BUHARI'S ACHIEVEMENTS LAUDABLE DESPITE INHERITING EMPTY PURSE - MINISTER

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the
Buhari Administration has recorded laudable achievements, despite a
terrible economic downturn and an empty purse foisted on it by those
who monumentally mismanaged the economy.

In his remarks at the launch of a book chronicling the
Administration's achievements in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister
said ''despite those who are daily trying to muddle the waters, this
Administration has, through fidelity to discipline, determination and
transparency, recorded landmark achievements that are putting our
country on the path of sustainable growth.

''Taking a broad view, this Administration is delivering in the broad
areas that form the plank of its policies: Security, fight
against corruption and the economy, which includes the massive
provision of infrastructure, ease of doing business and agriculture,
just to mention a few.''

Alhaji Mohammed said with the fact that nothing can be achieved
without security, the Administration has successfully tackled the
menace of Boko Haram, which had crippled the North-east and even put
the residents of the Federal Capital Territory on tenterhooks,
following attacks on the UN Complex, the police headquarters and
crowded motor parks, all in the FCT.

He reeled out the Administration's achievements in several sectors,
including power where he said generation has increased from 2,690MW on
29 May 2015 to 6,619MW; transmission capacity from 5,000MW to 6,700MW
and distribution capacity from 4,000MW to 4,600MW as at September
2017.

On Infrastructure, the Minister said the Administration has increased,
many times over, the budget allocated to roads (from 18 billion to
198.25 billion Naira), power (from 5 billion to 91.2 billion Naira)
and housing (from 1.8 billion to 71.559 billion Naira), hence was able
to construct or rehabilitate a total of 766 kilometres of roads across
the country in 2017.

On the economy, he said headline inflation has fallen for nine
consecutive months this year and that foreign reserves are up to $34
billion, from $24 billion a year ago.

''Nigeria is out of recession and the economy is on the growth
trajectory again, after the economy contracted for five consecutive
quarters. Despite the downturn in oil prices, this Administration was
able to invest an unprecedented sum of over 1.2 trillion Naira in
capital projects through the 2016 Budget, the highest ever in the
history of this country.

''Our Sovereign Wealth Fund, which was established in 2011 with US$1
billion, did not receive additional investment for 4 years when oil
prices were as high as US$120 per barrel. This Administration was able
to invest an additional US$500 million into the Fund,'' Alhaji
Mohammed said.

Listing other achievements in the economic sector, he said stability
has been restored to the foreign exchange market, the recent 24-place
leap by Nigeria in the World Ease of Doing Business Index and the
rehabilitation of 15 moribund Fertilizer Blending Plants across
Nigeria, which has created 50,000 direct jobs and 70,000 indirect
jobs?

The Minister said the Administration's war against corruption is
moving apace, adding: "Never before, in our history, have so many
people being hauled before the courts to account for their alleged
roles in the unprecedented looting of our commonwealth. Corruption is
no longer possible on the table. It has been driven under, with those
still engaged constantly being made to watch their backs.''

He also reeled out figures to support his claim that the
Administration's Social Investment Programme ''is a roaring success''.

''Over 4.5 million pupils in public schools are being fed under the
School Feeding programme; Over 200,000 unemployed graduates have been
employed under the N-Power Scheme. Over 250,000 enterprises have
benefitted from the sum of 12.5 billion Naira, which has been
disbursed to entrepreneurs to expand their businesses and over 110,000
households are currently benefitting from the Conditional Cash
Transfer programme across the country,'' Alhaji Mohammed said.