We recorded unprecedented achievements in 2013 — Presidency

The Presidency, Sunday, reviewed its performance in the
outgoing year and gave itself a pass mark, saying that it
recorded unprecedented feat despite distractions from the
opposition.

It boasted that during the year major policies were made and
key projects executed for the good of Nigerians.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public
Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, gave the presidential score cared in
a statement made available to Vanguard in Abuja.

Okupe noted that contrary to impressions being created by
vocal leaders of the opposition, Nigeria under President
Goodluck Jonathan has moved significantly forward in many
sectors than it was in 2011.

He said that the transformation which had taken place in the
economy, transportation, agriculture, power and other critical
sectors were the routes which all developed Nations had taken
before now but which unfortunately had not been taken by
Nigeria before now.

According to Dr Okupe "It is an incontrovertible fact that
Nigeria under Jonathan has reduced its food imports by about
forty percent and increased its local production of rice,
cassava, sorghum, cotton and cocoa in percentages ranging
from 25 to 56 in the last two years.

"For the first time since independence, the Nigerian
agricultural sector is attracting unprecedented Foreign Direct
Investment. Over the past two years, the sector has attracted
$ 4 billion in private sector executed letters of commitment to
invest in agricultural value chains, from food crops, to export
crops, fisheries and livestock.

"The number of private sector seed companies grew from 10
to 70 within one year. Over $ 7 billion of investments from
Nigerian businesses have been made to develop new fertilizer
manufacturing plants, which will make Nigeria the largest
producer and exporter of fertilizers in Africa. It is also
noteworthy that agricultural lending as a share of total bank
lending has risen from two percent to six percent in two
years"

"On the power sector reforms initiated by President Goodluck
Jonathan in 2010, the senior Special Assistant on Public
Affairs explained that the major component of the reform
which is the privatization of the generation and distribution
power infrastructure was successfully accomplished in 2013
thus putting Nigeria on a sure path of steady power supply in
a no distant future.

Okupe explained that with the completion of this process and
the 10 NIPP projects, Nigeria would for the first time in
history move away from vertically integrated state-owned and
very poorly managed electricity industry to a modern private
sector led fully regulated market with the right incentives
capable of attracting accelerated new investments to kick start
the re-industrialization of Nigeria.

Via: Vanguard