Against opposition parties’ campaign of lack of progress by his administration, President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, gave a broad sectoral achievements of his government, declaring that the country made tremendous strides in 2013 under his watch.
In his New Year message made available to the media in Abuja, he explained that he took the pain to outline some of his achievements to reassure the people that he was working and there was evidence on ground to show it.
He said: “Fellow Nigerians, I have dwelt on some of our administration’s achievements in 2013 to reassure you that we are working and results being achieved are visible. As we enter our centennial year, there is still much work ahead.
“We are determined to sustain our strong macroeconomic fundamentals, to strengthen our domestic institutions, and to invest in priority sectors. These investments will create more jobs for our youths.
“Government will, at the same time, continue to scale-up investments in safety nets and the MDGs to take care of the poor and the vulnerable, so that they too can share in our growth and prosperity.”
He recalled that in 2013, his administration commenced implementation of the National Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) aimed at industrialising Nigeria and diversifying the economy into sectors such as agro-processing, light manufacturing and petrochemicals.
The president was pleased to note that as a result of government’s backward integration policies, Nigeria has moved from a country that produced two million metric tonnes of cement in 2002, to a country that now has a capacity of 28.5 million metric tonnes.
He said: “For the first time in our history, we have moved from being a net importer of cement to a net exporter. Foreign direct investment into Nigeria has also been strong. In fact, for the second year running, the UN Conference on Trade and Development has named Nigeria as the number one destination for investments in Africa.
“We are witnessing a revolution in the agricultural sector and the results are evident. We have tackled corruption in the input distribution system as many farmers now obtain their fertilizers and seeds directly through an e-wallet system. In 2013, four million, two hundred thousand farmers received subsidised inputs via this programme. This scheme has restored dignity to our farmers.
“Last year we produced over eight million metric tonnes of additional food; and this year, inflation fell to its lowest level since 2008, partly due to higher domestic food production. Our food import bill has also reduced from N1.1 trillion in 2011, to N648 billion in 2012, placing Nigeria firmly on the path to food self-sufficiency.
“The sector is also supporting more jobs. Last year, we produced 1.1 million metric tonnes of dry season rice across 10 northern states; and over 250,000 farmers and youths in these states are now profitably engaged in farming, even during the dry season.”
Jonathan pointed out that his administration was also developing the nation’s water resources, which are key for both food production and job creation goals.
He added: “In 2013, we completed the construction of nine dams, which increased the volume of our water reservoirs by 422 million cubic metres.
“Through our irrigation and drainage programme, we have increased the total irrigated area by over 31,000 hectares, creating jobs for over 75,000 farming families, while increasing production of over 400,000 metric tonnes of assorted irrigated food products.”
Stressing the need to invest in education, Jonathan remarked that between 2007 and 2013, government has almost tripled the allocation for education from N224 billion to N634 billion, saying that his administration would continue to vigorously support the sector.
Other achievements he mentioned in the sector included the construction of 125 Almajiri schools, the establishment of three additional federal universities in the North, bringing to twelve, the number of universities established by this administration, rehabilitation of 352 laboratories, construction of 72 new libraries in the federal unity schools and the rehabilitation of laboratories of all the 51 federal and state polytechnics across the country.
In the health sector, he noted that his government was building strong safety nets and improving access to primary health care under the Saving One Million Lives programme.
According to him: “In 2013, we recruited 11,300 frontline health workers who were deployed to under-served communities across the country. Over 400,000 lives have been saved through our various interventions.
“We have reached over 10,000 women and children with conditional cash transfer programmes across eight states and the FCT and we intend to scale up this successful initiative.
“Our national immunization coverage has exceeded 80%. And for the first time in the history of the country, there has not been any transmission of the Type-3 Wild Polio virus for more than one year.
“We have also eradicated the guinea-worm that previously affected the lives of over 800,000 Nigerians yearly. In tertiary health care, we upgraded medical facilities across the country.
