Lai Mohammed: TSA Averted Nigeria’s Collapse

Wike: Media must end conspiratorial silence against oppression of Rivers
Uduaghan urges FG to involve governors in fight against militancy

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said the judicious management of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and the unrelenting war on corruption is why the country has not collapsed.

Mohammed made this statement yesterday at the All Nigerian Editors Conference (ANEC) 2016 in Port Harcourt, where he listed the economic challenges and the efforts to steer the country to safety.

He said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is applying prudent management in the use of scares resources made possible by the anti-corruption fight, TSA and elimination of ghost workers.

 The minister predicted that the increasing emphasis on agriculture would soon reduce the nation’s  ‘scandalously’ high dependence on food importation, adding that the country is facing the consequences occasioned by the fall in the price of crude oil and the failure to save for the rainy day as well as not investing in infrastructure.

Mohammed said: ‘’Nigeria has nothing to rely on to cushion the effects of the lost earnings.
“Many other oil producing countries and fellow OPEC members are better because they saved for the rainy day. Saudi Arabia with about one fifth of Nigeria’s population, has about 600 billion dollars (which is 23 times what Nigeria has in foreign reserves) in foreign reserves. United Arab Emirates, with less than 10 million population has 75 billion dollars in foreign reserves. Qatar, with 2.4 million people has 36 billion dollars in foreign reserves. Even Angola, with just 24 million people, has about 25 billion dollars in foreign reserves.

‘’Here in Nigeria, with oil sold consistently for over 100 dollars a barrel for many years, we simply failed to save for the rainy day with a population of over 170 million, which has just 26 billion dollars in foreign reserves.

 “To compound this, the fall in the price of crude oil is having a ripple effect-the scarcity of foreign exchange resulting from the oil price crash, meaning that industries are struggling to get foreign exchange to import raw materials and machinery. With falling imports, the Customs Service, which is another source of revenue, is collecting fewer duties.

 “Taxation is also affected, as industries with no forex to import can neither employ more people nor produce more goods. Then, Nigeria has to fight an existential battle to root out Boko Haram in the North-east region,’’ he said.

The minister lauded the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) for supporting the deliberate efforts to tackle the multifarious challenges facing the country, particularly in the area of the economy, saying NGE in particular and the media in general owe it a duty to keep Nigerians well informed of situation by becoming the ‘Champions of Change’.

‘’Permit me to commend the Nigerian Guild of Editors for the well-thought-out theme for this 2016 conference which is ‘Economic Diversification: Agriculture as an option for a prosperous Nigeria’.
“As you are all aware, agriculture is one of the sectors we have identified in our economic diversification programme aimed at moving the country away from a mono-product, oil-based economy under our ‘Change Mantra’,” he stated.

 Mohammed said government was making genuine efforts to turn things around through massive investment in infrastructure ie roads, railways, power, saying all the efforts are aimed to create jobs and put money in the pockets of Nigerians.

 Meanwhile, Mohammed called on Nigerian editors and the media in general to champion the efforts of the federal government to diversify the economy to agriculture.
Mohammed commended the editors for being part of the efforts of government to tackle the various challenges facing the country, especially in the area of the economy.

He expressed satisfaction with the theme of the conference, adding that “Agriculture is one of the sectors we have identified in our economic diversification programme, aimed at moving the country away from a mono-product, oil-based economy, under our Change Mantra.”

On his party, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, while declaring the conference open, accused the editors of maintaining a conspiratorial silence while the people of the state are denied legitimate representation at the National Assembly because of the illegal quest to save the dwindling political relevance of an individual.

The governor said the time has come for editors to put an end to deliberate negative reportage of events in the state for factual development-based reporting to be enthroned.
Wike said: “The 8th National Assembly is well into the second year of its 4-year tenure without any Rivers State representative in the Senate, and only a fraction in the House of Representatives. Yet, the press is maintaining conspiratorial silence over the continuing repression and deliberate denial of the State’s constitutional right to full and effective representation at the National Assembly. The question is: can Rivers State legitimately be bound by legislation or resolutions from the 8th National Assembly passed without our representation and input?”

The governor added: “I would like to leave you with some thoughts about the values we share – thoughts about our democracy, good governance and public accountability. As the watchdog and guardians of the public interest, no other profession can give us the opportunity to know the truth about our country, about our leaders, about the state of our democracy, about ourselves, and about governments than journalists. Your profession enables and empowers you to prod and probe; to speak truth to power, to expose injustice, to speak on behalf of the voiceless and to hold leaders accountable.

“Thus, the statement is true that if you all commit yourselves to the highest standards of your profession, you can be the most powerful force for deepening Nigeria’s democracy, for human rights, for justice, for shaping public policy, for fighting corruption, for free, fair and credible elections, and for efficient service delivery.”

Former Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, enjoined the federal government to include governors in the Niger Delta region in the engagement process of resolving militancy and challenges of under development in the region.

Uduaghan while delivering the keynote address, said the amnesty program could not achieve the desired peace in the region because governors then were not part of the engagement process.

“The amnesty did not achieve what it was to achieve because the governors were not involved. The states should be involved. The biggest threat in the Niger Delta is that our land is seriously polluted especially water. In those days you could see the sand under the water. We used it to wash our teeth. But it is not so anymore,” he lamented.

While appealing to the Niger Delta Avengers to cease hostilities in the region, Uduaghan encouraged the Federal government to apply the carrot and stick approach in its effort to curb militancy in the Niger Delta region.

His words: “Niger Delta Avengers, are bursting our pipelines for whatever reasons, anger. Nigerian is looking at it as something just affecting only the economy. Dealing with the Niger delta challenge should be a carrot and stick approach; engagement and force where necessary. Engagements should be deepened. The governors should be part of it.

“I want to appeal to our brothers in the Niger Delta Avengers that what they are doing is not just damaging the economy but the water. I appeal to them to stop it. The media should also help appeal to them to stop it.”

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