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Let’s forget
the past, Yar’Adua begs Nigerians
From LUCKY NWANKWERE, JAMES OJO and JACOB EDI, Abuja
Wednesday, May
29, 2007
  It was dawn of a new
era on Tuesday with the immediate past governor of
Katsina State, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, taking over the
mantle of leadership from former President Olusegun
Obasanjo.
The new president promised to lead by example and with
the fear of God, saying he would not just be a humble
and servant-leader, but also would strive to give all a
sense of belonging in the country. He also begged
Nigerians to forget the lapses in the election that
brought him to office, promising to initiate electoral
reforms.
Dressed in white flowing babanriga, with a matching
white
cap, the new president took the oath of office and
allegiance,
administered by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Idris
Kutigi and
assisted by the chief registrar of the Supreme Court at
exactly
11.26 am to become the third executive president and the
12th
leader of the country since independence.
His deputy and former Bayelsa State governor, Dr.
Goodluck
Jonathan, also took his oath of office as vice president
of the country.
President Yar’Adua, in his inaugural address, publicly
acknowledged
the fact that the electoral process that threw him and
his deputy up was
not perfect and pledged to accord electoral reforms top
priority to ensure that the process attains
international standards.
While urging those aggrieved by the conduct of the
elections to avail themselves of the opportunity of
seeking redress through the established election
tribunals and courts, he said the country would learn
from the experiences of the past elections and make
amends.
"I believe that our experiences presented an opportunity
to learn from the past. Accordingly, I will set up a
panel to examine the entire electoral process, with a
view to effecting reforms and ensuring that the quality
and standard of our elections conform with international
standards", he stated.
The new president pleaded with Nigerians to put the past
behind them, re-adjust in conformity with the new order
and join hands with him to build a formidable country
which would be the pride of all citizens.
Said he: "Fellow citizens, I ask you all to march with
me into the age of restoration. Let us work and strive
together to restore time-honoured values of basic
honesty, decency, generosity, modesty, selflessness,
transparency and accountability.
"These fundamental values determine a society that
succeeds or fails. We must, as a nation and as a people,
choose to succeed. I pledge to set a worthy personal
example as your president.
"No matter what obstacles confront us, I have confidence
and faith in our ability to overcome them. After all, we
are Nigerians. We are a resourceful and enterprising
people and we have it within us to make our country a
better place. To that end, I offer myself as a
servant-leader. I will be a listener and doer and serve
with humility."
While paying tribute to his predecessor, Chief Obasanjo,
for laying a strong foundation upon which his
administration would build, Yar’Adua, however, said he
would focus on accelerating economic and other reforms
in a way that would make a concrete and visible
difference to the ordinary people.
He pledged that his administration would concentrate on
rebuilding key physical infrastructure and human capital
as well as creating more jobs, lowering interest rates,
reducing inflation and maintaining a stable exchange
rate, in a bid to bring about rapid growth and
development.
President Yar’Adua, who declared the crisis in the Niger
Delta a priority, said ending it was of strategic
importance to the country, while pledging to use every
resource available to him to address the situation.
He appealed to all aggrieved communities, groups and
individuals to immediately suspend violent activities
and embrace dialogue in the spirit of the new beginning,
promising, "we will find a way to achieve peace and
justice".
In addition, the president pledged to use the same
vigour to fight poverty, diseases, particularly the
HIV/AIDS pandemic, malaria and other negative influences
in the country and pleaded that the laid out plans would
only be meaningful if the people respected the rule of
law.
Accordingly, he announced his determination to
strengthen the capacity
of the law enforcement agencies, especially the police
to be alive to their
responsibilities.
He said: "Let us join together to ease the pains of
today while working for
the gains of tomorrow. Let us set aside cynicism and
strive for the good of
society that we know is within our reach. Let us discard
the habit of low
expectations of ourselves as well as of our leaders. Let
us stop justifying
every shortcoming with that unacceptable phrase, ‘the
Nigerian factor’,
as if to be a Nigerian is to settle for less.
"Let us capture the mood of optimism that defined us at
the dawn of independence, that legendary can-do spirit
that marked our Nigerianness. Let us join together now
to build a society worthy of our children. We have the
talent. We have the intelligence. We have the ability.
The challenge is great. The goal is clear. The time is
now."
Despite the low representation of the western nations on
the occasion, it was largely peaceful and hitch-free and
was witnessed by a handful of African leaders, including
Thabo Mbeki (South Africa), John Kuffour (Ghana),
Abdullahi Wade (Senegal), Faure Gnassingbe (Togo), Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia), Idris Derby (Chad), Frederic
de Menedes (Sao Tome and Principe), Mohammed Gede
(Somalia), Paul Biya (Cameroun), Hipikipunya Pohamba
(Namibia) and Yayi Boni.
The vice presidents of Uganda, Gambia, Gabon, Tanzania
and the prime minister of Cote d’Ivoire represented
their countries, while the Under Secretary for Africa,
Jendaji Fraiser and a junior minister represented the
United States of America and Britain respectively.
Conspicuously absent on the occasion were former
President Ibrahim Babangida, who has been touted as the
godfather of the new president and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari,
who contested the election with Yar’Adua.
Other former Nigerian leaders, however, attended the
event.
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