Governor Ayodele Fayose has asked the striking workers in the state to enjoy their strike and is waiting for them to return to work when they are tire.
In a broadcast to the people of the state on Thursday, Fayose said: “I don’t have powers to go on strike, we shall be waiting till when they come back. But they must realise that strike is not the best option.”
The governor confessed that e he had no immediate solution to the demands of striking workers, adding that he cannot sell himself or his family to raise funds for the workers.
He wanted the workers to understand that strike is not an option and that the monthly wage bill was over N2bn but the state received as low as N751m in April.
“Right now, I’m helpless. It is difficult to sell myself, my family or my property. I can only depend on what I get from Abuja. I want workers to understand that it is my priority to make them comfortable.
“Even before going on their strike, I got to know that many of them no longer come to office while many others were coming late to office. Why I refused to come hard on those involved was that I had no moral justification to do so since I knew we were owing them.
“Even in Government House, we don’t have money to power generators with diesel, whereas, I cannot sell myself or members of my family to raise funds, things are that difficult,” Fayose said.
Reacting to the governor’s broadcast, the NLC Chairman in the state, Raymond Adesanmi, said that there was no going back on the strike, saying: “we are not saying the government should pay all the money at once. What we are asking for is a commitment. There should be a structured plan of how to settle all the arrears. When government is ready to dialogue, we will be waiting.”
The organized labour in Ekiti on Thursday began an indefinite strike to press home the demand for the outstanding five months salaries of workers. [myad]
Twelve months ago, President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He came to power following the decisive victory of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC over the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP and its candidate, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. The victory ended the 16-year reign of the PDP.
President Buhari campaigned on a promise to fight Boko Haram terrorism and secure the whole country, fight corruption and develop the economy to the point that it creates jobs for the teeming unemployed.
The campaign message caught on very well with most Nigerians, against the desperate efforts of the Jonathan administration which deployed incumbency as tool for its own campaign. They literally threw the kitchen at candidate Buhari. The government media were used against the opponent. The private media sold their outlets to a free-spending government pouring out venom, hate speech, libel and defamation. The public treasury was personalized and its content poured into a campaign that shared out money for weapons purchase to fight Boko Haram terrorism into the pockets of party leaders and their campaign staff. The Army which served as the glue that held the country as one through the years was compromised to such extent that they claimed not to be aware that a former General in the Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari had a secondary school certificate. Of course the certificate resurfaced shortly after he won the election.
President Buhari came to office amidst massive hope and expectation at home and abroad, that here at last was a leader who would stop the slide and lead Nigeria to progress, development and the realization of her destiny. The mood all over Nigeria, the continent and the world at the time he took over was euphoric.
In line with the promises made, Nigeria under Muhammadu Buhari has begun to show that it will be a radically different country than one the world had become used to. Here is a proof of that:
Promise of Transparency and Accountability
A promise kept by the President is of a government that not only preached but also practiced transparency and accountability. The President and the Vice President made public their assets as declared before they took office on May 29th.
For the first time in the annals of our Executive-Legislative relations, this country had all ministers nominated screened and passed without any casualty. What is important is that not a single incident was reported involving exchange of money in bribery of parliamentarians. The President’s first budget, the 2016 appropriations bill was passed, even though after some delays, without the usual bribery allegations that attended the passage of budgets. The Senate and the House under their current leadership must themselves be proud of this happening at this time.
While still on the budget, the President must take credit for the exposure of a particular kind of fraud, the padding of budget, itself a known and ongoing practice until the whistle was blown by diligent ministers and parliamentarians. For once, the country has a budget, the 2016 appropriations bill that is rid of added billions ending up in the pockets of officials. By putting these changes in place, the government has established a model for transparency in public expenditure.
Implementing the Treasury Single Account,TSA
The President has been trying to right the many wrongs things he inherited, especially in terms of securing government revenues which leaked or were out rightly diverted to private accounts.
President Buhari didn’t invent the TSA. What he did is to bring political will to bear on its implementation.
By this, government has a snapshot at any given time of incoming revenue and expenditure following the centralization of government accounts domiciled at the Central Bank.
