An address by President Muhammadu Buhari, on the
occasion of Democracy Day 2016, May 29.
Excerpts:
"My compatriots,
It is one year today since our administration
came into office. It has been a year of triumph, consolidation, pains and
achievements. By age, instinct and experience, my preference is to look
forward, to prepare for the challenges that lie ahead and rededicate the
administration to the task of fixing Nigeria. But I believe we can also learn
from the obstacles we have overcome and the progress we made thus far, to help
strengthen the plans that we have in place to put Nigeria back on the path of progress.
We affirm our belief in democracy as the form of
government that best assures the active participation and actual benefit of the
people. Despite the many years of hardship and disappointment the people of
this nation have proved inherently good, industrious tolerant, patient and
generous.
The past years have witnessed huge flows of oil
revenues. From 2010 average oil prices were $100 per barrel. But economic and
security conditions were deteriorating. We campaigned and won the election on
the platform of restoring security, tackling corruption and restructuring the
economy. On our arrival, the oil price had collapsed to as low as $30 per
barrel and we found nothing had been kept for the rainy day. Oil prices have
been declining since 2014 but due to the neglect of the past, the country was
not equipped to halt the economy from declining.
The infrastructure, notably rail, power, roads
were in a decrepit state. All the four refineries were in a state of disrepair,
the pipelines and depots neglected.
Huge debts owed to contractors and suppliers had
accumulated. Twenty-seven states could not pay salaries for months. In the
north-east, Boko Haram had captured 14 local governments, driven the local
authorities out, hoisted their flags. Elsewhere, insecurity was palpable;
corruption and impunity were the order of the day. In short, we inherited a
state near collapse.
On the economic front, all oil dependent
countries, Nigeria included, have been struggling since the drop in prices.
Many oil rich states have had to take tough decisions similar to what we are
doing. The world, Nigeria included has been dealing with the effects of three
significant and simultaneous global shocks starting in 2014:
- A 70% drop in oil prices.
- Global growth slowdown.
- Normalization of monetary policy by the United States
federal reserve.
Our problems as a government are like that of a
farmer who in a good season harvests ten bags of produce. The proceeds enable
him to get by for rest of the year. However, this year he could only manage 3
bags from his farm. He must now think of other ways to make ends meet.
From day one, we purposely set out to correct
our condition, to change Nigeria. We reinforced and galvanized our armed forces
with new leadership and resources. We marshaled our neighbours in a joint task
force to tackle and defeat Boko Haram. By the end of December 2015, all but
pockets and remnants had been routed by our gallant armed forces. Our immediate
focus is for a gradual and safe return of internally displaced persons in
safety and dignity and for the resumption of normalcy in the lives of people
living in these areas.
EFCC was given the freedom to pursue corrupt
officials and the judiciary was alerted on what Nigerians expect of them in the
fight against corruption. On the economy, in particular foreign exchange and
fuel shortages, our plan is to save foreign exchange by fast tracking repair of
the refineries and producing most of our fuel requirements at home. And by
growing more food in Nigeria, mainly rice, wheat and sugar we will save
billions of dollars in foreign exchange and drastically reduce our food import
bill.
We resolved to keep the Naira steady, as in the
past, devaluation had done dreadful harm to the Nigerian economy. Furthermore,
I supported the monetary authority’s decision to ensure alignment between
monetary policy and fiscal policy. We shall keep a close look on how the recent
measures affect the Naira and the economy. But we cannot get away from the fact
that a strong currency is predicated on a strong economy. And a strong economy
pre-supposes an industrial productive base and a steady export market. The
measures we must take, may lead to hardships. The problems Nigerians have faced
over the last year have been many and varied. But the real challenge for this
government has been reconstructing the spine of the Nigerian state. The last
twelve months have been spent collaborating with all arms of government to
revive our institutions so that they are more efficient and fit for purpose:
- That means a bureaucracy better able to develop and
deliver policy
- That means an independent judiciary, above suspicion
and able to defend citizen’s rights and dispense justice equitably.
- That means a legislature that actually legislates
effectively and
- Above all; that means political parties and politicians
committed to serving the nigerian people rather than themselves.
