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Nigeria Needs N348.1trn Investments To Achieve 5-Year Dev Plan -Buhari
The Nigerian Government requires an investment size of N348.1trillion to achieve the targets set out in the National Development Plan 2021-2025, President MuhammaduBuharihas said in Abuja.
The president spoke at the formal launch and public presentation of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2025, the successor to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), 2017- 2020, which lapsed in December, 2020.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, made this known in a statement,last Wednesday, and made available to newsmenin Abuja.
Buhari explained that the overall target of the plan is to achieve a broad-based real GDP growth rate of 5per cent on average during the plan period; generate 21million full-time jobs; and through an inclusive growth, lift 35million people out of poverty.
He added that this would set the stage for achieving the government’s target of lifting 100million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years, under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS).
To achieve these, the president noted that out of the investment size of N348.1trillion, the government is expected to provide N49.7trillion or 14.3percent, while the private sector would provide the balance of N298.3trillion or 85.7percent.
‘‘This implies that successful implementation of the plan will require a strong partnership between the public and private sectors.
‘‘In this regard, a Development Plan Implementation Unit headed by the Vice President with the Honourable Minister of State, Budget and National Planning as the Vice-Chair will be established in the Budget and National Planning arm of the Ministry to ensure overall coordination with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies; sub-national governments; Private sector operators and Civil Society Organisations,’’ he said.
The president recounted that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had on November 10, 2021, approved the Draft National Development Plan, 2021-2025, which is the first of the envisaged Medium Term development Plans to implement the Nigeria Agenda 2050.
‘‘The Plan, as a matter of deliberate efforts, is comprehensive and has the capacity not only to accelerate and sustain national development but also the attainment of various Regional and Global Agendas, including the AU Agenda 2063, ECOWAS Agenda 2050 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2030.
‘‘I have no doubt in my mind that with effective and sustained implementation, Nigeria will achieve quantum leap in unlocking its potentials in all sectors of the economy for a sustainable and inclusive national development,’’ the president said at the presentation before the commencement of the weekly FEC meeting.
Commending the Ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the leaderships of the National Steering Committee, the Central Working Group and the Technical Working Groups for the sacrifice and efforts in achieving this milestone, Buhari noted that the implementation of the ERGP not only helped the country to exit the 2016 economic recession but sustained a modest growth until the advent of the recent global economic challenges occasioned by the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
‘‘The sustained implementation of the ERGP ensured execution of our social investment programmes and improvement in infrastructure across the country.
‘‘In order to ensure a seamless transition and continue the implementation of the policies, programmes and projects of government, it became necessary to prepare a successor Plan to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.
‘‘I on September 9, 2020, therefore, inaugurated the National Steering Committee (NSC), co-chaired by the respected Mr.AtedoPeterside and the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. (Mrs) Zainab Ahmed.
‘‘Apart from the NSC the institutional arrangement for the preparation of the plan also included; the Central Working Group (CWG), the Technical Working Groups (TWGs) and a strong Secretariat that supported the process.
‘‘The process adopted for the preparation of the plan was not only participatory and consultative but also inclusive; involving all segments of the society such as; key political parties; government agencies; labour unions; youth organisations; civil society organisations; women society; farmers’ association; ALGON; traditional and religious leaders and representatives of people with special needs; and development partners,’’ he said.
According to the president, the broad objectives of the plan include the establishing a strong foundation for a concentric diversified economy with robust MSME growth and a more resilient business environment as well as investing in critical, physical, financial digital and innovation infrastructure.
The president added that the plan is also expected to build a solid framework to strengthen security and ensure good governance while also enabling a vibrant, educated and healthy population.
‘‘The macroeconomic framework recognizes that sectors have differing potentials for growth and identified and leveraged on those sectors with the highest potentials for stimulating growth,’’ he explained.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.