At the last count, the President said he had saved the country money in excess of three trillion Naira which would otherwise have been wasted or shared out to officials at the end of the financial year.
Minimum Government
The President kept his promise to reduce superfluity in government administration by cutting down on the number of ministers, ministries and government departments. The delay in the coming of ministers was first to reduce the number of ministries, and then set a new set of ground rules to stop the theft of government resources through systemic leakages. Boards of directors will come only when the President is satisfied that agencies of government are brought in line with existing ministries structure and that a new foundation is laid, in all cases, to replace the rotten past that allowed a free-for-all when it came to dealing with public assets.
Fighting Insecurity/Stabilizing the State
The first priority of this government as repeatedly mentioned by the President, is security. “You must secure the country before you can manage it well”, is a classic statement the President has continued to repeat. Where we stand on this today is best captured by the country’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami in saying that “the capacity of Boko Haram to hold territory has totally been decimated. Our focus now is on dealing with the remnants of their forces and re-focusing on the unfortunate humanitarian challenge caused by their activities.” This was achieved following the change in the leadership of the armed forces, the movement of the command and control centre to Maiduguri and realization of how much can be achieved with greater international cooperation. In this respect, the coming together of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Benin in the Muti-National Joint Task Force under a centralized command had been helpful in forging a common, regional response to the Boko Haran threat.
War against corruption/ending impunity
Nigeria is country of paradoxes, one in which the VIP steals an elephant and runs away with it but the poor man stealing a goat goes to jail for up to 30 years.
The President has severally expressed his frustrations over the fact that known thieves, 419 kingpins fly over our heads in private jets and run around in Jaguars and Rolls Royces, as we wait endlessly for the law to take its course. As military Head of State, what he did was to lock them up until they proved their innocence. As an elected President, he has sworn to uphold the constitution which guarantees citizen rights.
Things are changing with impunity in the country. For the first time, VIP suspects are being asked questions by the investigating agencies and are being charged to court. Many who would have snubbed the bailiff and go scot-free are now standing before undergoing trials. Would anyone have thought that a Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, pretenders to thrones, the children of “natural rulers” including “toy” Sultans, Kings, Emirs and Chiefs will be brought to trial and kept in prisons? Ending impunity is one of key milestones of this administration.
The country today basks in the aura of a major battle against corruption and the impunity that goes with that and world is supporting the President.
In one year of his administration, a miracle has happened, which is that there has been the total absence of multi-billion naira corruption scandals that had characterized the previous administrations.
Global Diplomacy
In one year, the President has successfully reset the relationship between this country and her immediate neighbors and with our lost friends, both far and near. The West, Far East and Middle-East countries as well as our neighbors who walked away from this country on account of the arrogance of our past leaders, corruption and the abuse of human rights have all come back to us.
Over the past one year in which the President travelled to many countries, he has succeeded in convincing the world that Nigeria is now under a responsible management with a government that is inviting of prospective investors. As a result of his travels, Nigeria’s image has improved and the country is occupying a preeminent place in the comity of nations.
President Buhari has indeed been a revelation to the world. In addition to improving the standing of the country, his personal integrity has given him the best ever international attention by any past President of this country. The trips have opened doors that were shut against Nigeria, doors that bring security cooperation, and eventually trade and economic benefits to the country.
Fuel Import Liberalisation
The fuel subsidy issue is a well-known cause of trouble in this country. Every government in the past that tried to remove it got tested in its political will and dropped it like a hot metal. There is nothing in this country that is as politically unpopular.
Yet, even those who vocally supported it knew that it wasn’t working for the ordinary citizens. The secret service surveyed the price regime of N86 per liter and reported to government five months ago that the price prevailed only in Lagos and Abuja with the rest of the country paying higher. Petrol subsidies served as a scam to line the pockets of officials and cronies in business.
Acting in the best national interest, the President took the very brave action of liberalizing the import of PMS products by first removing subsidy from the budget and then opening the door for marketers to bring the products to sell at a profit, saving the country trillions of naira in fraudulent subsidy payments.
Due mainly to the trust they reposed in him, Nigerians have accepted this change in the belief that the president means for them.
