Ahead of May 29 inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term of office, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha has assured Nigerians home and abroad that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari will intensify his war against corruption to stop unpatriotic Nigerians from stealing from the nation’s treasury.
The SGF said this while delivering his keynote address during a victory celebration dinner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the United Kingdom at the weekend, delivered on behalf of the SGF by Abdulrahman Balogun said, adding that the President will also tackle insecurity in the country.
The SFG, who thanked the APC United Kingdom for their immense contribution to the re-election of President Buhari, assured that “the three fundamental areas will continue – security, economic revival, and fighting corruption – but there will be some other definite deliverables.
“As stated in the Next Level manual, our campaign contract with Nigerians did confirm that the new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will intensify its efforts in Security, Restructuring the Economy and Fighting Corruption. We have laid down the foundation in the last four years and we are committed to seeing matters to the end. We will strive to strengthen our unity and inclusiveness so that no section or group will feel left behind or left out,” he said.
He noted that the anti-corruption war will be intensified, adding that the government will build on the successes of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC). “Non-patriotic Nigerians with itchy fingers, past and present, will continue to fall in trouble, and probity and accountability will remain the order of the day. Honesty remains the best policy,” he said.
He said education will be refocused, with the curriculum tweaked to place more emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths. These he believes will surely launch Nigeria into a new realm, positioning her with the developed world in the not too distant future.
“Health care will come under focus, with the intention of building a healthy populace, who can hold their own in different areas of endeavour.
“Infrastructure development will continue. Roads, rail, bridges, housing, and many others. The country is already one massive construction site, and this will continue to further unlock economic development, and improve the quality of life,” he said.
He said further that the second term of Buhari’s Government will be more inclusive, stressing that the boundless talents of Nigerians both within and outside the country will be harnessed for national development. He added that more women, youths and Nigerians in the Diaspora would be brought on board.
The SGF pointed out that poverty reduction will be a deliberate and crucial policy. He said the Social Investment Program, already described as the largest and most successful in Africa, will be strengthened with the introduction of Monibank for traders and artisans, while an Entrepreneurs Bank would also be established to take care of small and medium scale enterprises.
“ Home Grown School Feeding Program, catering for the needs of about ten million pupils now, will be given a fillip, engagement of unemployed graduates, and conditional cash transfer to the poorest of the poor, would also continue. Millions of Nigerians would be taken out of grinding poverty in the next four years, no doubt,” he said.
In the Power Sector, the SGF said that emphasis would be on power generation and distribution as to make a difference in the next four years.
