By Ayodele Oni
President Mohammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that the national carrier will commence flight operations before the end of the year.
He disclosed that the establishment of a national carrier for Nigeria is at 91 per cent completion.
The President also disclosed that the feat is being boosted with the certification of Lagos and Abuja International Airports by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), while Kano and Port Harcourt Airports are undergoing similar certification processes.
Declaring open the last Ministerial Performance Review Retreat of his administration on Monday in Abuja, the president declared that high-impact projects have been implemented across the country, to meet yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.
With less than eight months to the end of his eight-year tenure, President Buhari scored his administration high, saying his government has been able to meet the yearnings of Nigerians through the execution of impactful projects across the country.
Addressing the retreat organized to evaluate the level of progress made in the implementation of the Nine Priority Agenda of his administration, President Buhari highlighted remarkable progress made in the areas of agriculture, economy, infrastructure, security, health and anti-corruption.
The president told participants and guests at the retreat including the Keynote Speaker and former President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, that over 3,800 Kilometres of roads have been constructed across the country, while 38 new aircraft were acquired for the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to boost the fight against insurgency.
He also added that 38.7 million Nigerians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, representing 35 per cent of the total eligible population target for vaccination.
On infrastructure, the president said: ”In recognition of the importance of critical infrastructure in economic development and the quest of this administration to leave a lasting legacy, we have implemented high-impact projects across the length and breadth of the country that meet the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.
”Some of the notable achievements include the completion of 326km Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line and railway ancillary facilities; the completion of over 156.5km Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway modernization project with extension to Lagos Port, Apapa.
”On road projects, this administration has constructed 408km of roads; 2,499km of SUKUK roads and maintenance of 15,961km of roads across the country.
”Key among these projects are the construction of 1.9km 2nd Niger Bridge linking Anambra and Delta States with 10.30km approach road; rehabilitation, construction and expansion of Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan dual carriageway; the ongoing rehabilitation of Abuja-Kaduna – Zaria – Kano Road, among others.”
He further disclosed that the federal government has embarked on the reconstruction of 21 selected federal roads totalling 1,804.6km, under the Road Infrastructure Development & Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Policy.
According to him, the roads, which are funded by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), are in addition to similar existing collaboration with Messrs Dangote Industries Limited and other corporate organisations to improve the stock of the country’s road infrastructure.
Commenting on the nation’s economy, the president restated that the country witnessed seven consecutive quarters of growth, after negative growth rates recorded in the second and third quarters of 2020.
”The GDP grew by 3.54% (year-on-year) in real terms in the second quarter of 2022. This growth rate represents a sustained positive economic performance, especially for the non-oil GDP which fell by 4.77% in Q2 2022 against oil GDP that grew by -11.77%.
”Most sectors of the economy recorded positive growth which reflects the effective implementation of the economic sustainability measures introduced by this administration.”
