FULL TEXT: Buhari delivers final New Year's message as President to Nigerians

President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a New Year message to Nigerians.

Buhari's message captured some pressing national issues. Among them, the 2023 general election is the most important.

Here is the President's full speech:

My compatriots and compatriots.

A very Happy New Year to you.

First of all, I would like to thank and honor the Almighty who has guided us through the year 2022 and given us the opportunity to see another year. Each new year is an opportunity to reflect on the past year, reposition and move forward with the new.

As we celebrate the opportunity to be alive in 2023, we must also recognize the passing of our brothers and sisters who failed to enter this new year. May their souls rest in perfect peace.

This year is particularly important to me because this message is essentially a farewell. After having had the honor of serving you, my countrymen, for more than seven years, my tenure as your President in the most revered tradition of our ongoing and maturing democracy must necessarily come to an end. Over the next five months, we would have gone to the polls and elected a new president along with new governors and a plethora of other elected national and state officials.

All of these electoral and democratic principles work together because of the transcendent beliefs, beyond partisan politics, of you, the great citizen of Nigeria. Moreover, my personal commitment and the promise of the executive to ensure to the letter that the elections of 2023 conducted diligently by the INEC will be free and fair. The collective electoral will and votes of Nigerians will be answered, even in the twilight moments of my watch.

Reflecting on the year 2022 allows us, as a government, to examine our legacy of successes and challenges. As we celebrate our victories and examine the obstacles, we must all understand that governance is a continuum, which always places a transitional responsibility on this administration to provide the new government with a non-partisan and objective roadmap for 2023. We as than Nigeria; a country united under the will of God and actively growing as an indivisible entity, have been able, year after year, decade after decade, to walk through all the turbulent waters and come out stronger and better where d others fell and disintegrated. This has made us a unique nation across the world and our continent.

In the year 2023, Nigerians go to the polls to exercise their right to vote and elect a new administration, this is an important year for our country to ensure that we have another smooth transition of government , to whom the people decided on. This administration's historic amended election law will ensure free and fair elections across the country. We as Nigerians must also take responsibility to ensure that the 2023 elections are free and fair by not engaging in anti-state activities and other nefarious acts that may affect the conduct of the elections. . We must also resist any attempt to be used by politicians to create unrest in any form in order to disrupt elections. As a government, we will ensure that these activities are complied with to the full force of the law.

As our security agencies continue to make the country proud, we must continue to assist our patriotic forces by providing much-needed community intelligence. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that Nigeria remains safe and peaceful for all of us. Therefore, we have a duty and an obligation to support our troops and intelligence agencies by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious items. The fight against the insurgency in the North-East region has continued to register very clear victories over the past year. The Federal Government and the Borno State Government have begun the process of returning the displaced people to their ancestral homes previously taken over by the insurgents. Additionally, over 82,000 insurgents with their families have surrendered to the Nigerian Army. A number of insurgents who have surrendered are currently being treated by the rehabilitation program (Operation Safe Corridor). The fight against banditry, kidnappings and other crimes in the North West and other regions is gaining momentum and showing very clear results. One of them is the resumption of rail service along the Kaduna-Abuja corridor.

In the aftermath of EndSars, our administration took heed and instituted the ongoing police reform program based on a new presidential vision for policing in Nigeria. This new vision is part of a clear roadmap that transcends the mandate of this administration and is based on six principles: a) Building Trust and Legitimacy b) Leadership, Accountability and Oversight c) Technology and Digital Media d) Policing proximity and crime Reduction e) Training and education of officers f) Funding, officers...