Similarly, there had been a
growing impression in some quarters that President Buhari had not come all out
to condemn the herdsmen and find lasting solution to the problem despite
ordering the security apparatus of the country to quell the clashes.
Following the incessant
clashes between herdsmen and farmers across the federation, President Muhammadu
Buhari has said that his administration would not tolerate any acts of banditry
and criminality.
He said that the security
agencies in the country had been mandated to adequately deal with such act as
it was capable of truncating the peace of the country.
It will be recalled that
there had been frequent clashes between fulani herdsmen and farmers in many
States particularly in Benue, Enugu, Adamawa, Ekiti which claimed several lives.
Consequently, many
stakeholders had called for ranching and grazing reserves for the cattles.
But speaking yesterday at
the graduation ceremony of the National Defence College, NDC, for Course 24 in
Abuja, the president said his government was out to deal decisively with the
matter.
He also said that steps
were being taken to rebuild the insurgency ravaged north east and tackle the
emerging issues of restiveness and bombing of oil installations in the Niger
Delta.
He said: “On the matter of
Herdsmen/Farmers clashes, I wish to state that this Administration will not
tolerate or condone acts of banditry and criminality, under any guise. As such,
our security agencies have been mandated to deal with such acts decisively.
“Let me state that this
Administration has been working assiduously in conjunction with our local and
international partners, to rebuild damaged communities in North East part of
our country. Similarly, we are committed to tackling the issues of
underdevelopment and neglect in the Niger Delta area. This is a priority we
have set before us and we intend to make appreciable gains in correcting the
ills of the past in the Niger Delta by assuaging inherent grievances.”
The president also
reiterated his pact with Nigerian upon his assumption of office, saying he was
still committed to securing the country, improving the economy and fighting
corruption.
To this end, the president
said his administration had recover billions of Naira from individuals and
organizations.
“You will all recall that
on being sworn into office on 29 May 2015, I outlined certain core areas of our
national life that require immediate intervention, some of which I would like
to reiterate here today. First, we should seek to secure the country, improve
the economy and fight corruption. As it is, this is our unfinished business
from the past and dates back to the creation of our republic, yet to this day,
corruption and poverty remain our main national problems.
“As part of efforts to
address the problem of corruption, we have set in motion legal processes to
recover whatever we can and bring to justice those who betrayed their trust.
Thus far, we have been able to recover billions of naira from indicted
companies and individuals. In addition, through the implementation and enforcement
of the Treasury Single Account, we have been able to save more for our nation.
“Furthermore, in our fight
to end poverty in Nigeria, we have set up social interventions and reliefs for
the poor, and already, data is being collated by the Economic Planning Office
of the Vice President in conjunction with the World Bank.
“In addition, through our
2016 budget, we intend to stimulate the economy, making it more competitive by
focusing on infrastructural development; delivering inclusive growth; and
prioritizing the welfare of Nigerians.
“We believe that this
budget, while helping industry, commerce and investment to pick up, will as a
matter of urgency, address the immediate problems of youth unemployment and the
terrible living conditions of the very poor and vulnerable Nigerians”, he said.
Congratulating the
graduands, president Buhari charged them to employ high level of
professionalism and technical competence in their career.
He said: “We know that the
National Defence College is a truly unique institution, one which we believe,
has empowered you with the highest levels of skills in management practices of
present day administration and governance for development of our institutions.
“We are also very pleased
to learn that the blueprints of training at this College have kept pace with
our current security environment. In this vein, you will be pleased to note
that in the last one year, through the hard work, dedication and sacrifices
made by members of our armed forces and security services, we have been able to
degrade significantly, the capacity of Boko Haram insurgents to wreck havoc on
our society.
“As strategic leaders, you
must remember that our Armed Forces have been the torch bearers of many of our
non-military innovations. I am therefore, very happy to hear that the
Graduating Course has undertaken a higher defence management and strategic
research on the topic “Youth Bulge in Nigeria, Implication for National
Security”. As we seek to solve the myriad of social and political problems we
will look closely at your recommendations.
“As you graduate, I urge
you to set for yourselves befitting goals and having done so, utilise your
technical competence, skills and hard-work to realise it. I compliment all of
you, especially the award winners for achieving this personal milestone which I
hope is a sign of things to come.”
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