The APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari today sent a New
Year message to all Nigerian youths.
See the full message below.
As we
welcome the year 2015, I have shared a message to Nigerians in general, but I
find it crucial to send another message directly to Nigeria’s youth, who are
the major stakeholders of this enterprise.
The year
2014 was a challenging one for most citizens of our dear country.
We remember our compatriots who were
brutishly killed or maimed by evil terrorists in 2014. I remember with a still broken
heart that 219 of our children from Chibok are yet missing, let down by a
country that should protect them. I remember that, even as I speak, some of our
towns and villages are yet under the occupation of Boko Haram.
Yes, it is enough for you to despair.
It is enough for you to wonder if your country cares about you and can protect
you. But do not despair.
2015 has arrived at a time of great
discomfort; but the beauty of the New Year is that we can look forward with
renewed hope and the knowledge that things can and will change.
In Nigeria’s case, we can truly look
forward to the change that the elections can, and will, bring. Our country will
be secure again. Our country will prosper again.
I have faith that 2015 is the year we
shall begin to write a new story - a story of our youth creating jobs and
expanding the frontiers of innovation and creativity everywhere from Mavin
Records to the Co-Creation Hub; a story of genuine investment in our children
and students be they in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka or in the Delta State
University, Abraka; a country that finally makes a permanent shift from our
debilitating dependence on the free-falling price of crude oil.
I have unshakeable faith that 2015 will
be the year of change.
Now some of you have asked me: what
exactly does ‘change’ mean?
I have taken time to explain this at
different opportunities, but on this special day, let me remind you in five
short statements.
Change means:
1. A
country that you can be proud of at anytime and anywhere: where corruption is
tackled, where your leaders are disciplined and lead with vision and clarity;
where the stories that emerge to the world from us are full of hope and
progress.
2. A
Nigeria in which neither yourselves, nor your parents, families or friends will
have to fear for your safety, or for theirs.
3. A
Nigeria where citizens get the basics that any country should provide:
infrastructure that works, healthcare that is affordable, even free; respect
for the environment and sustainable development, education that is competitive
and outcome-oriented in a knowledge-economy.
4. A
country that provides jobs for its young people, reducing unemployment to the
lowest of single digits and providing safety nets so that no one is left
behind.
5. A
Nigeria where entrepreneurship thrives, enterprise flourishes and the
government gets out of your way so that you can create value, build the economy
and aggressively expand wealth.
Are these things truly possible? Of
course. That is the essence and outcome of leadership, and that is what my
party and I promise you as we get into 2015.
My dear friends, this New Year, more
than ever before, I am hopeful about Nigeria.
Yes, you are disappointed and you are
angry, as you are entitled to, but you must never give in to the temptation to
feel so weighed down by those who have failed you that you lose your hope and
your energy and your passion to see change. You must never give up on Nigeria.
Together, we can build a nation that is
secure, prosperous and gives everyone a fair chance.
This is the promise that 2015 holds.
That is the promise that change will bring. That is the promise that I bring to
you.
Once again, I wish everyone a happy and
prosperous New Year.
Thank you
and God bless Nigeria.
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