Preisdent Jonathan List Out His Achievements Ahead of 2015 Elections (See What He Has Achieved)

Preisdent Jonathan List Out His Achievements Ahead of 2015 Elections (See What He Has Achieved)

President Goodluck Jonathan has urged Nigerians to remain patriotic in their support for the Armed Forces fighting the insurgents in the North-eastern part of Nigeria.

The president condemned the actions of the terrorists, saying it is now obvious that they do not mean well for anyone.

In his Independence Day broadcast on Wednesday, Jonathan thanked Nigerians for the support and faith they have shown in the country, highlighting what his administration is doing to halt terrorist activities in the country and what it is doing to relieve the victims.

“While we continue to deploy our resources in the fight against the terrorists, we do recognise the great toll the conflict is taking on our people,” he said.

Confab

First he mentioned the Sovereign National Conference, describing it as a centenary gift to Nigerians.

“We have successfully delivered on that promise as we established the 2014 National Conference headed by Justice Legbo Kutigi,” Jonathan said. “After months of deliberations, which did not come without its challenges, the conference concluded its assignment and has handed its Report to me.”

He assured that he has made a firm commitment that the government would act on the recommendations of the conference.

Robust Democracy

Next he commented on the achievement of 16 uninterrupted years of democratic rule, emphasising that the elections that have been conducted under his administration have been regarded both locally and internationally as transparent, free and fair.

“Our Administration has made a commitment to ensure that we build and sustain a democratic infrastructure anchored on free and fair elections. International and local observers have attested to the positive evolution of electoral credibility and we cannot afford to relent,” he said.

 “Free and fair elections have come to stay; nothing else will be acceptable to our people,” he declared.

Local Content

On the economy, the president mentioned the significant moves that has been made in the power, agricultural and oil and gas sectors saying the consolidation of these and many others has secured a place for the country as the biggest economy in Africa.

“Our power sector reform is on course with the ultimate objective of generating enough electricity to power our homes, industries and businesses,” he said. “We are making giant strides in the Agricultural Sector which we are re-positioning to diversify our economy. We will continue to upgrade our infrastructure to make life easier for all and create an enabling environment for enterprise to flourish.”

He explained that over the last four years, the implementation of the Nigerian Content Act in the Oil and Gas Sector has ensured major increase in the participation of indigenous Oil and Gas companies in the industry.

Access To Funds For SMEs

He mentioned that earlier in the year, the administration launched the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) with the stated objective of fast tracking inclusive growth, job creation, enterprise development and industrialisation.

“The success of these policies is already evident in the increased value addition in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors,” he said.

He said the one of the objectives of the administration was to make the country a regional hub for automobile production and that the objective is still being achieved since the country can now boast of made-in-Nigeria vehicles.

“A number of foreign auto manufacturers have established plants in Nigeria, complementing the laudable efforts of our local vehicle manufacturers who have also demonstrated great innovation and competitiveness,” he said.

On access to funds for small and medium scale enterprises, he said the administration has launched a special support programme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises with an initial intervention fund of N220 billion.

“This is in addition to the Presidential Job Creation Board which I inaugurated recently with the charge to create three million jobs annually,” Jonathan said.

MDGs

“We have recorded notable success in the social sector. Nigeria has been globally acknowledged for reducing extreme hunger by more than half, with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) formally presenting the country with an award for achieving the Millennium Development Goal on Hunger three years ahead of the 2015 target date set for the Millennium Development Goals.”

Agriculture

He said the progress made in the agricultural sector especially, is a results of deliberate government policy to increase capacity in the country’s agricultural sector of which the first step was to address and eliminate the graft in fertilizer procurement system and ensure that the product gets directly to the farmer.

“We are expanding our irrigation infrastructure to ensure that our farmers have sufficient water supply for dry season farming,” he said.

“A benefit of these combined actions is that our national food import bill has declined from 1.1 trillion naira (6.9 billion dollars) in 2009 to 684.7 billion naira (4.35 billion dollars) by December 2013, and continues to decline.”

Education

On Education, he said modern hybrid schools are being provided for less privileged children across the country, resulting in significant increase in the national school enrolment figure

He said in order to further enhance access to education at the tertiary level, fourteen new Federal Universities have been established; and, to encourage persons of exceptional abilities, a Presidential Scholarship Scheme based strictly on excellence and merit has been established.

Infrastructure

Jonathan said: “On infrastructure, we are building roads, bridges, and new rail lines to make it easier to traverse Nigeria and increase the integration of our people and our ability to do business with each other. In this regard, we have commenced the process of building the Second Niger Bridge. The Loko-Oweto Bridge over River Benue in Nasarawa and Benue States, will significantly reduce travel time by road between Northern and Southern Nigeria. The on-going dredging of the River Niger up to Baro in Niger State is opening up large parts of the Nigerian hinterland to maritime activity.

Ebola

The president thanked the ministry of health and all Nigerians for the parts they all played in keeping the deadly Ebola virus at bay. He pointed out that the Ebola battle is still raging elsewhere in our sub-region and therefore enjoin all our Nigerians to continue to adhere strictly to all the guidelines that have been given by health officials to keep Ebola out of our country.

“I appreciate and welcome the spirit of collaboration, unity and partnership with which we confronted the threat of the Ebola Virus Disease. I thank all Nigerians for working together to prevent what could have become a major epidemic. I particularly thank the medical personnel, some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.