Lai: No amount of hatred will erase Buhari’s ‘tremendous’ achievements

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says no amount of hatred will obliterate the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The minister made the observation at the opening of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)’ annual lecture and 25th anniversary of creation of the commission.

Mohammed said contrary to the impression being created by purveyors of hate speech and fake news, the Buhari administration had, in a short time, recorded solid achievements under a most difficult situation.

He said despite operating with just 45 percent of the funds available to the immediate past administration due largely to the fall in prices of oil, the Buhari government had achieved tremendously.

The minister said it was as a result of the efficient leadership of Buhari that Nigeria had not witnessed economic and social crises like other oil dependent nations.

“A country that has consistently produced more oil than Nigeria, despite having about one sixth of the Nigerian population, is today embroiled in the worst economic crisis in its history,” he said.

“There is shortage of food, medicine and everything, and there is hyper-inflation.

“With Nigeria being affected by the same downturn in oil prices, coupled with years of monumental mismanagement of the country’s economy and the mindless and maddening looting of its treasury by rapacious public officials, why is Nigeria not in similar crisis as the country in question?

“My answer is simple: Because Nigeria has a President like Muhammadu Buhari!”

Specifically, the minister said the Buhari government had brought transparency to governance, laying a solid foundation for the country’s economic recovery and growth through the treasury single account (TSA) and other economic policies.

“Does anyone remember the scandalous fuel subsidies that failed to deliver fuel to filling stations? What about the fertiliser subsidies that never guaranteed the availability of fertiliser to farmers? Today, fuel queues are gone with the phantom fuel subsidies,” he said.

“Also, thanks to the resuscitation of 11 of the country’s moribund fertiliser blending plants, fertiliser is now available to farmers nationwide.

“In fact, 6 million bags of fertilisers have been delivered at 30 per cent below the market price, 50,000 jobs created and N50 billion saved with the stopping of fertiliser subsidy.”

Mohammed said that despite paucity of funds, the federal government’s social investment programmes were being implemented, creating jobs for youths and providing nutritious food for school children.

He said the micro-credit scheme of the programmes was providing over a million Nigerians with small loans at very low rates through the Bank of Industry.

The minister said despite the “cowardly” bombing of soft targets, Boko Haram insurgency was not in resurgence.

He said the Nigerian troops were up to the task of ensuring that there was no resurgence of Boko Haram.