fear of God, respect for constituted authorities and living a purposeful
life through continuous education.
The President charged the youth to seek education, not for government
jobs which are unavailable but to arm themselves with skill and ability
to fight poverty and to meet the needs of the 21st Century.
The President, who was at the Emir of Daura’s Palace for the Sallah
homage, said more time should be given to the coaching of the future
leaders, with basic knowledge of moral values, as the fast changing
world, driven by new technology, would be more competitive and
demanding.
“I was locked up for more than three years, after leading the country.
At that point, I realised and I told my children that your net worth is
what is in your head, not what you have acquired in life.
“My focus has always been on training the children to be relevant
wherever they find themselves. I told my children, particularly the
girls, that they can only get married after getting a first degree.
“They already know that I am not leaving anything for anyone to inherit.
My greatest legacy to the children is to ensure they are properly
educated,” he said.
The President noted that the younger children should be guided and
taught history, as they would find it hard to be patriotic, responsible
and respectful, without a thorough understanding of their backgrounds.
“Whoever does not have a good sense of history will easily make
mistakes.
“We should ensure the children get proper education. The knowledge they
acquire should not be towards getting government jobs. We don’t have
jobs in government anymore. With technology, governments are becoming
more smaller, nimble and efficient.
“Emphasis should now be on skills acquisition and competence in creation
and deployment of technology. During the Covid-19, we asked all level 12
downward to stay at home, and surprisingly the systems worked
effectively, the President noted.
President Buhari told the Emir of Daura, Dr Faruk Umar Faruk, that he
will be more regular in visits, preparatory to the handing over in May,
2023, adding that the prolonged absence was due to the demands of his
office.
“This is the longest I have been away from home. Infact, the Emir took
to the court of public opinion at the prayer ground, when he openly told
everyone that I had not visited Daura for close to a year,” he added.
President Buhari said all Nigerians must make sacrifices to move the
country forward, especially the public servants, calling for more
selflessness and inclusion.
“At the end, it is only God that can reward your efforts, not man,” he
said.
In his remarks, Governor Aminu Bello Masari listed the achievements of
the President to include social security, which was created to cater for
the poor, and ensure that they receive some money at the end of every
month.
“No government in the history of this country has done more to reduce
poverty like President Buhari’s administration. He asked religious and
community leaders to bring enlightenment to bear on successful
government programs such as the Social Investment Program, SIP through
which 120,000 poor citizens in 12 Local Government Areas of the state
receive a monthly payment of N5,000 and this is happening in all the
states.
“Today, we have over 863,000 children in the state being fed under the
school feeding program. This has created 10,000 jobs for women cooks,
14,000 young men and women enrolled in N-Power.
“We have food vendors who are engaged and earning their livelihood. All
the foolish talk on social media is by those who only think of
themselves. Our elites are never happy or appreciative until something
gets to their pockets,” he said.
Masari said security in the country had improved considerably, compared
to when the President came into power, reminding the Daura Emirate
Council, title holders, political leaders in the state and citizens
across the entire federation to remember the bombings if mosques and
churches before 2015 that had hindered worship, problems which explained
are no longer with us.
“Human beings forget easily. It is true that we have not reached where
we want, but efforts are being made to ameliorate the situation. Look at
the size of our security compared to the population, you will know we
all have to be involved in securing the country,” he added.
The Emir of Daura thanked the President for the infrastructural and
institutional developments in the state, saying generations will
remember and remain grateful to President Buhari.
Dr Faruk urged the President to increase his patience and tolerance as
he begins to countdown, knowing that the ultimate reward for all his
sacrifice will come from God.
“All Nigerians, both good and bad, know you are doing your best. In life
you will have people who like you, and those who do not like you. If you
have many wives, or many children, they will not like you equally.
“Some are insulting you and belittling your efforts now. Don’t worry.
They will do the same thing to the next president.
“Keep doing your best, and remain tolerant as a leader. In Daura here,
even the blind or the leader of all the blinds know that you have made a
great difference. We are grateful, and proud of you,” the Emir said.