Thread by @Laurestar

1. PRES @MBUHARI’S BROADCAST TO THE NATION
Fellow Citizens
On Feb 16, 2019 you will, once again, be called upon to choose d leaders who will pilot d affairs of our great nation for d next 4 yrs
This is a constitutional right which should be freely exercised by all eligible voters

2.     I wish therefore to start by assuring all Nigerians that this Government will do its very best to ensure that the 2019 elections take place in a secure and peaceful atmosphere.

3.     It was indeed such free, fair and peaceful elections that made it possible for our Government to emerge, despite the fact that we were contesting against a long-standing incumbent party.

4.     And as your president and a fellow Nigerian, I ask that you come out and queue to fulfill this important obligation you have to yourselves and your fellow citizens – and to our common future.

5.     Let me at this point, reaffirm the commitment of the Federal Government to the conduct of free and fair elections in a safe and peaceful atmosphere. Just yesterday, I signed the Peace Accord alongside 72 other presidential candidates.

6.     I want to assure all Nigerians, the diplomatic community and all foreign election observers of their safety and full protection. Any comments or threats of intimidation from any source do not represent the position of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

7a.     As Government has a critical role in maintaining the democratic traditions, so do citizens. I therefore urge you all, as good Nigerians, to take a personal interest in promoting and maintaining peace in your respective neighbourhoods during the elections.

7b. This is certainly not a time to allow personal, religious, sectional or party interests to drive us to desperation.

8. At this point, I want to make a special appeal to our youth:
Dont allow yourselves to be used to cause violence & destruction. The people who want to incite you are those preparing d ground for discrediting d elections. Having lost the argument, they fear losing the elections

9. When you elected me in 2015 it was essentially in consequence of my promise of CHANGE
We committed ourselves to improve security across d country, putting d economy on a sound footing & tackling rampant corruption which had in many ways become a serious drawback 2 national dev

10. Our Govt spent d last 3 yrs 9mths striving faithfully to keep this promise, in spite of very serious revenue shortages caused mainly by sharp drop in international oil prices & an unexpected rise in vandalisation of oil installations, which mercifully have now been curtailed

11.   We nevertheless pressed on in our quest to diversify the economy, create jobs, reduce commodity prices and generally improve the standard of living among our people.

12.   The damage that insecurity and corruption have done, over time, to our collective livelihood is incalculable. However, it is pleasing to note that our frontal attack on these twin evils is gaining momentum and bringing about visible progress.

13.   The recovery of the economy from recession is complete and Nigeria is back on the path of steady growth.

14.   The key to creating more jobs lies in accelerating this momentum of economic growth. Happily, we have succeeded in making the fundamental changes necessary for this acceleration, and we are now beginning to see the efforts bearing fruit.

15.   Our ease of doing business policies and programmes are already impacting medium, small and micro industries, as well as Manufacturing, Mining and Agriculture, among other key sectors.

16.   Our commitment to critical infrastructure – that is Roads, Rails, Bridges, Airports and Seaports – will create more jobs, improving the efficiency and competitiveness of our industries.

17.   Many of these projects are at different stages of completion, and those who use them regularly will attest to the fact that even while construction is ongoing, they are beginning to see reduced travel times. This will ultimately translate to reduced costs and greater .....

19. The economic recovery that we promised is well underway, as demonstrated by the recently released statistics
In 2018, d economy grew by 1.93%, with the 4th Quarter growth being 2.38%, up from 1.81% in the 3rd Quarter

20.   Remarkably, the strong economic performance was driven by the Non-Oil sector, which grew at 2% as at full year. Indeed, Non-Oil growth rose to 2.7% in the Fourth Quarter of 2018, up from 2.32% in the Third Quarter. These results further underscore our commitment to...

21. Other indicators confirm d economy’s steady recovery
Our monthly food import bill declined from $664m in Jan 2015 to $160m as at Oct 2018
Inflation fell from 18.72%  in Jan. 2017 to 11.44% in Dec 2018
Our Ext Reserves rose from $23b in Oct 2016 to $43.12b as at 7th Feb 2019

22.   Now that the recession is well behind us, our next task is to redouble our efforts, accelerate the growth and use it to create even more jobs for our people.

23.   The Executive Orders, No. 5, and No. 7 issued by me, and the recently approved National Infrastructure Maintenance Policy demonstrate our commitment to accelerated job creation and infrastructure development.

24.   We believe that Governments cannot simply proclaim jobs into existence. Job creation will only expand as a result of economic policies that enable the private sector to flourish, and this is the approach our Administration has taken.

