With only 24 hours left in office, the outgoing President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Sunday morning, in Abuja, asked Nigerians hurt by his policies for a pardon.
In what he described as his last Official duty, President Muhammadu Buhari has begged Nigerians for forgiveness in case of any pain the policies implemented by his administration may have caused Nigerians within his eight-year tenure.
He thanked Nigerians for tolerating his eight-year regime, which began when he was sworn in as President on May 29, 2015.
In his words: ”In the course of revamping the economy, we made some difficult choices, most of which yielded the desired results.
“Some of the measures led to temporary pains and sufferings for which I sincerely apologised to my fellow countrymen, but the measures were taken for the overall good of the country.”
According to the president, the Nigerian economy has become more resilient due to the various strategies put in place to ensure that the economy remained afloat during cases of global economic downturns.
“You would all recall the supply chain disruptions and economic downturn that the world witnessed between 2020 and 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The deftness of our response to the pandemic still remains a global best practice.
“Furthermore, we increased the ability of the poor and rural Nigerians to earn a living, provided more food for millions in our villages and gave our women opportunities to earn a living.
“Young men and women in urban centres were also supported to put their skills into productive use.”
The president affirmed that his administration also provided an enabling environment for the private sector to engage in businesses for which their return on investments is guaranteed.
According to him, the private sector proved a strong partner in the drive to build a resilient and sustainable economy as evidenced by the growing number of turnkey projects in various sectors of the economy.
On infrastructural development, Buhari revealed that his administration had successfully completed some legacy projects to drive economic growth in the country.
“Mindful of the need to ensure adequate infrastructure to drive economic growth, we completed age-long projects and processes notably amongst which are the Petroleum Industry Act, completion of some power projects, completion of the Second Niger Bridge and various important roads linking cities and states.
“I am confident that I am leaving office with Nigeria better in 2023 than in 2015.
“I thank you all. And may God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”he said.
