Nigeria wouldn’t have any economy if you were still in power, Lai hits PDP

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says Nigeria’s economy would be in shambles if the Peoples Democratic Power (PDP) were in power.

Mohammed spoke on Monday, at the second edition of the PMB Administration Scorecard 2015-2023 in Abuja.

The minister condemned the PDP for engaging in “a deliberate campaign of calumny and falsehood” on the achievements of the APC-led administration.

He said it is “absurd” for the PDP to say that the current administration has no achievement to support its presidential campaign.

He said the PDP is quick in pointing to some economic indices like the naira exchange rate and inflation to cast aspersion on the APC government.

“It is a cruel irony that the party that presided over the affairs of this great country in a time of plenty but could not complete a single modern rail line is the one accusing an administration that has completed at least three standard gauge rail lines of lacking in achievements,” Mohammed said.

“We have a lot of achievements to highlight and campaign with. Indeed, the administration is spoilt for choice because of the sheer number of achievements.

“The truth is that if they were the ones confronted with having to fight a once-in-a-century pandemic, two economic recessions, and low oil prices, Nigeria would have had no economy to even talk about!” he said.

Listing some of the achievements of the current administration, the minister highlighted the Abuja-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan, and Itakpe-Warri standard gauge rail lines which have been completed.

He said the Buhari-led administration inaugurated brand new airport terminals in Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt adding that housing projects were completed in 35 states.

“We have constructed or are constructing road projects in every state and we have the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme that has almost weaned us from dependence on imported rice and other crops,” he said.

“We met 15 standard rice mills and now we have over 50.

“We have our unprecedented National Social Investment Programme under which 9.8 million school children are fed one meal daily, under which 1 million youths have been empowered.

“Another 500,000 are undergoing training under the N-Power and 1,632,480 households have been enrolled in the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme.

“We are proud of the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure (also known as Deep Blue Asset) aimed at managing, controlling, and protecting Nigerian waterways towards the advancement of coastal prosperity.”