President Muhammadu Buhari has called on Nigerians to embrace unity and inclusiveness to accelerate development.

Mr Buhari made the call on Saturday in Abuja at the 2023 presidential inauguration lecture, delivered by former Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta.

According to Mr Buhari, Nigerians have recognised the challenges and divisions that have tested the nation’s fabric.

“We have confronted the persistence of corruption and the imperative to empower all citizens.

“But more importantly, we have witnessed the transformative power of democracy and its immense potential for our great nation,’” he said.

Mr Buhari said that Mr Kenyatta‘s lecture had also proven that democracy was not merely a system of governance but a way of life.

“We have understood that true democracy thrives when the voices of all citizens are heard and represented regardless of their background or social status.

“The underlying philosophy of this lecture has been rooted in the belief that our nation’s progress rests on the pillars of unity, inclusiveness and shared responsibility,” he said.

He added that the task of nation-building was a collective one, transcending political affiliations and personal interests.

“As I prepare to hand over the reign of governance to the president-elect on May 29, I feel a new sense of hope hitched on the capacity of my successor,” he said.

Earlier, in his lecture “Deepening Democracy for Development and Integration”, Mr Kenyatta commended the Nigerian president for presiding over a successful transition programme.

He also commended Nigerian politicians for ensuring that the electioneering period was largely peaceful against expectations in certain quarters.

“I must take this opportunity to extend my most heartfelt congratulation to the people of Nigeria for choosing yet again to walk the more difficult path.

“To look past the challenges of a difficult election and to embrace the learnings from a maturing democracy.

“What has set Nigeria apart from any other nation in our continent today is that its leaders have chosen to disappoint naysayers and the prophets of doom.

“They have opted, instead, to express their political differences within the framework of a constitutional order,” he said.

Also,  the vice president-elect, Kashim Shettima, said democracy guaranteed freedom.

According to Mr Shettima, the survival of democracy, however, depends on using that freedom.

(NAN)