Connect with us

News

FULL-TEXT OF ADDRESS BY THE HON. MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED, IN LAGOS ON MONDAY, 4 JAN. 2021 ON ACHIEVEMENT OF PRESIDENT BUHARI’S GOVERNMENT

Published

4 years ago

on

Good morning gentlemen, and welcome to this press conference, our
first this year.  In fact, it was meant to be the last for 2020, but
it has now become the first for 2021. As you are aware, this press
conference was scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 29th 2020. However, we had
to postpone it in order for me not to breach the Covid-19 protocols.
Many of you may not be aware that I represented Mr. President at the
inauguration of His Excellency, President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré
of Burkina Faso, in Ouagadougou on Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. I returned
to Nigeria the same day, but had to observe the mandatory 7-day
quarantine, which expired yesterday, Sunday Jan. 3rd 2021. My sincere
apologies to you, gentlemen, for the postponement, especially coming
at such a short notice.
2.   Now that we are here, let me wish you all a Happy New Year. The
year 2020 was a very challenging one for our country. Covid-19 and
EndSars – with their impact on the nation’s economy – and of course
heightened security challenges combined to make the year such a tough
one. But I make bold to say that the federal government rose stoutly –
with courage and determination – to tackle the challenges, and has
continued to do so.
COVID-19
3.   The Federal Government immediately kickstarted a massive
onslaught against the novel coronavirus, Covid-19, as soon as it was
imported into the country in February 2020, mobilizing all sectors and
segments of the country for a multi-sectoral approach to interrupt the
transmission of the virus, curtail mortality, expand health
infrastructure, build the capacity of health workers and mount an
aggressive public sensitization and community mobilization against the
spread of the virus. To achieve these targets, President Muhammadu
Buhari inaugurated a Presidential
Task Force on Covid-19 under the chairmanship of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation to drive the multi-sectoral approach to
contain the virus. Nigeria has so far availed itself creditably in the
fight against Covid-19 through the deployment of resources,
mobilization and training of manpower and expansion of health
infrastructure, particularly our testing capacity for Covid-19. From
just two National Reference Laboratory for the testing of Covid-19, we
now have over 100 laboratories, public and private, across all the
states of the federation.
4.   Treatment centres were also built, in collaboration with the
states and the private sector (CACOVID), across the country to isolate
and treat cases of Covid-19, while the federal government, through the
Sustainable Production Pillar of the PTF, has been encouraging local
manufacturing companies to embark on the production of consumables
such as face masks, ventilators, hand sanitizers and face shields. To
mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on the economy across all levels, the
federal government unveiled the Economic Sustainability Plan to
support families, small and medium enterprises and the manufacturing
sector, among others. A major highlight of the Economic Sustainability
Plan is the provision of solar power to 5 million Nigerian households
in the next 12 months. This alone will produce 250,000 jobs and impact
up to 25 million beneficiaries through the installation. Various other
interventions were made through the Government Enterprise and
Empowerment Program, as well as the Trader and Market Moni loans. For
the very vulnerable, significant steps taken include the expansion of
the National Social Register to 3.6 million beneficiaries across the
36 states; support provided to 8,827,129 households through the 70,000
Metric Tons food grains released from the Strategic Reserve; and
support to 1,289,405 vulnerable households that benefited from the
Conditional Cash Transfers across 34 States. The Central Bank of
Nigeria also announced a number of measures to cushion the impact of
the pandemic. These include:
– A 1-year extension of a moratorium on principal repayments for CBN
intervention facilities;
– The reduction of the interest rate on intervention loans from 9
percent to 5 percent
– Strengthening of the Loan to Deposit ratio policy (i.e. stepped up
enforcement of directive to extend more credit to the private sector)
– Creation of N50 billion target credit facility for affected
households and small and medium enterprises
– Granting of regulatory forbearance to banks to restructure terms of
facilities in affected sectors
– Additional N100 billion intervention fund in healthcare loans to
pharmaceutical companies and healthcare practitioners intending to
expand/build capacity
– Identification of few key local pharmaceutical companies that will
be granted funding facilities to support the procurement of raw
materials and equipment required to boost local drug production.