Two of our teaching hospitals – the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu, and the University College Hospital in Ibadan – commenced open heart surgeries this year after the installation of new facilities.”
He also outlined some of his programmes for 2014, saying that in 2014, government would continue to prioritise investments in key sectors such as infrastructure development, power, roads, rail transportation and aviation.
The president said: “In the past year, the Federal Government completed the privatization of four power generation companies and 10 power distribution companies. We are also in the process of privatizing 10 power plants under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP).
“We shall boost investments in transmission to ensure power generated is properly evacuated and distributed. In this regard, we have already mobilised an additional $1.5 billion for the upgrade of the transmission network in 2014 and beyond.
“Government will also strengthen regulation of the sector, and closely monitor electricity delivery to increase this beyond 18 hours per day. We will complete the privatization of the NIPP projects, accelerate work on our gas pipeline infrastructure and also continue to invest in hydro-electric power and clean energy as we monitor the effects of climate change on our economy.”
The president spoke on corruption and how to deal with the menace, promising to take steps to ensure that it was reduced to the barest minimum, even as he vowed to reduce the cost of governance and leakages.
He stated: “Our administration believes that the cost of governance in the country is still too high and must be further reduced. We will also take additional steps to stem the tide of corruption and leakages. We have worked hard to curb fraud in the administration of the pension system and the implementation of the petroleum subsidy scheme.
“We have introduced a Pensions Transition Arrangement Department under a new director-general. This department will now ensure that those of our pensioners still under the old scheme receive their pensions and gratuities, and are not subjected to fraud.
“Prosecution of all those involved in robbing our retired people will continue. The Petroleum Subsidy Scheme is also now being operated under new strict guidelines to tackle previous leakages in the scheme and prevent fraud.
“Foreign travel by government personnel will be further curtailed. This directive shall apply to all ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government. Our strategy to curb leakages will increasingly rely on introducing the right technologies such as biometrics and digitizing government payments.”
He remarked that government would complete the deployment of the three electronic platforms in 2014 including, the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), all geared towards improving efficiency and transparency in the nation’s public finances.
“Through these reforms, we have already saved about N126 billion in leaked funds and intend to save more,” he stated.
Furthermore, he said: “We have diligently carried forward the purposeful and focused implementation of our agenda for national transformation in priority areas such as power, the rehabilitation and expansion of national infrastructure, agricultural development, education and employment generation.”
Speaking on the goals of the 2014 Budget, he noted that it was specifically targeted at job creation and inclusive growth, saying, “we are keenly aware that in spite of the estimated 1.6 million new jobs created across the country in the past 12 months as a result of our actions and policies, more jobs are still needed to support our growing population. Our economic priorities will be stability and equitable growth, building on the diverse sectors of our economy.”
On the forthcoming national conference, Jonathan noted that his administration would do all within its powers to ensure its success, disclosing that the report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Conference was undergoing urgent review and the approved structure, guidelines and modalities for the conference would soon be published as a prelude to its commencement and expeditious conclusion.
“It remains our sincere hope and expectation that the success of the national conference will further enhance national unity, peace and cohesion as we move ahead to the 2015 general elections,” he added.
Pledging continuous support for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) “in keeping with our avowed commitment to progressively enhancing the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process by consistently upholding the principle of one man, one vote,” Jonathan also vowed to do more to empower security agencies to stem the scourge of terrorism.
The president felicitated with Nigerians at the dawn of a new year and thanked God “for guiding us and our beloved nation safely through all the challenges of the outgoing year to the beginning of 2014.”
He recalled that exactly 100 years ago today, on January 1, 1914, the British Colonial authorities amalgamated what was then the separate Protectorates of Southern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria, giving birth to the single geopolitical entity known as Nigeria.
According to him: “For us therefore, today is not just the beginning of a new year, but the end of a century of national existence and the beginning of another. It is a moment for sober reflection and for pride in all that is great about Nigeria.
