President Muhammadu Buhari has said that only people with integrity will make his cabinet in his second tenure in office.
The President, who also promised women and youths that his administration will not disappoint them, said he will not exclude people of his generation which, he said, was his own constituency in the distribution of positions.
President Buhari stated this during a victory dinner organised by his wife, Aisha Buhari on Saturday night for the All Progressives Congress Youths and Women Presidential Campaign Council at the Old Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
While acknowledging the role played by women and youths towards his re-election, he reassured Nigerian women and youths that he will not disappoint them in the next four years.
The group, women and youths, had in their demands appealed for more women and youth representation in the next cabinet.
But Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in a swift reaction to the President’s declaration yesterday, said he was playing to the gallery.
However, Transparency International held different position, welcoming the President’s pledge but urged him to move with urgency in refining policies and programmes of government that will address key development issues facing the country.
President Buhari in his remarks, promised that only those with integrity and interest of Nigeria will be considered for appointment in the next cabinet.
My next cabinet — Buhari
He said: “I assure you that I have listened to the representation made that my cabinet should include women and youth. Don’t celebrate it yet, I said I have listened to some of the representation made here. Well, I am considering some of the old people and I will protect my constituency too.
“But I assure you that I will continue to have a team of people of integrity that are really concerned with Nigeria and Nigerians.”
Assuring them that in his second term in office, he will not disappoint them, President Buhari said: “I will not disappoint you, our objectives are the same. We have to fix this country so that the next generation can have a country to be proud of.
“We are working very hard to get the infrastructure in place, the roads, the rails so that Nigeria will mind their own businesses.
“I very much appreciate your coming here tonight, but I’m congratulating ourselves for succeeding, if we had failed, my good God. Thank goodness we have succeeded.”
He noted that more fertilizers were being made available to Nigerian farmers at a lower rate, adding that food importation was reducing, while more Nigerians have started to embrace agriculture.
The President also faulted the 16 years rule of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for allegedly wasting the nation’s resources.
According to him, there were rampant infrastructural decays, despite huge resources earned in the period.
“Please continue to bear with us, we have a very short time in terms of the damage done to the country. I have tried to educate people on the condition we found ourselves when we came in 2015.
“My short experience in the petroleum industry for three and a quarter years, gave me an idea about the economy of Nigeria and I never let go,’’ he said.
The President explained that it had taken long to reposition Nigeria because of alleged long time waste of resources by the PDP-led administration that held sway for 16 years.
He reiterated his earlier vow not to betray the confidence of Nigerians in re-electing him, describing his victory as a sign that Nigerians were satisfied with the change that his government embarked upon.
He also said his victory in the February 23 election was an expression of confidence in his promise of its consolidation as idealized by the next level campaign.
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