Political leaders across the country have laid out the expectations and the aspirations they have for Nigeria as the country welcomes a new year, in which general elections are expected to hold.
And as his administration gradually winds down, President Muhammadu Buhari, on his part, has given himself a pat on the back saying he did his best to serve Nigeria.
In his New Year message to Nigerians, Buhari expressed the hope that the next president will pick up the baton and continue his good legacies.
According to him, ”as we welcome the New Year, let us look with hope to 2023, a year to move forward as a nation towards unity, progress, and prosperity.
“I offer my own personal felicitations, mindful of the various opinions and interpretations of our executive legacies. I welcome and accept both the accolades and criticisms in an equal measure secure in the conviction that I did my best to serve our dear country Nigeria
“And I pray that the next president will also pick up the baton and continue the race to make Nigeria one of the leading countries of the world by the end of this century.
President Buhari said each New Year is an opportunity to reflect on the past year, reposition, and move forward with the New.
He further said this year is particularly important to him because this message is in essence valedictory.
According to him, after having the honor of serving Nigerians for the last seven-plus years, “my tenure as your President in the most revered tradition of our ongoing and maturing democracy must necessarily come to an end.”
In the next five months, Nigerians he said, would have gone to the polls and elected a new president along with new governors and a plethora of other elected officials at both the national and state levels.
He said all these electoral and democratic principles are working in concert because of the transcendent beliefs, beyond partisan politics, of the great citizen of Nigeria.
Buhari added a personal commitment and executive promise to see to the letter, that the 2023 elections conducted by INEC will be free and fair.
He pledged that the collective electoral will and votes of Nigerians will be fulfilled, even in the twilight moments of his watch.
He said “reflecting on the year 2022 allows us as a government to examine our legacies of successes and challenges. As we celebrate our wins and review obstacles, we all must understand that governance is a continuum, which still places a transitional responsibility on this administration to provide for the incoming government a non-partisan and objective roadmap for 2023.
“We as Nigeria; one country united under the will of God and actively growing as an indivisible entity, have been enabled year after year, decade after decade, to weather all stormy waters and emerge stronger and better where others have fallen and disintegrated. This has made us a unique nation across the globe and our continent.
“In the year 2023, Nigerians go to the polls to exercise our right to vote and elect a new Administration, it is an important year for our country to ensure that we have another smooth transition of government, to whoever the people have decided upon.
“This administration’s landmark Amended Electoral Act will ensure that we have free and fair elections across the Nation. We as Nigerians must also take responsibility to ensure we participate in ensuring that the 2023 elections are free and fair by not engaging in anti-state activities and other nefarious acts that may affect the run of the polls.
“We must also resist every attempt to be used by politicians to create unrest in any form to disrupt the elections. We, as a government will ensure such activities are met with the full force of the law.
“As our security agencies continue to make the country proud, we must continue to assist our patriotic forces by providing much-needed community intelligence. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that Nigeria remains safe and peaceful for us all.
“Therefore, we have a duty and obligation to support our troops and intelligence agencies by being alert and reporting anything suspicious.
In the aftermath of the EndSars, Buhari said his administration took heed and instituted the ongoing Police Reform program based on a new Presidential Vision for Policing in Nigeria.
He said this new vision is framed in a clear road map that transcends the tenure of this administration and it is predicated on six principles.
“Building Trust and Legitimacy Leadership, Accountability and Oversight, Technology and digital media, Community Policing and Crime Reduction, Officers Training and Education, Funding, Officers’ Welfare, Wellness, and Safety.
The President pledged that the year 2023 would, indeed, be a time when his administration would work to solidify on delivering key strategic priorities under our “SEA” – (Security, Economy and Anti-Corruption) Agenda.
He listed some of the key priority areas we would direct our attention and strengths to include:
“Focus on security; we will continue to engage, push back, and dismantle the operations of both internal and external extremist and criminal groups waging war against our communities across the Nation.
“We will also focus on ensuring that free and fair elections would be held come February 2023. Our security forces are working in partnership to ensure the wins we have got in a war against insurgency, banditry, secession, and other crimes are sustained and more wins acquired.
“For the economy; our focus would be on maintaining and building economic growth through the national economic diversification agenda that supports the goal of national food self-sufficiency and growth in non-oil sources.
“The ongoing infrastructure revolution by our administration will see us deliver the key projects across the Nation in power, rail, roads, ports, and technology.
SGF Felicitates With Nigerians In New Year
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has felicitated with Nigerians as 2023 is being ushered in.
As the country enters the new year, he prayed for peace, unity, harmony and fulfilment of individual and national aspiration, and collective accomplishments.
SGF in a statement by his media office affirmed that the new year offers Nigerians the opportunity to elect purposeful leaders in the forthcoming general elections for the realization of the dream of the country’s founding fathers.
He enjoined citizens to consider 2023 as the year to centre their resolutions on unity of purpose in contributing to the socio-political and economic advancement of the country.
Mustapha prayed for a rebirth of the nation, and appeals to Nigerians to stand strong and not despair in the face of current challenges as efforts are being made to leave lasting legacies through human-focused projects that would ensure stability in the polity and national revival.
2023 Is A Chance For Nigerians To Fulfill Their Dreams – Tinubu
Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said the year 2023 is a chance for Nigerians to make their dreams come true.
