We’re Tackling Banditry, Kidnapping With Superior Firepower – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that even though Nigeria’s security challenges are daunting, they are surmountable. He expressed optimism that the country will soon overcome them because his administration is confronting them with “superior firepower, strategies, and resolve.”

Buhari stated that the federal government had evolved workable policies, measures, and made laws to strengthen the country’s unity and also lift most Nigerians out of poverty to prosperity.

The president spoke yesterday in Abuja at the 11th triennial delegates’ conference of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

Represented at the event by the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, the president added that the federal government was tackling banditry, kidnapping and other crimes through greater support for the security forces such as adequate funding, provision of modern equipment and engagement of improved local intelligence.

He said: “We are meeting these challenges with superior strategy, firepower and resolve. I can assure you that we will win the war against terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and farmers-headers clashes.”

On the implementation of the new minimum wage of N30,000, the president said that his administration believes in the welfare of workers which informed his signing the Minimum Wage Bill into law and its.

The president therefore charged the state governments and the private sector to give their workers a decent and living wage to encourage them to contribute more to the economy.

According to him, “We have tried to build a solid foundation for our dear country in the last four years. These efforts have begun to yield results. The economy is making a steady progress and our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow by 2.7 per cent this year. Our external reserves have risen to $45 billion and can finance a number of our foreign commitments.

“With the steps taken to integrate rural economies to the national grid, provide credits and inputs to rural farmers and micro-businesses, as well as providing the enabling environment for business in Nigeria, our people will be liberated from the shackles of poverty. We will try to create 10 million jobs yearly to continue to boost the economy and make life better for our people.

“Our government will continue to improve on our National Development Plans and initiatives. We will concentrate on agriculture, education, power and other infrastructure, manufacturing and social intervention schemes. We will promote good governance and fight corruption to a standstill.

“This government will continue to build institutions and machineries to fight corruption. If we don’t kill corruption now, we will not have a country to handover to our unborn generations, hence, the need for everyone to be involved in this fight to finish,” he said.

In his address, the outgoing TUC president, Kaigama Bobboi, said that the increment of the minimum wage would boost the morale of the workers.

He commended the states that have agreed to pay and warned governors who claimed not to have the resources to do same.

Bobboi warned them that the workers are angry even as he urged the government to address poverty and unemployment in the country through people oriented policies

The TUC boss affirmed government only cannot create jobs, but remarked that it can create an environment where businesses can thrive.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Ayuba Wabba, said that the workers would fight state governors who refused to implement the new minimum wage.

He said that workers would continue to push for their right to improved welfare and social protection.