President Mohammadu Buhari on Friday that he will re-energise and reorganise the security apparatus and personnel of the armed forces and the police with a view to enhance their capacity to engage, push back and dismantle the operations of both internal and external extremist and criminal groups waging war against communities in some parts of the country.
The president who disclosed this in his New Year’s Day nationwide broadcast said the resolve was in line with the current security challenges facing the country.
“I would like to reiterate the promise I made recently when over 300 of our boys abducted from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara were successfully rescued by our security operatives.
“The professionalism shown by our security forces and the collaboration from all stakeholders across both State and federal governments that led to the successful rescue of the boys is proof that Nigeria has the internal capacity to decisively deal with terror attacks on our citizens.
“However, we recognise that we rapidly have to move to a more proactive and preemptive posture to ensure that these sorts of traumatic incidents do not become a norm.
“Our administration is fully aware of the responsibility we have to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians, and we will not relent in learning and adapting to changing threats to our national security and civic well being,” he said.
On the economy, Buhari said the government would focus on revamping the economy through the national economic diversification agenda that supports the primary goal of national food self-sufficiency.
He said the food sufficiency had helped reduce the growing food related inflationary figures and have in considerable measure positively impacted our food security status during the long months of the pandemic lock down.
“We are also currently rebuilding our national infrastructure base and, in the process, introducing transformation through the rehabilitation, modernisation, and expansion of the railway system, national roads and bridges both in rural and urban centres, alongside the airports and seaports,” he said.
The president also said the reforms the government had put in place in the power sector would guarantee increased efficiency in our drive to significantly expand the generation and distribution of electricity for use in homes and factories.
“As an administration we are currently undertaking a series of special interventions designed to boost job creation and support the entrepreneurial drive of our youths.
“With the recent opening of our borders, we expect that the pent-up demand of legitimate cross-border and international trade will boost the fortunes of the many small businesses and agricultural enterprises that depend on Nigeria’s trade and commerce.
”The message to our West African neighbours is that Nigeria is once again fully open for those willing to conduct business in a fair and equitable way,” he added.