Major Infrasture Products/Diversification
The President’s campaign for the diversification of the economy, away from over-dependence on oil is already setting the tone for the transformation of the economy into an agaric and industrial one.
The President has equally fared well in his efforts to attract investment into Nigeria following his trips to some of those countries. Discussions are ongoing with a number of them with rich foreign reserves that have indicated a willingness to pour foreign capital to develop the economy and create jobs here. From the sometimes zero capital allocation of the past, his budget this year has 30% of its content devoted to capital projects. After many years of delay, there will be a serious attempt to improve roads and rail transport as well as power projects. His administration is determined to improve the country’s infrastructure landscape in a short period of time.
Social welfare program
President Buhari’s administration is the first in Nigeria’s history to take a major step towards the institution of a social welfare scheme as enunciated by the APC.
One million of country’s poorest of the poor will get a monthly supplement of N5,000.00. Another one million will get start-up loans from the Bank of Industry. Five hundred thousand graduates will get teaching jobs and 375,000 others without degrees will receive training to acquire skills. Under this year’s budget, there is money for scholarship for medical, science and technology students in tertiary institutions and a meal-a-day for five million children in primary school. For the first time, the ordinary citizen can claim that he/she has a budget of his/her own.
In one year in office, the Buhari administration has taken major steps to secure the country and curtailing corruption while attracting investors with a view to promoting industrial growth and job creation. Although Nigeria is confronted with many problems that don’t have quick fixes, the administration has revealed a fine talent for finding lasting solutions to those kinds problems that had defied solution under the past governments. Given the tenacity with which he fought the Boko Haram terrorism and corruption, the economy, which is still work in progress, will receive a lot more attention going forward. The rate of job creation and manufacturing should improve from the third quarter of the year when the implementation of the budget gathers steam. Happily, voters are still hopeful that President Buhari will produce the cure for the ills of the economy.
While many still believe that it is too early to assess the overall performance of the administration, the sentiment that prevails across the country is that Nigeria will improve a lot under his leadership; that he has a good vision and he is committed to Nigeria and Nigerian people.
Early enthusiasm and high expectations have their challenges especially in times of low earnings from exports. Given this situation, delivery will take time but the promised change will not fail to come.
In one year in office, the President has fused his own ideas with APC’s program which is strong on social welfare. His government has brought hope and respect to Nigeria. He has made a strong start on security, war against corruption, foreign policy although the sticking issue remains the limping economy he inherited which is hamstrung by corruption and the past failure to diversity.
The President is tirelessly working for Nigeria and will continue to do so with hard work, diligence and honestly for the period he is in office.
Garba Shehu is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity. [myad]
The family of the immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, has said that their son is ready to refund the N400 million he allegedly collected from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki.
Chief Gilbert Metuh, who issued the statement on behalf of the Metuh family, said his brother’s life is in danger because of his alleged spinal cord injury.
He said that the family is aware that the matter regarding their son was subjudice, but said the family is only reacting to issues that are in public glare.
Gilbert Metuh said: “Since his (Metuh’s) arrest and even up to about a week ago, our son has made several overtures to the arresting authority for him to refund the money since they now claim in court that it came from government coffers. All efforts have been unsuccessful.
“It is instructive that out of over 300 names listed as having received money from the ONSA, all those who offered to refund money were not arraigned in court.
“Our son is the only one whose offer to refund money was rejected and has been arraigned in court and his case given accelerated hearing. On each trial date the hostility in the courtroom is palpable.”
Metuh is currently being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission for allegedly receiving the money, which the prosecution said was from government purse.
But the accused has consistently said he was not aware that the money came from the government coffers.
The money was said to have been released to him to launder the alleged bad image of the former President some months to the 2015 presidential election which Jonathan eventually lost.
Metuh had lost in his bid to quash the charge as both the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and the Court of Appeal said he had a case to answer on the issue.
He had also lost at the High Court in his bid to secure his passport to enable him travel abroad to seek medical treatment of his alleged illness. [myad]
Former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, has made it clear that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cannot die in spite of the deepening divisions amongst its top leaders across the country.
