Abuja – As Nigeria marks her 57th Independence anniversary, President Muhammadu Buhari has somehow laid to rest calls for restructuring of the country, arguing that highly irresponsible groups were hinging on the advocacy to call for the dismemberment of the country.
Buhari’s position may pitch him against his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), which has been moving round the country to gather views on the subject of restructuring.
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“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 cannot and we will not allow such advocacy,” the President emphasised.
He said the nation’s 57th Independence anniversary should provide a veritable opportunity for Nigerians to reflect on the journey so far and re-dedicate themselves to nationhood.
According to the number one citizen, October 1 remains a special date for all Nigerians as it marks the day when we attained one of the most precious of human desires, freedom.
Besides scoring his administration high on security, economy and other areas, he said the APC Government’s Campaign, which rallied cry to restore security, re-balance the economy and fight corruption was not all rhetoric.
He went down memory lane, saying as a young Army Officer, he took part from the beginning to the end in what he described as a tragic civil war costing about two million lives, resulting in fearful destruction and untold suffering.
Apparently lampooning the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), he said 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 the country went through.
He said: “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.”
Meanwhile, President Buhari has rated his administration and scored himself high on key areas of economy and security.
A comprehensive statement by his media team in Abuja, Saturday reeled out Buhari’s achievements especially in the last two years of his administration.
On security, Buhari said the release of 106 Chibok girls, as well as over 16,000 persons who had been in Boko Haram captivity was an unprecedented milestone for his administration.
He also enumerated the tackling insurgency, decimation of Boko Haram in the North East, including recovering 14 local governments and territories previously under Boko Haram control in the North East, rebuilding lives of citizens there; and about one million displaced persons in the North East who have returned to their communities in two years of this administration as some of his key achievements.
He listed the achievements to include curbing the incidence of kidnap across the country, including the arrest of kidnap kingpins and dismantling of kidnap cells across the country; restoring morale of the Nigerian military; re-organising and better equipping the Nigerian Armed Forces; purchase of 12 Super-Tucano aircrafts worth $600 million to aid the Nigerian military’s current operations in the North East.
Others are: “Ensuring continued peace in the Niger Delta through consistent funding of the FG amnesty programme for ex-militants; introduction of an improved mechanism for distribution of aid to IDPs in the North East through the establishment of the Special Intervention Programme of the Federal Government (Door-to-door strategy).”
On economic matters, Buhari noted that the implementation of the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) to aid economic recovery has helped to take the country out of her worst recession in 29 years, despite fall in oil prices.
Besides, he said the N1.2 trillion expended on capital/infrastructure projects nationwide, represented a milestone in the nation’s history.
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He also said the effective implementation of the Treasury Single Account, and increasing government revenue by over N3 trillion, entrenching transparency and accountability, as well as implementation of the Bank Verification Number (BVN), helped in tackling corruption by plugging loopholes for siphoning of public fund and tracking of illicit funds through multiple accounts.
On the ease of doing business, he said the Federal Government signed into law two bills from the National Assembly (Secured Transactions in Movable Assets Act, 2017, otherwise known as Collateral Registry Act and the Credit Reporting Act, 2017), which have facilitated access to more affordable credit for Nigerians, fast tracked budget submissions and promotes Made-in-Nigeria products.
He also noted the establishment of the Presidential Quarterly Business Forum to enhance interaction and private sector participation in the development of the economy.
Other achievements included the revitalisation of the Made-in-Nigeria campaign, implementation of reforms in the civil service, which has led to the elimination of over 30,000 ghost workers, thereby saving the country billions of naira monthly, massive investments in agriculture, such as the Anchors Borrowers Programme to improve local production, improving fertiliser distribution and access across states through the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative.
The post Nigeria At 57: Clamour For Restructuring Dead On Arrival – Buhari appeared first on Independent News Nigeria.
Source: Daily Independent
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