Ahead of his second term starting on May 29 this year, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration will prioritise merit and national spread in making political appointments.
The president, who made this comment when the leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), led by Rev Dr Samson Ayokunle, visited him at the State House, also assured the Christian leaders that he would leave Nigeria better than he met it in 2015.
The president, in a statement by his special adviser in media, Femi Adesina, further pledged that his administration would continue to address important national challenges, including security, economy and corruption.
LEADERSIP Weekend reports that the president’s statement will come as a welcome relief in parts of the country especially as he has been serially accused of being lopsided in making appointments to public offices.
The CAN leadership was at State House to congratulate President Buhari on his re-election, and in his response, the president told the delegation that the outcome of the just concluded polls underscored the trust Nigerians had in the present leadership in the country.
‘‘We will continue to strive for peaceful co-existence among all Nigerians irrespective of their religious beliefs.
‘‘In the area of allocation of political offices, our focus will be on merit and national spread, such that every part of Nigeria will have a sense of belonging.
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‘‘We remain resolute in the fight against terrorism and insurgency, and efforts to bring back all those in captivity and other victims of kidnappings will be intensified,’’ the president said.
Commending the important roles religious bodies have played in the last four years of the administration, President Buhari pledged to continue supporting several programmes anchored by the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) which are geared towards promoting peace, tolerance, unity and harmony in the country.
In his congratulatory message, the CAN president, Rev Ayokunle, prayed God to grant President Buhari ‘‘everything it takes to perform hundred times better than’’ his first term, stressing that the organisation had the success of this administration at heart.
He welcomed the president’s pledge to run an all-inclusive government in a speech he made shortly after his re-election, noting that the gesture would give all in the country a sense of belonging.
The leadership of the Christian body in Nigeria also called for regional and religious balance in the selection of the leadership of the ninth National Assembly.
While appealing to the president to task security agencies to be more proactive in their duties, the CAN leader made a passionate request for the administration to make concerted efforts to rescue Leah Sharibu, the remaining Chibok girls and others Nigerians held in captivity by insurgents.