– N1 trillion in loans to boost local manufacturing and production
across critical sectors.
– Provision of credit assistance for the health industry to meet the
potential increase in demand for health services and products “by
facilitating borrowing conditions for pharmaceutical companies,
hospitals and practitioners”.
– The Central Bank pledged to pump N1.1 trillion into critical sectors
of the economy.
– Commencement of a three-month repayment moratorium for all
TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni loans
– Similar moratorium to be given to all Federal Government-funded
loans issued by the Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture and the
Nigeria Export-Import Bank.
Of course, we also have the 774,000 Special Public Works (SPW) jobs
(1,000 jobs per each Local Government) which is now scheduled to
commence this January. The programme is designed for artisans to do
public works for three months at N20,000 per person per month. There
is also the N75 Billion Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), which is
targeted at interested young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 35
years. The aim of the scheme is to financially empower Nigeria youth
to generate at least 500,000 jobs between 2020 and 2023. Please note
that all these programmes, with the youth as major beneficiaries, were
put in place long before Endsars.
5.   With the resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. President has
extended the mandate of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19
until the end of March 2021, bearing in mind the new surge in the
number of cases and the bid for vaccines. This is further evidence of
the Administration’s untiring efforts to tame the pandemic and protect
Nigerians.
ENDSARS
6.   Just as the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic was rounding off, the
country witnessed the EndSARS protest by
the youth, who were calling for an end to police brutality and the
disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The protest
started peacefully but soon degenerated into violence after it was
hijacked by hoodlums. The five demands of the EndSars protesters were:
i)     Immediate release of all arrested protesters.
ii)    Justice for all deceased victims of police brutality and
appropriate compensation for their families.
iii)    Setting up an independent body to oversee the investigation and
prosecution of all reports of police misconduct within 10 days.
iv)    In line with the new Police Act, psychological evaluation and
retraining (to be confirmed by an independent body) of all disbanded
SARS officers before they can be redeployed.
v)     Increase police salary so that they are adequately compensated
for protecting the lives and property of citizens.
The government responded comprehensively to the demands thus:
On 11 Oct: The Inspector-General of Police announced the immediate
disbandment of SARS across the 36 State Police Commands and the
Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
On Oct. 12th: President Muhamadu Buhari addressed the nation, stating:
”The disbanding of SARS is only the first step in our commitment to
extensive police reforms in order to ensure that the primary duty of
the police and other law enforcement agencies remains the protection
of lives and livelihood of our people. We will also ensure that all
those responsible for misconduct or wrongful acts are brought to
justice.
On Oct. 13th: The IGP ordered all defunct SARS personnel to report at
the Force Headquarters, Abuja, for debriefing as well as psychological
and medical examination. The officers were to undergo this process as
a prelude to further training and reorientation before being
redeployed into mainstream policing duties. The medical examination
was carried out by the new Police Counselling and Support Unit (PCSU).
On the same day, Oct. 13th: The presidential panel on the reform of
SARS formally accepted the five-point demand of the EndSARS
protesters.
On Oct. 15th: The National Economic Council (NEC) directed the
immediate establishment of State-based Judicial Panels of Inquiry
across the country to receive and investigate complaints of police
brutality or related extra-judicial killings, with a view to
delivering justice for all victims of the dissolved SARS and other
police units. The panel will include representatives of Youths,
Students, Civil Society Organizations and would be chaired by a
respected retired State High Court Judge. The panels have six months
to complete its assignment.
Other decisions by NEC on the Demands:
– State Governors and the FCT Minister should take charge of interface
and contact with the protesters in their respective domains.
–  State Governors should immediately establish State-based Special
Security and Human Rights Committees to be chaired by the Governors in
their States, and to supervise the newly-formed police tactical units
and all other security agencies located in the States. This will
ensure the protection of citizens’ human rights. Members will also
include Representatives of Youths and Civil Society, as well as the
head of police tactical units in each of the States.
