… NAMES SECRETARIAT AFTER GOODLUCK JONATHAN, OTHERS, AS HE COMMISSIONS SECOND NIGER BRIDGE, OTHERS
Alfred Lahiri
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, in Abuja, said that taking infrastructural development as a key point of focus for his administration was a deliberate action to create wealth and make poverty alleviation easier.
Speaking at the virtual commissioning of three bridges, three secretariats and one road project undertaken by his administration, Buhari defended the debt profile of his administration.
“We do not act on infrastructure by accident. It has been a deliberate choice for our government as a tool to fight poverty, to create economic growth and employment and to open the path of prosperity for our people.” He said.
Senior Special Assistant to the President, on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said in a statement on Tuesday, that Buhari emphasized that while he shared the concerns of Nigerians, the debts are tied to projects that have been executed in very transparent circumstances and are there for everyone to see.
The statement added that the wealth of other nations is traceable to their investments in infrastructure made possible by debts redeemed over decades.
“As we look at the debt profile, I urge us to also look at the assets and investment profiles, some of which were paid for by debt and some by investment income.
“In 8 (Eight) years, I am proud to say that we have doubled Nigeria’s stock of infrastructure to GDP from about 20% to over 40% and that is no small undertaking.
“The projects that we hand over today apart from others such as rail, sea and airports, gas pipeline projects that have been previously completed, symbolise our country’s sharp focus on delivering prosperity,” he said.
According to Shehu, the significance of the projects, are frontal efforts to address multi-dimensional poverty as well as improve business efficiency and service delivery time. The three Bridges, according to the President are;
“The Ikom Bridge is meant to boost trade in and around the Calabar Port and Free Zone and facilitate transport connectivity from the South-South, through the North Central to the Northeast. This is a bridge across the Cross River itself.
“The Second Niger Bridge, which has been long in the making, and is certainly now a reality, is a bridge of choice across the River Niger to bring relief to those crossing from the Southeast to the Southwest.
“The Loko-Oweto Bridge, across the River Benue will provide a shorter connectivity for those traversing from Benue to Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory. It cuts off travel through Lafia and provides connectivity to Keffi and to Abuja.”
He said President Buhari also commissioned 200 kilometres out of the 365 kilometres Abuja-Kano highway noting that the road, the Second Niger bridge and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were all funded partly from dividend income earned from investment in the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), repatriated funds from overseas, and recoveries from proceeds of crime successfully prosecuted at home.
“This is an example of the change that we promised: to invest dividend income in visible assets that last for generations and to put proceeds of crime to public and enduring use for the country.
“Our anti-corruption approach does not end in courts. Stolen and recovered assets are utilized for the common good,” he stressed.
According to Shehu, the President also commissioned three Federal Secretariats in Anambra, Bayelsa and Zamfara States, believing that they would “reduce the cost of governance by bringing federal civil servants under one roof for efficient service delivery,” thereby reducing expenditure on rent for office spaces.
He also named the Secretariats after distinguished Nigerians as follows: Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Federal Secretariat in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State; Ebele Okeke Federal Secretariat in Awka, Anambra State; and Malam Yahaya Gusau Federal Secretariat in Gusau, Zamfara State.
