1. I welcome you all to this occasion of the formal presentation of the Hand-over notes of my Administration to the in-coming Administration of the President-Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari.
2. This event and tomorrow’s inauguration of a new administration are truly historic as it is the first time in the history of our nation that we are witnessing the democratic and orderly transfer of power at the Federal level from one political party to another.
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3.
The Hand-over notes which we now present, contain the governance
philosophy, strategies, policies, programmes and activities of my Administration
for the period - 2011-2015. Also to be found in the notes are the objectives, targets
and implementation strategies, achievements and challenges of our key policies,
schemes, initiatives as well as the status of commitments and liabilities of
the various MDAs.
4.
As we hand over the affairs of the nation, it is appropriate to
recall that at inception, in May 2011, we committed ourselves to consolidating
national unity through democratization and good governance. Our assessment
then, and our firm belief ever since, is that the unity of Nigeria, the
security, well-being, greater freedoms and opportunities for all citizens must
remain the primary objectives of government.
5.
The Agenda for National Transformation which we did our best to implement
consisted of clear and consistent governance strategies, policies, plans,
programmes and projects, in all facets of our national life. Emphasis was
placed on human and state security, democratization, sound economic management,
as well as structural and institutional reforms.
6.
Our foremost concern was the unity of Nigeria. In keeping with that concern, we engineered a
process that began with a review of issues outstanding from previous
Constitutional Conferences by the Belgore Committee. After that, we widened
political consultations through a National Dialogue that was orchestrated
through the Okurounmu Committee. These culminated in the all-inclusive National
Conference which unanimously reaffirmed that Nigeria must remain united and
indivisible.
7.
The Conference also made resolutions and recommendations for
serious constitutional, political and governance reforms, which we have forwarded
to the National Assembly for appropriate legislative action. It is our hope that the incoming Government
will accord the Report of the National Conference the very high priority that it
deserves, as a genuine expression of the will of our people.
8.
The recognition that the starting point for good governance is the
legitimacy of the government itself informed our commitment to promoting free
and fair elections.
9.
It also motivated innovations in the management and conduct of
elections which we undertook. Hopefully, in the years ahead, those innovations
will be properly and fully implemented so that Nigerians will be even more
assured of the integrity of the electoral system and the legitimacy of any
government that it produces.
10.
To strengthen the social
contract between the government and the governed, we institutionalized the rule
of law as well as the independence of the legislature and the judiciary. We also promoted group and individual
freedoms. As a result, there is vast expansion in democratic, social and
economic space for all citizens.
11.Our
nation and citizens faced many new challenges over the past four years but the
greatest was the vastly increased menace of Boko Haram with their mindless
terror, mass killings, utter ruthlessness, kidnapping of innocent children and
other unspeakable acts of brutality.
12.
We should all remember that Boko Haram’s emergence predated our
administration going as far back as 2002. The group however became extremely
malignant with the killing of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf in July 2009.
13.
It therefore became an urgent task for us to effectively
confront the great threat Boko Haram posed to the security and well-being of
our people. To do so, we overhauled and virtually reinvented our security
architecture to confront Boko Haram and its insurgency. We re-organized our
security apparatus. We re-equipped and fully motivated our forces.
14.
Victory is now in sight and within our reach. However, the cost
in blood of citizens and heroes; and the diversion of national treasure from
urgent needs for development have been very high. While more than 500 women and
children have been rescued from the clutches of Boko Haram thus far by our
security forces, it remains my sincere hope and prayer that our beloved
daughters from Chibok will soon be reunited with us.
15.
I wish to thank the Nigerian people for their resilience and
patience. I also wish to pay very special and personal tribute to all the men
and women of our valiant armed forces and security agencies. Their sacrifice
and dedication have brought us thus far.
16.
While striving to overcome our national security challenges, we
still gave necessary attention to economic development. Our goal was to achieve
long-term economic growth and stability, improve the quality and quantum of
infrastructure and enhance human capital development.
17.
Our financial system reforms included the Treasury Single
Account [TSA] that unified the structure of government accounts for all MDAs and
thereby brought order to cash flow management; and Government Integrated
Financial Management Information System [GIFMIS] was introduced to plug
leakages and waste of resources. The Integrated Payroll and Personnel
Information System [IPPIS] weeded out 60,450 ghost workers in 359 out of 425 MDAs, yielding N185.4 billion in savings to the
Federal government.
18.
