There is a general consensus that the cabinet, as presently constituted, is yet to deliver the much needed change Nigerians voted for in 2015. Political watchers have called for an injection of new blood into the cabinet. It is against the backdrop of this sentiment that LEADERSHIP Friday conducted an appraisal of the scorecard of each ministry. In the ratings, A stands for excellent, B for Very Good, C for Good and D for Average.
Ministry Of Information Culture And Tourism
On assumption of office in November 2015, minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, promised to “leverage on the unique power of information and culture to drive the change agenda of the Buhari administration, with a view to ensuring that Nigerians take ownership of the agenda to bring about paradigm shift in the way we do things”.
The minister has excellently ensured the widest dissemination of the federal government activities to Nigerians, both at home and in the diaspora. He launched the FGN-iAPP to keep them abreast, using hand held devices and computers. The minister also introduced a national reorientation programme tagged: “Change Begins With Me” which was launched by President Muhammadu Buhari. It is aimed at curbing and restoring lost values in the nation.
Mohammed also established a platform of engagement with stakeholders in the media industry and also embarked on a tour of the media establishments across the country.
Recall that Nigeria missed the deadline for the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting. The minister relaunched the whole proces, which led to the launching of the pilot launch of the Digital Switch Over (DSO) in Jos in April 2016. The DSO was also launched in Abuja. But residents in the two states have continued to complain of poor signal which they blamed on “blind spots” by the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC). Other states of the federation are yet to enjoy such facility.
The minister also launched a massive, nationwide sensitisation campaign on critical issues affecting the country, and in line with the three priority areas of the current administration. The campaign covered insecurity, with special emphasis on Boko Haram insurgency, the war against corruption, the federal government’s economic diversification policy and the whistleblower’s policy, which has yielded positive results. He has also launched an anti-piracy unit with support from the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to help combat piracy in Nigeria.
In an unprecedented move to revamp the tourism sector, Nigeria is back as a key member of the United Nation’s World Tourism Organisations (UNTWO) and will also host African Ministers of Tourism in 2018, an effort by the minister of information.
Sadly, the last two years has no doubt, recorded one of the dullest moments in the history of culture and tourism in the country’s public sector, despite great optimism and confidence by stakeholders that Mohammed will bring back the glory of the moribund sector. Admitted though that successive governments have failed to realise the potentials of arts, culture and tourism to national development, and had consequently underfunded it with impunity, the level of neglect that culture has suffered in the public sector in the last two years is unprecedented. With seven parastatals under culture and two others in tourism, the last two years have recorded the poorest season in terms of programmes and activities.
Some chief executives have resigned to fate in anticipation of improved budget while their tenure in office runs. Some of the worst parastatals in terms of programmes and activities include the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMN), Center for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) as well as National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR).
The culture and tourism sector in the country has so far been led like a sheep without shepherd.
Hopefully, the culture and tourism sector was perceived as one of the pillars of the federal government’s economic diversification project. But the current body language in this sector has sent a discouraging signal to prospective investors. The Abuja Carnival 2015 was cancelled for reasons handlers have not clearly explained. That of 2016 fell below expectation. It couldn’t pass for even a local government festival as it attracted about 10 states out of the 36 states of the federation.
Other outings such as NAFEST and AFAC also suffered robust programming and huge attendance. The abysmal record had been blamed on poor funding. The absence of the minister in some of these annual events has also reduced public rating of the sector to that which holds no economic prospects.
The absence of the minister of information during the 2016 National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) festival in Akwa Ibom, African Arts and Crafts (AFAC) and Abuja Carnival has also been a major source of concern for tourism stakeholders. For now, they believe that the culture and tourism sector in the country is yet to get a messiah. Consequently, there is need for all hands to be on deck to return the glory of the moribund sector.
Rating: C
Ministry Of Transportation/Aviation
When the present administration came on board two years ago, transportation was one of the major focus, with the plan to complete all rail projects, including the Lagos-Ibadan, Lagos-Kano, Lagos-Calabar, Port Harcourt-Calabar, Abuja-Kaduna, Warri-Ajaokuta-Obaro-Abuja Rail projects and extend rail lines to all parts of the country.
Also, the government pledged to develop dry ports, provide efficient inland waterways and implement contingency plans for many of the country’s airports beginning with those of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano and concession the airports to improve safety and capacity.
In 2016, N215, 797, 393,980 was allocated to the ministry while it also got N241, 709,000,000 allocation as 2017 budget allocation. The Ministry has succeeded in completing the $1.457 billion Abuja-Kaduna Rail line conceived by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration with the Goodluck Jonathan administration completing bout 90 percent.
It has also prepared and forwarded Bills of National Transport Commission and Nigerian Railway Corporation to the National Assembly to enhance regulation and further opening opportunities for private sector investment into critical transport infrastructure.
The Ministry has commenced the development of inland ports after it inaugurated the Bakassi Deep Sea Port steering and delivery committee. Plans for the construction of Deep Sea Ports in Lekki and Badagry have begun following FEC’s approval of the projects.
The dry ports are not also left out as the Kaduna Dry Port is almost completed, while the Jos dry port is over 30 percent finished. Also, plans have commenced for establishment of a new national shipping line through a Public Private Partnership arrangement.
In the Aviation sector, the ministry has successfully rehabilitated the N5.8billion Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja runway earlier in 2017, near completion of the international terminal at the Abuja airport and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu began by the Jonathan administration.
Also, Nigeria, as a member of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) submitted herself to the IMO’s voluntary audit. Despite these successes, the nation’s airports are still in pitiable condition, a situation admitted by the minister of state recently.
Inadequate facilities at most of the airports affects low passenger traffic as Nigeria’s airports still host only about 15 million passengers compared to its counterparts abroad and issues of leaking roofs, flights delays still exist in some airports across the country.
The transport sector still contributes a meagre 1.41 per cent to the Gross National Product and the scrapping of the Maritime University project on the ground that the previous administration paid too much to acquire a land for the institution has not also augured well.
In defence of the ministry, the minister of transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, recently revealed that his biggest challenge running the ministry is having access to funds.
On the challenges he has faced in the ministry so far as he approaches two years in office, the minister said money is the ministry’s major challenge.
According to him, “Money has been the basic challenge. The contracts that you need to deliver on a railway are in tonnes of naira. Take for example the approval by the president that we should do a railway from Abuja to Lokoja to join Itakpe to Warri as well as a sea pot in Warri; that project was put at $3.1 billion, which is nearly N1 trillion. Where will you get the money from?”
On engaging the private sector to invest in the railway sector, the minister opined that the private sector does not have the wherewithal to invest in the sector.
“There is nowhere in the world that you have private equity capital in real construction. When it comes to real operation, people get involved. Like we are having a real operation investment in the narrow gauge in which GE is bringing about two million dollars to revive the old narrow gauge and run them by themselves.”
“But when it comes to real construction, it is usually the government because they are in trillions. How many persons can raise that?”
“The contract from Lagos to Kano is $8.3 billion, the contract from Lagos to Calabar is $11.1 billion dollars. At N300 per dollar, that is N3.3 trillion,” Amaechi said.
