President Muhammadu Buhari has said Nigeria is a great country when compared to what’s happening in other countries, especially those that surround it.
He urged the citizenry to appreciate what they have as the situation in the country is not parlous and troubling when compared with other countries.
The President spoke at a State Banquet in Kano at the end of his official visit to the state after commissioning some projects executed by the government and the private sector.
According to a statement by his media aide, Femi Adesina, Buhari described ongoing infrastructure development across the country as “fantastic”.
‘‘We have a great country but we do not appreciate it until we visit our neighbours and other countries where the preoccupation is for people to have one good meal a day.
‘‘When I fly by helicopter, the number of high-rise buildings I see and the amount of development on the ground are fantastic. We thank God. We thank God. We thank God,’’ the President said.
Buhari urged the elite to encourage and inspire young people to embrace education, saying whether we like it or not, we are going to leave the country for them.
‘‘They must embrace education for education’s sake. Technology has made it possible for short cuts but nothing can replace real learning. Please encourage the children to learn.
He congratulated Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State for doing very well on infrastructure, adding that his recent State visits to Kogi, Yobe, Lagos and Katsina have shown that the respective governors have done very well within the confines of funds available to them.