Wabara who spoke to news men in Abuja, on Thursday said that the party has sufficient internal mechanisms to deal with its issues as has been demonstrated time and time again.
The former Senate President who said that the current challenges will not be different said that the main demand of almost all of the party’s factions was for the former Chairman, Ali Sheriff to step aside and that since that has been achieved, most of them have commenced reconciliatory meetings.
According to him, members of the party are determined to reinvent and reposition it to attain greatness again.
He said that the insistence that the right things should be done gave rise to factions such as; the PDP Rescue Group which he belongs to and the Prof. Jerry Gana-led Concerned PDP Stakeholders Forum.
“First of all, the PDP is just like a Beatle. A beatle they generally say never dies.There is nothing that can kill PDP, no matter the factions, no matter the factional politics going on there now. I think for the problems, I don’t want to apportion blames. We have come out of it now.
“So we are looking forward to see how we can bring the factions together. We pray that this does not repeat itself again. PDP is not owned by any individual or group of people or organization. PDP is very national in nature.
“Since we lost the Presidency, it would appear that the 12 Governors that we have are in charge; but in the future, the Governors should reach out and consult widely before they take certain decisions.”
The former Senate President said that contrary to claims in some quarters that Sheriff’s emergence as National Chairman was by consensus: “some of us kicked against that decision and wisely too, not because of any personal problems with the person in question; but because of our knowledge of that person.”
He said that the decision to throw up the former Borno State governor as National Chairman was in itself a very bad decision which is largely responsible for the crisis that threatened the party’s existence.
Speaking on the role the party’s BoT is expected to play in resolving the crisis, Wabara said: “the BoT has a very vital role to play and I think it has already started playing that role to galvanise the factions, get them together and then move the party forward.
“Senator Jubril Walid, the BoT Chairman and of course, Ambassador Ojo Maduekwe will use their wealth of experience and wisdom to really get the warring parties together, including the Governors.”
He appealed to Governors on the party’s platform to in the interest of the survival of the party give up some of their authority to the BoT to enable it bring all sides together. [myad]
The Federal Government has announced the appointment of veteran journalists to head the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
Those who were appointed, according to a statement from the office of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed are Ishaq Kawu as Director-General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, Mansur Liman as the Director-General, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria and Yakubu Mohammed as Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority.
Others are Dr. Garba Abari as Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Bayo Onanuga as Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria and Osita Okechukwu as the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria.
The statement which was issued by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi, said: “the new appointees replace the chief executives of the parastatals, who were disengaged on Feb. 15, 2016. The appointments take immediate effect.” [myad]
“We made a terrible mistake by becoming a mono-product economy hinged on oil and we are now in a volatile situation, due to the crash in oil prices.
“We have seen the benefits of diversification which helped Iran to survive many years of sanctions and still come out strong.
“We are now fully committed to economic diversification. Most of the things on our import bills can be produced here. And we are determined to achieve that self-dependency,” President Buhari told the outgoing envoy.
These were the statements of President Muhammadu Buhari when he had an audience with the outgoing Iranian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Saeed Koozechi, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday.
President Buhari said he was convinced that with greater diligence, hard work and patriotic determination to achieve self-sufficiency, Nigeria can produce most of the items currently on its import list.
At a separate audience with the outgoing Chinese Ambassador, Mr. Gu Xiaojie, President Buhari gave an assurance that the Federal Government will continue to do its best to meet its obligations under bilateral agreements with China for the development of critical infrastructure in Nigeria.
The President said that because of their importance to Nigeria, his administration will uphold contractual agreements with Chinese companies for the development of essential infrastructure which it inherited from past administrations, and work to ensure that the projects are speedily completed.
The President reiterated his particular commitment to the completion of the Mambilla Power Project which, he said, was of great strategic importance to his government’s efforts to ensure that Nigeria does not become over-reliant on gas-powered electricity generation.
President Buhari commended the outgoing ambassadors for their efforts to strengthen bilateral relations between Nigeria and their countries during their tenure in Abuja. [myad]
Ebonyi State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Union Dicon Salt Plc for large scale production and processing of cassava in the state.