–  Establishment, by the Special Committee on Security and Human
Rights, of a Human Rights Public Complaints Team of between 2 to 3
persons to receive complaints on an ongoing basis. That team would be
established by the Special Committee on Security and Human Rights.
–  State Governors to immediately establish a Victims Fund to enable
the payment of monetary compensation to deserving victims.
Finally, on the Federal Government’s response, the National Salaries,
Income and Wages Commission was directed to expedite action on the
finalization of the new salary structure of members of the Nigeria
Police Force.
7.   Despite meeting the demands, the protest continued and the
demands kept expanding, until the protest was hijacked, leading to
unprecedented violence characterized by killings, maiming, arson,
looting etc. For the record, six soldiers and 37 policemen were killed
all over the country during the crisis. Also, 196 policemen were
injured; 164 police vehicles were destroyed and 134 police stations
burnt down. Also, the violence left 57 civilians dead, 269
private/corporate facilities burnt/looted/vandalized, 243 government
facilities burnt/vandalized and 81 government warehouses looted. The
violence was unprecedented in scale and scope, and the impact has been
damaging to the economy.
ECONOMY
8.   Nigeria recorded positive economic developments in 2020, but
these seem to have been overshadowed by the country’s economic
recession. As you are all aware, Nigeria officially entered recession
at the end of the third quarter (Q3), after the country’s Gross
Domestic Product declined for the second consecutive quarter in 2020
(Q2 and Q3). That’s in line with the traditional definition of
recession. The main reason for this is the Covid-19 pandemic. Nigeria
is not alone. Dozens of countries, including economic giants like the
US, UK and Canada, have entered recession, of course due to the global
pandemic. Others include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands,
Norway, Romania, Russia and Spain.
9.   But, like I said earlier, Nigeria’s economic recession has masked
a lot of positive economic developments: According to the National
Bureau of Statistics, the decline of -3.62% in Q3 is much smaller than
the -6.10% recorded in Q2. The economic conditions are actually
improving, with 17 activities recording positive real growth in the
third quarter, compared to 13 in Q2. Also, 36 of 46 economic
activities did better in the third quarter of 2020 than in the second
quarter of the same year. The -3.62% contraction recorded in the third
quarter of 2020 was better than the -6.01% earlier forecast by the
National Bureau of Statistics, and outperformed several domestic and
international forecasts. Please note that before COVID-19, the
Nigerian economy had been experiencing sustained growth, which was
improving every quarter, until the second quarter of 2020, when the
impact of COVID-19 started to be felt. Just as the year 2020 was
rounding off, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) was named the
best-performing stock market among the 93 equity indexes being tracked
by Bloomberg across the world. The all-share index, which opened at
38,800.01, moved up by 310.16 points to close at 39,110.17 – crossing
the 39,000 mark, while the market capitalization rose by N167 billion
to close at N20.446 trillion. Returns are currently at 45.7 percent;
the best annual return since 2013.
OIL SECTOR WORST HIT
10.   The oil sector was largely responsible for the slowdown in
economic activity in the third quarter of 2020, as it recorded a sharp
contraction of -13.89% in the third quarter of 2020 year-on-year, the
largest decline in that sector in 14 quarters. The reason is not
far-fetched. The slowdown in global economic growth and oil demand due
to Covid-19 pandemic, as well as Nigeria’s obligations to meet OPEC
cuts, were principally responsible for the slowdown in the performance
of the oil sector.
NON-OIL SECTOR
11.   Though the non-oil sector also contracted in the third quarter
of 2020, the decline in the sector by -2.51% year-on-year in the third
quarter of 2020 was significantly better when compared to the
contraction of -6.05% year-on-year recorded in the second quarter of
2020.