25.   Executive Order No 5, which Promotes Nigerian Content in Contracts, as well as Science, Engineering and Technology, will preserve and prioritize job creation for our citizens.

26.   Executive Order 7, on the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, seeks to mobilize private capital and capacity for infrastructure development.

27.   It responds to the demands of manufacturing and industrial complexes which wish to construct access roads without waiting for government, so long as they are allowed to recover the cost from taxes they would have paid to government.

28.   We expect that this approach will boost industrial expansion and rural development, consequently creating more jobs for our people.

29.   Similarly, our recently issued Maintenance Policy means artisans, carpenters, welders, tailors, painters, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, landscapers & more Ordinary Nigerians at d base of our economic pyramid will get large-scale opportunities to improve themselves

31.   Human Capital Development has also been a key priority for this Administration, which has increased investments in health and education. Innovative measures have been introduced to complement the traditional budgetary allocations to the relevant Ministries.

32a. For instance, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority has invested US$21 million in 3 healthcare projects as a Public Private Partnership with three Federal medical institutions. These include two modern Medical Diagnostic Centres located at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.....

32b... Kano and the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia; as well as one outpatient Cancer Treatment Centre in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos – which I commissioned on 9th February 2019.

34. Theres no nation that aspires to greatness without spending massively on its Critical Infrastructure
Rather than d discredited policy of ‘stomach infrastructure’, which could only benefit a few 4 a short while, we are focused on real infrastructural devt for d benefit of all

35. When u voted 4 our message of CHANGE, you invited us to assume office & depart from that bad & most regrettable choice. We responded by making a choice for real infrastructure of Roads in all States, Housing in 34 States, Power Stations across Nigeria, Rail from Lagos to Kano

36.   The choice that now confronts us is whether we want to continue with real infrastructure development, which is the road to prosperity and jobs or return to the era of ‘stomach infrastructure’.

37.   Agricultural Self-Reliance and Food Security is also a choice we made in fulfilment of your mandate for change.

38.   Our Presidential Fertiliser Initiative has resulted in savings of US$150 million in foreign exchange due to local sourcing of inputs at 16 Blending Plants. It has also conserved N60b in Subsidies as well as supported tens of thousands of farmers and agro-dealers nationwide

39.   Our Anchor Borrowers’ Programme has substantially raised local rice yields from as low as two Metric Tonnes per hectare, to as high as eight Metric Tonnes per hectare.

40. Through this program, CBN has cumulatively lent over N120b to over 720,000 smallholder farmers cultivating 12 crops across 36 States & Abuja. Targeted crops & livestock include cattle, poultry, fish, cassava, soybeans, groundnut, ginger, sorghum, rice, wheat, cotton & maize

42.   Behind each of these products, are thousands of industrious Nigerians working in factories and farms across the nation. Our interventions have led to improved wealth and job creation for these Nigerians, particularly in our rural communities.

43. These outcomes are a major departure from the previous focus on consuming imported food items, which literally exported our children’s jobs to food-exporting nations, depleting our precious foreign exchange reserves. This, of course, caused a closure of our Nigerian factories

44a.The choice made by this Admin to assist farmers directly and promote agriculture in every way possible has gone a long way to enhance our food security while enabling us to tackle poverty by feeding over nine million children daily under our Home-Grown School Feeding....

44b. Programme. It also puts us clearly on the road to becoming a food secure and agriculture exporting nation.

45.  Next to Agriculture, we are focusing on Manufacturing Sector. The Purchasing Managers Index, which is d measure of manufacturing activities in an economy has risen for 22 consecutive months as at Jan. 2019, indicating continuous growth & expansion in our manufacturing sector

46.   I will conclude by going back to where I started: that our choices have had consequences about employment and cost of living.

47.   In making your choice this time, please ask yourself whether, and in what ways, others will do anything different to address the issues of Agriculture, Infrastructure, Security, Good Governance and Fighting Corruption.

48.   If they are only hoping to do what we are already doing successfully, we are clearly your preferred choice.

49.   Think carefully and choose wisely. This time, it is a choice about consolidating on growth for Jobs and Prosperity

49.   Think carefully and choose wisely. This time, it is a choice about consolidating on growth for Jobs and Prosperity.

50.   February 16th is all about a choice. But it is more than a choice between APC and the opposition. It is a choice about you, it is a choice between going back or keeping the momentum of CHANGE.

51.   The road to greater prosperity for Nigeria may be long, but what you can be assured of is a Leadership that is not prepared to sacrifice the future well-being of Nigerians for our own personal or material needs. You can be assured of my commitment to remain focused

52.   Thank you very much for listening. God bless you, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The End.