President Muhammadu Buhari has admitted that the task before his administration to make good his electoral promises and set the country on the way of prosperity is not an easy one, but added that his team was trusting in God to deliver.

President Buhari made the comments during the Graduation Ceremony of Course 24 of the National Defence College, Abuja where he was the Special Guest of Honour.

He said, “Let me assure you all that this administration is committed to bequeathing to this nation, a new orientation in leadership that will be service-driven and committed to the realisation of its promises to the electorates.

“We are however not under any illusions that this task is an easy one. But we have put our trust in God, knowing that with hard work and sound vision, we will triumph.”

The President expressed delight that in the last one year, through the hard work, dedication and sacrifices of the armed forces and security services, the scourge of terrorism as being orchestrated by Boko Haram insurgents has been largely contained.

“Let me state that this administration has been working assiduously in conjunction with our local and international partners, to rebuild damaged communities in North East part of our country,” he added.

He also said that he has mandated security agencies to, as a matter of urgency, bring to an end the incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers, adding that his administration would not condone any act of criminality.

“On the matter of herdsmen/farmers clashes, I wish to state that this administration will not tolerate or condone acts of banditry and criminality, under any guise. As such, our security agencies have been mandated to deal with such acts decisively.

President Buhari also pledged his administration’s commitment to tackling the issues of underdevelopment and neglect in the Niger Delta area, which has resulted in the resurgence of militant activities and violence in the oil-rich region.

“This is a priority we have set before us and we intend to make appreciable gains in correcting the ills of the past in the Niger Delta by assuaging inherent grievances,” he said.

Buhari said Nigeria had made tremendous progress in the last one year towards taking her rightful position in the comity of nations.

He said, “International confidence in our country and its future is beginning to return, because of how we are slowly finding ways to solve our problems.

“The nation is beginning to have faith in the ability of our society’s institutional capacity to tackle our problems. But we must work doubly hard to restore our nation to higher glory.

“The Nigerian Armed Forces have proven to be equal to the task of maintaining our internal and external security.”

The President promised to continue to build on the progress in the coming years so as to ensure that Nigeria maintains the heights it had achieved, adding that it is a task that all Nigerians must resolve to do.

Buhari said Nigeria needs a philosophy of transparency and accountability in governance to tap the nation’s vast opportunities and eliminate corruption and poverty which remains the country’s main problems.

“Good governance must be based on a sound moral foundation, a philosophy of transparency, accountability and an ethic of effective implementation.

“Already, our unrelenting fight against criminality and corruption in governance is a clear testament that we intend to address these problems,” he said.

For the graduating military personnel, Buhari said he expected that they would all have made the most of their time on the course and be ready to join the ongoing process to change Nigeria for the better.