Improved Revenue Mobilization was achieved through improvements
in the laws and compliance measures. In 2013 alone, these measures resulted in
a 69% rise in Federal tax revenues from N2.8 trillion to N4.8 trillion. Also, Waiver
Policy and Trade Facilitation were reformed to create a more rational regime.
Our emphasis shifted to granting waivers to specific sectors instead of
individual companies and the Sovereign Wealth Fund was established to provide
stabilization from external shocks, provide funding for critical infrastructure
and savings for future generations.
19.
Our Financial Sector reforms addressed the issues of
inefficiencies in the coordination and monitoring of the financial system. Our
policies promoted transparency, better risk management, new banking models and
payment systems. We established the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria as
a resolution mechanism for toxic banking assets. We strengthened banking supervision
and enhanced public confidence in Nigerian Banks
.
20.
Similarly, we undertook innovative reforms for job creation and
repositioned the manufacturing, agriculture and housing sectors. Specifically, it was observed that over the years, job creation did not keep pace with
economic growth. Thus unemployment, especially amongst the youth was assuming
alarming dimensions.
21.
To address this, my administration
made job creation a key consideration for all programmes in the Transformation
Agenda. Emphasis was also shifted towards empowering youths to become entrepreneurs
rather than job seekers, through such initiatives as Youth Enterprise with Innovation
in Nigeria (YOU-WIN), Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS), the SURE-P Technical
Vocational Education and Training Programme (TVET) and the Youth Employment in
Agriculture Programme (YEAP).
22.
Manufacturing in Nigeria
faces many challenges, including poor power supply, high cost of input, high
cost of doing business, multiple taxation, poor infrastructure and lack of
synergy with the labour market. To
address these problems, we launched several programmes and initiatives
including the National Industrial Revolution Plan and a new National Automobile
Policy designed to boost domestic car production and expand existing capacity.
Since then, five new private vehicle assembly plants have been established.
23.
Agriculture is critical to
national survival and yet the sector was besieged with many problems. By year
2010, Nigeria was the second largest importer of food in the world, spending
about N1.3 trillion on the importation
of fish, rice and sugar alone.
24.
The reforms we introduced
in agriculture dramatically increased local production of staple food and saved
us vast amounts of money that we would have spent on the importation of food
items.
25.
To address the glaring inadequacy of critical national
infrastructure, we focused on the Power Sector, Roads, Railways, Aviation,
Ports and Harbours as well as on Water and Sanitation, Information and
Communication Technology.
26. My government
introduced the Power Sector Roadmap in 2010.
Since then, we have privatized the generation and distribution aspects
in a most transparent process. Obstacles to the private sector investments in
power supply were removed and we developed cost effective electricity tariff to
make the sector more attractive. It remains our hope that the successor
companies to PHCN and also the private sector will step forward with the
necessary investment to make the power reform work.
27.
The major challenge in the road
sector in Nigeria is the high cost of building roads and it continues to rise.
The other challenge is the fact that because of regular use, roads are one of the
fastest depreciating assets in developing countries.
28. To
address this, Government has developed the required legal and regulatory framework
and created opportunities for Private Public Partnership (PPP) in road
construction and maintenance.
29. From Ore/Benin Road, Lagos/Ibadan Expressway
to the Kano/Maiduguri dualisation projects, we made concerted efforts to
address age-long problems of delays in construction, design defect, neglect and
ineffective maintenance. The construction of the historic Second Niger Bridge
has also commenced, and on completion, it will open new and far-reaching
opportunities for greater trade and interaction among our people.
30. In the Aviation
Sector, our government developed a Master Plan to institutionalise safety and
security, and to develop infrastructure at the airports and local airlines. We embarked on the reconstruction and
rehabilitation of 22 airports nationwide. Construction work on five new
international terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu are also
on-going.
31.
There has been a revolution in rail transportation. We rehabilitated the
old narrow gauge network and ensured that it has served our people steadily for
three years running with new coaches and improved expanded services nationwide.
32.
We are in the construction stages of a new national network for
standard gauge speed-train services, with the new rail line segment, from Abuja
to Kaduna, successfully completed. In addition, we have initiated the process
for the construction of an ultramodern coastal rail line that will run from
Lagos to Calabar, with a link to Onitsha.
33.
We have also successfully completed the dredging of River
Niger, from Warri in Delta State to Baro in Niger State, and completed
construction works for the Onitsha River Port. Other River Ports at Baro,
Lokoja and Oguta, are at advanced construction stages. Working with the states
and development partners, we have facilitated the process towards the
development of two new deep sea ports at Lekki in Lagos, and Ibaka in Akwa Ibom.
