HE Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of Nigeria inspecting the parade at the inauguration.
By Buba Gagigo
During his inaugural address on Monday, the newly elected Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu promised to defend his country from terrorism and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability of Nigeria.
On the principles that will guide his administration as the president of Nigeria, he said;
“1. Nigeria will be impartially governed according to the constitution and the rule of law.
“2. We shall defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability of our country and our subregion.
“3. We shall remodel our economy to bring about growth and development through job creation, food security and an end of extreme poverty.
“4. In our administration, Women and youth will feature prominently.
“5. Our government will continue to take proactive steps such as championing a credit culture to discourage corruption while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the various anti-corruption agencies,” he said.
He said Security shall be the top priority of his administration as the new president of Nigeria;
“…neither prosperity nor justice can prevail amidst insecurity and violence. To effectively tackle this menace, we shall reform both our security DOCTRINE and its ARCHITECTURE.
We shall invest more in our security personnel, and this means more than an increase in number. We shall provide, better training, equipment, pay, and firepower,” he said.
On the economy, he said his administration will target a higher GDP growth and to significantly reduce unemployment.
“We intend to accomplish this by taking the following steps: First, budgetary reform stimulating the economy without engendering inflation will be instituted. Second, industrial policy will utilize the full range of fiscal measures to promote domestic manufacturing and lessen import dependency.
Third, electricity will become more accessible and affordable to businesses and homes alike. Power generation should nearly double and transmission and distribution networks improved. We will encourage states to develop local sources as well.
“I have a message for our investors, local and foreign: our government shall review all their complaints about multiple taxations and various anti-investment inhibitions. We shall ensure that investors and foreign businesses repatriate their hard-earned dividends and profits home,” he said.
On job opportunities for Nigerians, he said his administration must create meaningful opportunities for Nigerian youth.
“We shall honour our campaign commitment of one million new jobs in the digital economy. Our government also shall work with the National Assembly to fashion an omnibus Jobs and Prosperity bill. This bill will give our administration the policy space to embark on labour-intensive infrastructural improvements, encourage light industry, and provide improved social services for the poor, elderly, and vulnerable,” he said.