Rating: B
Ministry Of Petroleum Resources
Nigeria’s current Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, came into the political scene when he was appointed the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by President Mohammedu Buhari in August 2015.
His first task was to put in place a strategy to redeem the battered image of the Corporation. He introduced a restructuring program with a 20-point agenda. In November that same year, he was appointed the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, with a mandate to embark on key policies initiative to enable the industry keep up with its potential as well as leading the economic recovery of the nation.
However, President Buhari thought it wise that his many tasks were making it impossible to derive the best from him. Subsequently, in July 2016, he had to focus all of his expertise in the new role as the Minister of State which allowed him bring to bear the much needed boost in the Oil and Gas sector.
From the local to the global front including the organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Kachikwu has made remarkable impact with his transformational leadership pattern. Prior to his appointment, the industry was faced with numerous challenges ranging from lack of petroleum products leading to long queues in filling stations, subsidy issues, lack of infrastructure and the insecurities in the Niger Delta region. Worst still, the nation’s crude oil production level had declined from over 2.5 million barrels per day (mbpd) to about 1.2mbpd even as the price of the product fell by over 80 percent from $140 per barrel in 2014 to about $30 in 2015.
In addition to these was the abysmal performance of the various agencies of government under the ministry. While the refineries where continuously siphoning funds through turnaround maintenance, the production arm of NNPC, the NPDC was performing below expectations.
Within a space of less than two years, Kachikwu has not only brought normalcy to the Niger Delta through his reconciliation moves with the support of the Federal Government. He has also brought stability to the downstream sector as petroleum products are now available throughout the country. The days when festive seasons used to bring untold hardship due to absence of petroleum products in Nigeria are over for good.
To restore the industry, Kachikwu, with the support of President Buhari in October last year launched the mid-term strategy known as the 7 Big Wins. In November, 2015, the president thought it wise to add an extra layer of responsibility to him as he doubled as the Minister of State for the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria.
Among the many positive contributions of Kachikwu to the Oil and Gas industry in the last two years, are the formation and FEC approval of a new Gas Policy, the restructuring of financing of joint venture project between NNPC and IOCs, mobilisation of the private sector to participate in the industry, sourcing for international partners to revive local refineries, encouraging local content as well as looking for alternative ways of solving existing problems.
The recent signing of MoU between the Nigerian Local Content Management Board and the Bank of Industry which made available $200million to indigenous services providers to access loans at single digits interest rate is a good example of the direction the Minister is offering.
The new gas policy is set to bring the sector into the forefront of the energy mix in the country as it intends to make it an independent item that will revive industrialisation. The power sector and domestic market is the new target, thus helping with the environmental challenges associated with the use of fossil fuel and domestic cooking.
In the global front, Kachikwu’s role in ensuring the enthronement of Nigeria’s Dr Mohammed Barkindo as the Secretary General of OPEC is remarkable. Similarly, he has been in the forefront of ensuring price stability through negotiation, using the OPEC platform even as the country enjoys exception from the oil cut deal for now.
On the African front, Kachikwu recently hosted the Ministers of Oil Producing countries (APPO) with a view to creating a strong force from the continent. Above all, Kachukwu’s absolute focus on probity and commitment to accountability as regards stewardship and ensuring the successful implementation of his roadmaps for every segment of the oil and gas industry make him standout as the best performance Minister in this regime.
Rating: C
FCT Ministry
With the federal government going beyond its second year in office, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it remains unwavering in its commitment to actualise the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari in developing the Federal Capital Territory to the expectations of the residents of the city.
The FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Bello said a lot has happened in the FCT between February of 2016 and now when he gave a rundown of his observations of what he found on ground in the ministry and the city, and the promise he made to make the quality of life more meaningful for the residents of the FCT in line with the social change agenda of Mr President, adding that his agenda was to secure the city and the entire territory, make it environmentally friendly and responsive in terms of service delivery by all agencies of the FCTA.
On infrastructure, the minister said successful milestones have been achieved particularly with the Abuja light rail system. “The tracks have all been laid and 100 per cent completed. We are now in the process of procuring the locomotives. The communication and signaling facilities are almost done. The workshop equipment is also being procured. All the civil and engineering works have been completed.”
The minister disclosed that the administration is going to start the movement of passengers by the rails towards the end of this year and then by first quarter of next year, it would commence full commercial services.
He added that he has secured an approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to extend the rail line to Kubwa as well as to do another line that starts from the Central Area and Wuse, pointing out that if that is done, then the city of Abuja can truly be called a city that has urban rail system.
Bello remarked that while efforts were continuing to complete on-going projects within the city centre, the FCT Administration did not leave out the Satellite Towns. LEADERSHIP Friday gathered that only recently, the administration has equally gotten an approval for the upgrading of the road network in Karu satellite town.
On improved water supply to the city of Abuja, the Minister said based on his promise to look into the challenges facing the sector and to fast track on-going projects in that area, the greater Abuja water works system is on track while efforts are being made to increase the capacity of the Lower Usuma Dam as well as continue with the tank system in order to increase the volume of water supply to residents. He revealed that the Karshi water works is being fully funded with more funds being injected to make sure that that dam under construction in Karshi is completed.
In terms of the social services, the administration recently opened the Zuba Cottage Hospital, Karu Hospital and based on the procurement of our 2016 budget, added bed spaces in some of the hospitals.
The minister has also declared that it is the priority of his administration to ensure the completion of the B6 and B12 Roads otherwise known as Constitution and Independence Avenues respectively. The minister made this disclosure when he paid an unscheduled visit to the project site of these central boulevards on Monday, 21 August 2017.
The roads, which traverse the World Trade Centre and the Diplomatic Zones, according to him, are major infrastructures that hold the key to the economic and social vibrancy of the city. He hoped that completion of the roads will enable allottees develop their plots and bring out the skyline of the city centre.
Rating: D
Ministry Of Science And Technology
Nigeria was hit by a huge economic recession because of the global plummet of oil prices. The nation is currently trying to make its way out of recession by diversifying its economy and science and technology is one of the viable sectors being pitched to get the nation back on the road of economic recovery.
Since assumption of duty as the Minister of Science and Technology in 2015, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu has shown keen interest and determination to develop the sector and make it more viable to significantly contribute to the national development of Nigeria.
On taking over the mantle of leadership at the ministry, Onu swung into action and came up with a number of national strategies to fast track economic recovery.
He presented a draft Bill for the establishment of the Na¬tional Research and Innovation Council and also the National Research and Innovation Fund, a fund to support more intensive research and development projects across various sectors, to the Federal Executive Council.
The minister also went ahead to set up strategic committees to facilitate rapid development of the Nigeria science and technology sector, some of the committees inaugurated include committee on Blue Print for Commercialisation of Research and Development results in Nigeria; committee on the constructive collaboration of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) and organised private sector (OPS) and technology transfer as a policy of state; National Consultative Committee for Competitiveness in Raw materials and Products Development in Nigeria and inter-ministerial committee to address security issues in the country amongst others.
The science minister further unveiled a strategic science and technology roadmap 2017- 2030 to guide rapid development of the sector.
The minister also pushed to secure the approval of the Federal Executive Council for new and revolutionary Policy Guidelines for the Design and Execution of Programmes, Project and Contract with Science, Engineering and Technology components.
