President Muhammadu Buhari said on Friday that his administration has successfully created a level playing field for all Nigerians and will continue to ensure equitable provision of developmental projects across the country.
The president said this when he received Igbo World Union and two other Igbo groups including a faction of Ohaneze Ndigbo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Buhari, who noted that the nation’s diversity was its biggest asset, said as citizens, “it is our collective responsibility to harness and apply this diversity positively for the purposes of nation building.’’
He explained that his administration had been executing critical infrastructural projects across the country such as the Second Niger Bridge and social investment programmes to support the less-privileged in the society.
“As you all know, the key issues that affect our country today are insecurity, corruption and an economy that solely relies on a single revenue source.
“These issues impact all Nigerians regardless of tribe or religion. The perpetrators and victims of corruption and terrorism are from all tribes and religions. Poverty and unemployment also cuts across all tribes and religions.
“We also did not discriminate in our response. We restored security in most of the conflict impacted areas.
“Please, be rest assured that my commitment to creating a peaceful, inclusive and corruption-free Nigeria for all Nigerians remains as strong as ever,’’ he added.
Earlier in his remarks, the Secretary General of the Ohaneze Ndigbo, Uche Okuku had apologised to President Buhari for the purported endorsement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for the 2019 elections by the socio-cultural group.
The President General of Ohaneze, Chief John Nwodo, whose tenure was believed to have expired, had last week joined three other socio-cultural groups to announce Atiku’s endorsement at a news conference in Abuja.
However, Okuku, while apologising to the President, said that Nwodo only expressed his personal views and not that of Ohaneze Ndigbo, saying that nine-man panel had been instituted to investigate the issue.
He said: “Our visit is to declare our stand.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other groups that expressed support for the President during the visit include World Igbo Congress, World Igbo Union and Ndigbo Delegate covering the 19 Northern States.(NAN)