SAN FRANCISCO, 08, (THEWILL) – The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has stated that the priority of the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is to fix Nigeria and not restructuring.
The Minister stated this on Thursday when he featured on “Focus Nigeria” current affairs Programme of African Independent Television anchored by Gbenga Aruleba.
Mohammed explained that with the high level of corruption, economy downturn, insecurity, particularly with the activities of Boko Haram, which had taken over half of the North East, the government could not have contemplated restructuring.
He said the focus of the government which also formed the basis of its campaign were to fight corruption and insecurity and fix the economy insisting that two years after its inauguration, the administration had not failed but succeeded on the three campaign promises.
He noted that the division messages and hate speeches raging presently in the country were not new to the government because the government had envisaged it and had been sensitising Nigerians to its dangers.
He said the government would not be found wanting in the discharge of its primary responsibility of protecting lives and property of all Nigerians wherever they and assured all Nigerians to go about their lawful businesses and disregard any threat from any quarters.
Mohammed said that contrary to perception in certain quarters, the government anti-corruption fight was not one-sided or targeted at opposition noting that anywhere there was anti-corruption fight, corruption would fight back and the tensions being experienced in the country could be linked to it.
He revealed that before the Buhari government took, over corruption was so alarming that 55 persons stole N1.35tn in seven years alleging that N700bn was appropriated and released to Ministry of Niger Delta only between 2009 and 2015 for road construction but from records made available, N453bn were paid to contractors, who did not do up eight per cent of the construction works given to them.
The minister said the record also showed that the contracts were over inflated to the level that a kilometre of road was awarded for between N300m to N1.2bn saying such was the level of corruption that the previous administration left N1.7tn debts owed to local contractors.
On the attitude of the judiciary to the anti-corruption fight of government, the Minister solicited the support of every Nigerians, the judiciary, the lawyers and judges in particular for the success of anti-corruption fight.
