President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday implored parents to inculcate the right values in their children, including deep fear of God, respect for constituted authority and living a purposeful life through continuous education.
According to a statement signed by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the president charged the youth to seek education, not government jobs which are unavailable, and arm themselves with skill and the ability to fight poverty and to meet the needs of the 21st century.
Buhari made the pronouncement at the palace of the Emir of Daura in Katsina State when he went for the Sallah homage.
He 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.
He said: “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.”
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 background.
“Whoever does not have a good sense of history will easily make mistakes,” he said, adding, “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.”
Buhari told the Emir of Daura, Dr Faruk Umar Faruk, that he would 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. In fact, 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 said.
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 received 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 said.
Masari asked religious and community leaders to bring enlightenment to bear on successful government programmes such as the Social Investment Programme (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 programme. 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.”
Masari said security in the country had improved considerably, compared to when Buhari came to power, reminding the Daura Emirate Council, title holders, political leaders in the state and citizens across the entire federation to remember the bombings of mosques and churches before 2015 that had hindered worship, problems which he said are no longer with us.
The governor added: “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.”
The Emir of Daura thanked the president for the infrastructural and institutional developments in the state, saying generations will remember and remain grateful to him.
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.”
