TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari says the 9th national assembly gave him the required support to fulfil his promises to Nigerians.

Buhari spoke on Thursday at the inauguration of the permanent site of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in Abuja.

Buhari described the 9th national assembly as one of the most productive in terms of output and outcome.

The President did not make reference to the 8th parliament, but the presidency has often stated that it didn’t get the support of the national assembly led by Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara.

Buhari said he refrained from meddling in the affairs of the legislature to encourage their independence.

“This 9th assembly will be remembered as one of the most productive in terms of output and outcome,” Buhari said.

“Again, I thank the leadership of the national assembly for giving me the support required to deliver on my promises to Nigerians.

“From the moment of my election in 2015 and subsequently, I supported the idea of an independent national assembly — one that is able to decide its leadership and develop its agenda in line with the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“I refrained from meddling in the affairs of the legislature and instead promoted a culture of mutual respect and collaboration between the two arms.”

Buhari said the nation is endowed n many ways, adding that the teeming population remains its greatest asset.

“Nigeria is immensely endowed in many ways. Our single greatest asset is the people of this nation,” he said.

“Our teeming youth population provides the labour force we need to industrialise and develop our economy. This underscores the need for more investment in human capacity development.”