Two years into the first tenure of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, the federal government has described its achievements as unprecedented.
Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made government’s position known in an interview with Journalists to commemorate the two years anniversary of the present administration.
Mohammed noted that the federal government has done exceedingly well in the area of security, revamping of the economy, anti-corruption war and every other area where the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) had promised to effect change during the 2015 presidential campaign.
His words: “I say with all sense of humility that what the government has achieved in the area of fight against terrorism is unprecedented. People often forget that at the time the president was being sworn-in on May 29, 2015, over 20 out of 27 local governments in Borno State alone were under the effective control of Boko Haram.
“About that time also, about four local governments in Adamawa Stare and about two or three in Yobe State were under the effective control of Boko Haram, to the extent that they even hoisted their flags, which means that the territorial integrity of the country had been breached. As we speak today, no single square meter of this country is under Boko Haram insurgents. Even the Ground Zero, which is Sambisa forest, has now been taken over by the army.
“People have forgotten that until this administration dislodged the Boko Haram insurgents, Nigerians from the North- eastern part of the country for many years could not visit their homes because of insecurity. Roads were blocked, lives were unsafe, schools were closed, hospitals were closed. But we have returned normalcy to these areas so much so that as we speak today, the Nigeria football league is played weekly in Maiduguri. And I think this is an achievement that is under-celebrated by Nigerians”.
He noted that the Buhari-led government has also made tremendous impact on the economy by reversing its negative growth and also diversifying economy from a mono-economy that largely depended on oil to one that is now also making earnings through Agriculture and Solid minerals.
Accordingly, he noted that government has dramatically reversed the negative growth of the economy.
He said, “The picture you have painted from your question above is far from the truth as I will prove soon. The number of sub-sectors of the economy experiencing negative growth has almost been halved, falling from 29 sub-sectors for the whole of 2016 to 16 in Q1 2017. Growth in manufacturing has returned to positive territory after five quarters of negative growth. It grew by 1.36% in Q1 2017 after falling to -7.0% in Q1 2016.
“Our priority sectors of Agriculture and Solid Minerals, they have seen improved performance, in spite of the recession. Agriculture grew by 4.11% in 2016, while Solid Minerals recorded a 7% increase. The contribution of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development to the Federation Account tripled to about N2 billion in 2016, up from N700m in 2015.
“This government has made savings even at a time of low oil prices and by implication low government revenues. Nigeria’s External Reserves have grown by US$7 billion since October 2016. The Sovereign Wealth Fund has seen inflows of US$500m in 2016 and 2017 (the first inflows since the original US$1bn with which the Fund kicked off in 2012), and the Excess Crude Account has seen an inflow of US$87m, in 2017.
“You look at Phasing Out of Subsidy Regimes for Petroleum Products and Fertilizers. The Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria combined with a newly developed soil map designed to aid fertilizer application substantially raised local production of grains in 2016, yields improved from 2 tonnes per hectare to as much as 7 tonnes per hectare, in some states and produced a model agricultural collaboration between Lagos and Kebbi States. Equally, Nigeria’s rice imports fell from 580,000 MT in 2015 to 58,000MT in 2016.
“Moreover, the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative which involves a partnership with the Government of Morocco, for the supply of phosphate), has resulted in the revitalization of 11 blending plants across the country. The benefits include annual savings of US$200 million in foreign exchange, and 60 billion annually in budgetary provisions for fertilizer subsidies. The Scheme has also made it possible for Farmers to purchase fertilizer at prices up to 30 percent cheaper than previously available”.
Mohammed also explained that the Buhari-led government has been supporting Small Scale entrepreneurs through an initiative termed Support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
He stated that the administration has launched series of funding and capacity development initiatives designed to support MSMEs across the country.
The minister continued: “The new Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) is finally taking off, with initial funding of US$1.3 billion provided by the World Bank, German Development Bank, the African Development Bank and Agence Française de Development) to provide medium and long-term loans to MSMEs.
“The MSME Clinic, which brings relevant Government Agencies and their managements together with small businesses operating in various cities across the country, to enable the Agencies provide direct support to these businesses. The Interactions allow the Agencies to better understand the issues facing small businesses, and provides a platform for speedy resolution”.
In the area of infrastructural development, Mohammed stated that the Buhari Administration has demonstrated a single-minded commitment to upgrading and developing Nigeria’s Transport Infrastructure.
Noting that road projects are ongoing across every state of the federation, he said many of these projects had been abandoned in recent years because of mounting debts owed by the federal government to contractors.
He added that the administration is also pushing ahead with the revitalization of Nigeria’s 3,500km network narrow-gauge railway.
On the anti-corruption war which was part of the change mantra that brought the government to power, Mohammed observed that for the first time in Nigeria, corruption has been driven under the table, unlike before when it used to be negotiated openly.
He stated: “Secondly, we have been able to make Nigerians understand the cost of corruption to their lives. That it is largely because of corruption that we have no infrastructure; that it is largely due to corruption that thousands of young people are roaming the streets without any job; that it is largely because of corruption that we have a society that has placed value on consumption and not production.
“Our goal is to put in place a strong foundation which will be irreversible by anybody; to ensure that henceforth, probity, transparency and accountability become the watchword for any public official”.