12.   Overall, there is good news: The latest recession in Nigeria
will be short-lived, and Nigeria will return to positive growth soon,
unlike the 2016 recession which lasted five quarters. This is because
of several complementary fiscal, real sector and monetary
interventions proactively introduced by the government to forestall a
far worse decline of the economy and alleviate the negative
consequences of the pandemic.
SECURITY
13.   Gentlemen, let me say straight away that Nigeria is fending off
attacks on many fronts, not just from terrorists and bandits, but also
from some human rights organizations and the International Criminal
Court (ICC) which seem to have colluded to exacerbate the challenges
facing the country in the area of security. While our security
agencies continue to battle these bandits and terrorists, the ICC and
some international human rights organizations, especially Amnesty
International, have constituted themselves to another ‘fighting force’
against Nigeria, constantly harassing our security forces and
threatening them with investigation and possible prosecution over
alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes. Unfortunately, a
section of the local media has been parroting these organizations
without weighing the impact of their constant threats on the security
of the nation.
14.   The federal government frowns at this unbridled attempt to
demoralize our security men and women as they confront the onslaught
from bandits and terrorists. Nigeria did not join the ICC so it can
become a pawn on the court’s chessboard. It beggars belief to see that
a nation that is fighting an existential war against bandits and
terrorists is
constantly being held down by an international body which it willingly
joined. Nigeria is a sovereign state and will not surrender its
sovereignty to any organization. ICC, Amnesty International and their
cohorts should desist from threatening our troops and putting the
security of our country in jeopardy. Enough is enough. It is sad that
these organizations mostly rely on fake news and disinformation to
reach their conclusions, as witnessed during the Endsars protest when
CNN – an otherwise respected global news network – went to town with
fake news of a massacre. As it turned out, it was a massacre without
bodies. As you are aware, we called CNN out and also petitioned the
network. Though they acknowledged receipt of our petition, we have yet
to hear from them on what actions they intend to take to prevent a
recurrence of the fake news they peddled about Nigeria. I can assure
you, gentlemen, that the matter is far from over.
15.   Gentlemen, despite the antics of those who have constituted
themselves to another ‘fighting force’ against our country, we have
indeed made tremendous progress in tackling bandits and the terrorists
of Boko Haram. Recently, some jaundiced analysts and their lapdogs
have sought to portray Nigeria as a failing state, on the strength of
its security challenges. But these analysts are dead wrong. Nigeria is
not and cannot be a failing or failed state. Of course, you would
remember that for the past two decades or so, some pseudo-analysts
have been predicting the country’s implosion. That has not happened,
hence they have found a new tag line: failing or failed state! It’s
all a ruse aimed at depicting Nigeria as being in a constant state of
anarchy, just so they can achieve their nefarious objectives for the
country.
16.   If Nigeria was not a ‘failing’ state when a large slice of its
territory equivalent to the size of Belgium was under the occupation
of Boko Haram, which collected taxes, installed and deposed emirs, is
it now that no territory is under the terrorists that Nigeria will be
a failing state? If Nigeria was not a failed state when bombs were
raining on towns and cities in Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Borno, Yobe, FCT
and other states, is it now that such bombings have stopped that
Nigeria will be described as a ‘failing’ state?  If Nigeria was not a
‘failing’ state in those years that Christian and Muslim worshippers
had to be screened to even enter their places of worship, is it now
that the siege on places of worship has ceased that Nigeria will be
described as a ‘failing’ state?
17.   It is sad that we have forgotten where we were in terms of the
state of insecurity just a few years back. Let me mention some
instances that will put things in a better perspective. Thanks to our
security agencies, we have just celebrated another Christmas and New
Year without a rain of bombs. Few would remember that in 2010, 2011
and 2012, Christmas eve or Christmas Day attacks left hundreds dead or
injured. What about the attack on the UN Complex in Abuja in August
2011; the bombing of media houses in Abuja and Kaduna in April 2012
and the
killing of about 40 students in Mubi, Adamawa State, in October 2012?