The state government said that move to engage in cassava cultivation and processing in commercial quantity is another bold initiative by the Governor David Umahi-led government to mechanize the agricultural sector and propel the much needed economic diversification in the state.
In the terms of agreement, Ebonyi State Government will contribute 15,000 hectares of land spread across the state for the Union Dicon Salt to grow cassava and establish a factory where cassava products would be processed into raw materials for export and domestic use.
Governor Umahi, who was represented at the ceremony by Prof. Odoh, expressed optimism that the partnership would open up a new vista of opportunities for investments in the state, create jobs and bring about economic prosperity for the people.
The governor explained that the volume of raw materials from cassava from the factory would create a large market for the products and support brewery companies in brewing.
Umahi encouraged the company to hasten action and complete documentation with the state to enable it start off the agricultural project.
The Commissioner for Justice, Nwankwegu who gave an insight into the terms of the agreement, said that apart from the 15,000 hectares of land to be provided, no financial commitment was required from the state government for the agro business.
He said that owners of the land would be entitled to five per cent benefit from the project yield and the state government, 10 per cent even as he expressed happiness that the agro investment was coming at a time when the state was in the process of revolutionalizing the agricultural sector as an alternative to solving its economic problem.
The Managing Director of Dicon Salt PLC, Chuka Mordi, said his company was willing to invest in the state to take subsistence agriculture to industrial level.
According to him, Union Dicon would engage in growing of cassava in commercial quantity and process them into various products like sweeteners and industrial starch for export.
He stated that his company’s target was to contribute to the industrialisation of the state and reduce the importation of industrial starch and other products .
Mordi noted that in spite of the fact that Nigeria is one of the world’s largest producers of cassava, it still imports over 200,000 tons of industrial starch and sweeteners yearly .
The agricultural project is expected to commence within the next quarter of this year.
Those who attended the ceremony which took place in Abakaliki on Wednesday, were the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Benard Odoh, who signed on behalf of the state, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Chief Augustine Nwankwegu and the Managing Director of Union Dicon Salt, Chuka Mordi, who signed for his company. [myad]
Popular Nollywood actress, Rita Edochie, has said that she was once sexually violated by family friend when she was just six years old.
Edochie who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja said: “I was a victim of sexual abuse. That was when I was in primary six.
“I was going to the hospital and somebody called me. The boy used some diabolic means and sexually violated me.
Edochie, who was a guest at a seminar to end violence against children, said that when she could not see her menses, she refused to tell her mother because she was very strict.
“I love sharing my experience because at the end of the day, I succeeded. If I had not succeeded, I would not have been able to be saying it.”
She explained that the pregnancy was about seven months before her mother noticed it, adding that her mother was shocked at the pregnancy because she thought her being strict would not allow such a thing to happen.
“My mother asked how it happened and I told her everything. My brother picked a knife and wanted to kill me, but my mother stopped him.
“It happened that the mother of the boy that violated me was my mother’s friend. The boy’s mother was surprised, but the boy denied.
“My mother took me to hospital to abort the pregnancy with a plan of taking me to my grandmother’s place at Ogede to stay for one week before returning home.
“I told her I may lose my life in the process and because she loved me, she then aborted the planned abortion. I feel it was God that spoke through me. My mother took care of the baby while I went to school.
“If not for my mother, I would not be where I am today.”
The veteran actress called on parents to communicate regularly with their children and make them their best friends.