Rating: D
Niger Delta Ministry
The huge sums of money spent by the federal government on the oil rich Niger Delta region between 2009 till date has had very meagre impact on the lives of the people of the area.
Recall that the federal government has spent over N700 billion on 427 contracts in the region yet achieved little impact.
Criticism from Nigerians have continued to greet the ministry created in 2008 as a machinery of ushering in the needed development.
Though, the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani has continued blame the slow pace of the development in the region on his predecessors, he has defended the role his Ministry had played in the ongoing construction of East-West road which links Benin through Warri, Ughelli, Patani, Yenogoa to Port Harcourt.
Usani pointed out that the creation of Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs has brought to the consciousness and knowledge of Niger Deltans the true meaning and reality of infrastructural transformation in the midst of prevailing natural setbacks which has been highlighted as the bane behind the environmental and infrastructural decadence suffered for decades.
He added that the Ministry, over the years, has embarked on landslide projects mostly on Roads, Bridges and affordable Housing facilities in all the nine states of the region which are aimed at improving the socio-economic lifestyle of both residents and natives.
“The Ministry has played significant roles in the region through the areas of Human Capital Development and Education, thus prioritising the needs of the less privileged through Job creation, wealth creation and local content generation anchored skill acquisition centres sited all over the region.
“Harcourt – Ahoada (47km) at a contract sum of N29.92 billion with a completion period of 48 months and Section II Sub Section II: Ahoada – Kaiama (54Km) at a Contract sum of N44.883 billion with a completion period of 36 months,” he said.
Though Usani had promised to address problems created by lack of even development as well as complete all on-going projects in the region, there is no significant progress in terms of completion of housing, skill acquisition and roads projects which stood at 60- 70 percent completion before his appointment.
The minister, on assumption of office, repeatedly complained about inadequacies in the award of contracts, and promised quick completion of the dualisation of the East-West road which commenced in 2006 but was taken over by the ministry in 2010.
He has however held town hall meetings in communities of the Niger Delta region.
He acquired 270 hectares of land in each of the states for the creation of industrial parks.
In conjunction with BOA, the ministry under Usani, has disbursed loans to 130 youth for agriculture in the Niger Delta region. The beneficiaries have been trained in Israel in various agricultural enterprises, ranging from aquaculture, feed formation, poultry, rabbitry, snailry and food processing.
Over 200 youths from the region benefited from mobile phone assemblage in Calabar.
He has also ensured the provision of infrastructure such as the construction of roads, water supply in many communities
Also, he has so far built a cassava processing plant in Ondo that has the capacity to produce 1.2 tons of high quality garri, 1 ton of odourless fufu, 0.75 ton of composite flour for the bakery industry and 0.5 ton of high cassava starch per day
While the minister praises himself for bringing the supervision of NDDC under his ministry as well as coordinating stakeholders towards launching a work plan that will guide them from 2017- 2019, many Nigerians are pained that the East-West road, 338 km dual carriageway traversing towns in Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Delta States remains uncompleted.
They have timelessly raised the alarm that the abandoned road is strategic to the development of the region adding that youth restiveness and insecurity still reigns in the region.
To many Nigerians, Usani can only be taken seriously if he, against all odds, commissions at least one out of the many projects he inherited.
Rating: D
Ministry Of Interior
After his appointment on 11 November, 2015, as the minister of interior, Lieutenant General Abdurahman Dambazau rtd immediately embarked on stock taking tour of all the para-military agencies under his watch.
Dambazau immediately picked capacity building, re-tooling and re-equipping of the Fire Service, Prisons Service, Police Force, Immigration Service and the Civil Defence as his priority.
Abdulraman Dambazau, among other reforms, promised to supervise the resuscitation and transformation of the Criminal Justice System in Nigeria.
He also promised to ensure the decongestion of the Nigerian prisons and to improve the knowledge base of all staff in the ministry.
Though Nigerians are of the view that he has not been able to effectively coordinate internal security which is his primary mandate, it is strong believed that he does not run an open door policy.
Dambazau, as minister of interior, has so far secured approval of N3.5 billion use in procuring 320 Made-in-Nigeria vehicles aimed at decongesting Prisons nationwide as well as strengthening the criminal justice system.
He has Commissioned 28 additional centres for the production of Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Alien Card aimed at automating the operations of the Nigeria Immigration Service for the issuance of residence permits to expatriates residing and working in Nigeria.
The minister of interior also signed MoU with UK on Immigrants Return to ensure proper profiling of the nationalities or migrants through the use of biometric and biographic data.
He has, among other achievements, set up a 16-member committee to work out measures to end famers and herdsmen’s conflict across the country.
Aside collaborating with the Civil Defence Corps to establish Afro Rangers to guard against farmers and herdsmen crisis, Dambazau has deployed 3,000 NSCDC personnel to monitor mining sites to curb illegal mining operations.
The minister has, within the period under review, approved the establishment of additional passport offices, ordered clearing of backlog of visa passport applications within two working days.
Dambazau also came up with a comprehensive national security road map that provided rules of engagement for security agencies on matters relating to internal security operations.
He sourced for technical assistance from America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation, got partnership with European Union on border management, counter terrorism, trans border crime, illegal migration and general security challenges.
Dambazau introduced a security system linked to Interpol and composed of multi-biometric technologies capable of generating database of travelers while also conforming to the standards of the International Air Transport Association.
The Minister of Interior explained to newsmen that if fully adopted, the system would detect and track down the movement of wanted persons.
Also worthy of mentioning is the inter-ministerial drive initiated by the minister to reduce the cost of doing business in Nigeria in order to create conducive business climate for both indigenous and foreign investors alike.
The minister recently introduced an annual Interior Ministry Game Fiesta.
In spite of these feats, the Federal Fire Service, established in 1901, still operates with obsolete equipment and an equally outdated Fire Service Act of 1963.
Under Dambazau, frequent scarcity of international passport booklets has been on the increase thereby causing Nigerians who want to renew their passports to be stranded.
The minister vehemently failed to organise a transport recruitment exercise into all the paramilitary agencies under his watch.
It’s on record that more illegal immigrants are finding their way to Nigeria.
Rating C
Ministry Of Water Resources
The Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, who assumed office on November 11, 2015, after being sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari, immediately “hit the ground running” after receiving briefs from the various Departments, Units and Agencies of the Ministry.
The ministry, under his leadership, has so far recorded some major achievements across the various sub-sectors of its operational activities which include irrigation and drainage, water supply, dam construction, Water Quality and Sanitation and climate change.
The ministry has also attained some level of success in policy development and regulatory framework for the sector.
His major achievements include:
Launching Of 2016-2030 Road Map For The Water Sector
As part of its commitment to the objectives of the present administration, the Ministry of Water Resources, in 2016, launched the water resources roadmap (2016-2030) tagged medium term-long term strategies.
Commissioning Of Central Ogbia Water Project
Adamu, in 2016, commissioned the Ogbia Regional Water Supply Project in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, being the first project to be commissioned in the ministry after 10 years.
The project is a regional water supply scheme with a plant capacity of 500m3/hr and about 130,000 people who are resident in Otuoke and 12 other communities in Central Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State are benefiting from the N5.9 billion project.
