President Umaru Yar’Adua has explained the perceived slowness of his administration, saying right from inception, his administration resolved not to resort to what he called “quick-fix methods and short-cuts” to solving fundamental problems facing the country which require careful and methodical solutions.

He stated this in a nationwide broadcast this morning to mark the 48th independence anniversary of the country, pointing out that his administration came into office determined to make a difference in the country’s governance.

“We are resolved as an administration, not to resort to quick-fix methods and short-cuts in approaching fundamental problems which require methodical and sustainable solutions. The review of key sectors of our national economy, which we have embarked upon so far, points to the wisdom of this approach”, he stated.

He said the ultimate goal of his administration was to bequeath to the country a culture of transparency, sincerity, prudence, selflessness and accountability in the conduct of government business.
As a practical demonstration of its determination to sanitize the financial and budgetary processes at the centre, he revealed that government had realized over N400 billion from unspent capital releases to ministries, departments, and agencies.

In the message broadcast on television and radio stations nationwide, the president said his administration had taken concrete steps to strengthen the anti-corruption institutions and other law enforcement agencies for optimal performance as a direct consequence of its determination to institutionalize zero-tolerance for corruption.

His administration, he explained came into office, resolved to frontally confront the development challenges facing the country and set it on an assured path to becoming a properly grounded stable democracy and one of the world’s 20 largest economies by the year 2020.
“We are under no illusion as to the complexity and magnitude of the task we have set ourselves. We understand that sustained economic growth is only possible if peace, security and stability are assured. We recognize that constructive engagement and productive partnership with all major stakeholders and our development partners are vital imperatives.

We are aware that single-minded, people-focused, results-oriented, creative, sincere and courageous leadership is critical”, he further pointed out.
President Yar’Adua averred that his administration’s Seven-point Agenda was aimed at a structured approach to tackling the challenges which the country must overcome in its bid to sustainably raise the living standards of Nigerians, achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and realize the Vision 20-2020.

The appreciation of the enormity of our national transformation, he said had been the driving force behind his administration’s steadfast pursuit of the ideals of democracy, good governance, free enterprise, and the rule of law.

“Fellow Nigerians, our economy is on a strong footing with an average growth rate of about 6.9 per cent, a single digit inflation rate, external reserves of about 63 billion dollars, and the naira appreciating steadily against the major currencies. This is a consequence of our policies aimed at maintaining relative stability and predictability in Nigeria ’s macro-economic environment”, he stated.

However, to sustain the level of economic development envisioned for the country, he pointed to the need to rapidly rebuild, maintain, upgrade, and expand the nation’s critical infrastructure.

In its quest for practical solutions to the endemic energy problems, he said his government had set in motion far-reaching reforms which had already started yielding some positive results.
In the same way, he said government had evolved a holistic strategy for the development and rehabilitation of the country’s transport system, reiterating the decision to concession the most economically viable roads across the country, while aggressively pursuing a road sector development and maintenance programme estimated to cover 5,700 km.

“With the railways, we plan to concession some existing routes including the Western and Eastern rail lines as well as the uncompleted Central line; while rehabilitating and expanding the existing rail system. Notably, the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission is expected to commence work shortly.
“In the Agricultural sector, we have resolutely pursued a policy of sustained support for small-scale farmers, and structured development of medium and large-scale agriculture. We intend to utilize the National Resources Development Account to boost domestic production of food crops and development of agro-allied industries. Our goal is assured food security”, he further revealed.

Desirous of a lasting solution to the Niger Delta crises, the president explained that his administration had, in addition to sustained constructive engagement with the major stakeholders, set up a Niger Delta Ministry to anchor in a holistic manner, the execution of the Niger Delta Development Master Plan.
“We are confident that this is the way to go in meaningfully addressing the physical infrastructure and human capital development challenges which the region presents”, he pointed out, while emphasizing the need for peace, security and public safety.

“Fellow Nigerians, we have defined for ourselves a clear national objective to which we are totally committed: the transformation of our country into a strong, stable, democratic, and progressive major player on the global stage by the year 2020.
“As we collectively face up to this challenge, I am inspired by the unquenchable spirit, the astounding drive, the passion, and consummate zeal of the average Nigerian”, he added.