by @NotGoodluck
I address you today, not as the President elected four years ago, not as the president that steered the ship this past years but as a man who has looked back and realized that all I am is just that; a man.
My brothers and sisters,
Our nation is at a key point in its journey, a point where decisions have to be made and these decisions determine whether we reach our potential as an entity or spend the next 4 years trying to discover our identity.
I address you today, not as the President elected four years ago, not as the president that steered the ship this past years but as a man who has looked back and realized that all I am is just that; a man.
As we gear up for the coming elections, we have campaigned far and wide, we have shared manifestos and plans, and we have listed our goals and aspirations. I however do not have the luxury of being the novice as I have been in this position for some time. I deserve to be judged more harshly than my opponents but the first judgment comes from within.
It is quite sad that we have centered our campaign on issues that have involved the loss of lives and I take full responsibility for this. Terrorism is not a foreign occurrence and as C-in-C, the responsibility of securing the citizenry of this nation lies with me. The voices of all those lost in these attacks haunt me daily and their pain pierces me deeply. Sympathy is of no use as this would not bring them back, but we can ensure that they do not die in vain by bringing this menace to an end.
A lot of questions have risen regarding my stance on several issues; the frequent bombings, the abduction of the girls and more recently, the clashes in Baga. I did not close my eyes to these happenings, I rely on the information I receive and these are mostly security driven. These and other factors informed my decisions. Was I right to take these steps? No. Would I have acted differently? I really should have. Can I right this? The decision lies in your hands.
I can speak on the achievements of this tenure, I can list a lot of promises but all of these do not matter when my family have lost faith in my ability as a father to provide them the security they deserve. Leadership is not about not failing, it is about doing what is right to ensure it isn’t repeated. The mother in the ancient city of Benin doesn’t disown her son who fails in his academic pursuits but places more trust in him by still paying his fees. I failed in keeping your homes and fields safe, I failed to bring your girls back, I failed to kick out the scourge of Boko Haram but by God, I pledge to right these wrongs with the last drop of blood I have.
I will reach out to all who have combatted this plague, seek out their wisdom, tackle these issues head on and ensure that Nigeria becomes one of the most desirable places to live in
As you make a choice of your president, I will like to thank you for the confidence you placed on me the last election and request that you enable me payback that trust. If you choose otherwise, I will accept your choice and contribute my quota to the development of this nation in whatever way I can.
Thank you for not just giving me shoes but teaching me the importance of walking right.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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The author tweets from @NotGoodluck.
Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.
Great one. We are praying that God’s will prevails in this country Nigeria.
@NotGoodluck for President!!
i swear, this is the politics we don’t play in Nigeria. give this speech and you would win hearts, people wanna see you being apologetic, take responsibility, blame less, take stance and be gracious. thats all. this is what you expect a democrat or republican in the US to do, or a labour, snp, ukip, or any other party in the uk and behold the entire world. if i was in GEJ’s shoes, this is my escape route and this would deliver my mandate. but he is sadly surrounded by ill-advisers, people who think with stomachs and pockets and not brains. it is sad, but he would have to give way, my country is bigger than any man, in 4 years, APC messes up? we jump ship back to PDP, beauty of democracy indeed. challenges left and right makes you a better leader and not an angry leader.
Really brilliant and deep. Thumbs up…The president should see this
Borno, people should take extra careful, the visit could be another means of transporting weapons, to re- equip the boko haram sec.
He pretends all the time
This should have been GEJ speech.