…Vows to Tackle Insecurity
Attah Ede Makurdi
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was on Monday, administered oaths of office and allegiance by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, thereby becoming Nigeria’s 16th President.
Tinubu took the oaths at about 10.37am at the Eagles Square venue of the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony amidst tight security.
At exactly 11:00am New National and Defence Flags were hoisted to officially signify the beginning of the Tinubu Administration. The new colours and instrument of office was earlier handed over to Buhari and Tinubu, who in turned passed it on the Chief of Defence Staff Gen Lucky Iraboh
Senator Tinubu was accompanied to the podium by his wife Senator Oluremi, outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife Aisha and security when he took the oaths of office as the 16th President of Nigeria, the populated nation in Africa.
In his first speech as Nigeria’s president after taking the oath of office, President Tinubu promised to discharge his duties as President in line with the constitution of the country, and to the best of his ability.
The new President who was adorned in a flowing white agbada at the ceremony stated the outcome of the election which produced him as president, reflected the will of the people but that does not make him more Nigerian than his opponents.
According to him, those aggrieved by the election are well within their rights to seek legal redress as they have done.
On the first day of his Administration, the new President vowed to end fuel challenges in the country, saying the era of subsidy payment on fuel has come to an end.
He said the 2023 Budget made no provision for fuel subsidy and so, subsidy payment is no longer justifiable.
“The fuel subsidy is gone,” Tinubu declared in his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square on Monday after he was sworn in as Nigeria’s 16th President.
He promised a “unified exchange rate” and vowed to rid Nigeria of terrorism and criminality.
“Security shall be top of our administration,” he said, adding that he will reform security architecture, invest more in security personnel, provide better training and equipment for security personnel.
He also promised to remodel the economy to bring about growth as well as develop the Gross Domestic Product through job creation.
The new President said he will end extreme poverty, make food more abundant, ensure inclusion for women and youths and discourage corruption, adding that his administration will govern and not rule over Nigerians.
“My administration will govern and not rule over Nigerians. I will only govern on behalf of Nigerians and not Lord things over them”.
” I promise to consult with Nigerians in governing the nation. I thank my predecessor former President Muhammadu Buhari for calling me a worthy partner and friend and I will not disappoint him.
“We are here to further mend and heal this nation, not tear and injure it.
“In this vein, may I offer a few comments regarding the election that brought us to this juncture. It was a hard fought contest. And it was also fairly won. Since the advent of the Fourth Republic, Nigeria has not held an election of better quality.
“The outcome reflected the will of the people. However, my victory does not render me any more Nigerian than my opponents. Nor does it render them any less patriotic.
“They shall forever be my fellow compatriots. And I will treat them as such. They represent important constituencies and concerns that wisdom dare not ignore.
“They have taken their concerns to court. Seeking legal redress is their right and I fully defend their exercise of this right. This is the essence of the rule of law.
“Over six decades ago, our founding fathers gave bravely of themselves to place Nigeria on the map as an independent nation.
“We must never allow the labor of those who came before us to wither in vain but to blossom and bring forth a better reality.
“Let us take the next great step in the journey they began and believed in.
“Today, let us recommit our very selves to placing Nigeria in our hearts as the indispensable home for each and every one of us regardless of creed, ethnicity, or place of birth.
“My supporters, I thank you. To those who voted otherwise, I extend my hand across the political divide. I ask you to grasp it in national affinity and brotherhood. For me, political coloration has faded away. All I see are Nigerians.
“May we uphold these fitting and excellent notions as the new Nigerian ideal”, he said.
In a farewell national broadcast, President Buhari said: “I am confident that I am leaving office with Nigeria better in 2023 than in 2015.”
He said the country’s democratic process was more resilient than he met it in 2015, making it possible for candidates with huge financial resources to lose elections.
“I started this journey with a great deal of promise and expectation from you. I never intended to be just politically correct but to do the correct things that will make meaningful impact on the lives of the common Nigerian.
“This high expectation was not misplaced because, like the ordinary Nigerian, I had grown tired of watching the country progressively moving away from the path of correctness.
“To ensure that our democracy remains resilient and our elected representatives remain accountable to the people, I am leaving behind an electoral process which guarantees that votes count, results are credible, elections are fair and transparent and the influence of money in politics reduced to the barest minimum. And Nigerians can elect leaders of their choice.
“We are already seeing the outcome of this process as it provided an even playing field where persons without any political God-Father or access to money defeated other well-resourced candidates,” he said.