After dissecting the
18-page statement released by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo advising
President Muhammadu Buhari not to seek re-election in 2019, the Federal
Government on Wednesday, threw its own punch.
Minister
of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, replied the former President,
saying Obasanjo was ignorant of Buhari’s achievements.
According to the Minister, Nigeria wouldn’t have exited recession if not for the ingenuity of the current administration.
Read full statement below;
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 haemorrhaging 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 geopolitical 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 that fact that the clashes predate us. I will
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 hours 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.