The water scheme is also aimed at reducing the incidents of water borne diseases by providing sustainable potable water supply.
Development Of A New National Programme On Partnership For Expanded Water, Sanitation And Hygiene (PEWASH)
In view of the increasing population size and the huge cost of water and sanitation infrastructure, the Ministry of Water Resources launched the Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH), aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6) and to keep on with the present administration’s development policy.
PEWASH also provides a multi-sector collaboration platform that brings together government agencies and international institutions to improve access to water supply, sanitation and hygiene in rural areas in the country
Dam Construction
The ministry is hoping to complete the Kashimbilla multipurpose dam in Taraba State soon. The dam, when completed, is expected to contain incidents of flooding from Lake Nyos in Cameroon. It will also supply water to Taraba. In addition, 40mw power will be generated from the dam and over 2,000 hectares of irrigation.
The ministry has completed the Galma multipurpose dam in Kaduna State. The dam has the capacity to provide job opportunities for over 1.1 million people living within its environs.
The multipurpose dam, which has irrigation components, has a reservoir capacity of about 186 million m3 with power generation potential of 2.2megawatt of electricity. The dam also has water supply capacity to meet the needs of 2.2million people in the surrounding communities up to the ancient city of Zaria.
Repositioning Of The 12 River Basins
The ministry has developed a blueprint to strengthen the River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) as enablers of food security and socio-economic development.
- a) Inauguration Of New Management Team:
In line with its commitment to reposition the 12 river basins, the ministry, in January 2017, inaugurated the new management team of the River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) with a charge to exhibit professionalism.
- b) Launching of the Graduate Youth Empowerment Programme (GYEP):
Aligning itself with the diversification and job creation effort of the present administration, the ministry initiated the GYEP, an agriculture scheme for young graduates, which is being piloted by the River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs). It is a milestone initiative to boost agriculture production in the country, through all year round farming that would guarantee Nigeria’s food security and achieve integrated rural development.
The scheme has so far been launched in nine locations nationwide, including Kampe Irrigation Project, Kogi State, Integrated Farming project, Abeokuta, Ogun State, TalataMafara Scheme, Zamfara State, Kadawa Integrated Centre, Kano State, Ogoja Irrigation Scheme, Cross River State, Agbala Integrated Farm Project, Imo State and Doma Dam Irrigation Project, Nasarawa State, Illah/Ebu Graduate Farmers Youth Empowerment Scheme, Delta State and Graduate Youth Empowerment Programme in Egberu, Rivers State.
- c) Signing of agreements to boost food production through irrigation agriculture:
As part of efforts to reposition and strengthen the River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) to become major economic nerve-centres in line with the economic diversification policy of the present administration, the ministry, on behalf of the federal government, has signed a contract agreement between the RBDAs and Songhai Nigeria Partnership Limited on the establishment of Songhai Model Initiatives Integrated Agricultural Scheme to boost food production using the irrigation schemes across the country.
- d) Articulation of National Water Resources Bill:
In order for it to able to implement its policies, the ministry has articulated the National Water Resources Bill which is currently before the National Assembly (Executive Bill) for passage into law.
Food Security
As part of efforts to boost agricultural production in the country, the minister recently flagged off the rehabilitation of 8,000 hectares and conversion/expansion of 5,560 hectares works of Bakolori irrigation scheme in Zamfara State, under the World Bank assisted Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) project of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
The World Bank is investing a total sum of about $495 million on the project
Signing Of The Following MoUs
- The ministry has signed an MoU with the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority to explore the investment opportunities especially in commercialised agriculture to boost food production in the country.
- MoU between the ministry and National University of Public Service, Hungary on collaboration on areas of capacity building and sustainable development.
- MoU between the ministry and Hungarian Ministry of Interior for Strategic Cooperation in core mandate areas.
- MoU between Lake Chad Basin Commission and M/S Power China International Group Limited to conclude studies for the actualisation of transfer of water from the Congo Basin to Lake Chad Basin.
- And many others.
Ratings: C
Ministry Of Defence
The Nigerian Ministry of Defence is the ministry saddled with the responsibility of managing all the affairs of security personnel in the country. It has the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force under its purview.
It is pertinent to note that every activity and achievement of any of the Armed Forces of Nigeria emanates from this ministry. The ministry also caters for the welfare and well-being of personnel including family members of fallen heroes.
No doubt it has been from one challenge to the other since the inception of this administration for the Ministry but against all odds, it was able to meet up most of the set down goals President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration gave to it.
The political commitment and support of President Muhammadu Buhari are major boosts to the successes recorded in the fight against insecurity, insurgency and terrorism in the country.
As a result, the Armed Forces of Nigeria achieved tremendous success by ensuring the security of lives and properties and protection of Nigeria’s territorial integrity through a number of military operations, collaborations and policy formulation.
Several reforms have taken place in the Armed Forces since the inception of this administration which include evaluation of the current ORBAT of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and proposals/projections for the future based on existing and likely threats which have necessitated the establishment of new Divisions, Commands and Units, increased recruitments and enlistment into the Armed Forces of Nigeria as well as review of some on-going Internal Security (IS) operations.
As part of its resolve to wipe out insurgency, Operation LAFIYA DOLE was established to fight the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East. It would be recalled that at the inception of this administration, most of the local government areas in Borno State and some part of Adamawa and Yobe States were under the control of Boko Haram terrorists. However, this administration demonstrated a strong political will considering the success recorded in the fight against insurgency in the North East.
The ministry also established the 8 Task Force Division in Monguno to further strengthen military presence in the North East which has greatly helped in command control in the theatre of operation.
6 Division was established in Port Harcourt to curtail illegalities in the maritime domain, pipe line vandalism, oil bunkering and kidnapping in the Niger Delta region. The Division, in conjunction with Operation DELTA SAFE has been able to curb the activities of the militants to a large extent in this region.
A Naval Outpost was established during the years in view in the Lake Chad Basin so as to intensify counter insurgency operations and prevent terrorists’ infiltration into the country.
The Ministry further established a NAF Special Operation Command in Bauchi which aimed at providing air support to ground forces and ensuring that it maintains peace and security in the North East. The Special Operations Command with specialised units in Bauchi, Gusau, Ipetu-Ijesha, Jos, Katsina, Owerri and Yola, is to be equipped with modern facilities and well trained personnel that are willing, able and ready to deal with any likely emerging security challenge across the length and breadth of the country that may come up.
As part of the capacity building of the Armed Forces, this administration directed the increase in enlistment and recruitment into the Armed Forces in 2016.
The capacity of the Armed Forces was generally greatly enhanced through increase in manpower and training of troops in counter insurgency. Another major innovative strategy was the establishment of a motorcycle battalion by the Nigerian Army to support operations in un-motorable areas in the North East.
The Nigerian Air Force in 2016 took over the 2 x AW 101 Helicopter in the inventory of the Presidential Air Fleet which are currently being used as air ambulance and for deployment in the ground attack role to support Operation LAFIYA DOLE in the North East.
3 EC-135 and three Dauphin helicopters were inducted and transferred to the Nigerian Air Force by NNPC for deployment in the ground attack role including two new Diamond-40 Aircraft into NAF Aircraft inventory.
