OPENING REMARKS BY THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI
MOHAMMED, AT THE 16TH EDITION OF THE ”PMB ADMINISTRATION SCORECARD
SERIES (2015-2023)” IN ABUJA ON MONDAY, JANUARY 9TH 2023
PROTOCOL
Since this is our first gathering in 2023, I wish all of us here a
Happy New Year as I also warmly welcome you to the first edition of
the PMB Administration Scorecard Series for 2023 and the 16th edition
overall. A quick reminder that we launched the ‘PMB Administration
Scorecard Series’ on Oct. 18th, 2022, as part of our efforts to
massively showcase the remarkable achievements of the PMB
Administration.
- To date, we have hosted 15 Honourable Ministers, viz:-
i) – Works and Housing
ii) – Transportation
iii) – Aviation
iv) – Interior
v) – Agriculture and Rural Development
vi) – Finance, Budget and National Planning
vii) – Water Resources
viii) – Environment
ix) – Mines and Steel Development
x) – Science, Technology and Innovation
xi) – Power
xii) – Niger Delta Affairs
xiii) – Women Affairs
xiv) – Sports and Youth Development
xv) – Police Affairs
- Please allow me to put it on record that this programme has
enjoyed a massive media play, thanks to the dedicated group of
Editors, Bureau Chiefs and other journalists who have covered every
edition since inception. The massive media play enjoyed by the
scorecard series is also a reflection of the multi-dimensional
approach to the programme. Every edition has four channels of play.
i) – Each Edition is covered LIVE by the NTA, FRCN and Voice of
Nigeria, in addition to being live streamed on the social media
platforms of the Ministry.
ii) – Each Edition is reported by a myriad of dedicated journalists from the
print, electronic and social media, as I have stated above.
iii) – Excerpts from each presentation are made into byte-size,
easy-to-read electronic flyers for easy circulation on social media
and also via the phone.
iv) – And finally, video clips from each presentation are placed on
public and private television stations across the country, with each
presentation enjoying at least one week of air time, usually on prime
time.
- Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, between the last edition of
the PMB Administration Scorecard Series on Dec. 22nd, 2022, and
today’s opening edition for 2023, a lot of things have happened in the
polity. But the most significant has been naysayers and the opposition
trying to distort the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari for
their own selfish ends. While some of the Administration’s fiercest
critics said we have achieved nothing, others have admitted, though
seemingly tongue in cheek, that it’s only in the area of
infrastructure that the Administration has performed. - Well, I want to say that both groups are wrong, very wrong. Yes,
infrastructure development under the Buhari Administration is
unprecedented since the nation’s return to democratic rule in 1999,
and it has set the country on the path of development. But no, our
legacy is more than infrastructure. - The Buhari Administration is leaving a legacy of a social
investment programme that is unprecedented in the whole of Africa, a
programme that has enhanced the quality of life of the beneficiaries.
Our pace-setting social investment programmes like N-Power, School
Feeding, Conditional Cash Transfer and GEEP (Government Enterprise
Empowerment programme) have benefitted millions of our citizens, both
young and old, and this can neither be trivialized nor denied. - The Buhari Administration is leaving a legacy of putting Nigeria on
the path of self sufficiency in many staples, including rice.
Fertilizer blending plants in the country have increased
astronomically from 10 in 2015 to 142 today, the number of rice mills
in the country has increased markedly from 10 in 2015 to 80 today.
