Buhari: I’ve done projects to meet yearnings of Nigerians

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, declared open the last Ministerial Performance Review Retreat of his administration, saying high-impact projects have been implemented across the country meeting the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.

Speaking at the event organised to evaluate the level of progress made in the implementation of the nine priority agenda of his administration, Buhari highlighted progress made in the areas of agriculture, economy, infrastructure, security, health, anti-corruption, among others.

According to a statement issued on Monday by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, President Buhari told participants and guests at the retreat including the Keynote Speaker and immediate past President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, that over 3,800km of roads have been constructed across the country, adding that 38 new aircraft were acquired for the Nigerian Air Force to boost the fight against insurgency.

He stated that 38.7 million Nigerians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, representing 35 per cent of the total eligible population target for vaccination.

On infrastructure, the President noted that his administration has implemented high-impact projects across the country, saying: “Some of the notable achievements include the completion of 326km Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line and railway ancillary facilities; the completion of over 156.5km Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway modernization project with extension to Lagos Port, Apapa.

“On road projects, this administration has constructed 408km of roads; 2,499km of SUKUK roads, and maintenance of 15,961km of roads across the country.

“Key among these projects are the construction of 1.9km 2nd Niger Bridge linking Anambra and Delta States with 10.30km approach road; rehabilitation, construction, and expansion of Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan dual carriageway; the ongoing rehabilitation of Abuja-Kaduna–Zaria-Kano Road, among others.”

Buhari, while stressing that his administration has sustained commitment to infrastructural development for the past seven years, said over 941km of completed SUKUK road projects nationwide have been handed over.

He said the Federal Government has embarked on the reconstruction of 21 selected Federal Roads totaling 1,804.6km, under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Policy.

He explained that the roads, which are funded by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, are in addition to similar existing collaboration with Messrs Dangote Industries Limited and other corporate organisations to improve the stock of the country’s road infrastructure.

On aviation, the President assured that the establishment of a National Carrier for Nigeria is at 91 percent completion, and is expected to commence flight operations before the end of this year.

He said the feat is being boosted with the certification of Lagos and Abuja international airports by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, noting that Kano and Port Harcourt airports are undergoing similar certification processes.

On the economy, President Buhari restated that the country had witnessed seven consecutive quarters of growth, after negative growth rates recorded in the 2nd and 3rd Quarters of 2020.

“The GDP grew by 3.54% (year-on-year) in real terms in the 2nd Quarter of 2022. This growth rate represents a sustained positive economic performance, especially for the Non-Oil GDP which fell by 4.77% in Q2 2022 against Oil GDP that grew by -11.77%.

“Most sectors of the economy recorded positive growth which reflects the effective implementation of the economic sustainability measures introduced by this administration,” he said.

On the Communications & Digital Economy Sector, the President noted that giant strides have been made through broadband coverage which currently stands at 44.32%, reinforced by 77.52% 4G coverage with the establishment of 36,751 4G base stations nationwide.

Buhari stated that the power sector has remained a critical priority for his administration, adding that the implementation of a ‘Willing Buyer-Willing Seller’ policy introduced by the Federal Government has opened up opportunities for increased delivery of electricity to underserved homes and industries.

“We are also executing a number of critical projects through the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme, which will result in achieving the national goal of improved power supply by 2025.

”It is important to state that the partnership between the Federal Government of Nigeria and German Siemens AG through the Presidential Power Initiative to increase electricity generation to 25,000 Megawatts (MW) in six years is on course, as the first batch of the transformers has arrived Nigeria already,” the President said.

Speaking on the oil and gas sector, President Buhari recalled that on August 16, 2021, he signed the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) into law, providing a legal, governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian Petroleum Industry, as well as the development of host communities and related matters.

He noted that to achieve the objectives of the PIA, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation was unbundled while the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority were established.

On efforts towards strengthening national security, the President said his administration has substantially invested in arms, weapons, and other critical military hardware as well as continuous training for the Armed Forces.

Buhari said: “The Nigerian Air Force has acquired 38 brand-new aircraft and is expecting another batch of 36 new ones, while the Nigerian Navy has been equipped with new platforms, sophisticated riverine, Rigid-Hull Inflatable, Seaward Defence, Whaler and Fast Attack Boats as well as Helicopters and Capital Ships.

”To boost the number of our police personnel, 20,000 policemen have been recruited, trained, fully integrated, and deployed in 2020 and 2021. This exercise has strengthened our community policing strategy which is enshrined in the Police Act, 2020.”

On the fight against corruption, the President promised that his administration would continue to review and prosecute high-profile corruption cases and ensure speedy completion.

Concerning Social Investment Programmes, Buhari said 9,990,862 pupils are being fed through the School Feeding Programme, which employs 128,531 cooks in local communities

On agriculture, the President expressed delight that as a direct result of investment, the sector has experienced significant growth.

“The shortfall in food production and food importation bills have both been reduced significantly. Along with the production of other staple crops, we have reached our goal of self-sufficiency in rice production.

“We are exerting a lot of effort to solve the problem of the rising cost of food that is related to inflation, being a global crisis,” Buhari noted.

President Buhari further lauded Nigeria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that the country’s achievement has been commended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He said at the end of September 2022, 51,713,575 eligible people had received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, representing 46.3% of the eligible population.

“Out of this number, 38,765,510 people have been fully vaccinated, and this represents 34.7% of the eligible population,” Buhari stated.

The President, however, urged all eligible Nigerians to ensure that they are fully vaccinated, saying Nigeria’s vaccine stock balance stands at about 27 million doses.

President Buhari equally directed ministers, permanent secretaries, and all heads of agencies to reinvigorate their efforts in ramping-up delivery of flagship programmes and projects contained in their ministerial mandates.

He, therefore, hailed the efforts of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and his team in sustaining the Annual Performance Review Retreats, adding that this has enabled the cabinet to maintain focus on the nine-point agenda and more importantly, providing solid evidence that supports the achievements.

On his part, Mustapha said the retreat has been structured into three main focus areas.

”First is an overview of ministerial performance within the last three years of the administration, presenting key achievements and identifying opportunities for improvement.

‘Second will reflect on lessons and good practices from the Kenyan presidential delivery unit while the third is ways to accelerate the delivery of flagship projects and programmes of the Buhari administration before the end of the tenure in May 2023,” the SGF said.

Mustapha further revealed that President Buhari would sign an Executive Order on Improving Performance Management, Coordination, and Implementation of Presidential Priorities of the Federal Government at the end of the retreat.

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing; Speaker of the House Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; and Senate President Ahmed Lawan; delivered goodwill messages at the retreat.

The Star

Segun Ojo