President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to end election violence in Nigeria before the next general elections holding 2019.
He said it was regrettable that the recent rerun elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Rivers were marred by violence.
He noted that more Nigerians were killed in Rivers than in any particular state adding that it was shameful for Nigerians to be brutal to themselves.
"As a government, I promise we will do something by the next general election," President Buhari said yesterday in remarks at the meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of his All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.
He promised to leave a legacy which he would like to be remembered for.
"... even if I have to leave the Presidency tomorrow I want all Nigerians to believe and hold their PVC as personal entitlement as Nigerians and use it the way they like, and vote for whoever they like at whichever election.
He stressed that the law enforcement agencies should give them the confidence that "nobody, who has money, will come out to hire thugs, give them drugs and stop them from exercising their fundamental right."
The President spoke on a wide range of issues including security, economy, corruption and policy.
He appealed to party leaders and members to sink their personal and ideological differences for the good of the party and Nigeria.
He said the government had made progress in the fight against the insurgency after taking what he called a courageous decision to remove the military hierarchy and replace them.
He, however, said that the insurgents "still have nuisance capabilities" by attacking mosques, churches, and motor parks among others.
He stated that the fall in the price of crude oil had made Nigeria's mono-economy a "disaster" saying the government had decided to make agriculture and solid minerals alternative sources of revenue.
He said over N3 trillion saved through the implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA) would be allocated to the rest of the country when the budget was approved by the legislature.
He said the money would have been mismanaged if the TSA was not introduced.
"I was made to understand that vouchers would have quickly been raised towards the end of the financial year and cheques made. Whether they will go into projects or private pockets, nobody can prove it to you. But that money is there. It is identified."
He said unlike in the past, with the re-organisation of the NNPC the country could now determine the quantity of crude oil being lifted and the amount involved.
On the prosecution of crude oil thieves, Buhari said it could not be done like it was done under military rule.
"I see some of them ride Rolls Royce, some of them have built estates here, but they are innocent until we can prove them guilty.
He said: "This situation is true and you don't need to stress your imagination to find out. If you can find out, you discover that a level eight officer has five houses, while you, as a Permanent Secretary or Commissioner is still living in a rented house.
We have to get credible evidence to carry out successful prosecution and get judgement from the Judiciary."
The President shrugged off criticism about his frequent foreign trips.
"For globetrotting, sometimes, you need to present your case on personal basis to your economic colleagues and neighbours.
"Nothing is better than personal touch and I believe that we are learning a lot and eventually, the nation will realise it."
He appealed to the party leaders to be patient with criticism from their constituencies. "So, I don't envy you on the harassment you are going through from your constituencies. Take it with a lot of determination and we will be all right, God willing," he said.
He charged party leaders and members to support the efforts of the federal government despite the challenges they faced while explaining the reasons why the party had not fully met their expectations.
He said the government had to apologise and make a u-turn over the decision to sack the boards of some federal universities after realising that it was made in errors.
He said, "For the party, I will like you to continue to make sacrifice. I know you are being harassed since the election that they haven't seen anything on the ground. Well, if you have any explanation that could be accepted, it is that you have three more years to go. "When we came in after 16 years of PDP, each government had 42 ministries. We reduced them to 24, removed 21 Permanent Secretaries. We sat down and reflected seriously. "We were all in the process of taking over at a time of national budget.
"So, imagine the volume of work and with what happened in the National Assembly, the padding, it would appear that below the Permanent Secretaries, there are still a lot of bureaucracies that are still with them.
"So, you have to appreciate the position we are in. Having cut 42 (ministries) to 24, correspondingly, the parastatals will be cut down to some size and realigned and the boards reconstituted.
"We gave a blanket order which we had to rescind when we said all boards are suspended or dissolved. We had to go back and lick our vomit in terms of university boards because we found out that according to their laws, they cannot choose Vice Chancellors unless the Boards sit down, interview prospective candidates who want to be VCs. So, there is nothing wrong in saying sorry and going back on your decision.
"So, we said sorry and allow all the universities to continue with their boards. But for the rest, eventually, we will make it. So, please, try to bear with us as we reflect on where we found ourselves."
In the Niger Delta, Buhari said the militants were sending "some conflicting messages" by saying that they were ready to drop their arms and join the rest of the nation to build it at a time some "part of them are still sabotaging installations", thereby making investments in the area difficult.
"Nobody will submit his riches to financial institutions and get money only to suffer huge losses. So, the environment for investment is being sabotaged by our own selves, Nigerians.
"We are doing our best with the militants by trying to persuade them to join the rest of the country because in unity lies our strength," he said.
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