President Muhammadu Buhari said other world leaders are jealous of him because of the support his government received from the private sector in Nigeria.
Buhari disclosed this at the commissioning and handover of security equipment valued at over N12 billion to the military and Nigeria Police Force on Wednesday.
The items were donated by the Coalition of Private Sector Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), a group of eminent Nigerian industrialists, including Aliko Dangote and Herbert Wigwe, who also pooled N40 billion to combat COVID-19 across the country.
Speaking at the event, Buhari said the overwhelming support his government had been receiving from the private sector in addressing the nation’s social challenges was enough to make him the “envy of many presidents of the world.”
He said: “Ladies and gentlemen. Today is indeed a very happy day for all Nigerians, and I can happily say that I am the envy of many Presidents in the world.
“I am exceedingly honoured to be the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, at this time.
“I am gratified to have the honour of leading a country whose private sector willingly galvanises itself to raise funds to enthusiastically support government in resolving social ills.
“I am proud to say that there is nowhere in the entire world, except in Nigeria, where the private sector has voluntarily come together to assist government efforts.”
President Buhari, on behalf of all Nigerians, thanked members of CACOVID, its leadership team and technical committee, for their support and patriotism.
“This final gesture from CACOVID as you wind down your activities is equally very important. Thank you for supporting our administration’s efforts to strengthen the police and military as we face the security challenges that all modern nations face.
“These 350 vehicles and thousands of vests and helmets you are handing over today will go a long way in boosting the capacity of our forces,” he said.
According to the President, in its drive to ensure a golden Nigeria, CACOVID, which also received the support of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), expanded its scope beyond combating COVID-19.
He added that following the unsavoury national unrest in 2020 and the continuing security challenges in parts of the country, the coalition again galvanised support among private sector organisations to support the Federal Government in surmounting the security challenges.
“In this regard, the coalition commendably raised N12 billion, which was used to procure critical security equipment for our domestic law enforcement and defence organisations,” Buhari said.
The following state-of-the-art security vehicles and equipment were procured for use by law enforcement agencies in Abuja and Lagos:
100 units of 14-tonnes Tata trucks; 100 units of 12 tonnes Tata trucks; 106 units of Toyota vans; 64 units of Nissan Navara vans; 13,000 ballistic vests; 26,000 ballistic plates and 13,000 ballistic helmets.
KanyiDaily recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari also claimed that he hasn’t disappointed Nigerians because he served the country to the best of his ability.