The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, said on Monday that President Muhammadu Buhari had fulfilled the promises he made to Nigerians while running for the presidency in 2015.
Mr. Onu said key promises of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as contained in its campaign manifesto had been released within the last two years, and a lot more will still be done.
“The APC is delivering on its manifesto. The President, during his campaign, campaigned on the basis of what the manifesto has said, and as the President, he has delivered.
“He is securing the nation, he has done very well in the North-East, he has brought rule of law.
“Today, people think twice before they can do anything that will undermine the best interest of the nation and he is working very hard. We are all supporting him to rebuild our economy,” the Vanguard quoted Mr. Onu as saying at a public lecture in Abuja.
The comments came a week after the National Bureau of Statistics disclosed that the Nigerian economy, which has been in recession since last August, contracted by about 1.5 per cent in 2016.
The NBS described 2016, which was Mr. Buhari’s first full year in office, as a “difficult” one for Nigeria, adding that the activities of economic saboteurs had been on the increase.
“This contraction reflects a difficult year for Nigeria, which included weaker inflation-induced consumption demand, an increase in pipeline vandalism, significantly reduced foreign reserves and a concomitantly weaker currency, and problems in the energy sector such as fuel shortages and lower electricity generation,” the February 28 report said.
In its 2016 second quarter report, the NBS said portfolio investment in Nigeria declined to an estimated $245.3 million, representing a 9.5 per cent from $271.0 million in quarter one.
This was against the $2.81 billion in second quarter of 2015.
The Bureau said 4,580,602 people lost their jobs between May 29, 2015, when Mr. Buhari took office, and August 31, 2016.
Source: Premium Times
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