President Buhari says Nigerians are very impatient as a people and need to chill.
President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigerians can be very impatient as a people when it comes to addressing national concerns.
The president said this during a nationwide broadcast on New Year's Day, January 1, 2018.
"In respect of political developments, I have kept a close watch on the on-going debate about “Restructuring”, Buhari said.
"No human law or edifice is perfect. Whatever structure we develop must periodically be perfected according to changing circumstances and the country’s socio-economic developments.
"We Nigerians can be very impatient and want to improve our conditions faster than may be possible considering our resources and capabilities. When all the aggregates of nationwide opinions are considered, my firm view is that our problems are more to do with process than structure".
Trial and improvement
Buhari added that with respect to trying out forms of government that work for everyone, there would be no quick fixes.
"We tried the Parliamentary system: we jettisoned it. Now there are shrill cries for a return to the Parliamentary structure. In older democracies, these systems took centuries to evolve so we cannot expect a copied system to fit neatly our purposes. We must give a long period of trial and improvement before the system we have adopted is anywhere near fit for purpose.
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"However, there is a strong case for a closer look at the cost of government and for the public services long used to extravagance, waste and corruption to change for the better. I assure you that government is ever receptive to ideas which will improve governance and contribute to the country’s peace and stability".
Nigerians have been clamouring for a restructuring of the country on the back of secessionist chants in the Southeast and skirmishes across all other geopolitical zones of the nation.
The president's address also dwelt on plans to improve the economy, infrastructure and tackle the scarcity of petrol that has almost crippled the nation.