The present administration purchased modern equipment to enhance the combat effectiveness of the Armed Forces. A Committee was set up to work out the modalities of procurement of arms and ammunition for the Armed Forces made through government to government basis to remove vendors and reduce cost.
Hardware purchases include; a Mine Resistant Ambush Protection (MRAPs) vehicles, Mine Sweepers, 120mm Mortals and ammunitions for the Nigerian Army, Two new ships (NNS Unity and Centenary) from China were recently procured and supply of Excess Defence Articles from Sri Lanka Navy for the Nigerian Navy. Also, NNS KARADUWA and Tugboat Commander EDWIN UGWU were locally built and commissioned into the Nigerian Navy.
Furthermore, fast patrol boats were procured for the newly established NN outpost in the Lake Chad Basin, 2 x Mi-35M helicopters from Russia were recently procured for the Nigerian Air Force and contract for additional 4 x Mi-35M was approved.
Also, contracts for the purchase of 12 x Super Mushshak aircraft from Pakistan and 2 x Yabhon Flash 20 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles from United Arab Emirate have been approved for the Nigerian Air Force amongst others.
The capacity of the Nigerian Army Special Vehicle Plant, Bauchi was also greatly enhanced to carry out overhaul and major repairs of Nigerian Army tanks, armoured carriers and artillery guns, which had broken down over time in 2016.
In a bid to curb excesses of some personnel and ensure great civil military relations, a Human rights desk was established in the Nigerian Army to mitigate against abuses by troops which were often reported by some local and international organisations.
Despite the country’s own home security challenges, Nigeria was actively involved in advancing world peace and security under the auspices of multilateral organisations such as the UN, AU and ECOWAS.
This ministry also made effort to encourage Public Sector/Private Partnership in the procurement of Contingent Own Equipment for Peace Support Operations.
White Paper Committee to review the draft National Defence Policy was constituted during the years in view. Accordingly, the final draft copy of the National Defence Policy and report of the White Paper Committee have at the moment been forwarded for Mr President’s approval.
Technically, the Boko Haram terrorists can be said to have been defeated and routed out of their acclaimed ‘Camp Zero’ strong hold in the Sambisa forest. Several high profiled Boko Haram commanders were arrested and over 20,000 persons (mostly women and children) held hostage by the terrorists have also been rescued.
A number of roads that were previously not useable have been re-opened to facilitate movement of people and goods in the affected states. Also, several displaced persons are now returning to their settlements to live a normal life.
It can be said generally that the Nigerian Ministry of Defence achieved a great feat since inception. Nigerians still expect more from them as security is an issue that should not be relapsed on for a second. The ministry should not rest on its oars until all forms of insurgency and criminalities are brought to its barest minimum in all parts of the country.
Rating: B
Ministry Of Power, Works And Housing
The stewardship of Mr Babatunde Fashola at the helm of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing started in November 2015 when President Buhari inaugurated his cabinet. Shortly after, the Minister held a media briefing where he outlined the ministry’s focus in the three sectors. In Power, the promise was to increase power availability (incremental Power), then advance it to steady supply and ultimately to uninterrupted supply nationwide. This he followed up with a roadmap clearly setting out how he and his team intend to achieve this. In Works (Infrastructure), the promise was to increase road connectivity, decrease journey time and improve journey experience by completing ongoing projects; and in Housing, it was to build acceptable and affordable houses for the citizenry.
The Power Sector
The administration inherited 2,690 MW of power and only oversight through regulatory agencies instituted by law and on transmission of electricity which it is carrying out through the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN); the 26 power plants (23 gas and three hydro) having been privatised. With provision of funds and determination to fulfill the promises made at the media briefing on Incremental Power, resuscitation of the 29 MW Dadin Kowa Hydro-Power plant in Gombe State should be completed in November, going by the assurance given to the Minister in March this year, by the project manager. The 132KV lines to evacuate the power are in place. The 40 MW Gurara Power Station is expected to finish in the first quarter of next year and with the arrival of its standardisation equipment, the 10MW Katsina Wind Mill is expected to finish before quarter two. The diesel and gas dual fired 215MW power plant in Kaduna is also expected to finish this year. There is also another Power Emergency Project that President Buhari approved for General Electric to give 240MW of power in Afam, Rivers State. It is also expected to finish this year. The 40 MW Kashimbilla Hydro Power Plant, in Taraba State, has been revived and now 99 percent completed. The works on the evacuation of power including transmission lines, switchyards and substations from the power plant to Takum, Wukari and the existing substation in Yandev, are expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2018, subject to availability of funds.
Work has resumed on the 700MW Zungeru hydroelectric power plant in Niger State, which was stalled by litigation for over three years. The nation moves closer to achieving power security with more alternatives to gas fired plants. Work on the 450MW Azura Power Plant in Benin, was also stalled because the approvals and agreements required by the private companies to source for funds could not be signed for more than one year. President Buhari finally signed the required on assumption of office and this enabled the investors to commence construction. So also, the Mambilla hydro plant, which had been on the drawing board long before the coming of this government. The Minister, in an interview with the Daily Trust last week, explained that significant progress had been made in terms of project planning by working with various stakeholders and with a “No Objection” certificate secured from the Bureau of Public Procurement on Monday, 19th June, work is set to commence on this long drawn yet all important project.
Against the backdrop of the country’s vulnerability on account of its over reliance on a single fuel source –Gas- for Power, perhaps, one of the best things that has happened to the Power Sector since the present administration took office is the development of an Energy Mix Developed by the Ministry and unveiled at the National Council on Power Meeting held in Kaduna in July last year, the initiative has since set off a chain of activities on the diversification of the power generation. For example, the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), on behalf of the Federal Government in July last year, signed Power Purchase Agreements with 14 solar power developers to produce over 1,000MW of solar power. As a follow-up, two of the developers, Afrinegia Nigeria Limited and CT Cosmos Nigeria Limited, on 13th April signed the Put/Call Option Agreements (PCOA). Co-ordinated by NBET, the PCOA is a key aspect of the PPA to deal with any premature termination. Afrinegia Nigeria Limited plans to deliver 50MW while CT Cosmos will deliver 70MW to the grid. There is also a plan for a new solar farm in Jigawa State, which is under procurement and planning. It is expected to add a minimum of another 1,000MW to the grid. In conjunction with other stakeholders, discussions are also in progress with two coal developers who will add significant coal power to the grid. Individuals and businesses in the country are also being encouraged to partake in investing in small captive solar initiatives. The objective is to create an Energy Security for the country by diversifying the energy source. In addition, the policy encourages the siting of power plants close to the source of energy. At the Council meeting in Kaduna, a target of 2030 was set for the achievement of 55 per cent gas, 16 per cent solar, 15 per cent large hydro project; four per cent wind; three per cent biomass and three per cent coal. Government has led from the front in this aspect with the completion of the 1.2MW Clean Energy Photovoltaic System, a solar energy plant and first of its kind in Nigeria, to power the Lower Usman Dam power treatment plant, is the main source of potable water to the Federal Capital Territory. Built in collaboration with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project’s first phase, commissioned in August 2016, is producing 1.2MW of solar energy.