We have also implemented reforms to streamline the clearing regime in existing
ports, increasing cargo turnover time and easing business for all users.
34.
In the oil and gas sector, our local content policy
has continued to empower Nigerian companies, particularly in technical and
engineering projects. The Gas Revolution Industrial Park in Delta State is
unprecedented in the sub
-
sector, and will not only deliver Africa’s biggest
industrial park, but all the accompanying benefits to local industry and job
creation.
35.
We recognized Human Capital as
the most important agent for transformational development. Our reforms in this
sector focused on Health, Education and Social Development and also on Women
and Youth Empowerment and Social Safety Nets.
36. In the Health sector, the comprehensive
National Strategic Health Development Plan (NSHDP) of 2011 laid the foundation
for widening access and improving the quality of healthcare with lower infant
mortality rates and higher life expectancy for the populace. Our effective curtailment of the Ebola
epidemic has continued to receive worldwide acclaim as an example in prompt and
effective national disease management. On our watch, guinea-worm has been
eradicated from Nigeria and we are on the verge of wiping out polio entirely.
37.
In
the Education sector, our objectives are clear and precise. They emphasise
expansion of access and the upgrade of quality. I am proud that we have widened
access by establishing 18 more Federal Universities and other specialized
polytechnics. We strengthened TETFUND and used it to boldly address the
problems of inadequate infrastructure in the existing institutions.
38.
I
am particularly proud of our efforts with regards to Early Childhood Education
and Out-of-School Children. We provided modern hybrid Almajiri Education Programme
in the North, attended to schooling needs of boys in the South-East and ensured
the construction of special girls’ schools in 13 States
of the Federation to improve girl-child education. We expanded opportunities
for open and distance learning and provided scholarships at all levels to help
improve access to quality education for bright and promising Nigerians.
39.
We
have promoted gender-mainstreaming with commensurate priority and opportunities
for our womenfolk, beginning with ensuring that not less than 30 per cent of
key Federal appointments go to women. Other initiatives that we have taken
include: the National Gender Policy, Establishment of Gender Units in
Federal MDAs, Women Empowerment Training Programmes, Micro-Credit for Women, Social
Safety Net Programmes and the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Scheme.
40.
My
Administration has emphasized giving a free hand to our Anti-corruption
agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the
Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). We preferred that they mature
into strong institutions instead of being the images, the hammer and the anvil
of a strong man. We must encourage them to abide by the rule of law and due
process instead of resorting to dramatic or illegal actions orchestrated for
cheap applause
.
41.
Beyond the
very impressive records of enhanced convictions by statutory anti-corruption agencies
like the EFCC and ICPC, our other strategy has been to fashion economic
policies that deliver higher deterrence and frustrate concealment. In this
regard, the Bureau of Public Procurement has played a central role and impacted
strongly on the fight against corruption.
42.
In
Sports, we have improved our national performance in team and individual
events. The disappointment of not qualifying to defend our African Football
Championship was cushioned by a decent FIFA World Cup appearance, an Under-17
World Cup win in addition to other victories in other international football
tournaments and the Paralympics. We have also encouraged excellence in other
sports, apart from football, resulting in exceptional performance in
international sporting events, especially in athletics.
43.
Our
foreign policy position remains strong. In October 2013, Nigeria was elected as
a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the second
time on our watch. Our country had only served in that capacity thrice before
2011, since independence in 1960. Our Administration also played a leading role
in the resolution of security and political challenges in our sub-region,
particularly in Niger, Cote D’Ivoire, Mali, Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso.
44.
In
addition, we increased engagement with Nigerians in the diaspora who contribute
so much in remittances to their fatherland. Our Administration successfully
encouraged more of them to invest in Nigeria and others to return home and join
in the task of nation-building.
45.
In summary,
Your Excellency, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, our administration has done
its best to intervene robustly and impact positively on key aspects of our national
life.
46.
There is no
doubt that challenges still abound, but they are surmountable and overwhelming national
transformation remains realisable, with continuity, commitment and consistency.
47.
Nigeria is
blessed with citizens that will always remain faithful, firmly committed to national
unity, accelerated political, social and economic development.
48.
As we hand over
the reins of government, I believe that our nation is secure, our democracy is stable,
and the future is bright. Let us all work together, and with greater resolve, continue
to build a stronger and more prosperous nation.
49.
May God
Almighty continue to bless our dear country, Nigeria.
50.
I thank you
all.
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