Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has stated that President Goodluck
Jonathan administration has surpassed previous administrations in terms of
service delivery to the people that cut across all sectors of the economy
The Vice President made this statement today in Kaduna at a meeting with
Women and youth groups in the state.
Arc Namadi Sambo said that their administration has kept faith with its
campaign promises of transforming the country as evidenced by its
unprecedented record of achievements across all sectors of the economy. He
said that when their administration came on board, the power sector could
barely generate 20,000mw but within three years they were able to generate
4,500mw of power, complete eleven thermal power plants, built 3,500km of
transmission line as well as 295 injection sub-stations in the country, a
record that surpassed all previous records added together in the history
of the nation.
In the transport sector, the Vice President said that the Goodluck
Jonathan administration was able to build about 20,000km of road network
as well as 3,500km of rail lines cutting across north, east, south and
west while at the same time reviving the comatose rail sector, which had
suffered neglect for the past three decades and train services were
brought back to life.
In the Education Sector, the Vice President stated that no nation in the
history of the world has established fourteen universities in three years,
a feat the Goodluck Jonathan Administration has achieved. He added that
one of these universities was the Police Academy in Wudil, which had been
upgraded to a degree-awarding institution; the first ever in Africa. He
added that the administration has also expended over N664billion to
tertiary institutions under the Tertiary Education Trust Funds (TETFUND)
in training and capacity building of staff as well as in projects
execution in both federal and state-owned institutions of higher learning
in the country. At the primary and basic education levels, he said that
about N297billion support fund under the Universal Basic Education UBEC
was expended adding that, in line with the President’s directive that all
children of school age were sent to school, about 10 million Almajirai and
other out of school children had been catered for under the Almajirai
Model Schools and other specialized schools for boys and girls established
in the South-South and South-East to cater for the underprivileged class
in the society.
Arc Namadi Sambo added that, under the Nigerian Industrial Revolution
Plan, Nigeria has achieved self-sufficiency in cement production and was
on her way to achieving the same level in rice production and other
agricultural produce. “When this administration came on board, Nigeria
could barely produce 10million tons of cement and had to import an
additional 9 million tones to satisfy local demand. With the coming into
being of the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan, today Nigeria has become
a net exporter of cement products producing over 30million metric tons and
exporting about 11million.” He said
In the agricultural sector, the vice president stated that the e-wallet
system of fertilizer introduced by their administration has ensured the
availability of the product to farmers as at and when needed making a
savings of over N100billion to government while at the same time removing
corruption that had hitherto characterize its distribution.
On youth and women empowerment, Arc Namadi Sambo said that their
administration has evolved several strategies to create job and wealth for
the teeming youth and women of the country amongst which were the Subsidy
Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Youth Empowerment Scheme
(YES), Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWin) and several
other schemes. He also added that last year, the administration has
created the Presidential Jobs Board with the mandate to create at least 2
million jobs annually for the next ten years to breach the unemployment
gap in the country as well as the Micro, Small and Medium Scale
Enterprises (MSMEs) Council to provide access to capital for micro, small
and medium scale enterprises in the country.
The Vice President however called on them to come out en-masse and ensure
total victory for the party in the forthcoming elections as their
administration has accorded women and youths the highest priority.
On their part, the Youth and Women groups promised total victory for the
People’s Democratic Party in all positions contested for in the party in
the State.
In a related development, the Vice President has also met with religious
leaders from the central zone in Kaduna state where he called for their
prayers on the peaceful conduct of the forthcoming general elections and
an end to the insecurity in the country while urging them to return to
their communities and preach on the need for peace and peaceful
coexistence amongst their adherents for it is only in the atmosphere of
peace and tranquility that they development could be achieved.
The Vice President has however assured the religious clerics that federal
government has recorded great successes in its war with the terrorists in
the North-eastern part of the country. He said that already the Nigerian
armed forces armed forces had liberated all areas under occupation by the
terrorists in Adamawa and Yobe states and seven out of the ten local
government areas occupied by the dreaded sect in Borno state.
Both Representatives of the leaders of the Islamic and Christian religions
groups assured the Vice President that they would play their part as
religious leaders in guiding their followers on the noble path of peace,
while adding that they had been consulting with several youth groups and
associations to ensure that the post-election violence of 2011 that has
caused wanton destruction of lives and property, did not repeat itself.
Prayers were offered for an end to the insecurity in the country as well
for peaceful polls in the forthcoming general elections.