My dear Nigerians, October 1st remains a special date for
all Nigerians as this marks the day when we attained one of
the most precious of human desires freedom. Over the
years the country has gone through trials and tribulations,
but October 1st is always a day for celebrations.
It is a day for thanks giving, reflection and re-dedication.
It is also a day for remembrance. We should remind
ourselves of the recent journey from 1999 – 2015, when our
country happily returned to democratic rule.
However, in spite of oil prices being an average of $100 per
barrel and about 2.1m barrels a day, that great piece of luck
was squandered and the country’s social and physical
infrastructure neglected.
We were left with no savings and huge infrastructure deficit.
The APC Government’s Campaign rallying cry to restore
security, re-balance the economy and fight corruption was
not all rhetoric. The country must first be secured. The
economy must be re-balanced so that we do not depend on
oil alone. We must fight corruption which is Nigeria’s
Number One Enemy. Our Administration is tackling these
tasks in earnest.
In the past two years, Nigeria has recorded appreciable
gains in political freedom. A political Party at the Centre
losing elections of State Governor, National Assembly seat
and even State Assemblies to the opposition parties is new
to Nigeria. Added to these are complete freedom to
associate, to hold and disseminate opinions. Such
developments clearly attest to the country’s growing
political development. But like all freedoms, this is open to
abuse.
Recent calls on re-structuring, quite proper in a legitimate
debate, has let in highly irresponsible groups to call for
dismemberment of the country. We can not and we will not
allow such advocacy.
As a young Army Officer, I took part from the beginning to
the end in our tragic civil war costing about 2m lives,
resulting in fearful destruction and untold suffering. Those
who are agitating for a re-run were not born by 1967 and
have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil
conflict which we went through.
I am very disappointed that responsible leaders of these
communities do not warn their hot-headed youths what the
country went through. Those who were there should tell
those who were not there, the consequences of such folly.
At all events, proper dialogue and any desired constitutional
changes should take place in a rational manner, at the
National and State Assemblies. These are the proper and
legal fora for National debate, not some lop-sided, un-
democratic body with pre-determined set of objectives.
Government is keeping up the momentum of dialogue with
stakeholders in the Niger Delta to keep the peace. We
intend to address genuine grievances of the communities.
Government is grateful to the responsible leadership of
those communities and will pursue lasting peace in the
Niger Delta.
SECURITY
On security, Nigerians must be grateful to our gallant Armed
Forces for rolling back the frontiers of Boko Haram’s
terrorism, defeating them and reducing them to cowardly
attacks on soft and vulnerable targets.
Nigeria is grateful to its neighbours and the international
community for the collective efforts to defeat this world-
wide menace of terrorism.
Not even the most organized and most equipped police and
security forces in the world can escape the menace of
modern day terrorism, as we have seen in recent years in
Europe and other parts of the world.
But we are not letting up. Our Armed Forces in an effort to
enhance the operational capability of troops of OPERATION
LAFIYA DOLE have established Mobile Strike Teams in the
North East. These will ensure the final push to wipe out the
remnants of Boko Haram.
In addition, through targeted air strikes most of the
leadership and identified logistics bases and routes of the
insurgents have been neutralized. The Armed Forces have
established a Naval presence in the Lake Chad Basin as part
of the coordinated military efforts to curtail the movements
or re-emergence of the sect in the area.
Government is working round the clock to ensure release of
the remaining Chibok girls, as well as other persons in Boko
Haram captivity. Government will continue to support the
Armed Forces and other security agencies to fight not only
terrorism, but kidnapping, armed robberies, herdsmen/
farmers violence and to ensure peace, stability and security
in our country.
ECONOMY
With respect to the economy, the Government has remained
pro-active in its diversification policy. The Federal
Government’s agricultural Anchor Borrowers Programme,
which I launched in November 2015, has been an
outstanding success with:
· N43.92 billion released through the CBN and 13
participating institutions,
· 200,000 small holder farmers from 29 states of the
federation benefitting,
· 233,000 hectares of farmland cultivating eight
commodities, namely Rice, Wheat, Maize, Cotton, soya-
beans, Poultry, Cassava and Groundnuts, in addition to fish
farming.