From the outset, Fashola played down on the calls in some quarters for the outright cancellation of the privatisation of the power sector. Rather, he believes that the process and the sector should be methodically reviewed and reformed. This is the sum and substance of the Power Sector Reform Programme which focuses on introducing reforms, reducing losses in the distribution companies, enhancing the sector’s financial viability, increasing access to electricity services, and mobilising private sector investment. With support secured from the Federal Executive Council, members of the National Assembly heading the Power Committees and the World Bank Group, the Programme is already being implemented, though many are still awaiting a “formal” launch. These policies include the inauguration of commissioners for the National Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC) and the Rural Electrification Agency Board on the governance side as well as the NBET’s N701 billion two-year Payment Assurance Guarantee approved to ensure that all those who generate power to the grid are paid. The Minister has, in exercise of his powers under Section 27 of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005, directed NERC to permit four categories of customers to buy power directly from a licensee other than their electricity distribution companies, once they are dissatisfied with the performance of the latter. As Fashola puts it, “it is like going to Nestle to get your products directly instead of waiting for the distributor.” www.nercng.org.
Works
It was in June 2016 that contractors were mobilised to return to sites they had abandoned for over two years because of non-payment of contract fees. Today, work is going on in all states of the Federation in terms of road rehabilitation and reconstruction. Between February and April, the Minister had undertaken an inspection tour of these road projects in 34 states across the six geopolitical zones of the country. In the South-East, which was the first port of call, at least 600 kilometers of roads are under rehabilitation/ construction across the zone’s five states. They include the Enugu-Aba- Port Harcourt Expressway, which runs through Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi States covering about 31 roads as well as construction of pedestrian bridges and flyovers, traffic signs and lights; the outstanding section of Onitsha-Enugu Road is being handled by Reynolds Construction Company (RCC); Umana-Ndiagu- Adaebele-Udi Road in Ndiagu, Nsukka—Oboloafor -Ihamufu Road, Ninth Mile-Nsukka- Oboloafor Road, among others in Enugu State; Ohafia-Oso Road (In Ebonyi and Abia States: 11.7 km), Nnenwe-Uduma- Uburu Road, Section1 (14 km in Enugu/Ebonyi), rehabilitation of Abakaliki-Afikpo Road; Section 1 (20.5 km), rehabilitation of Abakaliki-Afikpo.
Road Section 11 (19.5 km) and Construction of Obubra-Ikwo- Onueke-Nkomoro- Agba-Ezekuna- Ogboji-Nara- Cross River Border Road (7 km), among others in Ebonyi; Aba-Port Harcourt Dual Carriageway (section 11), Umuahia Tower-Aba.
Township Rail/Road Bridge Crossing (56.1Km), rehabilitation of Lokpanta- Umuahia Tower (59.5km) and rehabilitation of Calabar-Itu- Ikot-Ekpene- Aba- Owerri Section 111: Ikot-Ekpene- Ikot Umuoessien-Aba Road in Abia/Akwa-Ibom (43.2km), among others in Ebonyi.
While in Imo State, federal road projects currently on-going include the Owerri-Umuahia Road, Sections 1, 11 and 111, the Ikot-Ekpene Border: Aba-Owerri Dualisation Road Section 1, Phase 1 (11.26km), Mbaise-Ngwa Road Ohase 1 (14 km), Amanwaozuzu-Uzoagba- Eziama-Orie- Amakohia Road (10km) and Oba-Nnewi- Okigwe Road Section 11, among others.
On the Second Niger Bridge in Onitsha, Anambra State, the contractor is working to re-mobilise to site, having stopped due to lack of payment.
In the North East, six federal roads are, among others, undergoing reconstruction or rehabilitation in Bauchi State, including the Suare-Azare, Azare-Potiskum Road, Ningi-Ajalokuna- Fudulamata Road, Jukun-Zaero Road and Zaero-Bassa- Ningi Road.
In Gombe State, the two on-going road projects are the Gombe- Bauchi Federal Highway and the Gombe –Numan-Yola Road.
In Taraba, Yobe and Maiduguri, the major roads under construction include the Kano-Maiduguri Dual Carriageway that traverses three states.
In the South-West, the on-going road projects include the Ogbomosho-Oshogbo Road that connects Oyo State with neighbouring Osun, the Oyo-Ogbomosho Road that connects the state through to Kwara, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway that connects Ibadan to Ogun and to Lagos and Lagos-Shagamu Expressway among others.
Similarly, there are projects going on in the North-Central, the North- West and the South–South. When Fashola says the Federal Government is present in all states of the Federation, he means it because he has been on the roads to see the projects.
However, responses LEADERSHIP Friday got from the Nigerian public concerning Power and Works in recent times show that all the actions reportedly taken to turn things around in the sector do not match the reality on ground, given the state of power and that of roads in the country. In other words, the actions have not produced results that would meet the expectation of the people as many claimed that power and roads have not recorded a substantial improvement from what it used to be.
Rating: D
Ministry Of Women Affairs
The ministry, under the present administration, has so far recorded numerous achievements, including the launch of the Year of Action to End Violence against Children by 2030, National SDGs Campaign by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, the launching of Campaign to End Child Marriage by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on November 29, 2016.
The Inauguration of Child Protection Sub – Working Group: the committee comprises key MDAs, International NGOs and Development partners to ensure humanitarian actors’ commitment to standard and best practices for child protection in emergencies particularly in North Eastern part of Nigeria.
The ministry, in an effort to address poverty in the country, has put together a Social Investment Intervention Programme – Government Enterprise and Empowerment Program (GEEP) and the National Women Empowerment Fund (NAWEF) which is implemented by the ministry in collaboration with the Bank of Industry which is the administering bank for the fund.
The GEEP is a micro- credit programme for the men and women, and out of the GEEP fund, the sum of #1.6billion has been set- aside exclusively for women only.
To this effect, the ministry has been able to establish skills acquisition training program for women, youth, widows and dropouts of school on various skills like soap making, bead making, tailoring, hairdressing, make up etc.
Men and women who are engaged in productive enterprises like the artisans, farmers, market women and other entrepreneurs benefit from these grants at the sum of #10,000 to #100,000 per beneficiary.
Also, the federal government, under the Social Investment programme allocated fund called the National Women Empowerment Fund (NAWEF), this is to serve as a dedicated micro- credit scheme in those communities worst hit by the insurgency in rebuilding their lives and communities, which about 80,000 women are projected to benefit from this scheme and this is being implemented by the ministry in collaboration with the Bank of Industry.
However, the GEEP was initiated to provide micro -credit loans to men and women, reduce poverty among rural dwellers, especially women and provide skill development, training and business support, it also seeks to rebuild the economies of rural areas through financial inclusion and build strong partnership between the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, States ministry of Women Affairs, the Bank of Industry ( BOI) and Development Partners such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, UN Women, UNIDO and others to provide a solid platform for implementing these innovative programmes.
The ministry also worked tirelessly in bringing succour to the released Chibok girls by going all out to compensate these girls for the loss of regular schooling opportunity suffered as a result of insurgency and plans are therefore in top gear to equip and kit them to resume formal education in order to place the girls on a lifetime path to succeed and become productive Nigerians and global citizens.
