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Jonathan gives scorecard, faults assessment of his ministers

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday in Abuja said that while assessing his government, he had discovered that a number of comments of his critics were 'based on heartbeats and not any visible criteria', as he implored Nigerians to assess his administration based on individual scorecards.

Jonathan said this while presenting the mid-term report of his four-year Transformation Agenda.

He specifically referred to an assessment done by a national newspaper which scored the Minister of National Planning and the Minister of Trade and Investment an average in terms of performance.

Jonathan said contrary to that assessment, the performances of the two ministers remained the best among the three ministers that had so far been in charge of those ministries under his leadership.

On the Ministry of Trade and Investment, the President said because of the hard work of Dr. Olusegun Aganga, foreign investors had been investing heavily in the country despite the security challenges facing the nation and that until Usman came on board, the Ministry of National Planning had remained relatively not in existence.

Sambo had earlier in his welcome remarks said all members of the Jonathan administration were united in their aspiration to transform Nigeria to a nation that would be respected worldwide.

He said the Democracy Day was not all about a public holiday but a day to look inwards and give account of stewardship, adding that was why the administration was using the opportunity to give account of its actions to the nation that gave them the mandate to serve.

Sambo urged all Nigerians to join hands to build a nation that would fulfil the promise of the past and work for the good of the present and the future generation.

He said constitutional and moral burdens were on all of them in government to uphold democratic tenets.

He said, 'To whom much is given, much is expected. We are grateful to the nation for the mandate we received from the freest and fairest election in recent time. The transformation agenda is decided on those things that should be done to reposition the country. In the last two years, we have pursued a resolute course to widen the political space.

'Our public institutions are being rebuilt. The National Assembly is very vibrant, the judiciary is truly independent. There is a general onsensus that democracy and government in Nigeria are getting better. We have laid a foundation of change in the last two years.

'In the face of unprecedented security challenges, the challenges call for caution from all of us. Nobody should make political capital on the issue. We seek your support and honest counsel in the areas we can improve upon. A bright future beckons on this land and its people. We assure generations unborn of a nation that will meet their needs.'

Anyim said the mid-term report presented by the President provided verifiable achievements of his administration.

He said the administration had protected the rights of citizens and the rule of law in its two years of existence.

He scored the administration high in the expansion of civic space, entrenchment of checks and balances, sanitisation of electoral process, federal character in appointments and anti-corruption fight, among others.

Okonjo-Iweala, on her part, said the administration's transformation agenda had been tailored towards addressing some of the nation's problems, including insufficient jobs, rising debt, high recurrent expenditure and falling reserves, among others.

She said in its two years, the administration had made the economy strong, exchange rate stable, and reduced inflation to 9.1 per cent from 12.4 per cent in May 2011.

The minister said the  Federal Government had started retiring its past debts and changed waiver and tariff policies from focusing on individuals alone to the entire sector.

She added that the government hired 50 forensic auditors to probe the fraud in the fuel subsidy regime, adding that sanity had so far been restored to the system.

She said following the audit, N14bn had been recovered out of the N234bn diverted funds while oil marketers had been reduced to 32, making it easier for government to monitor them.

'The contributory pension scheme is sound and it is being reformed to prevent fraud. Nigeria's credit rating has improved. International investors are investing more in Nigeria. Our banks are strong and the stock market is also strong with stock exchange index rising to 71 per cent,' she said.

Okonjo-Iweala said the administration had done well in the areas of rail rehabilitation, inland ports construction and the overhauling of airports.

The Founder/President, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Rev. Jesse Jackson, observed that leadership was not just about winning elections but about transforming the people.

He urged Nigeria to continue to deepen its democracy because the nation mattered to the international community.

He urged Nigerian leaders and followers to dream big about the nation, saying their resources must unite and not divide them.

'Nigeria must deepen democracy. Nigeria matters. In peacekeeping around the world, Nigeria matters. Dream, keep dreaming big. Dream Nigeria. Dream of one Nigeria,' he said.

Construction of Lagos-Ibadan rail to commence soon

The contract for the construction of  Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge double track has been awarded and the construction will soon  commence, Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, has said.

According to Umar, the government is currently carrying out necessary feasibility studies to create seven additional standard gauge lines in the country.

He said the  studies were expected to be completed by September this year after which the result would be advertised for potential investors for their development under the public private partnership.

Umar spoke during the inauguration of  the board of directors of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), headed by former national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Kau Baraje in Abuja,.

He said  that efforts were on to ensure that the rehabilitation of the railway line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri is completed this year.

He noted that the construction of Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri and Abuja-Kaduna are to completed and commissioned by next year.

The minister disclosed that the law establishing the Nigerian Railway Corporation is currently undergoing review with the aim of ensuring private sector, state and local government  participation in the rail transport sector.

Kano: JTF arrests foreigners, uncovers missiles, grenades

Operatives of Joint Task Force  on Tuesday night raided a warehouse at Gaya road of Bompai in Kano city where it found sophisticated military hardware.

The JTF  troops were said to have stormed the house following a tip off by a suspect who is under investigation.

Four foreign nationals, suspected to have hailed from Middle East, were arrested in the operation. Owner of the warehouse, who was identified as a Lebanese national, was among those arrested by the JTF, who put the  building  under surveillance.

Items said to have been recovered from the warehouse  included 40 air-to-surface missiles, 50 cluster bombs, 200 rocket-propel launchers, eight AK-47 rifles, 200 military hand grenades and some military hardware capable of destroying  Armoured Personnel Carriers.

The items  were said to have been carried away  to the headquarters of the 3rd Motorised Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Kano, alongside the foreign nationals.

Eyewitnesses estimated the number of  AK-47 riffles  evacuated from the scene at over 300.

Spokesman for the JTF Captain Ikedichi Iweha, promised to brief newsmen later on the issue, even as he declined comment on the incident, which occurred on Tuesday night.

'You would get the details tomorrow (Thursday) because of the Democracy Day celebration. We have resolved to talk to you after the break,' he said.

According to him, as a result of the Democracy Day celebration, security was fortified in the commercial city of Kano, with increased vehicular patrols by the military, JTF operatives and the police, as part of the measures to sustain relative peace in the city.