“Parents should always listen to their children’s complaints on happenings both in and outside the home.” [myad]
The Federal and State governments as well as Local Government Councils have shared the sum of N207.878 Billion as statutory allocation from Federal Allocation for the month of April. The allocation was shared among the three tiers of government as follows: Federal Government 52.68%, States 26.72%, Local government 20.60% and 13% derivation of Mineral Revenue for oil producing states. A communiqué released by the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee and signed by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, indicated that the Gross Revenue of N213.817 billion received for the month was lower than the N232.619 billion received in the previous month by N18.802 billion. Oil production increased slightly between December 2015 and January 2016 despite explosions at Escravos Terminal, Force Majeure declared at Brass Terminal as well as Shut-in and Shut down of Pipelines at other Terminals for repairs and maintenance. However, there was revenue loss of $45.90 million as a result of drop in average price of Crude Oil from $39.04 in December 2015 to $29.02 in January 2016. Also, a marginal drop in income was recorded from Oil and Gas Royalty and Import Duty. The distributable Statutory Revenue for the month is N213.817 billion. The sum of N6.330 billion was refunded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to the Federal Government. Also, there is exchange gain of N2.424 billion, which was also proposed for distribution. The total revenue distributable for the current month, including Value Added Tax, is N281.500 billion. The details of the Statutory Revenue distributable for the month of March 2016 is as follow: Federal Government received N101.215 billion (52.68%), States received N51.338 billion (26.72%) and the Local Government Councils received N39.579 billion (20.60%), while the Oil Producing States received N15.745 billion as (13% of Mineral Revenue – Oil & Gas). Furthermore, for the month of April 2016, the gross revenue available for the Value Added Tax was N65.259 billion as against N64.234 billion distributed in the proceeding month, resulting in a decrease of N1.025 billion. The breakdown of the Value Added Tax distribution for the month is as follows: N65.259 billion out of which the Federal Government got N9.397 billion (15%), States got N31.325 billion (50%) and the Local Government Councils received N21.927 billion (35%). [myad]
The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has approved the immediate sack of the Director, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Baba Shehu Lawan.
The Minister has also approved the immediate removal of all heads of Department as well as Heads of Unit under the Board and directed their deputies to immediately take charge.
The Minister ordered the sack on Wednesday when he met with the former management team of the AEPB.
Muhammad Bello directed the Director of the FCT Establishment and Training who was also part of the meeting to issue the new appointees with their appointment letters.
He warned that all lackadaisical attitudes to work must be stopped forthwith as Abuja must be rid of filth, street beggars, street hawkers and all other environmental nuisances immediately.
The Minister remarked that a lot of things are not going on well at the Board and further warned the new team to work to change the tide immediately.
He said that the former Director and his management team should ensure that all handing over processes are completed by Friday 27th May.
Meanwhile, the Minister has directed that the former management team of the Board be constituted into a Special Task Force on the Recovery of N9.8 billion debt owed AEPB.
Muhammad Bello instructed that the new Task Force be headed by the former Director of the Board and was given 8 weeks to do the recovery into FCT Administration’s coffers.
At the meeting, the Minister also approved the appointment of Squadron Leader Abdullahi Adamu Monjel (Retired) to head a special team of 200 security personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to assist in the enforcement of environmental laws in Abuja.
The Minister warned that the FCT Administration will not tolerate any act of abuse of fundamental human rights of the residents in the discharge of their duties.
He urged them to diligently do their job by following and applying the law and due process.
The new Acting Director, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Omolola Olanipekun was formerly the Deputy Director, Environmental Degradation & Development Monitoring in the Abuja Environmental Protection Board. [myad]
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Governor Ayodele Fayose has asked the striking workers in the state to enjoy their strike and is waiting for them to return to work when they are tire.
9 Key Milestones In President Buhari’s First Year, By Garba Shehu
He came to power following the decisive victory of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC over the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP and its candidate, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. The victory ended the 16-year reign of the PDP.
President Buhari campaigned on a promise to fight Boko Haram terrorism and secure the whole country, fight corruption and develop the economy to the point that it creates jobs for the teeming unemployed.
The campaign message caught on very well with most Nigerians, against the desperate efforts of the Jonathan administration which deployed incumbency as tool for its own campaign. They literally threw the kitchen at candidate Buhari. The government media were used against the opponent. The private media sold their outlets to a free-spending government pouring out venom, hate speech, libel and defamation. The public treasury was personalized and its content poured into a campaign that shared out money for weapons purchase to fight Boko Haram terrorism into the pockets of party leaders and their campaign staff. The Army which served as the glue that held the country as one through the years was compromised to such extent that they claimed not to be aware that a former General in the Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari had a secondary school certificate. Of course the certificate resurfaced shortly after he won the election.
President Buhari came to office amidst massive hope and expectation at home and abroad, that here at last was a leader who would stop the slide and lead Nigeria to progress, development and the realization of her destiny. The mood all over Nigeria, the continent and the world at the time he took over was euphoric.
