Obasanjo outlines his policies

Nigerian President-elect Olusegun Obasanjo told the nation yesterday that national reconciliation would be his priority on assuming power on 29 May, state radio reported.

“They [the people] want me to restore the dignity of our country. They want me to revitalise our political institutions and reinvigorate the economy,” he told his first post-election news conference, held in Abuja.

Obasanjo also said he was determined to run an open, transparent government in which the judiciary and legislature would not be hindered. He pledged to fight corruption, resuscitate public services and provide the next generation with a “truly democratic Nigeria”.

He promised a re-examination of laws and policies that prevented genuine investment, in a measure designed to boost the economy. The badly bruised economy has been worsened by the slump in oil prices which account for some 90 percent of Nigeria’s foreign earnings.

Moreover, the parlous state of the economy has fueled mounting domestic pressure for Nigeria to withdraw its troops serving with ECOMOG in Sierra Leone. While reaffirming that the troops will leave under his administration, he said: “The issue is when they will be pulled out, and I say as soon as possible.”