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The President-elect, Bola Tinubu on Thursday pledged to address the security and power crises, among other challenges confronting the country.
Tinubu who was handed the transition report by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), promised not to disappoint Nigerians.
He said this shortly after his investiture with the country’s highest national honour of Grand Commander of Federal Republic alongside the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima who was honoured with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger by the President.
The investiture ceremony took place at the State House Conference Centre of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as part of the lineup of events for the 2023 Presidential Inauguration Ceremony slated for Monday.
The ex-Lagos State governor said he understood the honour conferred upon him and his VP-elect and the magnitude of the task ahead.
He appealed to Buhari to entertain “knocks” on his doors whether he retires to Daura or the Niger Republic.
He said, “I am a simple man who is the beneficiary of the support and goodwill of the people of Nigeria. The people have put their trust in us. You have done your part, Mr President.
“Now, that great duty descends on me. I understand the meaning of the honour given to me today and of the task that awaits.
“I must run this race and must do it well. On security, the economy, agriculture, jobs, education, health and power and in all other sectors we must make headway. The people deserve no less. In this, I shall disappoint neither them nor you, Mr President.’’
After performing the handover of transition documents and transferring the baton of service to Tinubu, the President said he was confident to leave Nigeria in “capable hands.”
He said the conferment of the national honours was in accordance with the Honours Award Act, 1963, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004 which mandates that Presidents/Heads of State receive the Honour of GCFR while the Vice Presidents are awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger.
“Today, with the authority vested in me, as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I have conferred the National Honour of GCFR on His Excellency Bola Tinubu and that of the GCON on His Excellency Kashim Shettima respectively,” he said.
Buhari said he had run a good race and finished his course as Nigeria’s leader for the past eight years.
“I am confident that Nigeria is in capable hands as we embark on this new chapter. I have run a good race. I have finished my course. It is now time for another to take up the baton. Once again, I congratulate President-elect, Bola Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima on their well-deserved investiture,’’ he said.
Buhari lauds regime
The outgoing President left a note of advice for the incoming administration saying, “As we celebrate this auspicious occasion, let us not forget the immense responsibilities that come with leadership. The challenges facing our nation are significant, and the President and Vice President have to address them with courage, wisdom, and compassion.’’
He also noted that the transfer of transition documents aligns with Executive Order No. 14 (2023) which he signed to avoid a repeat of the transition hitches his regime suffered when he came on board in 2015.
“To avoid a repeat of our 2015 experience, I signed Executive Order No. 14 of 2023, which establishes the legal framework for conducting presidential transitions at the federal level.
“The Executive Order establishes the Presidential Transition Council chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Ministerial Transition Teams headed by the Permanent Secretaries.
“The primary responsibility of these two ad-hoc bodies is to ensure that every piece of information that will help a new administration get off to a speedy start is made available in a usable format and promptly,” he explained.
Earlier, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Transition Council, said the work done by the Buhari regime would give the Tinubu administration a “strong foundation” to perform its mandate.
At the event was the First Lady Aisha Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Ministers, the spouses and children of the President-elect and Vice President-elect, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Adamu, several state governors, traditional rulers, amongst others.
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