Information Minister Lai Mohammed Replies Obasanjo's Letter To Buhari (Full Statement)
Alhaji Lai Mohammed has responded to Ex-president, Olusegun Obasanjo's
letter to Buhari.
In a statement obtained by PoliticsNGR, Lai Mohammed listed Buhari's
achievements and gave reasons for the government's problems. The
statement read;
"We have read the press statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on
the State of the Nation.
For the record, Chief Obasanjo is a patriot, and he has proven this time and
time again. We appreciate what he said concerning the Administration's
performance in two out of the three key issues that formed the plank of its
campaign: Fighting corruption and tackling insurgency. Specifically, the former
President said President Buhari must be given credit for his achievement so far
in these two areas. We thank him for this.
Apparently, the former President believes that the Administration does not
deserve a pass mark in the area of the economy, which is the third of our
three-pronged campaign promises.
We have no doubt that in the face of massive challenges in this area, this
Administration has availed itself creditably. We believe that Chief Obasanjo,
because of his very busy schedule, may not have been fully availed of
developments in the government's efforts to revamp the economy, which was
battered by the consequences of over-dependence on a commodity as well as
unprecedented pillaging of the treasury.
Today, most of the indices by which an economy is measured are looking up.
Permit me to say, however, that Nigeria would not have exited recession
through a mere order or if the Administration had not made use of ''good
Nigerians'' who could help.
This Administration is making steady progress in its determined effort to
revamp the economy, and the results are showing:
* Foreign Reserves have peaked at $40b, the highest level in about four years,
and up from $24 billion just a year ago, even though when we came in, the
price of oil had crashed woefully.
* According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBC), headline inflation has
fallen for 11 consecutive months, standing at 15.37% as at Dec. 2017. This is
the lowest inflation rate since Jan 2017, and it has met and surpassed the
target set for inflation in the Administration's Economic Recovery and Growth
Plan (ERGP).
* Our determined implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has
stopped the hemorrhaging of the treasury. Some 108 billion Naira has been
saved from removal of maintenance fees payable to banks, pre-TSA. The
nation is being saved 24.7 billion Naira monthly with the full implementation of
the TSA.
* The elimination of ghost workers has saved the nation 120 billion Naira
* At about 1.8 billion dollars, the capital inflows in the second quarter of 2017
were almost double the $908 million in the first quarter.
* In the wake of a stable Naira and increased investment inflows, Nigeria’s
stock market emerged one of the best-performing in the world, delivering
returns in excess of 40 percent.
* Nigeria rose 24 places on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking,
and earned a place on the List of Top 10 Reformers in the world.
* According to Q3 2017 figures, agriculture export is up year-on-year by 25%,
solid minerals exports are up year-on-year by 78%, raw materials exports are
up 70% year-on-year and manufactured goods exports are up 22% year-on-
year.
* Government agencies such as the Nigeria Customs Service are reporting
highest-ever revenue collection, while JAMB, under the new management
appointed by President Buhari in 2016, remitted N7.8 billion to the coffers of
the federal government.
The total amount remitted by JAMB between 2010 and 2016 was a paltry N51
million!
These positive indices may not have immediately impacted positively on
Nigerians, but Nigerians will definitely get a new lease of life a short while
from now. This is because the good news from the agricultural sector, which
is recording a bumper harvest, will bring down the cost of foodstuffs,
especially such staple as rice, and our massive Social Investment Programme
will ease the pain of the most vulnerable in the society.
When we assumed office in 2015, some 6 million farmers were involved in rice
production. Thanks to the Anchor Borrowers' programme of this
Administration, we have grown that number to over 12 million farmers. The
result is that our rice import from Thailand alone has dropped from 644 metric
tonnes to 22,000 MT in just two years. This is phenomenal.
Apart from rice, Nigeria is also doing well in other grains,
especially Millet, Sorghum and Maize. We are now the second largest producer
of sorghum after the US, the third in millet after India and our breweries are
now enjoying local sourcing of those commodities.
For maize, we are producing 10 million tons while we need about 13 million
tons for both human and animal nutrition. Nigeria leads the world in the yam
and cassava production. We account for 70% of the world's yam production.
In two years, we hope to be the world's largest exporter of yam! Overall, our
ambition is that agriculture should rise from 25% to 40% of GDP, so that we
can banish poverty and overcome our economic anxiety.
Our Social Investment Programme is Nigeria’s most ambitious social welfare
programme ever. Currently, 5.2 million primary school children in 28,249
schools in 19 states are being fed daily; 200,000 unemployed graduates have
enlisted into the N-power Job Scheme, and a quarter of a million loans already
distributed to artisans, traders, and farmers.
Finally, our investment in infrastructure is simply unprecedented. This is
because infrastructure is key to faster economic growth and development.
Here is a synopsis of what we have done in this area:
* Power Generation at an all-time high of 7,000mw and all can be transmitted
* RAIL: Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge is on. Lagos-Ibadan sector ready 2019,
Kano-Kaduna ready 2019; The entire stretch ready 2021; Negotiations on for
Coastal Rail covering 15 cities from Lagos to Calabar.
* ROAD: 25 major highways being funded with the N100b Sukuk Bond, and all
geo-political zones are benefitting equally
This Administration is not unaware of the enormity of the challenges facing
the nation, but we are up to the task. We have taken the bull by the horns,
and long-suffering Nigerians will begin to experience a new lease of life as our
efforts yield fruits. We will not go into a state of funk for whatever reason.
On the Herders/Farmers' clashes, this Administration is determined to end the
crisis resulting from this once and for all, not minding the fact that the
clashes predate us. we urge Nigerians to have faith in the Administration's
ability to resolve the crisis, and to watch out for concrete measures in this
regard.
On whether or not President Muhammadu Buhari should run for another term,
it is true that many Nigerians have been calling on the President to run again,
while others are opposed to his return. However, we believe this issue is a
distraction for the President at this time. This is because Mr. President spends
every waking hour tackling the enormous challenges facing the nation, most of
which were bequeathed to his Administration by successive past
Administrations. He is committed to fulfilling the mandate given to him by
Nigerians in 2015. And that's where we are right now!
Finally, we have no reason to believe that former President Obasanjo has any
motive beyond the well-being of the nation in issuing his Special Press
Statement. We have also taken his admonition in good faith, and we thank
him most sincerely for taking time off his busy schedule to pen such a long
statement.
Comments
Post a Comment