From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
Ahead of the 2019 presidential elections, Kaduna based Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress , Engineer Kailani Muhammad said President Muhammadu Buhari has performed so well that he deserves to be voted back into office for a second term.
According to Kailani, Buhari has not only demonstrated unequalled commitment to fighting corruption , creating enabling environment for agricultural development and employment generation, he has also demonstrated the selfless zeal to lead by example.
Speaking on reasons President Muhammadu Buhari should be re-elected, Kailani who is also the National Coordinator of Buhari Awareness and Voters Guard, said if politicians have exhibited the same zeal in discharging their responsibilities while in power, Nigeria would have been a better place by now.
He however posited, “Unfortunately, this has not been so. It therefore becomes pertinent to take a holistic view of the characters of would- be contestants; most especially, as regards the office of the President of Nigeria.
“I narrow the narratives to the presidency because it is the most that is unfolding the most exciting moments.
“In the view of some Nigerians, only two personalities tally with the commiserate requirements to be regarded as serious contenders in the persons of President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Whether this conception is correct or not, remains debatable.
“While most Nigerians across board, see President Buhari as reliable and predictable, many doubt Atiku Abybakar’s credentials because it has been enmeshed in so many fraudulent allegations for a long period of time.”
“Consequently, the Nigerians preference scale has tilted in favour of the incumbent President Buhari. Nigerians are looking at Buhari’s performance sheet and are of the opinion that he has done credibly well, even under the circumstances.”
On Buhari’s achievements ,Engineer Kailani explained , ” In the three and half years in the saddle, despite the challenges, Buhari has impacted on all parts of the country through construction of 25 major roads and infrastructure in all the six geo- political zones, through the N100 billion Sukuk Bond issued in 2017; Nigeria’s first sovereign Sukuk Bond.
“For his foresight, the railways will soon be fully operational. Very soon, the Mambilla hydro power plant will generate 5,000 MW of electricity. The Anchor Borrowers Scheme has made hundreds of peasant farmers and artisans to become millionaires overnight. Buhari’s achievements speak for themselves and can be verified. But Just to mention a few, here are some of the highlights.
“Nigeria’s economy is back on the path of growth, after the recession of 2016-17 (1.95 percent growth in Q1 2018), as the Agriculture and Solid Minerals sector maintained consistent growth throughout the recession.
External Reserves rose to USS47.5 billion; the highest in 5 years. Total exports in 2017 were 59-47% higher than for 2016.
“Nigeria’s Stock Market ended 2017 as one of the best-performing in the world, with returns in excess of 40 percent.
“Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority. the PIDF kicked-off with seed funding of US$1.3 billion and Five (5) million new taxpayers have been added to the Tax Base since 2016.
“Government’s efforts yielded Tax Revenue increased to N1.17 Trillion in Q1 2018, a 51% increase on the Q1 2017 figure.
“N2.7 Trillion spent on Infrastructure in 2016 and 2017 fiscal years, an unprecedented allocation in Nigeria’s recent history.
“14 moribund Blending Plants revitalized under the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFD; with a total production capacity of 2.3 million MT of NPK fertilizer.
“The Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), has kicked off with seed funding of USS1.3 billion.
“Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) in March 2018, invested US$10m to establish a world-class Cancer Treatment Centre at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and US$5m each in the Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, to establish modern Diagnostic Centres. These Centres should be completed before the end of 2018.
“Nigeria’s economy is back on the path of growth, after the recession of 2016-17 (1.95 percent growth in Q1 2018).
“Inflation has fallen from 18.7 percent in January 2017 to 12.5 percent as of April 2018. Total exports in 2017 were 59.47% higher than for 2016.The total value of capital imported in the quarter stood at US$6.3 billion, an increase of 594 .03% ,and a 17.11% growth over the figure reported in the previous quarter.
” The new FX window introduced by CBN in April 2017, now sees an average of US$1billion in weekly turnover and has attracted about US$25 billion inflows in its first year ,and a total turnover of $47.14 billion, signaling rising investor confidence in Nigeria .”
