In a 96-point, 3,643-word broadcast to the nation that lasted for over 40 minutes, President Buhari, who did not mention Chief MKO Abiola, the late presumed winner of the June 12,1993 presidential election, said he has kept the promises he made last year while recognizing June 12 as democracy day.
However, the President said that the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has put humanity and democracy under threat.
But the President was elated that his administration has laid a foundation for future success of the country in the course of implementing federal government’s nine priority objectives.
He said despite the challenges, Nigeria’s external reserves grew from $33.42 billion in first quarter of 2020 to $36 billion.
The President who stated this to mark the Democracy Day on June 12, reeled out the achievements of his administration in the past five years.
He said that his administration has recorded notable achievements in the course of implementing its nine priority objectives and was establishing a solid foundation for future success.
“In my 2019 Democracy Day address, I promised to frontally address the nation’s daunting challenges, especially insecurity, economy and corruption. I therefore find it necessary to give an account of my stewardship on this day.
”We have recorded notable achievements in the course of implementing our nine priority objectives and are establishing a solid foundation for future success. On the economic front, our objectives have remained to stabilize the macroeconomy, achieve agricultural and food security, ensure energy sufficiency in power and petroleum products, develop infrastructure, fight corruption and improve governance,” he said.
Indeed, President Buhari reeled out his achievements in all sectors of the across the country, adding that “sustaining our democracy thus far has been a collective struggle.”
Among his achievements, he said work on the Second Niger Bridge has reached 48 per cent; Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is 90 per cent completed; 102km of the 376km Abuja – Kaduna – Kano Road, representing 38% has been constructed, and the 42.9km Obajana – Kabba Road is 87.03% complete.
His Social Investment Programme has engaged 549,500 N-Power beneficiaries, 408,682 beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme and 2,238,334 beneficiaries of the Growth Enhancement and Empowerment Programme.
Similarly, under the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, he said over 9,963,729 children are being fed to keep them in school and improve their nutritional status; and as part of the strategy to create jobs in reducing the effect of COVID-19, the move to employ 774,000 youths, 1000 from each of the 774 local councils of the country, has commenced. (Vanguard)