My Covenant with
Nigerians - Buhari
Dear
Compatriots,
In the past few
months that I have traveled round this country on campaigns, I have experienced
the sheer beauty of our diversity. From Port Harcourt to Kano, from Abeokuta to
Gusau, I experienced first-hand the daily sufferings and struggles of our people.
I also experienced the overwhelming desire of our people for change.
When I arrived
in Port Harcourt on the 5th of January to start my campaigns, I was
met by our teeming supporters, who stayed till late in the evening to welcome
us. Among them were many young men and women, who in the few minutes that I
shared with them at the airport, made me to reflect on what kind of future
awaits them in our country.
The gestures of
90-year-old Hajia Fadimatu Mai Talle Tara from Kebbi State and
9-years-old Nicole Eniiyi Benson from Lagos State, who donated their
life-savings to my campaign, reflect the overwhelming desire of our people for
change. In their gestures, I perceived a longing for the days when honour,
national pride and dignity of labour were the fundamental social principles
that governed our country. As I encountered millions of our youths, who
sometimes run for hours in front of my car and hanging precariously on our
campaign vehicles at our state rallies, I also pondered the enormity of the
task ahead. How do we give jobs to our youth? How do we reform our economy and
make it work for every Nigerian?
I know however,
that what we require to revamp our economy and rebuild our country is our
ability to galvanize all our citizens to believe once again in their
government, in their country and especially, to believe in themselves. This can
only happen if we are able to rebuild the trust and belief that our people used
to have in government, and indeed, in our nation. The leadership that I will
provide will be built on this critical awareness. I intend to lead with
integrity and honour and commit myself totally to everything that is of concern
to our people: security, employment, health, education, good governance and
others.
This Covenant is
to outline my agenda for Nigeria and provide a bird’s eye view of how we intend
to bring about the change that our country needs and deserves. This Covenant is
derived from the manifesto of my party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). It
however, represents my pledge to you all when I become your President.
I have no doubt
that God being on our side, with the abiding support of all Nigerians, we shall
all witness the great change that we desire and achieve the Nigeria of our
dream.
Thank you
Gen. Muhammadu
BUHARI (Rtd.), GCFR
Presidential
Candidate, APC
Corruption and Governance
No matter how
vast our resources, if they are not efficiently utilized, they will only
benefit a privileged few, leaving the majority in poverty. I believe if Nigeria
does not kill corruption; corruption will kill Nigeria.
I pledge to:
· Publicly
declare my assets and liabilities and encourage my political appointees to also
publicly declare their assets and liabilities.
· Affirm
that our strategy for tackling corruption will not only focus on punishment.
Rather, it will also provide incentives for disclosure and transparency.
· Show
personal leadership in the war against corruption and also hold all the people
who work with me to account.
· Inaugurate
the National Council on Procurement as stipulated in the Procurement Act so
that the Federal Executive Council, which has been turned to a weekly session
of contract bazaar, will concentrate on its principal function of policy
making.
· Review
and implement audit recommendations by Nigeria Extractive Industries
Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
· Work
with the National Assembly towards the immediate enactment of a Whistle Blower
Act.
· Work
with the National Assembly to strengthen ICPC and EFCC by guaranteeing
institutional autonomy including financial and prosecutorial independence and
security of tenure of officials.
· Make
the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) an autonomous and operational agency.
· Encourage
proactive disclosure of information by government institutions in the spirit of
the Freedom of Information Act.
· Ensure
all MDAs regularly comply with their accountability responsibilities to
Nigerians through the National Assembly.
· Work
with the leadership of the National Assembly to cut down the cost of
governance.
· Present
a national anti-corruption Strategy.
Access to Justice and Respect for Fundamental Human
Rights
One of the
biggest challenges facing Nigeria is building a country that is fair to all of
its citizens; a country in which all individuals feel and know that they are
valued members of society with constitutionally guaranteed rights; a country
that respects human dignity, promotes human development, fosters human equality
and advances human freedom.
I pledge
to:
· Lead
a government founded on values that promote and protect fundamental human
rights and freedoms. I will promote the supremacy of the Constitution and
the rule of law, affirm separation of the powers of government and support an
independent judiciary.
