TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration has drastically reduced the culture of corruption and acquisition of ill-gotten wealth in the country.

The president said the downward slide “that the PDP took us in its 16 years of misrule” has been reversed in the last three years and six months.

Buhari made the comment on Monday when he inaugurated the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council in Abuja on Monday.

“We have restored the territorial integrity of our nation, thanks to our gallant men and women of our armed forces,” he said.

“We are systematically engaged in all the remaining corridors of insurgency, kidnappings, robberies, herdsmen and farmers clashes.

“We have reset our national values: corruption is no longer condoned and is no longer seen as normal for public office holders. The agencies of government are no longer equivocal in dealing with anyone who flouts our laws.

“The high and low are receiving jail terms, loots are being recovered, and Nigerians are increasingly displaying the timeless values of honesty, honour and decency.

“I congratulate us all for making these changes possible. Our economy has become a prudently managed enterprise. Our resources are now working for us, as we ensure the delivery of key national infrastructure, which were left unattended over these past years.”

He said the direct impact of his administration’s policies on improvements in roads, railways, and power supply were evident, adding that there is greater evidence of economic diversification seen in growing local production of agricultural produce and solid minerals.

“Our government has succeeded in the last four years in halting national drift, removing the shadow of insecurity and fear dominating our life and reviving our economy from decline to stability and growth,” the president said.

“The macroeconomic health of our economy, indicated by several measurable factors such as a stable exchange rate, lower inflation, growing foreign reserves, has been applauded by independent local and international rating agencies.”

The president assured that he will leave a legacy of free and fair elections.

He noted that the quality of elections since 2015 had continued to improve with declining levels of problems that had defined elections in the past.

“We have insisted that votes must count and have maintained a policy of non-interference in elections,” he said.

“INEC has so far since 2015, conducted fair and credible elections in 195 constituencies nationwide, which have been attested nationwide to be qualitatively better than previous elections.

“Let me reiterate my commitment to free and fair elections. If there is one legacy I want to leave is the enthronement of democracy as a system of government. And for democracy to be enthroned, elections must be free and fair.

“That means citizens have a right to vote for candidates of their choice without intimidation in any form. I have warned INEC and security agencies to that effect.

“We will keep insisting that votes must count. Our campaigns will be anchored on our performance in the last four years.”