These are the pillars of the state on which
democracy can take root and thrive. But only if they are strong and
incorruptible. Accordingly, we are working very hard to introduce some vital
structural reforms in the way we conduct government business and lay a solid
foundation on which we can build enduring change.
An important first step has been to get our
housekeeping right. So we have reduced the extravagant spending of the past. We
started boldly with the treasury single account, stopping the leakages in
public expenditure.
We then identified forty-three thousand ghost
workers through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information system. That
represents pay packets totalling N4.2 billion stolen every month. In
addition, we will save Twenty-Three Billion Naira per annum from official
travelling and sitting allowances alone.
Furthermore, the efficiency unit will cut costs
and eliminate duplications in ministries and departments. Every little saving
helps. The reduction in the number of ministries and work on restructuring and
rationalization of the MDAs is well underway. When this work is complete we
will have a leaner, more efficient public service that is fit for the purpose
of changing nigeria for the good and for good.
As well as making savings, we have changed the
way public money is spent. In all my years as a public servant, I have never
come across the practice of padding budgets. I am glad to tell you now we not
only have a budget, but more importantly, we have a budget process that is more
transparent, more inclusive and more closely tied to our development priorities
than in the recent past. 30% of the expenditure in this budget is devoted to
capital items. Furthermore, we are projecting non-oil revenues to surpass
proceeds from oil. Some critics have described the budget exercise as clumsy.
Perhaps. But it was an example of consensus building, which is integral to
democratic government. In the end we resolved our differences.
We have, therefore, delivered significant
milestones on security, corruption and the economy. In respect of the economy,
I would like to directly address you on the very painful but inevitable
decisions we had to make in the last few weeks specifically on the pump price
of fuel and the more flexible exchange rate policy announced by the central
bank. It is even more painful for me that a major producer of crude oil with
four refineries that once exported refined products is today having to import
all of its domestic needs. This is what corruption and mismanagement has done
to us and that is why we must fight these ills.
As part of the foundation of the new economy we
have had to reform how fuel prices had traditionally been fixed. This step was
taken only after protracted consideration of its pros and cons. After
comprehensive investigation my advisers and I concluded that the mechanism was
unsustainable.
We are also engaged in making recoveries of
stolen assets some of which are in different jurisdictions. The processes of
recovery can be tedious and time consuming, but today I can confirm that thus
far: significant amount of assets have been recovered. A considerable portion
of these are at different stages of recovery. Full details of the status and
categories of the assets will now be published by the Ministry of Information
and updated periodically. When forfeiture formalities are completed these
monies will be credited to the treasury and be openly and transparently used in
funding developmental projects and the public will be informed.
On the Niger Delta, we are committed to
implementing the United Nations Environment Programme report and are advancing
clean-up operations. I believe the way forward is to take a sustainable
approach to address the issues that affect the delta communities.
Re-engineering the amnesty programmes is an example of this. The recent spate
of attacks by militants disrupting oil and power installations will not
distract us from engaging leaders in the region in addressing Niger Delta
problems. If the militants and vandals are testing our resolve, they are much
mistaken. We shall apprehend the perpetrators and their sponsors and bring them
to justice.
The policy measures and actions taken so far are
not to be seen as some experiment in governance. We are fully aware that those
vested interests who have held Nigeria back for so long will not give up
without a fight. They will sow divisions, sponsor vile press criticisms at home
and abroad, incite the public in an effort to create chaos rather than
relinquish the vice-like grip they have held on Nigeria.
The economic misfortune we are experiencing in
the shape of very low oil prices has provided us with an opportunity to
restructure our economy and diversify. We are in the process of promoting
agriculture, livestocks, exploiting our solid mineral resources and expanding
our industrial and manufacturing base. That way, we will import less and make
the social investments necessary to allow us to produce a large and skilled
workforce.
Central Bank of Nigeria will offer more fiscal
incentives for business that prove capable of manufacturing products that are
internationally competitive. We remain committed to reforming the regulatory
framework, for investors by improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the first steps along the path of
self-sufficiency in rice, wheat and sugar – big users of our scarce foreign
exchange – have been taken. The Labour Intensive Farming Enterprise will
boost the economy and ensure inclusive growth in long neglected communities.