Have we forgotten that over 80 towns and villages were attacked and
razed, with casualties, by Boko Haram in Borno State alone? Have we
forgotten the constant attacks on military and security formations
like Giwa Barracks (Maiduguri), Mohammed Kur Barracks (Bama), Monguno
Barracks (Monguno), Airforce Base (Maiduguri), New Prison (Maiduguri)
and numerous police stations? The fact that these attacks and bombings
have stopped is a testimony to the progress we have made in tackling
terrorism which, by the way, is not like conventional warfare. The
stoppage of the attacks didn’t happen by accident. It is therefore
mischievous for anyone to discountenance the progress we have made in
tackling insecurity, in building and upgrading infrastructure and in
diversifying the economy, among others. The federal government rejects
this characterization of Nigeria as a ‘failing’ state, which is a
combination of the wishful thinking of naysayers and the evil
machinations of those who don’t wish Nigeria well.
18.   Gentlemen, the federal government has sustained the fight
against terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements
across the country especially in the North East and the North West
Regions. The recent swift response and rescue of the 344 kidnapped
Kankara schools boys in Katsina State from bandits attest to this. The
President has continued to provide all the necessary platforms on
land, air and sea to support the fight against criminals and
terrorists in the country.
AGRICULTURE, INFRASTRUCTURE AND POWER
19.   Amid the challenges of insecurity, which the Administration is
tackling headlong, Nigeria has continued to make steady progress in
many areas, including infrastructural development, agriculture and
power. In agriculture, the federal government, within the period under
review, inaugurated “The Green Imperative,’’ which is a 10-year
agricultural programme amounting to $1.2 billion targeting the
creation of five million jobs and injection of $10 billion into the
economy. The Green Imperative is a Nigeria-Brazil bilateral
agriculture development that will be implemented over a period of five
to 10 years and the funding will come from the Development Bank of
Brazil (BNDES) and Deutsche Bank, The Initiative will lead to the
reactivation of six motor assembly plants in the six geopolitical
zones of the country for assembling tractors and other implements,
with importation of the Completely Knocked Down (CKD) parts of about
5,000 tractors and numerous implements for local assembly annually for
a period of 10 years. Also, through the Anchor Borrowers programme,
more than N200 billion has been made available since the inception of
the scheme in 2015 to support over 1.5 million farmers in the
production of rice, wheat, cassava, poultry, soya beans, groundnut,
maize, cotton and fish. Thanks to this scheme, Nigeria is now on the
verge of attaining self-sufficiency in rice production. In the area of
power, following an agreement with German company Siemens in July 2019
to boost power supply in Nigeria, the stage is set for the perennial
power problem to become a thing of the past. Under the three-phase
agreement, Nigerians will enjoy 7,000 megawatts of reliable power
supply by the end of 2021 (phase 1), 11,000 megawatts by the end of
2023 (phase 2) and 25,000 megawatts in the third phase.
20.   In the area of infrastructure, the President this year virtually
inaugurated the 326-kilometre Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line, which
has suffered a setback in the last 30 years. It is expected that close
to one million passengers and 3.5 million tons of freight will be
conveyed along the rail line annually. Passenger service has also
commenced on the Lagos-Ibadan railway, ahead of the project’s
inauguration in January 2021. The Lagos-Ibadan rail line is a
double-track standard gauge rail, the first of its kind in West
Africa, and the first leg of the Lagos to Kano rail line.  Block by
block, President Buhari is reviving and modernizing the country’s rail
sector for a better conveyance of passengers and goods and in order to
give the nation’s economy a shot in the arm. The Loko-Oweto Bridge
over River Benue is now 97% completed. The 1.8-kilometre bridge links
the northern and southern part of the country across the River Benue,
achieving a drastic cut in travel time. And the federal government is
constructing or renovating 37 bridges across the country, including
the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, the Second Niger Bridge, the Ikom
Bridge in Cross River, the Murtala Mohammed Bridge in Koton Karfe,
Kogi State, the Tatabu Bridge linking Niger and Kwara States, the
Isaac Boro Bridge in Port Harcourt and the Tamburawa Bridge in Kano
State. The federal government also completed and inaugurated the Akanu
Ibiam International Airport in Enugu for scheduled flights. The
rehabilitation of the runway and other associated work were executed
in line with ICAO standard.
