I’m leaving office with better Nigeria — Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said he is leaving office with Nigeria better than the one he met in 2015. 

Buhari in his farewell broadcast on Sunday stated that his eight years turned Nigeria into a country where public goods and services are available, a peaceful, and secure nation.

He maintained that he is fulfilled that his administration started the Nigeria Re-Birth by taking critical steps, expressing optimism the incoming administration would quicken the pace to see a Nigeria that fulfills its destiny.

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The president said the country’s economy became more resilient due to the various strategies his led administration put in place to ensure the economy remained afloat during cases of global economic downturns.

“In the course of revamping the economy, we made some difficult choices, most of which yielded the desired results — some of the measures led to temporary pain and suffering for which I sincerely apologized to my fellow countrymen, but the measures were taken for the overall good of the country,” Buhari added. 

The president stressed that to ensure democracy remains resilient and elected representatives remain accountable to the people, he made available an electoral process that guarantees that votes count, credible results, fair and transparent elections, and the reduction of the influence of money to the barest minimum. 

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He said the achievement would enable Nigerians to elect leaders of their choice. 

Buhari further noted that there was an increased ability of the poor and rural Nigerians to earn a living as well as providing food for millions of people in villages and giving women opportunities to earn a living. 

He said: “Young men and women in urban centers were also supported to put their skills into productive use. Our administration also provided an enabling environment for the private sector to engage in businesses for which their return on investments is guaranteed. 

“The private sector proved a strong partner in our drive to build a resilient and sustainable economy as evidenced by the growing number of turn-key projects in various sectors of the economy. 

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“To ensure adequate infrastructure to drive economic growth, we completed age-long projects and processes notably amongst which are the Petroleum Industry Act, completion of some power projects, completion of the second Niger bridge and various important roads linking cities and states.”

While saying he had fought and won battles against insecurity, Buhari said he was grieved many children are still in captivity, saying security agencies are working round the clock to secure their release unharmed.