Ratings: D
Ministry Of Finance
The minister of finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun is one of the most vocal voices in the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government. Adeosun came to office like a waiting train, and immediately commenced work as soon as she was sworn in. Since then, she has been doing her job with passion and a lot of professional sagacity. Her four years stint as finance commissioner in Ogun State seemed to have prepared her for the task ahead.
A trained accountant, Adeosun is more of a politician than a full breed economic technocrat. However, she has demonstrated that the Nigerian economy can be redirected from the boom and bust cycle of the past to one where, whether oil price is high or low, there’s sustainable growth for Nigeria and for Nigerians.
Some of the achievements of Adeosun are: Adeosun championed the review of YouWin scheme and repositioned it as YouWiN!Connect, which focuses on continuous enterprise education and skills building. As part of the restructuring, the Minister approved weekly publication of activities of the scheme in four national newspapers. She added that the principles of YouWiN!Connect would be incorporated into university curricula across Nigeria.
Apart from blocking pipe drains on government revenues by way of mind bugling ghost workers that existed in the nation’s payrolls before now, the minister and her team have taken steps to improve payroll assurance through continuous audit and migration of Ministries, Departments and Agencies to the IPPIS Platform. To continue on fitting corruption and ensuring a transparent system, Mrs Adeosun initiated today’s Whistleblowing Policy of the Federal Government. The policy was introduced, not only to recover stolen funds but to also serve as a deterrent against corrupt practices.
Although Nigeria had a National Tax Policy (NTP) since 2012, it was neither popular to stakeholders in the tax system nor implemented to satisfaction. To address this problem, Adeosun inaugurated a Committee on the 10th of August, 2016 to review the NTP and recommend workable implementation strategies.
The Committee produced a slim, simple and concise revised policy with clear implementation and monitoring strategies for stakeholders in the Nigeria tax system. It is expected that the revised Policy will eventually give a new lease of life to, and inspire far-reaching reform of, the Nigeria tax system in terms of structure, number of taxes, and administration within the context of our peculiar environment. In that same regard, she supervised the Federal Inland Revenue Service to increase the number of taxpayers from 10 million in early 2015 to over 14 million as at December 2016.
She is the brain behind the introduction of Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS). To drive implementation of the scheme, the ministry of finance has expressed commitment to providing free training to accountants, lawyers, wealth managers, stockbrokers and other professional advisers to the public on the scheme. The free training is aimed at equipping them to give advice to their clients on participating in the scheme.
In a message to the Conference of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers held at the Transcorps Hilton Hotel in Abuja on July 4, 2017, Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun said that professional advisers were critical to the success of the VAIDS scheme due to their role in financial management. The theme of her message was “Transiting from Recession to a Global Economic Power”, she said, adding: “Those who manage wealth and undertake transactions on behalf of their clients are best placed to advise them to take advantage of the VAIDS offer by declaring their assets and income honestly.”
Adeosun is active in international scene. She was recently elected as the chairman of the Board of Governors of ECOWAS Investment Bank. The minister has participated in several economic programmes held abroad…
She was instrumental to the launching of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), an ambitious plan that seeks to achieve a seven per cent economic growth by year 2020.
Rating: C
Appraising Nigerian Health Sector In Past 26 Months
That Nigeria’s performance with regards to provision of quality healthcare services to its populace, is among the worst in the world is no longer news.
Worst of all is the Federal Government’s inaction to prioritise health as one of the most basic needs for the advancement of the nation, for without sound health, there can’t be any meaningful economic development.
Of the 2017 budget, only a paltry 4.17 per cent was budgeted for the health of about 180 million people; this is not withstanding the continuous ranking of the county’s health indices as one of the poorest.
Maternal deaths on the increase; return of non-communicable diseases; lack of necessary medical equipment at health facilities; inadequate human resources and dilapidated structures of primary health care centers across the country are just a few of the challenges rocking the sector.
The overly low budget has in turn affected performance at the health sector as LEADERSHIP Friday was made to understand that a huge chunk of the money is being used to service recurrent expenditure.
Recently, speaking at the dissemination of the 2016 budget score card by MamaYe, the Country Director, PLAN, Dr Hussain Abdu, said while Nigerians are forced to make out of pocket spending for healthcare services, the government has refused to do any major capital investment.
Primary health care centres are the public health care facilities closest to the people at the grass roots yet the people still lack basic health care services in the country. This is due to the fact that most of the facilities are in moribund shape and without experienced healthcare workers.
In 2016, the federal government promised to revitalise 10,000 primary health care centres as a way of bringing health to the people, however, the realisation of this promise seems a herculean task.
After the commissioning of the Kuchingoro Primary healthcare Center by the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole and President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2017, it has been difficult tracking further development as regards the project, as it seemed nothing much has been achieved so far.
However, in a bid to tackle the poor health indices, the federal government introduced a few programs like the Primary Healthcare Under One Roof, organising free major operations for patients across the country, although this was for a stipulated period of time.
The federal government also introduced the Saving One Million Lives program, where states were given funds to tackle maternal and child deaths.
The outbreak of diseases since 2016 had also reflected the weakness and the incapability of the country’s health system.
First, it was the polio re-emergence, which brought about a setback for the country in its strive to completely tackle the disease, then the massive Meningitis outbreak which killed over 1000 Nigerians and now Lassa Fever outbreak.
Although, acting on the lessons learnt during the outbreak, the federal government went ahead to sign partnership with May & Baker on local vaccine production. The move will ensure that Nigeria does not have to wait on any country to get vaccine especially in times of emergency.
The health sector has also been enmeshed in some corruption controversy. This development, which pitched the Health Management Organisations (HMOs) against the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), had led to further discoveries of sharp practices within the Scheme.
The federal government, in tackling the menace, had attracted commendations from around the world. In addressing this, the federal government was able to respond appropriately and on time by releasing funds for malnutrition intervention and developing programs to stall the recurrence of malnutrition in Nigeria.
Rating: D
Ministry Of Agriculture
The agricultural sector in Nigeria in the past two years, under the leadership of Chief Audu Ogbeh and his counterpart minister of state, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has been seen to make significant progress.
Despite that, many Nigerians still complain that the sector has suffered a huge decline as a result of the high cost of food and other agricultural commodities.
While the high cost of commodities have been blamed on a number of factors, including the ongoing economic recession, the operation of a Treasury Single Account (TSA) among others, a review of the recent GDP figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), showed that agriculture grew at 4.03 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016 which was a marginal decrease from the 4.54 percent growth in the third quarter, same year.
The report, released by the office of the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osibanjo stated that this is mainly because agriculture (especially crop production, which accounts for the bulk of agricultural production) is highly seasonal, with growth in the third quarter of the year usually higher than the others. Nevertheless, the overall outcome for the year was that the agricultural sector grew by 4.11 percent for the whole of 2016 which was higher than the figure of 3.72 percent for 2015.
However, the sector under the present leadership has been challenged by the ongoing economic recession, high cost of food commodities and a more stringent economy as a result of the operation of the TSA which hinders MDAs from accessing necessary funds for their activities, as well as inherited indebtedness including over N60b fertilizer debts among several others.
