their cronies.
I was very aware of your high expectations when I assumed office and I
reassure you, my fellow citizens, that since my inauguration on the
29th of May this year, I have been working with utmost dedication to
meticulously plan and tackle the many national challenges which we
identified and promised to resolve.
To succeed however, I need your continued support, understanding and patience.
I fully understand and share the thirst of my long-suffering
compatriots for corruption-free government institutions that work
efficiently to deliver visible development for the benefit of all
citizens.
I also share the feelings of those who think that we should be moving
faster. But I urge them and all Nigerians to trust that my commitment
to real and positive change in our nation is as firm as ever.
There is indeed much work to be done, but we must do it well and
carefully to ensure that the great opportunity which we now have is
not lost to the "business as usual" group who selfishly or
shortsightedly prefer a status quo that panders to their personal or
group interests.
The adverse effects of years of rot, corruption, inept and bad
governance on our nation are immense, but certainly not insurmountable
if we all resolve now to place the well-being of our nation above all
other considerations and work whole-heartedly with the present
administration to achieve greater peace and security across the
nation, and reposition our country for faster economic development and
progress.
May Almighty Allah continue to guide us and bless our dear nation.
I wish you all happy Eid-el- Fitr celebrations.
Muhammadu Buhari
President,
Federal Republic of Nigeria
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