PROTOCOL
Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the South-East Edition of our Town Hall Meeting. Permit me first to thank the Executive Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, most sincerely for his immense contribution to the hosting of this event. By his efforts, His Excellency has shown that the development of our country transcends party affiliation and other divisive considerations.
2 May I also express my gratitude to my colleagues Honorable Ministers for accepting to be part of this meeting, despite their busy schedule. Honourable Ministers, your presence here is a testimony to the importance you attach to keeping Nigerians adequately informed of the activities of government.
3 This is the fifth in the series of the Town Hall Meetings which we started in Lagos on April 25th 2016, with a view to bridging the communication gap between the government and the people, carrying the people along in the process of governance and also getting the much-needed feedback from the citizenry. So far, we have also held the meeting in Kaduna, Kano and Uyo. We intend to take the meeting to all parts of the country, because people participation is at the core of democracy.
4 Your Excellency(ies), Honourable Ministers, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this is a critical time in the history of our nation! We are faced with two choices: whether to continue along the old path that has led us to where we are now, or to chart a new path. We have chosen the latter, simply because one cannot continue to do things the same way and expect a different result. That choice of a new path is the reason for our mantra, which is CHANGE. Many have said they are yet to see the change we promised. Many more have called the promise a ruse. In fact, they are now mocking us. But we remain undaunted, because we know that the change we promised is real
5 In fact, the change we promised is already here, and it is manifesting all around us. Before now, public officials simply opened the public till, took as much money as they wanted and walked away, without consequences! That explains why funds allocated to the military to fight Boko Haram ended up in the piggy banks of many unscrupulous Nigerians. Today, all those who looted the public treasury are being made to answer for their actions, as impunity gives way to accountability. Many have offered to return their loots, and many more are facing charges. At the last count, the Federal Government has made cash recoveries worth 78 billion Naira; 185 million dollars; 3.5 million Pounds and 11,250 Euros. In addition, over 9 billion dollars in suspected stolen funds have been frozen in various bank accounts. These are funds that would have built roads, hospitals, schools, power stations, etc. Now, those who have allegedly pocketed them are answering questions from the authorities and facing charges in court. If this is not change, what is?
6 Prior to now, funds accruing to the government were paid into so many accounts that even the government could not keep a tab on them, or worse still did not even know the accounts existed. Today, every kobo accruing to the government is paid into a single account, called the Treasury Singles Account (TSA), to be used for the benefit of all Nigerians. If this is not change, what is? Before now, thousand of ghosts earned salaries every month. Of course, we all know that ghosts don't work, yet they got paid in this country. Today, the ghosts are in trouble as over 30,000 of them have had their unmerited salaries stopped, saving the country millions and millions of naira. Many more ghosts are being smoked out. If this is not change, what is?
7 We promised to diversify the economy away from oil, to ensure that other sectors are able to significantly contribute to sustainable development. Well, in June 2016, for the very first time, about 70 per cent of the over 500 billion Naira raised from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee came from non-oil sector, while 30 per cent came from the oil sector. It was the first time in 2016 that the Federal Government shared over 500 billion Naira among the three tiers of government. If this is not change, then what is?
8 Prior to May 29th 2015, Boko Haram held sway in at least 14 out of the 27 local government areas in Borno State. They controlled territories, hoisted their flag, installed their own Emirs and collected taxes. They struck at places and times of their own choosing. Today, our gallant military has crushed these terrorists. Not a single territory is being administered by them. Major roads in Borno state are now open. A football league match was even played in a stadium in Maiduguri recently, an event that would never have been contemplated in the days that Boko Haram held sway. If this is not change, what is?
9 Before the advent of this Administration, many key roads across the country were abandoned, even when funds were budgeted for them, causing untold hardship for the people. Now, construction firms have been mobilized to sites across the country. As they move to site, they are creating thousands of new jobs. No part of the country is left out of this. Here in the South-east alone, I can list some of the roads to which contractors have been mobilized:
- The Enugu-Port Harcourt Dual Carriageway Section 1 - That is Lokpanta-Umuahia-Aba in Abia State
- The Enugu-Port Harcourt Carriageway Section II - That is Umuahia-Aba in Abia State
- The Enugu-Port Harcourt Road Section III - That is Enugu-Lokpanta
- The Oji-Achi-Mmakwu-Awgu Ndiaboh-Mpu-Akaeze Road
- The outstanding section of the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway: Amansea-Enugu State Border
- The Nnene-Oduma-Mpu (Enugu state) - Uburu (Ebonyi State)
- And the Oji-Achi-Mmaku-Awgu Road, with spur to Obeagu - Ugbo.
Where the contractors have not been seen on site, it is because of the rains. not because of lack of mobilization. Affected contractors have written to say they will be on site immediately after the rains. May I use this opportunity to reiterate that this Administration will not neglect or marginalize any part of the country, whether in the distribution of amenities or appointments. No part of the country will be shortchanged. President Muhammadu Buhari is the President of all Nigerians, irrespective of their political parties, religion, ethnicity or gender.
10 Yes, there have also been complaints over perceived or real instances of lopsidedness in appointments. Our response is that there are hundreds of appointments yet to be made. It is an evolving scenario, and any lopsidedness is being addressed as we progress. The latest appointments by Mr. President, to the strategic health institutions in the country, as well as to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, attest to this!.
11 I will leave it to my colleagues here to tell this audience how they have been manifesting change in their various ministries. But before I hand the podium over to them, please permit me to thank all Nigerians for their perseverance in these difficult times. We are very much aware of what Nigerians are going through. But I will liken that to the kind of pain that comes with the birth of a new child. The pain can be so unbearable that many women would vow never to go through it again. But a few minutes after the arrival of the baby, the pain gives way to unspeakable joy. It is inevitable that our people will feel the impact of the change process. but they can be sure that with the kind of disciplined, committed, honest and patriotic leadership being provided by President Muhammadu Buhari, the tough times being experienced by Nigerians will soon be a thing of the past.
12 To those who have been asking, where is the change we promised them, we say change is no instant coffee. It is a process. And to those who have been mocking us, we say let them continue to entertain themselves, because this change is irreversible. As the saying goes, the dogs may bark, but the caravan moves on!
13 Your Excellencies, Honourable Ministers, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the format for this Town Hall Meeting is that after my opening comments, each Honourable Minister here will give a five-minute overview of the programmes and policies of his or her ministry. It will then be time for Question and Answer. Permit me to now call on the Hon. Minister of ...... to make his opening comments.
14 I thank you for your kind attentio
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