General Buhari New year message

The presidential candidate on the platform of the
opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) General
Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) greeted Nigerians with
coming 2015 New Year.
It should be noted that General Buhari is key opponent
of incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015
general elections.
Read his message in full below:
“As we welcome the year 2015, I have shared a message
to Nigerians in general, but I find it crucial to send
another message directly to Nigeria’s youth, who are the
major stakeholders of this enterprise.
The year 2014 was a challenging one for most citizens of
our dear country.
We remember our compatriots who were brutishly
killed or maimed by evil terrorists in 2014. I remember
with a still broken heart that 219 of our children from
Chibok are yet missing, let down by a country that
should protect them. I remember that, even as I speak,
some of our towns and villages are yet under the
occupation of Boko Haram.
Yes, it is enough for you to despair. It is enough for you
to wonder if your country cares about you and can
protect you. But do not despair.
2015 has arrived at a time of great discomfort; but the
beauty of the New Year is that we can look forward with
renewed hope and the knowledge that things can and
will change.
In Nigeria’s case, we can truly look forward to the
change that the elections can, and will, bring. Our
country will be secure again. Our country will prosper
again.
I have faith that 2015 is the year we shall begin to write
a new story – a story of our youth creating jobs and
expanding the frontiers of innovation and creativity
everywhere from Mavin Records to the Co-Creation Hub;
a story of genuine investment in our children and
students be they in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka or
in the Delta State University, Abraka; a country that
finally makes a permanent shift from our debilitating
dependence on the free-falling price of crude oil.
I have unshakeable faith that 2015 will be the year of
change.
Now some of you have asked me: what exactly does
‘change’ mean?
I have taken time to explain this at different
opportunities, but on this special day, let me remind
you in five short statements.
Change means:
A country that you can be proud of at anytime and
anywhere: where corruption is punished, where your
leaders are disciplined and lead with vision and clarity;
where the stories that emerge to the world from us are
full of hope and progress.
A Nigeria in which neither yourselves, nor your parents,
families or friends will have to fear for your safety, or
for theirs.
A Nigeria where citizens get the basics that any country
should provide: infrastructure that works, healthcare
that is affordable, even free; respect for the
environment and sustainable development, education
that is competitive and outcome-oriented in a
knowledge-economy.
A country that provides jobs for its young people,
reducing unemployment to the lowest of single digits
and providing safety nets so that no one is left behind.
A Nigeria where entrepreneurship thrives, enterprise
flourishes and the government gets out of your way so
that you can create value, build the economy and
aggressively expand wealth.
Are these things truly possible? Of course. That is the
essence and outcome of leadership, and that is what my
party and I promise you as we get into 2015.
My dear friends, this New Year, more than ever before, I
am hopeful about Nigeria.
Yes, you are disappointed and you are angry, as you are
entitled to, but you must never give in to the
temptation to feel so weighed down by those who have
failed you that you lose your hope and your energy and
your passion to see change. You must never give up on
Nigeria.
Together, we can build a nation that is secure,
prosperous and gives everyone a fair chance.
This is the promise that 2015 holds. That is the promise
that change will bring. That is the promise that I bring
to you.
Once again, I wish everyone a happy and prosperous
New Year.
Thank you and God bless Nigeria.”