President Buhari give his score card a year after in office

Read President Buhari's one year in office speech
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 garri. 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.