Speaking through the director, Media and Publicity of the APC presidential campaign council PCC, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu noted that he and his running mate, Kashim Shettima have clearly laid out a grand vision for a better Nigeria in their Action Plan.
In his New Year message issued by Onanuga yesterday, Tinubu prayed for the repose of the souls of those who could not make it to 2023, as well as those who might have gone through 2022 with some challenges that the new year will usher in great tidings.
He said, “2023 is significant to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the people of this blessed nation. It provides another opportunity to the people, the true and authentic sovereigns, to delegate to elected representatives in the legislative and executive arms their fundamental, inalienable rights to participate in making decisions over the human and material resources of our country.
“This is a duty that every citizen qualified to vote cannot transfer to another person. It is a responsibility that should not be exchanged for money. It is a sacrifice for the consolidation of democracy and federalism, the sacred values of our Constitution.
“Every vote is a testament of renewed hope, the certainty of victory over poverty and the conviction that our country carries within its bosom the potentials of the world’s next super power, indeed, the first black super power.
“Nigerians all over the world have sown those seeds of greatness in the work they do and the positive impact they are making as doctors, lawyers, engineers, entertainers, athletes, teachers and professionals in all fields of endeavour.
“To move from where we are to where we want to be, we need to maximize our resources, feed ourselves with what we grow, give our youths education that we make them excel, provide shelter for the homeless and bring constant electricity and technology to make production easier and convenient.
“2023 is our chance to make these dreams come true. Let us seize the moment”, the PCC stated.
The APC candidate said with 41 million registered members, he was presenting “the best vision for the future for our collective prosperity with pledges that are practical, immediate and valuable to our journey towards development.
President Buhari’s 2023 New Year Message
“The current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has tried its best in spite of its challenges. It is like building a tarmac, a solid, concrete foundation. The coming administration of APC under the leadership of Asiwaju Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima, when elected, by the goodwill of Nigerians, shall put an aeroplane on the tarmac already built by President Buhari that will take us at supersonic speed to our destination. The world shall watch Nigeria soar higher and higher.
“Security, infrastructure, education, health, housing, tourism shall be transformed to provide jobs and boost the economy.
“The APC Presidential candidate and his running mate have clearly laid out a grand vision for a better Nigeria in their Action Plan.
“Let us seize this moment as we work to vote for the All Progressives Congress in the new year to continue the progressive governance we started over seven years ago”, Onanuga added.
AbdulRazaq Congratulates Kwarans, Sets Agenda For 2023
Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has congratulated the people of the state on the dawn of 2023, praying that the new calendar ushers in glad tidings and greater things for everyone in the state and Nigeria in general.
AbdulRazaq urged the people to remain committed to building an inclusive state where public resources work for all and everyone can attain their full potentials on the strength of their hard work, talents, and God’s grace and not necessarily on account of any political affiliations.
“As Nigeria inches closer to another general election, the Governor appeals to citizens to shun actions or utterances that may jeopardize public peace and safety or put families in danger,” he said in a statement signed by his chief press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye.
He also urged continuous support for the security agencies.
The governor said his the administration will continue to pursue programmes, policies and projects that deepen opportunities for all, guarantee the dignity of the human person, and reassert the place of Kwara in the northern region and Nigeria as a whole.
He added that the year offers Kwarans a chance to reassert their democratic right to elect leaders who answer only to the citizens and not to any forces or a clique of powerful individuals under whatever guise.
Believe In The Adamawa Project- Fintiri Tells Residents
Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has appealed to Adamawa citizens “not to give in to naysayers and sceptics,” while delivering his new year message.
He promised to continue to change the narrative and ensure that he leaves Adamawa “more united, more sovereign and more democratic”.
He urged residents of the state to believe in the state project, “that hope, dreams and aspirations must not be lost.
He said, we must resolve this New Year to return to ourselves and give impetus to them; to do this successfully.
“We must begin to believe in ou the Adamawa Project once more as we begin another year.’’ he said.
He reiterated the determination of his administration to keep the wheel of progress turning with people-focused policies and far-reaching infrastructural development projects.
The governor assured that the state is safe, adding that the citizens should continue to live together in peaceful and harmonious co-existence.
“As a state, God is helping us to emerge from the scourge of underdevelopment and insecurity.
I’ve Laid Solid Foundation For Consolidation – Gov. Ayade
Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade at the weekend stated that present administiion of the state under his watch has laid a solid foundation for the incoming government to consolidate on.
The state chief executive made the remarks while speaking on the giant stride recorded by the state under his watch
He stressed that the last seven and half years of his government have been devoted to positioning the state on the path of sustainable growth and prosperity through massive industrialization, provision of basic infrastructure and mass employment.
Ayade who spoke in his New Year’s message to the people of the state said that the state has fared well under his watch.
In a message signed by Ayade’s Special Adviser on Media and Chief Press Secretary, Barrister Christian Ita, he charged citizens of the state at home and in diaspora not to be peturbed but to remain bullish in 2023 and beyond.
“When we took over in 2015, we were clear and focused as an administration on what we set out in our blueprint, which was how to recalibrate the economy of our dear state through rapid and aggressive industrialization.
“While the journey to the actualisation of our vision was never a roller coaster, given our peculiar and precarious circumstances, we kept our eyes on the ball and refused to take our feet off the pedal.
“We have remained unwavering in our fidelity to our commitment to build and bequeath an economy that Cross Riverians would not only be proud of, but one that would put the future in their hands.” Ayade’s message read.