In line with the promises made, Nigeria under Muhammadu Buhari has begun to show that it will be a radically different country than one the world had become used to. Here is a proof of that:
Promise of Transparency and Accountability
A promise kept by the President is of a government that not only preached but also practiced transparency and accountability. The President and the Vice President made public their assets as declared before they took office on May 29th.
For the first time in the annals of our Executive-Legislative relations, this country had all ministers nominated screened and passed without any casualty. What is important is that not a single incident was reported involving exchange of money in bribery of parliamentarians. The President’s first budget, the 2016 appropriations bill was passed, even though after some delays, without the usual bribery allegations that attended the passage of budgets. The Senate and the House under their current leadership must themselves be proud of this happening at this time.
While still on the budget, the President must take credit for the exposure of a particular kind of fraud, the padding of budget, itself a known and ongoing practice until the whistle was blown by diligent ministers and parliamentarians. For once, the country has a budget, the 2016 appropriations bill that is rid of added billions ending up in the pockets of officials. By putting these changes in place, the government has established a model for transparency in public expenditure.
Implementing the Treasury Single Account,TSA
The President has been trying to right the many wrongs things he inherited, especially in terms of securing government revenues which leaked or were out rightly diverted to private accounts.
President Buhari didn’t invent the TSA. What he did is to bring political will to bear on its implementation.
By this, government has a snapshot at any given time of incoming revenue and expenditure following the centralization of government accounts domiciled at the Central Bank.
At the last count, the President said he had saved the country money in excess of three trillion Naira which would otherwise have been wasted or shared out to officials at the end of the financial year.
Minimum Government
The President kept his promise to reduce superfluity in government administration by cutting down on the number of ministers, ministries and government departments. The delay in the coming of ministers was first to reduce the number of ministries, and then set a new set of ground rules to stop the theft of government resources through systemic leakages. Boards of directors will come only when the President is satisfied that agencies of government are brought in line with existing ministries structure and that a new foundation is laid, in all cases, to replace the rotten past that allowed a free-for-all when it came to dealing with public assets.
Fighting Insecurity/Stabilizing the State
The first priority of this government as repeatedly mentioned by the President, is security. “You must secure the country before you can manage it well”, is a classic statement the President has continued to repeat. Where we stand on this today is best captured by the country’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami in saying that “the capacity of Boko Haram to hold territory has totally been decimated. Our focus now is on dealing with the remnants of their forces and re-focusing on the unfortunate humanitarian challenge caused by their activities.” This was achieved following the change in the leadership of the armed forces, the movement of the command and control centre to Maiduguri and realization of how much can be achieved with greater international cooperation. In this respect, the coming together of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Benin in the Muti-National Joint Task Force under a centralized command had been helpful in forging a common, regional response to the Boko Haran threat.
War against corruption/ending impunity
Nigeria is country of paradoxes, one in which the VIP steals an elephant and runs away with it but the poor man stealing a goat goes to jail for up to 30 years.
The President has severally expressed his frustrations over the fact that known thieves, 419 kingpins fly over our heads in private jets and run around in Jaguars and Rolls Royces, as we wait endlessly for the law to take its course. As military Head of State, what he did was to lock them up until they proved their innocence. As an elected President, he has sworn to uphold the constitution which guarantees citizen rights.
Things are changing with impunity in the country. For the first time, VIP suspects are being asked questions by the investigating agencies and are being charged to court. Many who would have snubbed the bailiff and go scot-free are now standing before undergoing trials. Would anyone have thought that a Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, pretenders to thrones, the children of “natural rulers” including “toy” Sultans, Kings, Emirs and Chiefs will be brought to trial and kept in prisons? Ending impunity is one of key milestones of this administration.
The country today basks in the aura of a major battle against corruption and the impunity that goes with that and world is supporting the President.
In one year of his administration, a miracle has happened, which is that there has been the total absence of multi-billion naira corruption scandals that had characterized the previous administrations.
Global Diplomacy
In one year, the President has successfully reset the relationship between this country and her immediate neighbors and with our lost friends, both far and near. The West, Far East and Middle-East countries as well as our neighbors who walked away from this country on account of the arrogance of our past leaders, corruption and the abuse of human rights have all come back to us.
