23:40:00
President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to apprehend militants and vandals behind the renewed attacks on oil and power installations in the Niger Delta.
He stated that both the perpetrators of the heinous crime and their sponsors would be brought to justice.
Buhari, however, said that despite the renewed attacks on oil and power installations by militants, his government would not be distracted from implementing deliberate policies to develop the region and the entire country.
The president, in a nationwide broadcast to mark this year’s Democracy Day celebration, warned militants and vandals in the region not to test the will of his government by mistaking its resolve as a weakness.
He said: “The recent spate of attacks by militants disrupting oil and power installations will not distract us from engaging leaders in the region in addressing Niger Delta problems.
“If the militants and vandals are testing our resolve, they are much mistaken. We shall apprehend the perpetrators and their sponsors and bring them to justice.”
Speaking further, Buhari explained that no one should see any of his government’s policy measures and actions taken so far as experiment in governance.
“We are fully aware that those vested interests who have held Nigeria back for so long will not give up without a fight. They will sow divisions, sponsor vile press criticisms at home and abroad, incite the public in an effort to create chaos rather than relinquish the vice-like grip they have held on Nigeria,” he said.
He said the Federal Government would continue to engage leaders of the Niger Delta in addressing issues of unrest among youths in order to halt further crisis in the area.
The president promised that his government was committed to the clean-up of the areas affected by oil spillage in the region as well as re-engineering the amnesty programme.
He said: “We are committed to implementing the United Nations Environment Programme report and are advancing clean-up operations.
“I believe the way forward is to take a sustainable approach to address the issues that affect the delta communities. Re-engineering the amnesty programmes is an example of this.”
The president noted that the economic misfortune being faced by the country today in the shape of very low oil prices has provided Nigeria with an opportunity to restructure its economy and diversify.
He assured that government was presently taking deliberate steps to promote agriculture, livestocks and in the process of exploiting solid mineral resources and expanding the country’s industrial and manufacturing base.
“That way, we will import less and make the social investments necessary to allow us to produce a large and skilled workforce,” he said.
Buhari noted that the real challenge for this government has been reconstructing the spine of the Nigerian state, saying “the last 12 months have been spent collaborating with all arms of government to revive our institutions so that they are more efficient and fit for purpose.”
He said Nigeria under his leadership has delivered significant milestones on security, corruption and the economy. On the recent increase in the pump price of petrol, Buhari explained that the very painful but inevitable decisions had to be made to save the country from near collapse.
“As part of the foundation of the new economy, we have had to reform how fuel prices had traditionally been fixed.
“This step was taken only after protracted consideration of its pros and cons. After comprehensive investigation, my advisers and I concluded that the mechanism was unsustainable.
“It is even more painful for me that a major producer of crude oil with four refineries that once exported refined products is today having to import all of its domestic needs. This is what corruption and mismanagement has done to us and that is why we must fight these ills,” he added.
He said the flexible exchange rate policy announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was a decision to also revamp the economy.
On the recovery of looted funds, Buhari said that government was also engaged in making recoveries of stolen assets some of which are in different jurisdictions.
He however said that “the processes of recovery can be tedious and time consuming, but today I can confirm that thus far: significant amount of as sets have been recovered.”
Buhari, who had earlier in London promised to make public the amount of looted funds recovered so far and the names of those who have returned the monies in his democracy day speech however, failed to do so. He said a considerable portion of the funds are at different stages of recovery.
The president said full details of the status and categories of the assets would now be published by the Ministry of Information and updated periodically.
“When forfeiture formalities are completed, these monies will be credited to the treasury and be openly and transparently used in funding developmental projects and the public will be informed,” he stated.
The president also announced that the Federal Government will soon be launching national women’s empowerment fund worth N1.6 billion to provide micro-finance loans for women across the country.
According to the president, the programme would assist in rehabilitating the economies of rural communities, particularly those impacted by the insurgency and conflicts.
Buhari urged Nigerians to exercise patience with his government which intention is to transform all sectors of the economy and improve the living condition of citizens.
The president reassured Nigerians that his administration had resolved to keep the Naira steady because past devaluation of the currency had done more harm than good to the economy.
He stated that government would continue to keep a close look on measures introduced to stabilise the economy, saying that he supported monetary authority’s deci-sion to ensure alignment between monetary policy and fiscal policy.
“We resolved to keep the Naira steady, as in the past, devaluation had done dreadful harm to the Nigerian economy.
“Furthermore, I supported the monetary authority’s decision to ensure alignment between monetary policy and fiscal policy.
“We shall keep a close look on how the recent measures affect the Naira and the economy. But we cannot get away from the fact that a strong currency is predicated on a strong economy.
“And a strong economy pre-supposes an industrial productive base and a steady export market. The measures we must take, may lead to hardships,” he added.
Buhari stated that his administration was working very hard to introduce some vital structural reforms in the conduct of government business and lay a solid foundation on which to build an enduring change.
“We started boldly with the Treasury Single Account (TSA), stopping the leakages in public expenditure.
“We then identified 43,000 ghost workers through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). That represents pay packets totalling N4.2 billion stolen every month. In addition, we will save N23 billion per annum from official travelling and sitting allowances alone.
“Furthermore, the efficiency unit will cut costs and eliminate duplications in ministries and departments. Every little saving helps.
“When this work is complete we will have a leaner, more efficient public service that is fit for the purpose of changing Nigeria for the good and for good,” the president said.
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