President Muhammadu Buhari has said since the return of democracy to Nigeria in 1999, no government can beat the efforts of his administration in terms of putting Nigeria back on track.
The president said this in his Independence Day broadcast on Friday.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo kick-started the current democratic dispensation in 1999 and handed it over to late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua in 2007.
Yar’adua’s tenure was cut short by sickness and Jonathan, his then deputy stepped into office in 2010 until Buhari defeated him in 2015.
In his broadcast, Buhari said it was unfortunate that critics misdiagnose the progress of his administration as stagnation.
“A lot has been achieved in the last six years on many fronts: in infrastructure, social care, governance, Nigeria’s image and influence in Africa and the international community.
“But critics misdiagnose incremental progress as stagnation. Since coming to power, this Administration has tackled our problems head-on despite the meagre resources. No government since 1999 has done what we have done in six years to put Nigeria back on track.
“We shall continue to serve the country: listen to all and protect our democracy and country.
Buhari said most Nigerians still maintained the spirit of October 1 despite the challenges being faced as a nation.
“That positive outlook and determination to make Nigeria a peaceful and prosperous nation. It is due to this collective attitude that Nigeria doggedly continues to remain a united and indivisible nation,” he added.
On COVID-19, he directed the Ministries of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Health, Education and Science and Technology to work with Nigerian and International pharmaceutical companies and research organisations to enhance Nigeria’s domestic pharmaceutical capacity.
“Already, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority is raising a $200 million fund for this initiative that will complement the Central Bank of Nigeria’s ongoing N85 billion Healthcare Sector Research and Development Intervention Scheme to support local researchers in the development of vaccines and drugs to combat communicable and non-communicable diseases, including COVID-19,” he added.
