President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated his government’s zero tolerance for corruption, stressing that there will be no exemption in the anti-graft war.
The President also revealed that the nation would move away from over-reliance on thermal and hydro sources for the generation of electricity to renewable energy after an agreement was reached with the United Kingdom to help develop solar energy.
Buhari, who was a Visitor to the University of Ibadan, said this during the 67th Founders Day ceremony of the institution in Ibadan on Tuesday.
He gave the assurances through the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who represented him at the event.
The President said despite the drop in oil earning and global economic downturn, Nigerian youths would be provided with decent jobs while the elderly would be catered for.
Buhari, who said the nation was too rich to go begging, added that the fight for survival rested on how well every Nigerian played his or her role in the nation’s building.
He said, “The government is committed to responsible and responsive governance that will obey the rule of law. Our policy of zero tolerance for corruption is firm and without exemption. We insist that both the public and private sectors must be held to the highest standard of accountability and transparency in dealing with the people. The focus of every policy is job creation. Our next budget will focus on rapid development of critical infrastructures such as roads, transport, technology and the power.
“In the power sector, we will move away from the excessive use of thermal and hydro sources to renewable energy especially solar power. Majority of Nigerians who are not served the national grid should be able to use solar power. We recently signed an agreement with United Kingdom under the Energy Africa Scheme which will provide solar power especially in places without access to power.”
Buhari said the diversification of Nigeria’s economy was not a mere rhetoric, assuring Nigerians that his government was determined to develop agriculture. “Despite the sharp drop in oil earnings and downturn in global economy, the future of Nigeria is bright. Our young people will find decent job and the elderly will be provided for.
“This nation has the resources; human and material to enable us to live decent and ensure we do not beg on the street, all that is required is commitment, faithfulness and the determination to succeed. Our country is full of talents, our leaders are full of ideas but most of what we want to achieve are destroyed. Our change agenda is one of national re-orientation beginning from children in school to the rest of the populace,” he said.
The President also acknowledged the achievement of UI in nation building but challenged the elite and the political class to do more and support the country’s path to recovery.
He said, “We are encouraged by the recent ranking of UI in Nigeria and in Africa. The university was rated first in Nigeria and eighth in Africa. The school was also placed among the best universities in the world. A lot still needs to be done for further improvement on this position. The university is therefore challenged to work harder in its vigorous pursuit of academic excellence to achieve its vision to be a world class institution.
“The world we live in is vastly different from the one we lived in a decade ago. Every day, deep and profound changes are taking place in the way we do business, the way we communicate, how we get our needs, the competition for job and the expectations of a more sophisticated consumer society.”
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