The Federal Government says the social investment programmes of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration are distinctive and unprecedented.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made the declaration on Tuesday in Abuja at the 14th edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023)
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the scorecard series is organised by the Ministry of Information and Culture to showcase the administration’s achievements.
Tuesday’s edition featured the Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare.
In his opening remarks, Mohammed said with the unrivalled social investment programmes, functioning modern railway systems, bridges and roads, integrated national security, claim by opposition that the Buhari government had not achieved anything were unreasonable.
He said as the 2023 general elections drew nearer, the Buhari administration had achievements to showcase and use as campaign points for the return of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The minister listed some of the social investment programmes to include the school feeding programme through which more than 10 million school children were fed daily.
He also cited the conditional cash transfer scheme that had enrolled 1,632,480 households and a scheme that empowered and paid stipends to unemployed graduates.
Mohammed said the Enterprise Empowerment Programme provided easily-accessible micro loans to those at the bottom of the pyramid and those that engaged in commercial activities but faced significant challenges with access to finance or credit.
“Before we came into office in 2015, Nigeria did not have a functional modern railway system.
“Today, we have well-functioning Abuja-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri modern rail systems.
“The opposition lays claim to starting the Abuja-Kaduna rail project, but forgot that Itakpe-Warri was also started by another administration more than 30 years ago.
“That administration abandoned the project until this administration assumed office in 2015.
“Before this administration came into office in 2015, several past administrations had started and completed – on paper – the all-important 2nd Niger Bridge.
“Only last week, this bridge became a reality when it was opened to motorists.
“Remember the 40km Bonny-Bodo Road that has a total of 13 bridges
“In the words of the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, for the first time in the history of mankind, you can now walk between Bodo and Bonny,’’ he said.
Also on infrastructure development, Mohammed listed brand new terminals constructed at airports in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Enugu.
The minister said the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano 614km gas pipeline project that would ferry gas from southern part of to Nigeria to the northern parts was another achievement.
He equally listed the crude oil find in the Kolmani Field spanning Bauchi and Gombe states where drilling was recently inaugurated as unprecedented.
He said the Buhari administration had also constructed at least one road in every state of the Federation, and as well completed housing projects in 35 states.
On security, Mohammed said the administration had liberated Nigeria’s territory from insurgents and re-equipping the security forces who were left stranded by the previous government.
The minister said the Buhari administration also gave Nigeria the Petroleum Industry Act, which he described as the most ambitious attempt at overhauling the country’s petroleum sector.
