Change not about economic progress alone - Buhari

· Promises to herald a better Nigeria

 

In an obvious response to critics of his econom­ic policies, President Mu­hammadu Buhari, on Thursday bluntly told Nigeri­ans that the change agenda he promised them during his electioneering in 2015 is not solely about economic progress.

He said for his change man­tra to take a firm root, Nigeri­ans must first change their at­titude by abhorring corruption and other social vices.

In his address at the inau­guration of the National Re-Orientation Campaign tagged: “Change Begins With Me” at the State House in Abuja, Bu­hari asserted that change is not about economic or social pro­gress, but the attitude and men­tality of Nigerians.

He said that the new campaign is to re-instil core values, discipline and awaken national consciousness in Nigerians.

President Buhari lament­ed that the country’s value sys­tem had over the years suffered considerably due to corrup­tion, dishonesty, indolence, un­bridled corruption and wide­spread impunity.

According to the President, “The result of this derailment in our value system is being felt in the social, political and economic sphere. It is the rea­son that some youths will take to cultism and brigandage in­stead of studying hard or en­gaging in decent living; it is the reason that some elements will break pipelines and other oil fa­cilities, thus robbing the nation of the much-needed resources.

“It is the reason that mon­ey belonging to our common­wealth will be brazenly stolen by the same public officials to whom they were entrusted; it is the reason why motorists drive through red traffic lights; it is the reason that many will en­gage in thuggery and vote-steal­ing during elections; it is part of what has driven our econo­my into deep problems out of which we are now working hard to extricate ourselves, “ Buhari lamented.

The President further said that, “the campaign will not be a sprint but a marathon that will run the course of our ten­ure. We are under no illusion that the changes we seek will happen overnight, but we have no doubt that the campaign will help restore our value sys­tem and rekindle our national­istic fervour.”

He expressed optimism that with the launch of the campaign which is centered on the change agenda of the present adminis­tration, “a change from the old order of things will give way to a greater and better society.”

The President however ad­vised that caution must be tak­en not to return the country back to the same vices that once plunged the country into anar­chy and normlessness.

He said: “Let us all resolve to pitch in and work hard and look after, not only ourselves but one another; what the cur­rent problem has taught us is that we cannot have a thriving army of rent seekers and vest­ed interests, while the majori­ty suffers.

“I am therefore appealing to all Nigerians to be part of this campaign. Our citizens must realise that the change they want to see begins with them, and that personal and social re­forms are not theoretic exercis­es,” he said.

In his opening remarks, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, explained that the campaign is pan-Nigerian and is devoid of any political, religious or eth­nic coloration.

“It is a campaign for all Ni­gerians, with the sole objective of achieving a paradigm shift in the way we do things. The cam­paign’s principle is simple: Each one of us must be the change we want to see in our society!

“Therefore, we will expect all the states of the federation to partner with us, especial­ly through the provision of air time on their radio and televi­sion stations. This way we can reach every Nigerian,” he said.