Buhari said this while receiving a delegation of the people of his home-state, Katsina, who came to congratulate him on his election as President, at his campaign office, in Abuja, on Saturday.
He expressed his regret that the citizens had been impoverished by 16-year maladministration by the Peoples Democratic Party despite that the country received more income in the period than at any other time in the country's history.
The President-elect said savings from his war against corruption would be ploughed into education, with the objective of empowering the citizens.
A statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Garba Shehu, quoted Buhari as saying, "If you give education to a man or woman, you have empowered them to be productive. There is no better way to empowerment."
Buhari equally expressed his commitment to multi-party democracy as the best system of government, while he appealed to all citizens to imbibe courage and perseverance.
These virtues, he said, stood him in good stead in bringing victory to him after failing three times in the past presidential elections.
The leaders of the delegation included the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Katsina State, Mustapha Inuwa; a former Governor of Katsina, Saidu Barda; a leading Muslim cleric; a representative of federal legislators; and a representative of the traditional institutions in the state.