Ahead of its one year anniversary, the Federal Government on Thursday,
in Abuja, appreciated Nigerians for their “support, endurance and
perseverance’’.The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed gave the appreciation at a meeting with members of Broadcasting
Organisation of Nigeria (BON)
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports that the meeting was attended by four other ministers who spoke
on the achievements and challenges in their ministries and interacted
with those in attendance.
They are Ministers of FCT, Mohammed
Bello, Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, Power, Works and Housing,
Babatunde Fashola, and Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah.
Mohammed
appreciated the unprecedented trust that Nigerians reposed in the
leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to steer the ship of state to
safe shores.
He acknowledged that the nation was passing through a
very difficult situation with the loss of more than 60 per cent of
national income due to the crash in the price of crude oil.
The minister assured that the government would deliver on its election campaign promises to Nigerians.
“This
administration is aware that it was not elected to make excuses, but to
put the nation back on a sound economic footing, ensure the security of
lives and property and banish corruption.
“We have therefore
decided to turn the disaster that we inherited into a blessing by
diversifying our economy away from the mono-product of oil, leveraging
on agriculture, solid minerals as well as culture and tourism, among
others.
“In the words of Henry David Thoreau, all misfortune is but a stepping stone to fortune,” he said.
The minister reassured Nigerians that the change promised was real, in spite of the tough situation of the moment.
“Change is no instant coffee, it is a process. We are now laying a solid foundation for our country.
“The
road will be rough, but as the saying goes, the darker the night, the
brighter the morning. Our long suffering people will surely smile
again.” he said.
Mohammed stressed that if the government had not been elected, there would have been no economy in the country.
On
the scorecard of the administration in the past one year, Mohammed said
significant achievements were recorded in security, economy and the
fight against corruption.