From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, said he had met the yearnings and expectations of Nigerians with high impact projects.
He stated this amid opposition parties accusing his administration of poor handling of security challenegs and economy . They claimed these have left dire impacts on quality of life, the purchasing power of the naira and cost of staple foods like rice, beans, garri, wheat, maize, among others.
However, the president at the final Ministerial Performance Review Retreat to assess the degree of progress made in the implementation of his administration’s nine priority agenda, gave himself a pass mark.
He said his over seven-year reign had not been without tremendous successes in areas of agriculture, economics, infrastructure, security, health, and anti-corruption with over 3,800 kilometres of new roads built throughout the nation.
He also announced that before the end of the year, the proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air, would launch commercial flight operations.
He said: “In recognition of the importance of critical infrastructure in economic development and the quest of this administration to leave a lasting legacy, we have implemented high-impact projects across the length and breadth of the country that meet the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians. 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 modernisation 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.”
While stressing that the Federal Government under his watch had sustained commitment to infrastructural development for the past seven years, he said over 941 kilometre of completed SUKUK road projects nationwide had been handed over to beneficiaries.
He said 38 new aircraft were purchased for the Nigerian Air Force to help the country’s military fight insurgency; 38.7 million Nigerians fully vaccinated against COVID-19, representing 35 per cent of the total eligible population target for vaccination with the reconstruction of 21 selected federal roads totalling 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 (NNPC) 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.
He said work on the establishment of national carrier had reached 91 percent and that commercial flight operations are anticipated to start before the end of the year.
Buhari said the feat was being boosted with the certification of Lagos and Abuja International Airports by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, while Kano and Port Harcourt Airports are undergoing similar certification processes.
On the economy, he restated that the country had witnessed seven consecutive quarters of growth, after negative growth rates recorded in the second and third quarters of 2020.
“The GDP grew by 3.54 per cent (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 per cent in Q2 2022 against Oil GDP that grew by -11.77 per cent. 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 and Digital Economy Sector, Buhari said giant strides had been made through broadband coverage which currently stands at 44.32 per cent, reinforced by 77.52 per cent 4G coverage with the establishment of 36,751 4G base stations nationwide.
Similarly, the president declared that the power sector has remained a critical priority for the administration, adding that the implementation of a ‘Willing Buyer-Willing Seller’ policy introduced by the Federal Government had opened up opportunities for increased delivery of electricity to underserved homes and industries.
On the fight against corruption, the president promised that the administration would continue to review and prosecute high-profile corruption cases and ensure speedy completion.
Buhari said 9,990,862 pupils were being fed through the School Feeding Programme, which employed 128,531 cooks in local communities.
On agriculture, he expressed delight that as a direct result of investment, the sector has experienced significant growth.
Setting the context for the two-day meeting, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said the retreat had 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.’’
Mustapha announced that President Buhari would sign an Executive Order on Improving Performance Management, Coordination and Implementation of Presidential Priorities of the Federal Government of Nigeria at the end of the 3rd Ministerial Performance Review 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.