The agricultural sector, under the leadership of Chief Ogbeh/Lokpobiri, recorded some major achievements which includes the projection that Nigeria is set to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production which is a major Nigeria staple, this is despite the fact that this achievement has not translated to a drop in the price of rice in Nigerian markets.
LEADERSHIP Friday findings have shown that despite this achievement, the price of local rice has remained high as farmers continue to blame this on the high cost of production, transportation and poor government supports.
The Flag off of yam export to Europe has also been commended as a major achievement of the Ogbeh administration, though many have argued that the export has led to an increase in the prices of yam by farmers and marketers alike.
On the on-going restructuring of the Bank of Agriculture for effective performance, many have lamented, that it seems to be all talk and no action, as a result of the slow refinancing of the bank which aims to stimulate increased interest of people in farming as a source of livelihood and income earnings. The Minister had assured that they were targeting N500bn to recapitalise the bank.
In their achievements, the Ministers have also secured the return of the Federal Universities of Agriculture to the supervision of the FMARD to refocus the institutions to fulfill their core mandates and conduct T&R on only agriculture-related disciplines with adequate provision of funds and grants for research; under the leadership of the ministers also, several efforts have been made to clear lands and create agricultural villages in various states. Interestingly, this still remains to be seen as LEADERSHIP Friday recalls the proposed site for the Agricultural Village in Kwali, Abuja remains undeveloped almost a year after the minister led a delegation on 26th October, 2016 to announce their plans to set up the village.
Other achievements recorded under the Ogbeh /Lokpobiri leadership, include the procurement and distribution of 3.5 tonnes hybrid tomato seeds in 2015/2016 to 1,750 fresh produce farmers to sustain production, it has also identified strengthened Aflatoxin detection capacity with the purchase of a set of laboratory equipment to establish Aflatoxin laboratory in ABU and UAM, trained three Technicians in India on management of Aflatoxin and sensitised stakeholders on ‘crop aflatoxin contamination’ to reduce its adverse effects and enhance exports.
The development of a soil fertility map and site/crop specific fertilizer formulation for the 36 States and FCT of the Federation to appropriately aid crop production and maximise yield in every locality, as well as the release of improved crop varieties such as yam, pepper, rice maize among others are also key achievements of the Ogbeh/Lokpobiri leadership
The Ministry, under their leadership also partnered with Osun State
Government on Obudu-Ife Cashew Intervention Programme that kicked of a 100 hectare plantation scheme in June 2016.
They also initiated the establishment of fish farm clusters equipped with fish feed mills in Kano and River States; establishment of National Aquaculture Certification Centre and nationwide standardisation and certification of fish farms and established cottage fish farms in seven Federal Government Colleges (FGC) in Borno, Ekiti, Imo, Katsina, Nasarawa, Rivers States and FCT to promote consumption of good quality protein that fish offers and to raise young agripreneurs so as to secure the future of fish culture in Nigeria.
The Ministry also established cottage poultry processing and storage facilities in five states (Osun, Benue, Abia, Adamawa and Katsina) and FCT, linked farmers to the FGN’s Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) for provision of Artificial Insemination (AI) and feeding supplementation in the targeted States and FCT and flagged off the distribution of 500 threshers to rice farmers from 12 rice-producing states, including Ebonyi, Enugu, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Niger, Kogi, Benue and Taraba, at 60 percent discount to farmers who would pay 20 percent while the state governments bare 20 percent of the cost;
Other achievements under the ministers include the enabled FGN-BOI
funded 68 cottage crops processing mills under a PPP arrangement, which were at different stages of completion and operations with few already handed over to the investors; construction and completion of 33 silos complexes with a combined capacity of 1,360,000 MT, and 48 numbers of 2000 MT Commodity Warehouses, in various locations within the country; procurement of post-harvest handling equipment from Original Equipment Manufacturer (Alvan Blanch), UK for the establishment of 25 numbers of Grains Aggregation Centres nationwide through partnership with Paddy Rice Dealers Association of Nigeria and release of 10,000MT of maize to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in North East and release of 7,015MT of assorted old grains to the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Feed Millers and other interested individuals from the National Food Reserve Silos among several others.
Rating: C
Ministry Of Education
Malam Adamu Adamu was appointed as minister by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015 to watch over the development of the sector of education in the country. The minister, has toured through the ministry in carrying out his responsibility out of which many achievements have been recorded as he heads towards completing two years.
In order to encourage citizens to attach more value to education, the Ministry, through Adamu’s initiative, embarked on feeding programme in 2016, aimed at feeding over 24 million school children at the basic school level with one meal a day from locally sourced foodstuff. The strategic feeding plan is designed to run until 2020 and has already formed the cornerstone of the nationwide Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme.
As part of ongoing efforts to revitalise the education sector, the Ministry of Education has released a new road map to address the challenges facing the sector. This plan was unveiled in a draft of the 2016-2019 Ministerial Strategic Plan in Abuja. The minister emphasised that the aim of the programme is to strengthen institutional structures and create innovative strategies aimed at revamping the education sector.
It would be recalled that a similar plan was launched during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006-2015. The aim then was to form Education Master Plan in order to fashion out new policies that would enable the sector emerge from its declining
status, especially on issues concerning Nigeria’s ‘Education For All’ policy and infrastructural decay occasioned by institutional and legislative constraints.
Implementation Of SDGs 4 Education 2030 Agenda The minister has implemented the SDGs goal 4 which ensures inclusive and quality education for all and promotes lifelong learning. This is with a view to obtaining a quality education and the foundation to improving people’s lives and sustainable development. By so doing, major progress has been made towards increasing access to education at all levels and increasing enrolment rates in schools particularly for women and girls.
The Federal Ministry of Education, under Adamu has recently granted scholarship to 222 girls to study in Nigerian higher institutions. The scholarship is said to be part of the ministry’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Female Special Scholarship Awards program to accomplish goal 4 of the SDG which is planned to “Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women.’’ The scholarship is said to be part of the ministry’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Female Special Scholarship Awards program to accomplish goal 4 of the SDG which is planned to “Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women’’
Malam Adamu has also flagged off nationwide headcount of teachers, students and pupils under the 2015/2016 Annual School Census exercise.
Adamu, who flagged off the exercise in Abuja, said that the aim was to generate credible and reliable data in the education sector. He added that the school census exercise across the country will aid educational planning, administration and also inform decision making by government.
Under this programme, other parastatals under the ministry are now
strategising on the essence of data keeping. Of note are the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Universal Basic Education Commision (UBE) who are tremendously adopting measures to follow these steps.
Commenced Process For The Abolition Of Dichotomy Between The Higher National Diploma (HND) And University Degree Introduction Of Security Education To Primary And Secondary Schools.
The ministry, under Adamu, has introduced security education in its latest curriculum for primary and secondary schools as part of its counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency efforts involving its citizens in 2016.
The Minister of Education has organised training for primary school teachers in the North-East geo-political zone of the country on techniques of teaching, reading and comprehension in 2016.
The programme, which took place in Nasarawa, Lafia had the then permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan as representative of the minister. The imperative of equipping the teachers with competence needed for effective and efficient teaching reading arose from findings that the poor performance of pupils/students in both internal and external examinations was largely due to their poor reading habit.
Rating: C
Source: leadership.ng
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