· Present
a detailed strategy for protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms provided
for in our Constitution. There will be emphasis on the rights of
vulnerable persons including women, children and persons living with
disabilities as well as access to justice and prisons reforms.
Insurgency and Insecurity
I have had the
opportunity to serve my country in the military up to the highest level, as a
Major General and as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. In the course
of my service, I had defended the territorial integrity of Nigeria. And if
called upon to do so again, I shall rise to the occasion. As a father,
I feel the pain of the victims of insurgency, kidnapping and violence whether
they are the widows and orphans of military, paramilitary or civilians.
I pledge to:
· Ensure
that under my watch, no force, external or internal, will occupy even an inch
of Nigerian soil. I will give all it takes to ensure that our girls kidnapped
from Chibok are rescued and reunited with their families.
· Deliver a Marshal Plan on insurgency, terrorism,
ethnic and religious violence, kidnapping, rural banditry and ensure that never again will Nigerian children be slaughtered or
kidnapped at will.
· Boost
the morale of our fighting forces and the generality of Nigerians by leading
from the front as the Commander-in-Chief and not hide in the comfort and
security of Aso Rock.
· Give
especial attention to the welfare of our armed forces and all other security
personnel and their families, including State-guaranteed life insurance for all
officers and men as well as protect the families of our fallen heroes.
· Ensure
that acts of heroism and valour in the service to the nation are publicly
recognized and celebrated.
· Establish
close working relationship with governors of the states affected by insurgency,
with leaders of our neighbouring countries and with leaders around the world to
cooperate in combating insurgency, oil theft, piracy and criminality.
· Activate
regular meetings of the National Police Council to ensure the discharge of its
true constitutional roles in a transparent and accountable way.
· Fight
for you, and alongside you. We will fight together to defeat terrorism. But I
will be honest with you about our challenges and I will bear the
responsibilities of my charge. I will not lie to you or exaggerate our
triumphs. My administration will be thoroughly transparent in every step of our
daily struggle and together we will win the war.
Niger Delta
In many years of
oil exploration, the Niger Delta has become perhaps, the world’s worst
eco-system, a byword for environmental degradation, exploitation and diseases. I
believe that protecting the livelihood of our people in the Niger Delta should
transcend our interest its oil.
I pledge to:
· Commit
myself and my administration to the protection and regeneration of the
environment in the Niger Delta and to ensure that oil companies comply with
global best practices on environmental protection.
· Sustain and streamline the human capital
development in the Niger Delta, especially focusing on youth and women.
· Reform investment in infrastructural
development of the Niger Delta and ensure that the NDDC is held accountable to
its mandate.
Diversity
Nigeria's
greatest asset is her people. My commitment is to invest in our people and
ensure that they have the opportunity to achieve their full potentials and
enjoy the full benefits of their citizenship, regardless of their religion,
region, ethnicity, gender or disability.
I pledge to:
· Continually
acknowledge our diversity and consciously promote equality and equity in all
government businesses and activities.
· Implement
the National Gender Policy including 35% of appointive positions for women.
· Work
with the National Assembly to pass the National Disability Act and the Equal
Opportunities Bill.
Health
We must give
real meaning to the old saying that Health is Wealth. We must take all possible
measures to ensure that our people stay healthy, but we must also ensure that
when they fall ill, they can get help.
Healthcare in
Nigeria is in crises. Too many people do not get any treatment. For those who
do get treated, all too often, the care they receive is poor. Far too many die
from easily treatable diseases and what should be routine treatment often end
in death. Furthermore, Nigeria is set to miss our MDG targets. The statistics
speak for themselves.
I pledge to:
· Unveil
a health sector review policy to ensure efficient and effective management of
our health systems with focus on prevention.
· Ensure
that no Nigerian will have any reason to go outside the country for medical
treatment.
· Guarantee
financial sustainability to the health sector and minimum basic health care for
all.
· Review
occupational health laws and immediately commence enforcement of the provisions
to reduce hazards in the work place.
· Partner
with State Governments and development partners to ensure all-round
implementation of our primary health plans by expanding access to health
insurance for rural communities.
Education
I believe that
our education system must prepare our children for the responsibilities of
citizenship and prepare our youths to contribute to the development of our
country. Therefore, I shall focus on restoring the lost glory of our
education by implementing reforms that will bring quality back into our schools
and position our universities and polytechnics to provide market-relevant
skills to our youths.
