This is as both the Minister of Environment, Hajiya Amina Muhammed and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, maintained, Wednesday, that President Muhammadu Buhari’s foreign trips were yielding fruitful results for the nation’s economy.
Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor said: “It is worrisome that President Buhari does not have any economic team and there is no policy direction yet, despite spending close to nine months in office.
“The implication of the president’s obvious lack of the required mental capacity to tackle the nation’s economic problems and the resultant effects are human right abuses, prices of goods and services skyrocketing, daily retrenchment of workers, folding up of businesses, states finding it difficult to pay workers salary and the Federal Government not being able to prepare a common budget.”
“Dollar has gone double since former president Goodluck Jonathan left office, with US Dollar exchanging for N350 as at today. Foreign reserve is declining on daily basis, Boko Haram insurgents have come back even stronger than they were when Buhari assumed office and Nigerians are now being made to pay more for electricity that is not available for them to use.
“Most importantly, prices of foodstuffs, newsprint, medicine among others have gone over the roof. Should we still continue to attribute all these to Jonathan or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?
“Even former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is saying that President Buhari’s anti-corruption stance is inconsistent with the forex regime he supported and that the Federal Government Forex Policy encourages corruption and rent-seeking.
“Funny enough, some people are already talking about President Buhari’s second term not minding the reality that anybody thinking about Buhari’s second term is only planning to snuff life out of Nigerians,” the governor said.
Defending the President’s trips abroad, Lai Mohammed while briefing State House correspondents in Abuja on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Information minister said that the country had started witnessing influx of foreign capital into the economy.
“If you look at the various trips the president undertook towards the end of last year, that is the trip to Iran, it was a conference by gas exporting countries. Nigeria is more of a gas exporting country than actually an oil country and with the decline in the price of crude (oil) it was about time that Nigeria put much more emphasis and that was the meeting he attended.
“That meeting also provided the opportunity for the various heads of state also to even talk about the falling price of crude because don’t forget that, incidentally most of the countries that export gas also export crude.
“So, it was an opportunity to address the falling price of crude.
“You see, the world today is so global that you cannot stay in your country and think that what is happening elsewhere would not affect you and you are supposed to be there also to contribute and let the people see it from the perspective of your country.”
According to the Minister, in the last nine months, the president has succeeded in addressing the fear of insecurity, corruption and terrorism being expressed by foreign investors.
“One thing that nobody can fault this President on is his determination to fight these ills.
“Mr President’s presence in these fora is very crucial even to the economy back at home.”
The Minister of Environment, Hajiya Amina Muhammed, who also addressed the correspondents on the outcome of the meeting, said that President Buhari foreign engagements had been yielding stronger partnership between Nigeria and the relevant countries.
She explained that Nigeria’s participation at the Paris Climate Change conference was a unique opportunity to article the country’s position on climate changes and how it aggravated security challenges in the country, and the West African region.
She maintained that the conference also assisted the country to revise its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions to accommodate other multi sector issues.
Muhammed also said the Gas Exporting Forum held in Teheran, Iran, assisted Nigeria to enhance efforts aimed at attracting joint investment in the Gas sector.
According to her, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta also addressed the issues of migration, and countering violent extremism and radicalization as well as strategies of tackling corruption which are central to the current security challenges facing Nigeria.
