President Muhammadu Buhari has asked all political parties in Nigeria to put elections and election-related disagreements aside and join the administration’s fight against insecurity, IgbereTV reports
Buhari’s spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, said the president made the call at an Iftar meal in Abuja with political parties and representatives of the business community late Tuesday night.
According to the presidential adviser, the president described insecurity as the country’s “shared adversary.”
He added, that “Without mass, popular support to our hard working Armed Forces, it will take us much longer to finish off the successful war we are waging against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
”Our country must be kept safe for progress and prosperity to be entrenched.
‘‘I look forward to seeing the reflection of this spirit in the relationship between the parties and the government, especially as the electioneering season will soon be on us,” the President said.
‘‘Today, we can proudly say that we have a political system that allows political parties of all views and persuasions, reflecting the diversity of our nation to co-exist, and contest for elections at all levels of government without fear or institutional bias and pressure,” he said.
On the ease of doing business in Nigeria President Buhari stated that his administration had made significant progress in strengthening the economic climate.
As a result, he asked the corporate sector to support the government’s efforts to reduce poverty and create jobs for young people.
‘‘No administration has done as much as we have done in the creation of a climate best suited for business, big and small, to thrive.
‘‘The ease of doing business index that is globally recognized has acknowledged that the ease with which business is carried out in the country has never been better than it is today. We will continue to make it better.
‘‘We will equally continue to count on the support of the private sector to improve economic growth and create new job opportunities for our teeming population.
‘‘Employment is critical to stability and prosperity of our country. Government and the private sector, working together, have an opportunity to transform the lives of people in ways that was hard to imagine in the past,’’ Buhari noted.