These initiatives have been undertaken in close
collaboration with the states. I wish to commend the efforts
of the Governors of Kebbi, Lagos, Ebonyi and Jigawa States
for their support to the rice and fertilizer revolutions.
Equally commendable are contributions of the Governors of
Ondo, Edo, Delta, Imo, Cross River, Benue, Ogun, Kaduna
and Plateau States for their support for the Presidential
initiative for palm oil, rubber, cashew, cassava, potatoes
and other crops.
With the abundance of rainfall last year and this year,
agriculture has enjoyed Divine intervention.
Since December last year, this Administration has produced
over 7 million 50Kg bags of fertilizer. Eleven blending plants
with a capacity of 2.1 million metric tons have been
reactivated. We have saved $150 million in foreign
exchange and N60 billion in subsidy. Fertilizer prices have
dropped from N13,000 per 50Kg bag to N5,500.
Furthermore, a new presidential initiative is starting with
each state of the Federation creating a minimum of 10,000
jobs for unemployed youths, again with the aid of CBN’s
development finance initiatives.
Power remains a huge problem. As of September 12th,
production of power reached an all — time high of 7,001
Megawatts. Government is increasing its investment,
clearing up the operational and financial log jam bedeviling
the industry. We hope to reach 10,000 Megawatts by 2020.
Key priorities include better energy mix through solar and
Hydro technologies. I am glad to say that after many years
of limbo, Mambilla Power Project has taken off.
Elsewhere in the economy the special window created for
manufacturers, investors and exporters, foreign exchange
requirements has proved very effective. Since April, about
$7 billion has come through this window alone. The main
effect of these policies is improved confidence in the
economy and better investment sentiments.
The country has recorded 7 consecutive months of lower
inflation, Naira rate is beginning to stabilize, appreciating
from N525 per $1 in February this year to N360 today.
Broad-based economic growth is leading us out of
recession.
Furthermore, in order to stabilize the polity, the Federal
Government gave additional support to states in the form
of:
· State Excess Crude Account loans,
· Budget Support Facility,
· Stabilization Fund Release
to states and local governments as follows:
· N200 billion in 2015
· N441 billion in 2016
· N1 trillion in 2017
Altogether totaling N1.642 trillion.
This was done to enable states to pay outstanding salaries,
pensions and small business suppliers who had been all but
crippled over the years.
In addition, the Government’s current N500 billion Special
Intervention Programme is targeting groups through;
· Home Grown School Feeding Programme,
· N-Power Job creation to provide loans to small-scale
traders and artisans,
· Conditional Cash Transfer,
· Family Homes Fund and
· Social Housing Scheme.
CORRUPTION
Fellow Nigerians,
We are fully aware that fighting corruption was never going
to be a straightforward task. We expected corrupt elements
to use any weapon to fight back, mainly judicial obstruction
and political diversion. But we are determined to eradicate
corruption from our body politic.
In this fight, the Government has:
· Empowered teams of prosecutors,
· Assembled detailed databases,
· Accelerated the recovery of stolen funds.
The Administration’s new institutional reforms include:
· Enforcing Treasury Single Account,
· Whistle-Blowers Policy,
· Integrated Payroll Personnel and Information System.
We have signed multi-lateral cooperation agreements on
criminal matters with friendly countries. There are signs of
increasing cooperation from the Judiciary. Recently the
Chief Justice of Nigeria directed Heads of all our Courts of
first instance and Appeal to accelerate hearings of
corruption cases and dismiss any judicial officers found to
have been compromised.
Justice Salami has just been appointed to chair the
Judiciary’s anti-graft committee. Government expects a lot
from this Committee.
I commend the National Assembly for refocusing on its
oversight committees. They should, in addition, ensure swift
passage of enabling corruption laws. But fighting corruption
is a bottom to top operation. I call on all Nigerians to
combat corruption at every turn. By not asking for and
refusing to accept a bribe, by reporting unethical practices
or by blowing a whistle, together we can beat corruption.
The government for its part will work for accountability at all
levels - Federal, State and Local Governments. CHANGE will
then be real.
As we enter the second half of our term of office, we intend
to accelerate progress and intensify our resolve to fix the
country’s challenges and problems.
Thank you and a happy holiday to all of you.
God bless our country
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