President Muhammadu Buhari said his direction has recorded concrete achievements which are at that spot for all to see, opposite to the opposition's contention that the direction is running on propaganda in addition to lies.
The President, who was represented past times the Minister of Information in addition to Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the assertion at the opening of the two-day Nigeria Governors' Forum Conference for Media Handlers of States' Chief Executives inward Abuja on Monday.
''For our Administration, our achievements are at that spot for all to see. We are delivering inward the wide areas that formed the plank of our policies: Security, struggle against corruption in addition to the economy, which includes the massive provision of infrastructure, repose of doing job concern in addition to agriculture, simply to refer a few,'' he said.
Providing facts in addition to figures, the President listed the Administration's achievements inward ending subsidy in addition to all the same ensuring the availability of crude products; inward raising might generation, transmission in addition to distribution, inward the massive provision of infrastructure; inward tackling insecurity in addition to making a success of the agriculture revolution, amid others.
''Those who defendant this Administration of 'propaganda in addition to lies' inward the fuel furnish sector, for example, did non tell Nigerians that whereas they paid betwixt 800 billion in addition to 1.3 trillion Naira equally 'subsidy' yearly inward their time, without making the products available fifty-fifty at regulated prices, this Administration is non paying whatever subsidy, all the same all products are currently available at competitive prices in addition to fuel queues are at nowadays history. In their time, they paid subsidy of 3.7 billion Naira daily inward 2011; 2.2 billion Naira daily inward 2012 in addition to 2013, in addition to 2.5 billion Naira daily inward 2014, all for products that were never available.
''Those who defendant this authorities of 'propaganda in addition to lies' likewise said nosotros accept non achieved anything inward the might sector. Comment is free, facts are sacred, equally they say. When this Administration assumed percentage on 29 May 2015, available might on the grid totalled 2,690MW, transmission capacity was around 5,000MW in addition to distribution capacity was 4,000MW.
''As at four September 2017, the available might that tin dismiss endure position on the grid was 6,619MW; the transmission capacity was simulated at 6,700 MW (up from 5,000 MW inward 2015) but the distribution capacity was 4,600 MW, which was what was position on the grid. On September 12, 2017, production of might reached an all-time story of 7,001MW,'' he said.
President Buhari said it is an irony that those who presided over a budget of xviii billion Naira for roads, v billion Naira for might in addition to 1.8 billion Naira for Housing inward 2015 are at nowadays accusing those who spent 198.25 billion Naira on roads, 91.2 billion Naira on might in addition to 71.559 billion Naira on housing inward the next yr of non-achievement?
''Because of the increased spending inward these areas, the massive debts owed to contractors are existence settled then they tin dismiss recollect workers who were set off in addition to re-open closed function sites. As a affair of fact, during the implementation of the 2016 budget, nosotros paid 103 construction companies executing 192 projects, in addition to they, inward turn, employed 17,749 people straight in addition to 52,000 people indirectly inward works.
''So far this year, 47.169 billion Naira has been paid to 62 contractors working on 149 projects to snuff it along function on roads in addition to bridges in addition to maintain people at work. Similar payments are existence made to supervising consultants in addition to to contractors inward Housing in addition to Power Sectors of the Ministry,'' he said.
The President likewise said highlighted the achievements that accept been recorded past times his Administration inward the surface area of the Economy, wondering whether it is 'propaganda in addition to lies' that headline Inflation has at nowadays fallen for the 8th consecutive month; that unusual telephone substitution reserves are upwardly to $32 billion, from $24 billion a yr ago: that oil production is at nearly 2 1000000 barrels per solar daytime in addition to that Home-grown School Feeding Programme at nowadays existence implemented inward 17 United States of America is benefiting to a greater extent than than three 1000000 world primary schoolhouse children in addition to to a greater extent than than 30,000 cooks across 20,000 schools.
He said unopen to 200,000 youths are at nowadays benefiting from the N-Power Programme, which recruits unemployed graduates to function equally teachers, agricultural extension workers, in addition to wellness extension workers; that the Government Enterprise & Empowerment Programme (GEEP), which provides micro-credit to farmers, traders, in addition to artisans, at nowadays has inward excess of 1 1000000 beneficiaries, alongside women accounting for 56% of that number, in addition to that at nigh $1.8 billion, the upper-case alphabetic quality inflows inward the minute quarter of 2017 were almost double the $908 1000000 inward the start quarter.
''If our achievements are based on 'propaganda in addition to lies', equally they claim, why is our agricultural revolution achieving then much success: We accept commissioned the 120,000 MT per annum WACOT Rice Mill inward Argungu, Kebbi State. We accept commissioned the 60,000 MT per annum Edo State Fertilizer Company Limited. What nigh the commissioning of OLAM's 750,000 MT per annum Integrated Poultry Facility inward Kaduna State? Do yous know that xv moribund Fertilizer Blending Plants accept at nowadays been revived in addition to inward functioning across Nigeria, nether the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, creating 50,000 direct jobs in addition to 70,000 indirect jobs?'' the President asked.
He said when the Administration assumed percentage inward 2015, Boko Haram was active inward at to the lowest degree 10 states, could stroll into Abuja at a fourth dimension in addition to target of their ain choosing to drive maximum havoc, inward improver to belongings territories in addition to collecting taxes.
''Today, Boko Haram has been then degraded that it lacks the capacity to comport out whatever organized attack, spell likewise increasingly losing the capacity to fifty-fifty assault soft targets. Importantly, Boko Haram no longer holds whatever territory. The same vigour is existence used to address the herdsmen-farmers' clash, kidnapping for ransom in addition to other crimes,'' the President said.
He said the biggest challenge facing authorities information managers is how to projection the achievements of their principals against the background of worsening cases of disinformation in addition to mistaken news, adding that the best means to tackle the job is to rest focused, turn down to endure distracted or intimidated in addition to likewise to work facts in addition to figures to counter the purveyors of disinformation in addition to mistaken news.