Expensive Compatriots,
It provides me immense pleasure to welcome every and everybody of you – younger and old- to this model new yr 2024. We should raise up our arms to Almighty God, in gratitude, for His grace and benevolence to our nation and our lives within the yr 2023 that has simply passed by.
Although the previous yr was a really difficult one, it was eventful in so some ways. For our nation, it was a transition yr that noticed a peaceable, orderly and profitable switch of energy from one administration to a different, marking yet one more outstanding step in our 24 years of unbroken democracy.
It was a yr, you the gracious folks of this blessed nation, entrusted your religion in me with a transparent mandate to make our nation higher, to revamp our financial system, restore safety inside our borders, revitalise our floundering industrial sector, increase agricultural manufacturing, improve nationwide productiveness and set our nation on an irreversible path in the direction of nationwide greatness that we and future generations will perpetually be happy with.
The duty of constructing a greater nation and ensuring now we have a Nigeria society that cares for all her residents is the explanation I ran to change into your President. It was the core of my Renewed Hope marketing campaign message on the premise of which you voted me as President.
Every little thing I’ve finished in workplace, each determination I’ve taken and each journey I’ve undertaken exterior the shores of our land, since I assumed workplace on 29 Could 2023, have been finished in the very best curiosity of our nation.
Over the previous seven months of our administration, I’ve taken some troublesome and but obligatory selections to save lots of our nation from fiscal disaster. A kind of selections was the removing of gasoline subsidy which had change into an unsustainable monetary burden on our nation for greater than 4 a long time. One other was the removing of the chokehold of few folks on our international trade system that benefited solely the wealthy and probably the most highly effective amongst us. No doubt, these two selections introduced some discomfort to people, households and companies.
I’m effectively conscious that for a while now the conversations and debates have centred on the rising value of residing, excessive inflation which is now above 28% and the unacceptable excessive under-employment charge.
From the boardrooms at Broad Road in Lagos to the main-streets of Kano and Nembe Creeks in Bayelsa, I hear the groans of Nigerians who work onerous daily to offer for themselves and their households.
I’m not oblivious to the expressed and generally unexpressed frustrations of my fellow residents. I do know for a proven fact that a few of our compatriots are even asking if that is how our administration desires to resume their h ope.
Expensive Compatriots, take this from me: the time could also be tough and hard, nevertheless, our spirit should stay unbowed as a result of robust occasions by no means final. We’re made for this era, by no means to flinch, by no means to falter. The socio-economic challenges of at present ought to energize and rekindle our love and religion within the promise of Nigeria. Our present circumstances ought to make us resolve to work higher for the nice of our beloved nation. Our scenario ought to make us resolve that this new yr 2024, every and everybody of us will decide to be higher residents.
Silently, now we have labored to free captives from abductors. Whereas we are able to’t beat our chest but that we had solved all the safety issues, we’re working onerous to make sure that all of us have peace of thoughts in our properties, locations of labor and on the roads.
Having laid the groundwork of our financial restoration plans throughout the final seven months of 2023, we are actually poised to speed up the tempo of our service supply throughout sectors.
Simply this previous December throughout COP28 in Dubai, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and I agreed and dedicated to a brand new deal to hurry up the supply of the Siemens Power energy venture that may in the end ship dependable provide of electrical energy to our properties and companies beneath the Presidential Energy Initiative which started in 2018.
Different energy set up initiatives to strengthen the reliability of our transmission strains and optimise the integrity of our Nationwide grid are ongoing throughout the nation.
My administration recognises that no significant financial transformation can occur with out regular electrical energy provide. In 2024, we’re shifting a step additional in our quest to restart native refining of petroleum merchandise with Port Harcourt Refinery, and the Dangote Refinery which shall absolutely come on stream.
To make sure fixed meals provide, safety and affordability, we’ll step up our plan to domesticate 500,000 hectares of farmlands throughout the nation to develop maize, rice, wheat, millet and different staple crops. We launched the dry season farming with 120,000 hectares of land in Jigawa State final November beneath our Nationwide Wheat Improvement Programme.
On this new yr, we’ll race in opposition to time to make sure all of the fiscal and tax insurance policies reforms we have to put in place are codified and simplified to make sure the enterprise surroundings doesn’t destroy worth. On each international journey I’ve launched into, my message to traders and different enterprise folks has been the identical. Nigeria is prepared and open for enterprise.
I’ll struggle each impediment that impedes enterprise competitiveness in Nigeria and I can’t hesitate to take away any clog hindering our path to creating Nigeria a vacation spot of alternative for native and international investments.
In my 2024 Finances presentation to the Nationwide Meeting, I listed my administration’s 8 precedence areas to incorporate nationwide defence and inner safety, job creation, macro-economic stability, funding surroundings optimization, human capital improvement, poverty discount and social safety. As a result of we take our improvement agenda very severely, our 2024 finances displays the premium we positioned on attaining our governance targets.
We are going to work diligently to verify each Nigerian feels the affect of their authorities. The financial aspirations and the fabric well-being of the poor, probably the most weak and the working folks shall not be uncared for. It’s on this spirit that we’re going to implement a brand new nationwide residing wage for our industrious employees this new yr. It isn’t solely good economics to do that, it’s also a morally and politically appropriate factor to do.
I took an oath to serve this nation and provides my finest always. Like I stated prior to now, no excuse for poor efficiency from any of my appointees might be ok.
It’s the cause I put in place a Coverage Coordination, Analysis, Monitoring and Supply Unit within the Presidency to ensure that governance output improves the residing situation of our folks.
We have now set the parameters for analysis. Inside the first quarter of this new yr, Ministers and Heads of Companies with a future on this administration that I lead will proceed to indicate themselves.
Fellow Nigerians, my main ambition in authorities as a Senator within the aborted Third Republic, as Governor of Lagos State for eight years and now because the President of this blessed nation is to construct a good and equitable society and shut the widening inequality. Whereas I imagine the wealthy ought to get pleasure from their legitimately-earned wealth, our minimal cut price should be that, any Nigerian that works onerous and diligent sufficient may have an opportunity to get forward in life. I need to add that as a result of God didn’t create us with equal abilities and strengths, I can’t assure that we are going to have equal outcomes once we work onerous. However my authorities, on this new yr 2024 and past, will work to offer each Nigerian equal alternative to try and to thrive.
For the brand new yr to yield all its good advantages to us as people and collectively as a folks we should be ready to play our half. The job of constructing a affluent nation will not be the job of the President, Governors, Ministers, Lawmakers and authorities officers alone. Our destinies are linked as members of this family of Nigeria. Our language, creed, ethnicity and non secular beliefs even when they don’t seem to be similar ought to by no means make us work at cross functions.
On this new yr, allow us to resolve that as joint-heirs to the Nigerian Commonwealth, we’ll work for the peace, progress and stability of our nation. I prolong this name to my political opponents within the final election. Election is over. It’s time for all of us to work collectively for the sake of our nation.
We should let the sunshine every of us carries – women and men, younger and outdated – shine vivid and brighter to light up our path to a wonderful daybreak.
I want all of us a contented and affluent yr 2024.
Could God proceed to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR
January 01, 2024
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