BEVERLY HILLS, AUGUST 01 , (THEWILL) – The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has declared that the change promised Nigerians by the All Progressive Congress (APC) is not a ruse but was already manifesting in every sector in the country.
Mohammed made this known at a town hall meeting for the South East organised by the Federal Ministry of Information in Enugu on Monday asserting that contrary to the insinuations that Nigerians were not feeling the impact of the government, a lot had been done in moving the country forward.
“Many have said they are yet to see the change we promised. Many more have called the promise a ruse, in fact, they are now mocking us. But we remain undaunted because we know that the change we promised is real,” he said.
“In fact, the change we promised is already here, and it is manifesting all around us. Before now, public officials simply opened the public till, took as much money as they wanted and walked away without consequences.
“That explains why funds allocated to the military to fight Boko Haram ended up in the piggy banks of many unscrupulous Nigerians.
“Today, all those who looted the public treasury are being made to answer for their actions, as impunity gives way to accountability. Many have offered to return their loots, and many more are facing charges.
“We promised to diversify the economy away from oil, to ensure that other sectors are able to significantly contribute to sustainable development.
“In June 2016, for the very first time, about 70 per cent of the more than N500 billion raised from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee came from the non-oil sector, while 30 per cent came from the oil sector.
“It was the first time in 2016 that the Federal Government shared more than N500 billion among the three tiers of government.”
Mohammed also led a team of Ministers on a courtesy visit to Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi where he urged all political parties and their leaders to have the single goal of serving the interest of the nation.
“It is unique that we are here today in Enugu, an opposition state, and since we came we have not seen any difference whether we are in APC- or PDP-controlled state,” he said.
“This is very important because this is the kind of Nigeria we want to build, a Nigeria where people will have one agenda to build Nigeria.”
Story by David Oputah
