Buhari seeks NASS support on corruption, restructuring

 

                 President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday solicited the support of members of the National Assembly in the fight against corruption in the country.
Buhari also sought the collaboration of the National Assembly on the budget process and restructuring of the public sector.
               The President-elect in an address at the ongoing induction of newly elected Senators and members of the House of Representatives in Abuja, said that collaboration of the Executive and the Legislature on the budget process and the restructuring of the public sector would enable the country to collectively tackle the menace of high recurrent cost at the expense of capital and human development.

He recognized the legislature as a critical component and necessary ingredient of democracy and good governance.
He added that the legislature by nature is inherently democratic in the sense that all members are equal and are elected representatives of the people.
Buhari said, “As President-elect, I recognize this fact and believe that legislators carry this heavy burden of representation with all the seriousness it deserves.”
He underscored the fact that for a president to be successful in addressing community development and general welfare of the various people of the country, he or she would benefit from working closely and in harmony with the legislative arm of government.
“I therefore commit myself to working with the legislature as development partners motivated by the desire to deliver good governance,” the President-elect stated
He listed some challenges facing the country to include – General insecurity and insurgency that has caused extreme human hardship and destruction of lives, livelihoods that may “take us over a decade to rebuild across most of North Eastern Nigeria and some parts of North western Nigeria.”
-          Devastation and environmental degradation in the Niger Delta area which must be attended to.
-       Decline in revenues due to fall in oil prices which poses a threat to Government’s capacity to deliver on reconstruction of devastated areas and the new government development agenda.
-          Endemic corruption which has crippled human and infrastructure development for decades.
-          nacceptably poor provision of power supply which has had a crippling effect on development of small businesses and indeed the wider economy.
-          Deindustrialization for the past three decades leading to closure of many industries and migration of many to other African countries.
-          Unacceptably high levels of unemployment and especially Youth Unemployment reaching over 40 per cent.
-          High cost of governance that has been crowding out capital and human development.
-          Erosion of public social services such as infrastructure, health and education and
-          ack of development in the agricultural and solid mineral sectors.
He described the challenges as the”mission of my presidency” and asked for the support of the members of National Assembly “on the battle front.”