Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Campaigns begin in Nigeria

The official date for campaigning by presidential candidates in Nigeria has come. Here's Buhari's opening speech.

Buhari Launches Campaign Manual, Says - Let's Not Set Nigeria Ablaze

The president spoke yesterday during the launching of his campaign… at the State House Villa, Abuja.

"I am not unmindful that the National Assembly and the presidential campaign starts today… I will implore candidates to go about the campaigns peacefully and decently. We have no other country, let us not set it ablaze because of politics," he said.

The occasion was attended by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole, Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha and other top government officials…

Noting that the next four years will be quite significant for the country, Buhari said "Nigeria is faced with a choice to keep building a new Nigeria - making a break from its tainted past which favoured an opportunistic few…

"We know that, to succeed, moral integrity and conscience must continue to form the dominant character of our nation and its leadership. Corruption is an existential threat to Nigeria. Despite the gains we have made in closing the gates, we know that there is still much ground to cover to stop systemic corruption," he said.

The president said they have worked hard to fulfil their campaign promises.

"First things had to come first. We were a nation at war - but we delivered on our commitment to secure the territorial integrity of our nation in the face of a raging insurgency that devastated many parts of the North East. We liberated 17 Local Government Areas from the grip of insurgency. Brokering and sustaining peace in the Niger Delta has also been crucial to stabilizing the polity."

"Four years ago, we promised Nigerians real change - in what we do and how we do it. Nigerians sent a clear message in the last election, and our platform offered a new, ambitious plan for a secure, prosperous and corruption-free country.

"We have worked hard to fulfil our promises - and while the road may have been difficult, over the last three and a half years, we have laid the foundations for a strong, stable and prosperous country for the majority of our people," he said…

He said despite the difficult circumstances presented by weak oil prices and reduced oil production they delivered on their commitment to make public investments to spur economic growth, job creation, and broad-based prosperity.

"Agriculture continues to expand our economic base, as do our investments in our deficient infrastructure across the length and breadth of this nation. We implemented a responsible and transparent fiscal plan for the challenging economic times that saw us doing more even with lesser oil revenues," he said…

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