I call upon you to come bravely forth as well, not for me but out of abiding love of country and for the people who inhabit it with you. We are so much better than we have been. Now is the time to stand fast and have faith in what this nation can be.
“Nigeria: At the Cusp of Renewed Hope” —Thirty Takeaways from Bola Tinubu’s Statement
Tinubu Lists Those That’ll Work With Him
President-elect, Bola Tinubu, in a statement on 16 Thursday March, 2023 he personally signed, says only competent people would be appointed into his government.
The President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that his administration would not only be a government of national unity but also a government of national competence.
He promised to assemble competent men and women and young people from across the country to build a safer, more prosperous and just Nigeria.
In the statement titled: ‘Nigeria: At the Cusp of Renewed Hope’, he promised to be fair to all Nigerians irrespective of the candidate they voted in the presidential poll. Let’s extract THIRTY (30) takeaways from Bola Tinubu’s statement on 16 March, 2023.
1. I have set my course and mind on the leadership of this nation. We have important work to do and I am committed to getting that work done for the benefit of all the people, whether or not they voted for me or even voted at all.
2.This is not the time for continued acrimony and partisan recrimination. These negative things can incite strong passions; but they are not the pathway to a better nation. Only unity and national commitment can serve that purpose.
3. Critics of Nigeria have been too quick to conclude that our political system is fragmented because of the impressive showing of new parties and their candidates. These critics are wrong. The emergence of the new parties and their candidates underscores the dynamic strength of our democracy.
4. What must concern us is not the growth of parties but the regrowth of old prejudices and bigotries such as ethnicity, creed and place of origin.
5. As a nation and as individuals imbued with the love of God and of our fellow man, we are better than this. At some point we must decide whether we shall be enticed by the ills of the past or shall we more bravely and nobly be encouraged by the eminent prospect of a brighter future.
6. There have been times in our past when our governing institutions created more questions than they answered. But the arc of our political history gives me confidence that we can overcome that past.
7. We have walked through the thick of the night to emerge into the light of brighter days to come. There is no good reason to retreat into the darkness of years past.
8. We must begin to repair and rebuild this national home of ours. There is time to complete the task, but time is also of the essence. We must not tarry or fret over the enormity of what we face.
9. We are able of mind and body. Now, we must show the spirit and willpower to accomplish the historic things that lie within our grasp.
10. As your incoming president, I accept the task before me.
11. There has been talk of a government of national unity. My aim is higher than that. I seek a government of national competence.
12. In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to ability and performance. The day for political gamesmanship is long gone.
13. I shall assemble competent men and women and young people from across Nigeria to build a safer, more prosperous and just Nigeria. There shall be young people. Women shall be prominent. Whether your faith leads you to pray in a church or mosque will not determine your place in government. Character and competence will.
14.To secure our nation and to make it prosperous must be our top priorities. We cannot sacrifice these goals to political expediencies. The whims of politics must take a backseat to the imperatives of governance.
15. We have bridges and roads to build not just for commerce and travel but to connect people of different faiths, parties and different outlooks in harmonious dialogue and common purpose.
16.We have families to feed not just to eliminate hunger but to nurture enlightenment, civic responsibility and compassion.
17. We have jobs to create not merely to put people to work but to afford all a better standard of living by which families and communities are improved and democracy deepened.
18. We have water to replenish not just to quench physical thirst but to ignite a thirst for creative and better solutions to society’s challenges.
19. We have a nation to protect such that we eliminate danger and even the fear of danger. May all of our people be able to live their lives in the light of peace and the glow of broadening prosperity..
20. Our ‘Renewed Hope Action Plan’ outlines goals for greater economic growth in our cities and rural communities. We are committed to an economy of double-digit GDP growth, greater food security and one with a strengthened manufacturing base as well as an active digital economy where young people will have ample space to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.
21. I realize that I am the servant of a larger purpose. As such, I have gone straight to work. My team and I have been daily engaged in discussions and meetings refining our ideas and policy solutions so that we can begin actively working toward the common good the very first day we assume office.
22.This great project called Nigeria beckons to us all.
I ask that we work together as Nigerians for Nigeria. Those who voted for me, I ask that you continue to believe in our policies and plans for the country. I also ask that you reach out to your brothers and sisters who did not vote as you did. Extend to them the hand of friendship, reconciliation and togetherness.
23. To those of you who did not vote for me, I ask you to believe in Nigeria and in the capacity of your fellow citizens, even those who voted differently than you. The better Nigeria I seek is not just for me and my supporters. It is equally yours.