Special intervention funds through the Bank of Agriculture will provide
targeted support. Concerns remain about rising cost of foods such as maize,
rice, millet, beans and gari. Farmers tell me that they are worried about the
cost of fertilizers, pesticides and the absence of extension services. The
federal and state governments are on the same page in tackling these hurdles in
our efforts at increased food production and ultimately food security.
I would like to take this opportunity to express
my appreciation for the increasing role that our women are playing in
revitalizing the agricultural sector. Modern farming is still hard and heavy
work and I salute our Nigerian women in sharing this burden. In this respect I
am very pleased to announce that the government will shortly be launching the
national women’s empowerment fund, which I have approved to provide N1.6
billion in micro-finance loans to women across the nation to assist in rehabilitating
the economies of rural communities, particularly those impacted by the
insurgency and conflict.
With respect to solid minerals, the minister has
produced a roadmap where we will work closely with the world bank and major
international investors to ensure through best practices and due diligence that
we choose the right partners. Illegal mining remains a problem and we have set
up a special security team to protect our assets. Special measures will be in
place to protect miners in their work environment.
For too long, ours has been a society that
neglects the poor and victimizes the weak. A society that promotes profit and
growth over development and freedom. A society that fails to recognize that, to
quote the distinguished economist Amartya Sen “ poverty is not just lack of
money. It is not having the capability to realize one’s full potential as a human
being.”
So, today, I am happy to formally launch,
by far the most ambitious social protection programme in our history. A
programme that both seeks to start the process of lifting many from poverty,
while at the same time creating the opportunity for people to fend for
themselves. In this regard, Five Hundred Billion Naira has been appropriated in
the 2016 budget for social intervention programmes in five key areas. We are
committed to providing job creation opportunities for five hundred thousand teachers
and one hundred thousand artisans across the nation. 5.5 million children are
to be provided with nutritious meals through our school feeding programme to
improve learning outcomes, as well as enrolment and completion rates.
The
conditional cash transfer scheme will provide financial support for up to one
million vulnerable beneficiaries, and complement the enterprise programme –
which will target up to one million market women; four hundred and sixty
thousand artisans; and two hundred thousand agricultural workers, nationwide.
Finally, through the education grant scheme, we will encourage students
studying sciences, technology, engineering and maths, and lay a foundation for
human capital development for the next generation
I would like to pay a special tribute to our
gallant men and women of the armed forces who are in harm’s way so that the
rest of us can live and go about our business in safety. Their work is almost
done. The nation owes them a debt of gratitude.
Abroad, we want to assure our neighbours,
friends and development partners that Nigeria is firmly committed to democratic
principles. We are ready partners in combating terrorism, cyber-crimes, control
of communicable diseases and protection of the environment. Following on the
Paris Agreement, COP 21, we are fully committed to halting and reversing
desertification. Elsewhere, we will intensify efforts to tackle erosion, ocean
surge, flooding and oil spillage which I referred to earlier by implementing
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report.
We are grateful to the international community
notably France, the US, UK and China for their quick response in helping to
tackle the recent Ebola outbreak in our sub-region. We also acknowledge the
humanity shown by the Italian and German governments in the treatment of boat
people, many fleeing from our sub-region because of lack of economic
opportunity. We thank all our partners especially several countries in the EU.
We appreciate the valuable work that the UN
agencies, particularly UNICEF, ICRC, the World Food Program have been doing. We
must also appreciate the World Bank, the Gates Foundation, the Global Fund and
Educate A Child of Qatar for the excellent work in our health, education and
other sectors.
Fellow citizens let me end on a happy note. To
the delight of all, two of the abducted Chibok girls have regained their
freedom. During the last one year, not a single day passed without my agonizing
about these girls. Our efforts have centred around negotiations to free them
safely from their mindless captors. We are still pursuing that course. Their
safety is of paramount concern to me and I am sure to most Nigerians. I am very
worried about the conditions those still captured might be in. Today I
re-affirm our commitment to rescuing our girls. We will never stop until we
bring them home safely. As I said before, no girl should be put through the
brutality of forced marriage and every Nigerian girl has the right to an
education and a life choice.
I thank you and appeal to
you to continue supporting the government’s efforts to fix Nigeria."
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