By Dwelleth Morountodun
President Muhammadu Buhari, has admitted that all of Nigeria’s problems cannot be solved within one term even as he justifies
that change is not an event but a process and requires time.
The President, who was represented by the Minister of Power, works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, spoke Monday night at Onikan, at the 75th Anniversary of the Island Club, as contained in a statement sent by his Special Assistance on Media, Mr. Hakeem Bello.
Buhari said: “We need to free ourselves from habits that have held us hostage in the past so that we can embrace the promise of a better Nigeria that beckons ahead. That process may be painful, it may be tedious, but if an Eagle does it to survive, why can’t we?”
On assumption of office in 2015, he said, the country was spending $5 million daily to import rice that could be produced in Lagos, Ogun, Abia, Kebbi, Sokoto, Jigawa and many parts of Nigeria, explaining: “In the past, we had laudable initiatives like Operation Feed The Nation and Green Revolution aimed at securing our food supply.
“Regrettably, by a combination of many factors, not least the vested interest of those who benefit from us importing food that we can produce, these initiatives did not achieve their laudable objectives.
“Those interests were still there when I assumed office in May 2015. They fought back when I announced our commitment to produce what we eat and our refusal to provide foreign exchange to import those things. But today, I stand very proud to say that we took the flight of the Eagle in reaction to our food security.”
The President stressed: “This is one of the reasons why I am offering myself to serve you for another term. As far as our institutions are concerned, it will require all of us, men and women of goodwill, right thinking and well-meaning Nigerians to get involved, participate, play our roles and do our level best in the way that the members of Island Club have done, in order to change what we do not like and create what we want.
On why he needs another 4 years, he said: “Let me remind us that it took more than one term and one election cycle of the Chairman of the Island Club to build this hall, just as it will require more than one election cycle to build a nation and deliver change.”
“We have completed the Abuja-Kaduna Rail and the Abuja Business District to Airport intra-city rail and the New Port Harcourt International Airport Building which were not completed because we failed to pay the counterpart funding at the time we were earning about $100 per barrel of oil.
“Our administration paid these monies when the price of oil dropped to about $50 per barrel, and simultaneously committed to the Construction of the Lagos- Abeokuta- Ibadan- Kano Rail which has started.”
Buhari said, his government has revived most of the road contracts that were abandoned and started new ones adding, I can say to you confidently that there is no state in Nigeria where our government is not constructing at least one road.
In Lagos for example, the Ikorodu-Sagamu and the Lagos-Otta-Abeokuta Roads are long abandoned roads we have revived and contractors are now back to work while I have inaugurated an Infrastructure Development Fund to ensure that the Lagos-Ibadan, Second Niger Bridge and Abuja-Kano roads are not affected or delayed by funding problems again.
“We have also awarded the Tin-Can Island, Mile 2, Oshodi – Oworonshoki Expressway which is contributing to the gridlock in the State and work should start in November this year.
“But even our harshest critics will admit that we have moved things forward from where we met them.
“We know there is a lot of work to do but we are inspired by the progress in generation from 4,000MW to 7,000MW ; in transmission from 5,000MW to 7,000MW and in distribution from 2,690MW to 5,222MW.
“Compared to the 4,000 MW of generation that we inherited after 16 years which did not start from zero in 1999, it means that we are averaging 1000 MW per annum of incremental power Generation every year since 2015 when we took office.
“This is change for the better, compared to 4,000 MW after sixteen years (which as I said did not start from zero in 1999), which is an average of 250 MW per annum.
“Our policy of eligible customers to provide power to industrial customers working with the Manufactures Association of Nigeria is bearing encouraging results, with 5 industries already connected to reliable power and 14 more industries are being processed while many more new applications are coming in.”
On security challenges, he said: “During my campaign for office in 2014, we were in a situation where insurgents had actually captured local governments and hoisted flags with a view to setting up their own parallel government. “We have retaken all of that from them. But because crime is rewarding to its perpetrators, they do not give up easily.
“Government rescued 107 children from Chibok incident and reunited them with their families, although 112 children still remain to be rescued, as very painful reminders that our work is not done.”
Buhari, however admitted that there was a setback with the abduction of our children in Dapchi, but government’s response was quicker than Chibok, as we recovered all the children except unfortunately Leah Sharibu, the young girl for whom I will not rest until we bring her home, to the care and love of her anxious and traumatised parents, he added.
“Like the history of the Island Club to which I have referred, where the road to overcoming her challenges took more than one term of the chairman, it is obvious that we cannot solve all the problems we are faced within one term of my Presidency or one term of any President…Change is not an event, it is a process and requires time.”
“This is another reason why I am offering myself to serve again. I believe that these problems can be solved and our choices are moving us in the right direction, which is forward.
“This is what I offer and promise, that we work together to build the Nigeria that we desire, and I invite all of you to join me, because it is possible, as we consign our difficulties to history and embrace a future of prosperity.” President Buhari said.