The Presidency has said it is too early to judge the President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressive Congress (APC) led government as having failed.
This is as the Presidency stated that if President Buhari contest for the elections again he will win sweepingly as Nigerians were happy with him.
Presidential Spokesman, Femi Adesina while giving a midterm report of the administration alongside Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu and Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande at the State House Abuja said it was unfair to judge the president when he still had two more years in office.
“ I am sure that you have not conducted a scientific survey that shows you that is a popular position. People can always express their opinions, there is liberty on that but you don’t have a scientific survey that has given you the percentage of people that believed that the APC has failed.
“The second point is that, when a government via a party is voted into office, it is voted for a four-year term under our own democratic arrangement. When you have spent two years which is like a midterm, the first half of a game, you don’t then determine that it has succeeded or it has failed. No. You fan be accused it be atomistic using a small part to determine the whole. You can’t write the report card of this administration when it is just hitting the halfway mark, that will not be fair. The term is four years and the promises are going to be stretched over that four years period. Like the minister of t a sport said recently, APC did not promise to solve all the country’s problems in one year or two years. The mandate the party as is four years and it is pacing itself as it goes along and I am sure that by the end of those four years we will have a lot more to record.
It is not by a sudden flight, it will not come by a snap of a finger but will the promises be fulfilled? Yes, I believe it will be fulfilled” he said.
According to Adesina, the administration will take Nigeria far beyond how it met it. “So if anybody says APC has failed just tell them is too early in the day because is a four year-term and this is just two years. You don’t reach definitive conclusions in two years” he added.
Shehu responded to remarks on the detonating power supply in the country user the Buhari administration stating that when in 2015, power generation was 3,324MW, it increase to 4,357MW as at August 2015, barely three months after President Buhari came to power and rose to the peak of 5,077MW in 2016, it was the highest power generated in the country.
However, he said the average generation is currently about 3,000 as a result of vandalisation of gas pipeline infrastructure and also low water in our dams. He aded that the power sector is also gaining gradually from the peace in the Niger Delta while it is investing heavily on energy mix to get more power .
On the other hand Shehu said the ordinary man in Nigeria would vote for Buhari again if he contested because he is doing what they want.
“If elections are held today Buhari will win overwhelmingly. The masses are happy with him” the presidential media aide said in response to assertions that Nigerians were unhappy with the way the Buhari led government was carrying on with all the sufferings experienced by the people. According to Shehu, president Buhari has paid his dues. ”President Buhari has paid his dues”, he said.
The Presidency also denied reports that the government paid 2million Euros to secure the release of the 82 Chibok girls from their captors, the Boko Haram sect.
Adesina said the report was a hoax adding that the either way the President had said he would do anything possible to secure the freedom of the girls who have been in captivity for over three years.
He said “No two million Euros was pay anywhere. If there was any payment, the government would have told Nigerians.
“To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing like that. The President said if it meant paying, he will pay. “Anytime this government pays a dime for their release it will make it public” Adesina added. How do we get the girls back if we don’t negotiate?”
Akande who spoke on the weak prosecution of anti corruption cases acknowledge that the criminal justice system in Nigeria needed a reform and the government is working on it. He added that the Acting President has set up a national coordination prosecution team to look into all prosecution cases.
“The truth of the matter is that our criminal justice system does need a profound and deep reform. The important thing is that this government is working on it. As a matter of fact now, the acting president has put together a national coordination prosecution team for all the prosecution cases trying to see how in the medium term we can bring some progress but also working on justice sector reforms on the long term on criminal justice system to strengthen both the investigation and prosecution at the courts. And I know it going to take a while for us to address it” Akande said.
Meanwhile, before the commencement of the press conference Adesina called for a minute silence in honour of Chukwuma Onuekwusi, State House correspondent for Channels Television who died early Wednesday.
Elizabeth Archibong
