The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday said the Muhammadu Buhari administration spent the last two years building foundations for development and would spend the next two years to build on the successes of the past.
This is one of the high points of his speech to Nigerians to mark this year’s Democracy Day and the second anniversary of the administration.
“In the next two years we will build on the successes of the last two.
“We have demonstrated a willingness to learn from our mistakes and to improve on our successes.
“The critical points that we must address fully in the next two years are: Agriculture and food security, Energy (power and petroleum), Industrialisation and Transport infrastructure.
“Every step of the way we will be working with the private sector, giving them the necessary incentives and creating an environment to invest and do business,’’ he said.
The acting president said that the administration’s vision “is for a country that grows what it eats and produces what it consumes.
“It is for a country that no longer has to import petroleum products, and develops a lucrative petrochemical industry.
“Very importantly it is for a country whose fortunes are no longer tied to the price of a barrel of crude, but instead to the boundless talent and energy of its people, young and old, male and female as they invest in diverse areas of the economy.
“And that vision is also for a country where the wealth of the many will no longer be stolen by or reserved for a few.
“And where the impunity of corruption – whether in the public or private sectors – will no longer be standard operating practice; a land rid of bandits and terrorists’’.
He said that citizens deserve a country that works, not merely for the rich or connected, but for everyone.
Osinbajo promised that the administration would, with the citizen’s support and cooperation, take every step needed to create that country of our dreams.
“We also know that this journey will of necessity take time.
“But we will not succumb to the temptation to take short-cuts that ultimately complicate the journey.
“We did not find ourselves in crises overnight, and we simply do not expect overnight solutions to our challenges,’’ the acting president added.