Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has lambasted Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar over his quote that All Progressive Congress APC-led Federal Government has done nothing for eight years.
The Minister who flogged at the former Vice President during the 7th Edition of the “PMB Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023)” in Abuja on Monday, said during Atiku’s recent campaign in Akure, the former VP was quoted as saying the APC had not done anything for Nigeria in eight years.
Alhaji Mohammed stated that such a statement is preposterous from somebody who should know, while guessing that His Excellency the former Vice President, Atiku can be excused because until recently, he had fully relocated to Dubai, thus losing touch with Nigeria.
He said, “And if anyone would accuse the APC-led Federal Government of doing nothing, it should not be Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Why? Because for the 16 years of the PDP rule, eight of which Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was Vice President, there was no motorable road to the former VP’s hometown.
“And indeed to key local govts in the Southern Senatorial zone that served as Adamawa’s food basket and economic nerve centre until Govt of President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office. Today, gentlemen, the Mayo Belwa-Jada-Ganye-Toungo road has been constructed fully and it’s the road that Alhaji Atiku uses to get to his hometown of Jada”.
The Minister went ahead, spoke about the security of the former VP’s State, Alhaji lai said before Buhari’s Administration came into office, all the five local government areas in Adamawa’s Northern Senatorial District were effectively under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists.
“All state institutions, the local government administration, the police, the judiciary, schools, hospitals and markets had been sacked. Traditional rulers, including Emirs and Chiefs, had been displaced with their palaces taken over by the terrorists as their headquarters.
“In the Central Senatorial zone, two local governments were effectively under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists: These two local govts in the Central Senatorial zone are: 1. Maiha Local Government 2. Hong Local government”.
Alhaji Mohammed boldly said, “Today, not an inch of these local governments in Adamawa, the home state of the former Vice President, is under the control of terrorists. All institutions of state have relocated back and are operational. All Emirs and chiefs have returned to their palaces. Schools and markets have opened.
He noted that throughout that period, former Vice President Atiku could not even go home. “As a matter of fact, when one of his right hand men, Mr. Adila, was killed by the terrorists, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar could not even go to condole with the family of the deceased. It was that bad.
“Now that he can travel home freely, thanks to the Buhari Administration, it is not sweet in his mouth to accuse the same Administration of doing nothing. As they say, the bedwetter should not join those who are insulting the washerman”.
Also, the Minister went further, he said in the area of Social Investment Programmes, there have been 29,641 beneficiaries, from Adamawa alone, of the N-POWER Programme of the Buhari Administration. Under the Home Grown School Feeding Programme, some 162,782 pupils from Adamawa are benefitting from one meal a day. That programme employs 2,259 cooks in Adamawa and has covered 1,236 schools in the state.
“How many school children did the
PDP feed in Adamawa or anywhere in the eight years that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar held sway as Vice President in Abuja! We are not done. Under the Conditional Cash Transfer, some 64,607 vulnerable people have benefitted in Adamawa alone, while Trader Moni and Market Moni have
reached a total of 38,000 people in the state.
“In the area of infrastructure, some 8 roads projects totalling 714 kms are currently being rehabilitated or constructed in the state. That’s out of 43 road projects in the North East alone. These are not phantom projects.
“We have the full list of the roads and can make it available to anyone who so wishes. Similarly, the North East Development Commission (NEDC) has either completed or is currently working on 140 projects, including construction of classrooms, healthcare facilities and ICT training centres, in Adamawa alone. Overall, NEDC has a total of 593 projects in the entire North East”.
The Minister concluded that there’s no need of going far to disprove the former VP’s soap box statement, adding that the irony of someone who held the number two position in the country for all of eight years but could not positively impact
on his own hometown, state or region.
“Now condemning an Administration that has made it possible for him to even access his hometown anytime he flies in from his new hometown of Dubai! The Buhari’s administration has had a positive impact on all parts of this federation. No amount of fallacious soap box rhetorics can change this fact”, he said.