President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Jigawa, said tolerance and understanding are vital to free elections.
He also said his regime had entrenched the true principles of democracy in Nigeria’s polity in the last seven years.
‘‘I must emphasise that tolerance and understanding are vital to the conduct of free elections,” Buhari said at a state banquet after inaugurating some projects executed by the Federal Government, the Jigawa State Government and the Malam Alu Farm Project, a private enterprise backed by Jigawa lawmaker, Farouk Aliyu.
This is according to a statement signed on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, titled ‘In Jigawa, President Buhari inaugurates landmark 5,700 hectares Hadejia valley irrigation scheme.’
Speaking on the general elections, the President said, “Despite some of the challenges that continued to test the process of our democracy, I strongly believe, we have witnessed in the last seven years, the entrenchment of the true principles and ideals of democratic governance in the Nigerian polity. This has been one of the hallmarks of this Administration.”
While inaugurating the 5,700 hectares Hadejia Valley Irrigation Scheme in Auyo Local Government Area, Buhari noted that the scheme would significantly contribute to Nigeria’s quest for food security, job creation and economic diversification.
Therefore, he urged the host community to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the massive irrigation infrastructure, saying, “It will be a small part in our overall quest to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.”
