The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that Nigerians who are mocking the change agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari will not distract the administration from delivering the change Nigerians voted for in 2015.
Lai Mohammed who spoke at a town hall meeting for the South East, organized by the Federal Ministry of Information in Enugu on Monday, said the change is being delivered. The Minister insisted contrary to the insinuations in certain quarters that the people are not feeling the impact of the government, that a lot have been done in moving the country forward.
“Many have said they are yet to see the change we promised. Many more have called the promise a ruse. In fact, they are now mocking us. But we remain undaunted because we know that the change we promised is real.
“In fact, the change we promised is already here and it is manifesting all around us.”
The minister said that the government has successfully stopped the looting of public funds, which was responsible for underdevelopment.
“Before now, public officials simply opened the public till, took as much money as they wanted and walked away without consequences.
“That explains why funds allocated to the military to fight Boko Haram ended up in the piggy banks of many unscrupulous Nigerians
“Today, all those who looted the public treasury are being made to answer for their actions, as impunity gives way to accountability.
“Many have offered to return their loots and many more are facing charges.”
The minister said that with the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), funds meant for the Federal Government were directly paid in and used for development of infrastructure.
He noted that before now, funds accruing to the government were paid into so many accounts and went to private purses.
Lai Mohammed said that the government has successfully identified and stopped salaries hitherto paid to more than 30,000 ghost workers, adding: “we promised to diversify the economy away from oil to ensure that other sectors are able to significantly contribute to sustainable development.
“In June 2016, for the very first time, about 70 per cent of the more than N500 billion raised from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee came from the non-oil sector, while 30 per cent came from the oil sector.
“It was the first time in 2016 that the Federal Government shared more than N500 billion among the three tiers of government.”
In the area of security, Lai Mohammed said that the government has successfully crushed the Boko Haram terrorists and that not a single territory is being administered by them.
On infrastructure, the minister said that construction firms have been mobilized to sites on major roads in the country.
“As they move to site, they are creating thousands of new jobs. No part of the country is left out of this. Where the contractors have not been seen on site, it is because of the rains, not because of lack of mobilisation.”
The minister said that the complaints over perceived or real instances of lopsidedness in appointments are being addressed.
“There are hundreds of appointments yet to be made. It is an evolving scenario and any lopsidedness is being addressed as we progress.”
Lai Mohammed said that the town hall meetings are being held to bridge the communication gap between the government and the people and to carry the people along in the process of governance.
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