President Muhammadu Buhari has explained why his government is still ‘slow’ after almost three years in power.
Buhari said his team met a ‘weighty responsibility’ on ground and needed to take time to study the situation before setting out to implement its plans for the country’s recovery.
The president made this statement on Wednesday when governors, political leaders and other stakeholders from the North-Central geo-political zone came to ask him (Buhari) to consider re-presenting himself for the 2019 presidential election.
In his remarks, President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha, assured that the economy was set to be on a better pedestal.
Buhari said, “When you elected us into office, you did so with the conviction that our dear nation needed to be put on a new pedestal for the dreams conceived by our founding fathers, dreams that we have adopted to be realized.
“The full weight of this responsibility informed our careful, slow and steady start to the governance of Nigeria in the last 30 months. We took a deliberate decision to take a closer look at the situation we found before setting out to implement our plans for the country’s recovery.
“We are convinced of the need to establish a firm foundation upon which a united, peaceful and prosperous nation can be built for succeeding generations of Nigerians. I remain very grateful to all Nigerians for their patience and understanding as we go through the difficult steps necessary to achieve this objective.
“We are aware that the journey has been difficult in the last two and half years, but we have managed to stop the downward spiral and can confidently assert that the worst is over.
“Nigeria is back on the path to growth, having eased out of recession. We shall continue to vigorously pursue the task of diversifying the nation’s economy to remove our over-reliance on oil, while making the land set for all enterprising Nigerians to survive and thrive.
“Toward this end, we shall continue to count on the unflinching support and understanding in every area, especially those of you who trooped out to convince fellow countrymen and women of our sincere commitment to the cause of Nigeria.”