BORDER DRILL
21.   As you are all aware, gentlemen, four land borders have now been
reopened on the directive of Mr. President. The borders are those in
Seme, Illela, Maigatari, and Mfun. The opening is the culmination of a
border drill, code-named ”EXERCISE SWIFT RESPONSE”, that was
launched on August 20th 2019 as part of efforts to secure the land and
maritime borders in the South South, South West, North Central and
North West zones from smuggling and irregular migration, as well as
boost national economy and strengthen border security The Exercise is
being coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser
(ONSA), and comprises the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Nigerian
Immigration Service (NIS), the Armed Forces of Nigeria as well as the
Nigeria Police force (NPF) and other security and intelligence
agencies. I can report to you, gentlemen, that over a year into the
Exercise, it is a huge success, having saved resources and enhanced
national security.  The importation of drugs and
proliferation of small arms, which usually fuel violent extremism and
terrorism in the country, have been significantly curtailed. For
instance, 95 per cent of illicit drugs and weapons that are being used
for acts of terrorism and kidnapping in the country comes in through
our porous borders. However, since the border drill started, this
importation has been drastically reduced. The agricultural sector has
also received a boost from the drill, with rice production now nearing
the level of self sufficiency for the country and poultry production
at a high level. As at 17 December 2020, 1,375 irregular migrants have
been arrested while seizures so far include; 157,511-50kg bags of
parboiled foreign rice; 10,447 bags of NPK fertilizer used for making
explosives and 18,630 Jerrycans of vegetable oil. The total monetary
value of the seized items is about ₦12,362,574,090.50. I commend our
security operatives for displaying a high level of professionalism and
unflinching commitment to this national assignment.
CONCLUSION
22.   Gentlemen, the year 2020 has been a challenging year,
undoubtedly one of the most challenging years for the country. A
global pandemic that triggered an economic recession, a heightened
security challenge and an unnecessary violence that stemmed from what
started as a peaceful protest are just some of the challenges. It is
to the credit of the Buhari Administration that it tackled these
challenges headlong. Thanks to the several complementary fiscal, real
sector and monetary interventions proactively introduced by the
government to forestall a far worse decline of the economy and
alleviate the negative consequences of the pandemic, the current
recession will not last long, and Nigeria will soon return to positive
growth. Nigeria will witness an improved security in 2021, as Mr.
President has continued to provide the armed forces and other security
agencies with whatever they require to function better, both in terms
of platforms, logistics and capacity development. And, as Mr.
President said in his new year broadcast, the security apparatus and
personnel of the armed forces and the police are to be re-energized
and reorganized, with a view to enhancing their capacity to engage,
push back and dismantle the operations of both internal and external
extremist and criminal groups waging war against our communities in
some parts of the country.
The good news is that a number of the platforms we have been expecting
to pep up the battle against terrorists and bandits are due to arrive
in the new year. While at this, please permit me to salute all our
security personnel for their sacrifice, dedication to duty and
patriotism. The nation is in their debt for their service. Let me also
take this opportunity to condemn the constant infantile
press releases by the unserious, unimaginative and drab opposition,
which misconstrues opposition as constantly shooting down anything the
government of the day does or bad mouthing whatever Mr. President does
or says. There is more to opposition than predictable and
bring-it-down-at-all-cost media interventions. They messed up in
government, and they are messing up even more in opposition. No
lessons learnt either way.
23.   Finally, let me say this: Doomsday predictions about Nigeria
will not come to pass. Nigeria will not become a failed state, but
will rise to become a more respected member of the comity of nations.
We thank all Nigerians for their support and wish them a happy new
year. And to you here, thank you for honoring our invitation and,
once again, best wishes for a better year in 2021
Related Topics:
Continue Reading