Over the past one year in which the President travelled to many countries, he has succeeded in convincing the world that Nigeria is now under a responsible management with a government that is inviting of prospective investors. As a result of his travels, Nigeria’s image has improved and the country is occupying a preeminent place in the comity of nations.
President Buhari has indeed been a revelation to the world. In addition to improving the standing of the country, his personal integrity has given him the best ever international attention by any past President of this country. The trips have opened doors that were shut against Nigeria, doors that bring security cooperation, and eventually trade and economic benefits to the country.
Fuel Import Liberalisation
The fuel subsidy issue is a well-known cause of trouble in this country. Every government in the past that tried to remove it got tested in its political will and dropped it like a hot metal. There is nothing in this country that is as politically unpopular.
Yet, even those who vocally supported it knew that it wasn’t working for the ordinary citizens. The secret service surveyed the price regime of N86 per liter and reported to government five months ago that the price prevailed only in Lagos and Abuja with the rest of the country paying higher. Petrol subsidies served as a scam to line the pockets of officials and cronies in business.
Acting in the best national interest, the President took the very brave action of liberalizing the import of PMS products by first removing subsidy from the budget and then opening the door for marketers to bring the products to sell at a profit, saving the country trillions of naira in fraudulent subsidy payments.
Due mainly to the trust they reposed in him, Nigerians have accepted this change in the belief that the president means for them.
Major Infrasture Products/Diversification
The President’s campaign for the diversification of the economy, away from over-dependence on oil is already setting the tone for the transformation of the economy into an agaric and industrial one.
The President has equally fared well in his efforts to attract investment into Nigeria following his trips to some of those countries. Discussions are ongoing with a number of them with rich foreign reserves that have indicated a willingness to pour foreign capital to develop the economy and create jobs here. From the sometimes zero capital allocation of the past, his budget this year has 30% of its content devoted to capital projects. After many years of delay, there will be a serious attempt to improve roads and rail transport as well as power projects. His administration is determined to improve the country’s infrastructure landscape in a short period of time.
Social welfare program
President Buhari’s administration is the first in Nigeria’s history to take a major step towards the institution of a social welfare scheme as enunciated by the APC.
One million of country’s poorest of the poor will get a monthly supplement of N5,000.00. Another one million will get start-up loans from the Bank of Industry. Five hundred thousand graduates will get teaching jobs and 375,000 others without degrees will receive training to acquire skills. Under this year’s budget, there is money for scholarship for medical, science and technology students in tertiary institutions and a meal-a-day for five million children in primary school. For the first time, the ordinary citizen can claim that he/she has a budget of his/her own.
In one year in office, the Buhari administration has taken major steps to secure the country and curtailing corruption while attracting investors with a view to promoting industrial growth and job creation. Although Nigeria is confronted with many problems that don’t have quick fixes, the administration has revealed a fine talent for finding lasting solutions to those kinds problems that had defied solution under the past governments. Given the tenacity with which he fought the Boko Haram terrorism and corruption, the economy, which is still work in progress, will receive a lot more attention going forward. The rate of job creation and manufacturing should improve from the third quarter of the year when the implementation of the budget gathers steam. Happily, voters are still hopeful that President Buhari will produce the cure for the ills of the economy.
While many still believe that it is too early to assess the overall performance of the administration, the sentiment that prevails across the country is that Nigeria will improve a lot under his leadership; that he has a good vision and he is committed to Nigeria and Nigerian people.
Early enthusiasm and high expectations have their challenges especially in times of low earnings from exports. Given this situation, delivery will take time but the promised change will not fail to come.
In one year in office, the President has fused his own ideas with APC’s program which is strong on social welfare. His government has brought hope and respect to Nigeria. He has made a strong start on security, war against corruption, foreign policy although the sticking issue remains the limping economy he inherited which is hamstrung by corruption and the past failure to diversity.
The President is tirelessly working for Nigeria and will continue to do so with hard work, diligence and honestly for the period he is in office.
Garba Shehu is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity. [myad]