President Buhari was in Abuja on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at the inauguration and handover of 12 billion Naira worth of security equipment to the military and the Nigeria Police Force.
The items were donated by the Coalition of Private Sector Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) – a group of eminent Nigerian industrialists, including Aliko Dangote and Herbert Wigwe, who had also pooled 40 billion Naira to combat COVID-19 in the country.
While addressing the gathering President Buhari empahsised that he was envied because of the support his government gets from the private sector.
Buhari Speech
He said: “Today is indeed a very happy day for all Nigerians, and I can happily say that I am the envy of many Presidents in the world”.
He says: “I am exceedingly honoured to be the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, at this time.
“I am gratified to have the honour of leading a country whose private sector willingly galvanises itself to raise funds to enthusiastically support government in resolving social ills.
“I am proud to say that there is nowhere in the entire world, except in Nigeria, where the private sector has voluntarily come together to assist government efforts”.
People Also Read: 2023 Elections: Police Restrict vehicles movement, Ban Escorts
President Buhari described the “final gesture from CACOVID” as “equally very important”.
“Thank you for supporting our Administration’s efforts to strengthen the Police and Military, as we face the security challenges that all modern nations face.
“These 350 vehicles and thousands of vests and helmets you are handing over today will go a long way in boosting the capacity of our forces,” he added.
The security vehicles and equipment procured for use by law enforcement agencies in Abuja and Lagos are 100 14-ton Tata trucks; 100 12-ton Tata trucks; 106 Toyota vans; 64 Nissan Navara vans; 13,000 ballistic vests; 26,000 ballistic plates and 13,000 ballistic helmets.
In his remark, Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote listed Folorunsho Alakija, Tony Elumelu, Segun Agbaje, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Femi Otedola, Adesola Adeduntan, Karl Toriola, Haresh Aswani, Raji Gupta and John Coumantaros as the moving forces behind CACOVID, who contributed several billions of Naira each and supported the CACOVID effort with advocacy and their teams.
