38 days to go, Buhari begs for forgiveness for actions that hurt Nigerians

With barely 38 days to the end of his eight-year tenure, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday asked for forgiveness from those his actions may have hurt.

Speaking inside the Banquet Hall of the presidential villa, Abuja, during a Sallah homage paid to him by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) residents led by the Minister, Mohammed Bello, he also thanked Nigerians for tolerating him.

The President praised democracy as the best form of government, saying that without it, he could not have become president after already serving as military head of state given the side of the country he hails from.

He reminded the audience that he is from the extreme corner of Nigeria, Daura in Katsina State, which he said is just eight kilometers from the Niger Republic.

Buhari said he accepts all the criticism thrown at his administration in good stead because it’s part of leadership.

Speaking on the occasion that marks his final outing as president on the Eid-el-Fitr day before handing over, Buhari said Nigerians should forgive him in any way he has hurt them, saying “all those that I have hurt, I ask that they pardon me”.

“God gave me an incredible opportunity to serve the country. We are all humans, if I have hurt some people along the line of my service to the country, I ask that they pardon me,” Buhari said.

 “I think it is a good coincidence for me to say goodbye to you, and thank you for tolerating me for almost eight years.”

Buhari said the flaunting of ethnic and religious cards in elections was “rubbish” noting that the presiding justices at the supreme court that squashed his cases were Muslims, from the north, Zaria in Kaduna state, Niger, and Jigawa.

 “I dared the politicians and ended up at the supreme court three times. They laughed at me, and I responded, ‘God dey’. God sent technology to my rescue, with permanent voter’s cards (PVC). The fraudulent people became unemployed,” he said.

On security, the president said there have been improvements, adding that  “insecurity in FCT has been marginalised”.

 “It is good to reflect on what used to happen here, in FCT, especially on security. Security is not only about the North East, but it also spread to the FCT and all over the country,” he said.

“Those who wanted to make our lives uncomfortable reached the FCT, and they have been marginalised.”

Newsflash Nigeria is an online newspaper that is developed and written exclusively for Nigerians. It’s packed with up-to-the-minute Local and National Economy News, Share & Capital Market, Health, Sports, Education, Technology, Business and Opinions.

To make further advert enquiries or place an order, please contact us at [email protected] and +2348053316946 and WhatsApp number 08033546732