The Presidency has reacted to the report that President Muhammadu Buhari has only achieved one of his 222 campaign promises since inauguration.
A statement by the Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Wednesday, stated that Buhari has achieved a lot in the area of fighting corruption. The Centre for Democracy and Development in a report stated that Buhari had only achieved one out of his 222 tracked electoral promises, representing 0.5 per cent of the promises.
The CDD based its report on critical sectors such as security, the economy, fighting corruption, oil and gas, agriculture, and social and environmental sectors. But Mr. Shehu said it was mischievous to attribute to the President promises he did not make during the campaigns and hold him accountable.
He asked the CDD to rise above what he called petty partisanship and stop misleading Nigerians, as “no sincere Nigerian will fail to recognise the courage of the President to tackle corruption in a country where impunity was once celebrated.”
He said as a result of the anti-corruption efforts, the Nigeria Customs Service has quadrupled its revenue base within seven months. “Doesn’t the President deserve credit for this and other efforts to confront the monster of corruption?” Shehu asked.
On the economy, he said it is wrong to blame the President for the falling oil prices in the world market, a problem the President is working to manage by diversifying the economy.
He also said the government has opened an escrow account where all looted funds recovered will be kept. “He (Buhari) is making good strides towards improving governance by tackling corruption. Till date, a good number of persons believed to have collectively stolen billions from taxpayers have been arrested and are facing the courts.
“We are working with our allies across the world from Britain and America to France and Germany to China and the UAE to source, locate and repatriate misappropriated funds.
“So far, an escrow account has been opened for money that is being returned. This is only the start. The return of stolen funds is important, but it is just as critical to ensure that those who seek to steal realise that no longer will there be such impunity in Nigeria.”
Shehu said, “The latest CDD episode is a shocking reminder to their failed attempt to hold the President to ‘100 promises in 100 days’ which disastrously crashed on the head of the proponent. The elevation of the act to a new high of 220 promises is a knee-jerk reaction that seeks to play to the gallery and score points against the President.”