President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that that he is laying the foundations upon which an equitable and progressive society can be built upon.
Buhari, who spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt at the South-South Zonal meeting of the National Committee of Buhari Support Groups (NCBSG), also said he wants to build a society where the citizenry can look forward to the opportunities for realising their full potentials without let or hindrance.
He stated that his administration was tackling theft, diversion and misappropriation of public funds, while diversifying the economy for sustained growth and tackling the myriads of security challenges bedeviling the land.
He said: “As a government, we are committed to laying the foundations upon which an equitable and progressive society can be built, in which all citizens can look forward to the opportunities for realising their full potentials without let or hindrance.
“This informed our actions in tackling theft, diversion and misappropriation of public funds, gradually but steadily diversifying the economy for sustained growth and tackling the myriads of security challenges bedeviling the land.
“While it is still work in progress, we are confident that the amount of work done in the first 32 months of this administration points to a new solid foundation for building the Nigeria of our dreams.
“Not only did we ease out of an inevitable recession in record time, our revenue profile, our foreign reserves and foreign investments are all on the rise again; and we have paid mobilized contractors back to project sites across the country, including the South-South Zone.”
The President, who was represented by his Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, also made it clear that under the Land Use Act of 1978, he lacks the constitutional power to create cattle colonies across the country.
He noted that the provisions of the Land Use Act gave powers to state governors and local government chairmen to control land in their domain. He said that before Nigeria became a country, we had cattle routes running from Chad, Niger and other countries down to the Atlantic, but that when Nigeria became four regions, we had cattle routes in each of the regions.