Little wonder that Nigeria, which was the number one export
destination for rice in 2014, according to Thai authorities, is now
ranked as number 79! This is why we cannot understand the campaign
promise of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to throw open our
borders if elected, because this will simply reverse all the gains of
the past seven years plus. But for Mr. President’s insistence that
Nigeria should produce what it consumes and consume what it produces,
it would have been doubly difficult for our country to survive during
the global lockdown because of Covid-19. - The Buhari Administration is leaving a legacy of a revamped
security sector, in the face of unprecedented security challenges in
the country. Today, the Nigerian military is being restored to its
glorious past, thanks to Mr. President’s foresight and doggedness in
re-equipping the various services. And this has made it possible for
the military to tackle insurgency and all other security challenges
facing the country. As you can now see, this military has been
recording successes after successes. Compare this with those who
literally passed a vote of no confidence in our military by bringing
in mercenaries to fight insurgency. Not only that, they looted dry all
the funds earmarked to buy arms and ammunition for the military. Some
of the alleged looters said they spent billions just praying against
Boko Haram! The Nigerian military, which has excelled in global
peacekeeping operations since 1960 and has sacrificed a lot to keep
our country united, has regained its respect and influence. Ditto the
Nigeria Police, which is steadily being repositioned to be efficient
and well-motivated, and to improve its capacity to face modern day
security challenges. As the Honourable Minister of Police Affairs told
us here last month, the Nigeria Police now has a state-of-the-art
National Command and Control Centre. This is unprecedented. Other
security agencies have not been left behind in the area of capacity
enhancement through training and modernization of equipment. - The Buhari Administration is leaving a legacy of inclusiveness,
especially in the areas of infrastructure and social development.
There is no state in Nigeria that is not witnessing at least a road,
or a bridge or a housing project. None! The Honourable Minister of
Finance, Budget and National Planning has also told us here how Mr.
President approved tranches upon tranches of funds to states,
irrespective of their party affiliation, to enable them meet their
obligations to the people. We dare any part of this country to say
that it has not benefitted from the programmes of the Buhari
Administration in one way or another and we will happily counter that
with verifiable evidence. - The Buhari Administration is leaving a legacy of leapfrogging
Nigeria into the digital era. President Buhari has signed into law the
Startup Bill to make Nigeria a global hub for digital talent and
investment. Nigeria has also kickstarted the national rollout of 5G
while increasing 4G base stations from 13,823 in 2019 to 36,751 today.
Nigeria’s digital economy has generated 594% of revenue target above
the 2019 baseline; the country’s fiber optic cable network has grown
from 15,000km in 2015 to over 60,000km in 2022, and the country’s
NIN-SIM integration has enhanced the integrity of the National
Identification Number database - The Buhari Administration is leaving a legacy of probity. Some
critics say “oh, they say they are fighting corruption and some public
officials have stolen money under their nose”. We say the fact that
they were caught and are being tried is a reflection of our zero
tolerance for corruption. Where others covered and pampered corrupt
people, we exposed and put them on trial. Whereas the immediate past
administration came up with such programmes as TSA (Treasury Single
Account) and IPPIS (Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information
System), they were implemented largely on paper until we came on board
and ensured total implementation. The EFCC, the ICPC and other
anti-corruption agencies have gone beyond merely arresting and
prosecuting alleged corrupt officials to institutionalizing the fight
against corruption through various programmes. - The Buhari Administration is leaving a legacy of a petroleum
sector that can serve the interest of the nation, thanks to the
Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021. This Act, which came into being
after Mr. President signed the PIB into law, seeks to provide legal,
governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian Petroleum
Industry. - The Buhari Administration is leaving a legacy of enacting
landmark laws, including the Harmonized Mental Health Bill and the
Discrimination Against Persons With Disability (Prohibition) Bill,
both of which have been signed into law by Mr. President. The
Harmonized Mental Health Act, which came after more than two decades
of advocacy, has been described as a relief to the mental health care
and practice in the country, while the Discrimination Against Persons
With Disability (Prohibition) Act caters for the 15% of Nigerians with
a disability by establishing the National Commission for Persons With
Disability and prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability. - What of the legacy of the Second Niger Bridge? Building that
bridge – almost 60 years after the commissioning of the Niger Bridge
and years of political gimmickry by successive leaders – is a huge
legacy of the Buhari Administration that cannot be erased. The ease of
travel it provided during this past holiday period attests to its
importance. - Ladies and gentlemen, we can go on and on, as we have not
exhausted the list of the Administration’s legacy projects.
Irrespective of the antics of the opposition, President Muhammadu
Buhari’s legacy is assured. Naysayers, most of whom are closet
opposition members masquerading as objective analysts, can continue to
snipe at us. They can continue to trumpet only the negatives, both
real and imagined But they cannot erase these legacies. They cannot
rewrite
the history of these past seven years plus. - On this note, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I yield the
podium to the Honourable Minister of State, Petroleum Resources.