I pledge to:
· Embark
on a program of mass mobilisation to ensure that all children of school age, no
matter where they may reside in our country, and no matter the social
conditions of their parents, are in school. Working in co-operation with the
State Governments, we shall make the required investments in infrastructure,
learning materials, nutrition and children healthcare. To this end, UBEC Fund
will be reviewed to ensure greater efficiency in utilization.
· Provide
on-the-job retraining opportunities for existing teachers at both the basic and
secondary levels while providing the right incentives to keep teachers in the
classrooms and attract bright young men and women to take up career in
teaching.
· Work
with other levels of government and through relevant government agencies to
allocate resources to schools while strengthening community participation in
school management.
· Implement
a comprehensive review of the goal and content of our secondary education to
ensure that it also serves the purpose of skills acquisition and fits purpose.
· Set
up Colleges of Skills and Enterprise to replace the old technical colleges.
This will be done with direct participation from relevant industry and
professional groups in the private sector. Based on local market demands, each
of the colleges will focus on high job demand sectors of the economy such as
agriculture, ICT, telecommunications, entertainment, construction, oil and gas
and sports.
· Establish
special purpose fund for a Secondary School level education.
· Improve
the competitiveness of our universities and polytechnics and position them at
the heart of the national productivity, innovation and enterprise.
· Pursue
a policy of non-discrimination between the universities and the polytechnics.
Agriculture
Oil has
served our country, but it has also excluded majority of Nigerians from the
mainstream of our economy. I am convinced that our guarantee for inclusive
growth is agriculture.
I pledge to:
Make agriculture
a major focus of the government and lay the institutional foundation to attract
large-scale investments and capital to the sector.
Actively promote
a well-coordinated and innovatively funded Youth in Commercial Agribusiness
Programme.
Establish
agricultural produce storage, pricing and marketing systems to ensure real
commercial value and minimize waste.
Work with State
Governments to launch Agricultural Support Programmes that will drive
agricultural land development and mechanization.
Revamp,
revitalize and improve on the national agricultural extension and rural support
service system.
Lay the
groundwork for a standardized market uptake and aggregation outlets for
specific agricultural produce.
Revamp the key
development banks (Bank of Agriculture, Bank of Industry and Nigeria Import
& Export Bank) to fund inclusive agricultural value chain operations
Liberalise and
expand agricultural and rural insurance system with premium subventions support
to farmers
Revamp the
agricultural cooperative system to drive rural agriculture and improve stakes
for smallholder farmers.
Develop a system
of small-scale irrigation systems to ensure all-year round farming.
Revamping key
agriculture research institutions and deliver their outputs through effective
network of extension services.
Management of the Economy for Shared Prosperity
All Nigerians
deserve to benefit from our collective wealth. We promise not to leave any
Nigerian behind in our determination to create, expand and ensure equitable and
effective allocation of economic opportunities. No matter the amount of
wealth we create, it would be meaningless unless it benefits the majority of
our people.
Power
Our failure
to ensure a stable supply of electricity has been an impediment to economic
growth, productivity and national security.
I pledge to:
· Address
the gaps in power sector privatization to ensure it serves the needs of our
people.
· Explore
and develop alternative sources of power such as small, medium and large hydro
plants, wind, coal and solar and other forms of renewable energy to ensure
efficient and affordable power supply.
· Invest
in technical skills development for efficient management of energy resources.
Sports and Culture
Sports and
culture are important instruments for social cohesion, national integration and
promotion of positive national image. They also provide a strong platform for
youth development and the expression of our abundant creative talents.
I pledge to:
· Invest
and encourage investments in both small and large-scale sports facilities to
enable mass participation in sports.
· Ensure
that participation in sports become a core component of our education at all
levels.
· Activate
incentives for the private sector to invest in the development of high
performance sports.
Culture
I pledge to:
· Support
real investments in the entertainment, arts and creative industries.
· Strengthen
the regulatory framework to protect and preserve our culture and creative
industry and prevent it from the scourge of piracy.
· Develop
and strengthen the value link-chain of the culture industry to deepen the
industry and provide jobs
