TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to appreciate what they have as the situation in the country is not dire when compared with other countries.

Speaking on Monday at a state banquet in Kano to conclude his visit to the state, the president said Nigerians do not appreciate their country until they visit other countries and see how citizens of those nations are fairing.

“We have a great country but we do not appreciate it until we visit our neighbours and other countries where the preoccupation is for people to have one good meal a day,” he said in a statement by Femi Adesina, presidential spokesperson.

“When I fly by helicopter, the number of high-rise buildings I see and the amount of development on the ground are fantastic. We thank God. We thank God. We thank God.”

Buhari urged the elite to encourage and inspire young people to embrace education.

“They must embrace education for education’s sake. Technology has made it possible for shortcuts but nothing can replace real learning. Please encourage the children to learn,” he said.

He congratulated Abdullahi Ganduje, the governor of Kano, for doing “very well” on infrastructure, adding that his recent visits to Kogi, Yobe, Lagos, and Katsina states have shown that the respective governors have done very well, with the funds available to them.

While paying homage to Aminu Ado Bayero, Emir of Kano, Buhari urged Nigerians to respect traditional institutions and accord them the honour they deserve.

“This system is good. It is good in the sense that our traditional institutions are respected and honoured,” he said.

“It is very important that we have understood the politics and we are respecting people from the bottom to upwards and this is common sense because people matter.

“What the children see now is what they will hope to be in the future and the older ones hope that they can make their influence felt and improve the governance in the country from the bottom upwards.”

Responding, the emir thanked Buhari for granting approval to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend the deadline for the phasing out of old currency notes.

“This is an indication that the president is focused on alleviating the plight of the citizenry and indeed a listening leader,’’ he said.

The monarch expressed his appreciation to the federal and state government for the developmental projects in the state as well as their support to the emirate.

He added that the ongoing electioneering campaigns should serve as an opportunity for politicians to understand the challenges facing the people and devise a means of solving them.

He prayed for peaceful elections, as well as peace and prosperity in the country.