3RD ANNIVERSARY: Presidency brandishes claims of Buhari in 41-page doc

The Presidency has released what it described as ‘3rd anniversary factsheet’ showcasing the programmes and achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari , who marked three years in power as Nigeria leader on May 29, 2018.

The 41-page document released by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, highlighted supposed successes Buhari’s administration has in the last three years made in the economy, security and fight against corruption, which are the three priorities of President Buhari’s change agenda.

The document is organised into the following sections, “Resetting the Economy; Restoring Growth, Growing What We Eat, Making Business Work, Doing More With Less, Investing In People, New Vision for the Niger Delta, Plugging Leakages and Justice Reforms.”

According Shehu, the factsheet which will be updated regularly, “showcases improving economic indices, rising investment in agriculture and infrastructure, successes in the fight against terrorism, and ongoing efforts to improve security in the North Central.

“In addition, it lists the several measures taken to promote transparency and accountability in government finances.”

Highlights of claims made by the presidency in the factsheet include that:

“Nigeria’s economy is back on the path of growth, after the recession of 2016-17 (1.95 percent growth in Q1 2018).

“The Buhari administration’s priority sectors of agriculture and solid minerals maintained consistent growth throughout the recession.

“Inflation has fallen for the fifteenth (15th) consecutive month, from 18.7 percent in January 2017 to 12.5 percent as of April 2018.

“External Reserves of US$47.5 billion are the highest in 5 years and double the size as of October 2016.

“Total exports in 2017 were 59.47 per cent higher than for 2016

“The first quarter of 2018 saw the fourth consecutive quarterly increase in capital importation since Q2 2017. The total value of capital imported in the quarter stood at US$6.3 billion, which is a year-on-year increase of 594.03 per cent, and a 17.11 per cent growth over the figure reported in the previous quarter.

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“The new FX Window introduced by the CBN in April 2017, now sees an average of US$1 billion in weekly turnover, and has attracted about US$25 billion in inflows in its first year (and a total turnover of $47.14 billion) – signalling rising investor confidence in Nigeria.

“Nigeria’s Stock Market ended 2017 as one of the best-performing in the world, with returns in excess of 40 per cent.”

Others include claims that “Five million new taxpayers added to the Tax Base since 2016, as part of efforts to diversify government revenues.

“Tax Revenue increased to N1.17 Trillion in Q1 2018, a 51 per cent increase on the Q1 2017 figure.

“N2.7 Trillion spent on Infrastructure in 2016 and 2017 fiscal years, an unprecedented allocation in Nigeria’s recent history.

“Fourteen (14) moribund Blending Plants revitalized so far under the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI); with a total capacity of 2.3 million MT of NPK fertilizer.

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“In May 2018, the Federal Government launched the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), under the management of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority. The PIDF is kicking off with seed funding of US$1.3 billion.

“Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) in March 2018 invested US$10m to establish a world-class Cancer Treatment Centre at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and US$5m each in the Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, to establish modern Diagnostic Centres. These Centres should be completed before the end of 2018.

“The Buhari Administration issued a N100 billion Sukuk Bond in 2017, Nigeria’s first sovereign Sukuk Bond. Proceeds from that Bond are funding 25 major road projects across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.”

This came as the opposition and some Nigerians have continued to criticise President Buhari’s government, describing it as the dumbest the country ever had.

 

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