Following New Year celebrations, President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday made a national speech to the people of Nigeria.
Within his speech, President Buhari outlined key objectives for 2018, such as the government’s plan for a comprehensive rollout and investment in roads, rail and power infrastructure across the country.
The President also said that he was saddened by the fact that many Nigerians could not “derive desirable happiness” this season due to “avoidable” fuel shortages.
According to him, the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing was leading the country’s infrastructure revolution with a view to achieving global economic advancement through the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), adding that in pursuit of the agriculture revolution by his government, importation of rice will end this year, local media reported.
“My address to fellow Nigerians this morning is devoted mainly to informing you about the intense efforts this administration is putting to address our country’s huge infrastructure deficit,” Buhari said in his statement.
The President also announced the achievements of the national power sector, which, according to him, had generated 5,155 megawatts of electricity on December 8.
Public works were currently being spearheaded by the government, Buhari added, and was kick-starting the nation’s recovery to slowly stabilise the economy.
Within his speech, the President also appealed to “enterprising Nigerians” with useful ideas to get involved in job creation and to use their creativity to help revolutionise Nigeria’s business sector.
With the 2019 election period drawing ever-nearer, Buhari referenced politicians in a bid to “avoid exploiting ethnicity and religion”, cautioning that such attitude must be avoided in order to promote harmony.
To conclude the speech, the President, who in 2017 had made a number of international medical trips that prompted wide-spread speculation on whether Buhari was fit to run the country, thanked Nigerians who “prayed” for him during his illness.
