 |
| Search |
|
|
|
|
| Last Updated: Jan 19th, 2012 - 11:25:19 |
Speeches
President Yar’Adua lists achievements as Nigeria celebrates Democracy Day
May 29, 2009, 14:07
| | Fellow Nigerians,
Today’s commemoration of ten years of uninterrupted democratic rule in our beloved country and the second anniversary of the present Administration is an occasion to reflect on the steady progress we have made as a nation over the past decade and the challenges that still lie ahead of us a people. “We have certainly made steady progress over the past ten years in the consolidation of democratic governance in our country. We have conducted three successive general elections and peacefully transferred power from one civilian administration to another. Given our historical antecedents, these represent a testimony that our people have clearly shown their preference for democratic governance and an abiding faith in its transformative power.
Building on the significant work done in the first eight years of our present democratic dispensation, we have begun interventions in critical areas that will enhance the capacity of Nigerians to create wealth and live healthy, productive and prosperous lives.
We recognized from the onset of our tenure that stable power supply was critical for both individual actualization and collective growth. We set a target of generating 6000 megawatts of electricity by December this year as an initial measure for ensuring relatively stable power supply across the country. I am pleased to report that we have taken concrete steps towards meeting this target and achieving 10,000MW by early 2011.
The targets will be met by building on the latent power generation capacities that are now being restored through our aggressive plant rehabilitation programme. We have also provided $1.5 billion for investment in gas network infrastructure which will, among other things, ensure the adequate supply of gas to our thermal stations.
We recently awarded contracts for the rehabilitation and construction of 34 Federal Highways in the six geo-political zones of the country at the cost of about N140billion. Also, we have completed 13 of the major highway works inherited from the previous administration which cuts across four geo-political zones and span over 1,000 kilometres.
To properly formalize our engagement with the private sector, we have established the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) which has the responsibility for promoting, regulating and directing the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) initiative. Their work is to effectively ensure that the process of every intervention we make in this direction is transparent, auditable, properly supervised and managed to guarantee value-for-money.
Using this model, we are expanding the road network within the precincts of the Federal Capital Territory. The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was recently concessioned and very soon, the Benin-Sagamu-Ore Expressway will also be concessioned.
We are also working on a Railway Development Programme and by first quarter of 2010, we will have 25 locomotives running between Lagos and Kano. The 25 locomotives have already been ordered and General Electric has begun manufacturing them.
In partnership with General Electric and the African Development Bank, the Federal Government expects another 75 locomotives so that by early 2011, we could have 100 locomotives running on the Lagos-Kano line. The PPP model will also be applied to the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri line beginning from next year so that by 2012 we could also have another 100 locomotives plying the Eastern Line.
In furtherance of our efforts to provide alternative and cheaper modes of transportation, this administration will between July and December this year undertake the dredging of the Lower River Niger.
Work has also commenced on the removal of wrecks in the Lagos and Bonny Channels. The dredging of the 84-kilometre Calabar Access Channel has commenced and Warri Dockyard is to be rehabilitated and concessioned. Contractors have been mobilized to site for work to commence on six Inland Ports namely, Baro, Idah, Oguta, Okrika, Onitsha and Degema in addition to the Lokoja Port which is already under construction.
When completed, these projects will not only help awaken dormant economic potentials in the inland shipping maritime sub-sector, they will also help to divert heavy cargoes from the roads to the waterways.
The implementation of our land reform programme has begun and it will have a positive and direct impact on economic growth, food security and poverty reduction in our nation. We have sent an amendment bill to the National Assembly to alter the Land Use Act of 1978. The objective of the bill is to liberalize land administration and remove the legal encumbrances that limit the use of land as a capital asset for agricultural production and mortgages.
In partnership with the private sector, we have made a tremendous impact on our country’s agricultural sector in the last two years. Right now, five agro-export conditioning centres are under construction for the handling of key export commodities in which we have comparative advantage. Also, 10 rice-processing centres are under construction and they will account for the processing of one million metric tonnes of processed rice which is close to about 50 percent of the nation’s total demand.
We have increased our irrigated land from 4,000 hectares in 1999 to 150,000 hectares today to enhance the capacity of farmers to produce all-year. To further encourage higher agricultural production, we have instituted a N200 billion long-term, concessionary loan for large scale farmers and provided 50% subsidy on 500 metric tonnes of fertilizers distributed last year.
In keeping with our commitment to ensuring security of lives and property in all parts of the country, we have taken steps to reform the Nigerian Police Force and bridge its funding gap by getting the National Council of State to agree to the creation of a special fund which will receive contributions for its operations from the three tiers of government.
We have also evolved a strategy to reduce the crime rate by about 40% in six major commercial cities by the end of this year. The sum of N50billion was provided for the funding of this pilot scheme in the 2009 Appropriation Act.
On the Niger Delta, we have continued to work for the establishment of the peace and security that are essential for the successful implementation of our agenda for the resolution of the developmental problems of the region.
In pursuit of our strategic approach to the development of Niger Delta as encapsulated in our Seven-Point agenda, we have created a Federal Ministry for the Niger Delta with the specific mandate of attending to the infrastructural needs and the challenge of youth unemployment in the area. We also have retained the Niger Delta Development Commission as a Federal Government intervention agency and ensured that its statutory allocations are paid in full.
Knowing that these efforts and other developmental efforts will be ineffectual if there is no peace in the region, we are taking necessary steps to ensure greater security in the area.
Our offer of amnesty to militants in the region who lay down their arms remains on the table. I urge them to avail themselves of this offer and join hands with us and their peaceful and law-abiding compatriots to develop the Niger Delta for the benefit of its people.
The Oil and Gas industry remains the backbone of our economy, contributing over 30% of GDP, 85% of government revenues and over 95% of foreign exchange earnings. This strategic industry is in dire need of reforms and this administration has presented before the National Assembly a comprehensive Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) that will govern the industry in the areas of policy, regulations, and commercial asset management.
This is going to be complemented by efforts to rid the downstream petroleum sector of the fraudulent activities and racketeering that have not only allowed corruption and inefficiency to fester but have equally made attempts to develop the sector by establishing domestic self-sufficiency in refining petroleum products practically impossible.
Our administration remains strongly committed to electoral reform as an essential means of strengthening our democracy and I cannot but commend members of the National Assembly for the seriousness with which they are treating the seven Bills I submitted to them on the issue.
But it should be apparent that we must complement the proposed institutional reform with an attitudinal one. Systems alone will not give us free and fair elections. All of us, especially the political elite, must be ready to play by the rules. We must rein in the instinct to win at all cost and the impulse to dismiss as fraudulent any process that does not produce the outcome we want. We must be ready to be democrats in thought, in word and in deed.
I sincerely believe that with the continued support and cooperation of all Nigerians, the initiatives we have undertaken in the last two years to strengthen democracy in our country and promote rapid development will yield visible and positive results for the benefit of our people.
As we go through the arduous task of nation-building and democratization, all of our critical stakeholders need to have a heightened sense of perspective. We need to acknowledge the progress made so far, appreciate the magnitude of the existing challenges and focus on how to get to our preferred destination.
My dear countrymen, as we march purposely into the next decade of our democracy, we need to keep the faith in our institutions, in ourselves and in our country. With true dedication, commitment and perseverance, we can certainly overcome all present difficulties and achieve our vision of a strong, united and prosperous nation.
© Copyright 2012 nigeriafirst.org
Top of Page |
|
