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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENCY,
OFFICE OF THE SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT ON NATIONAL
ORIENTATION & PUBLIC AFFAIRS 
ONE YEAR OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE:
THE OBASANJO SCORE CARD
HIGHLIGHTS OF POLICIES & PROJECTS INITIATED
[Good Governance..] [Human Rights] [Education] [Poverty Alleviation][Works...] [Power...] [Commerce...] [Utilities] [Ports]
[Environment] [Economy]
- Reintroduced the General Civil Service Rule and Order.
- Reintroduced the Open Tender Contract Award System.
- Set up the Christopher Kolade Panel to review all contracts and appointments made by his predecessor.
- Took decisive step against corruption with an anti-corruption bill forwarded to the National Assembly.
- Ordered the stoppage of congratulatory messages to avoid wastage of government funds.
- Advised against the use of sirens by government officials.
- Issued guidelines on relations between Federal Ministries and Parastatals under their supervision.
- Set Human targets for the federal government as an objective means of assessing government efforts.
- Holds monthly media chat to throw more light on issues.
- Instituted a weekly Saturday Forum to brainstorm on salient national issues, projects etc.
- Launched the campaign for National Rebirth.
- Initiated the restructuring of the Civil Service to enable it respond adequately to the challenges of governance.
- Regular briefings by Ministries and presidential aides.
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- Set up the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Panel of Inquiry into human rights abuses of the past.
- Prioritises the decongestion of prisons and accordingly approved the release of 1403 prisoners last September. Mr President also authorised the release of all awaiting trial detainees of two or more years nationwide except those with serious crimes.
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- Launched the Universal Basic Education.
- Settled N3 billion several months salary arrears owed teachers by previous administration.
- Set a national target for basic education which is to attain one hundred per cent enrolment, retention, completion and transition from primary to secondary schools or technical colleges among children of school age.
- Constituted visitation panels, after none for over a decade to conduct situation analysis/survey of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
- Set up a panel to review the operations of the National Universities Commission in order to generate the appropriate operational perspective for redefining its role.
A similar panel was set up for JAMB.
- Tackled the manace of cultism in higher schools and appointed a judicial commission of inquiry into cult activities.
- Set up the National Examinations Council (NECO) as an alternative to WAEC to reduce the frustration of parents and their ward.
- Changed the procedure for allocating funds for primary education by sending the funds directly to states to eliminate fraud and crippling bureaucracy.
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- Lifted embargo on employment in the federal public service.
- Rationalised all poverty alleviating agencies to make them effective.
- Reviewed public sector salaries to enhance workers take-home pay.
- Reactivation of employment exchanges, professional and Executive Registries nationwide on which N2 million would be expended per State, while, N20 million is devoted to the computerisation of the exchanges.
- To create 200,000 jobs yearly. This involves training of 500 unskilled youths per local government in different vocational trades using master trainers in their respective localities. Also a start-your-business (SYB) and Improve-your-business (IYB) training programmes to be provided for 200 graduates in each LGA using training modules developed by ILO. The sector and number of jobs to be generated are as follows:
- Expansion of existing Skill Acquisition Programmes 595,980
- Oil and Gas Sector 505,000
- Agricultural sector 1,000,000
- Industrial sector 671,584
- Educational sector 604,784
- Construction and Maintenance 401,216
- Environment 637,640
- Rural Enterprises and Community Development 100,770
- Commerce 336,138
- Other services 146,924
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- To rehabilitate 5000 km of highways per year.
- Contracts already awarded for 45 projects out of the 74 projects elected.
(See attached schedule) through open tender.
- 120 on-going highway capital projects fully on stream.
- Comprehensive review of the Abuja Master Plan in line with the original concept of Abuja.
- Completed various housing and office accommodation to ameliorate the accommodation hardship in the FCT.
- Awarded contracts for the construction of new office blocks for Ministries and Agencies.
- Modalities for work to commence on the Abuja metro system completed.
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Power
- Management of NEPA sacked and a technical committee under the direct chairmanship of Mr President to revamp the organisation.
- Several contracts, totalling almost N10 billion approved and awarded for the reactivation of the generation, distribution, and transmission lines for its eventual privatisation.
- To immediately arrest the epileptic power supply, Independent Power Producers (IPPS) to come in; emergency power supply arrangement with world bank support. For instance while Mobil Producing Unlimited is set to generate 350 MW from natural gas with its power plant located in Bonny, Rivers State under a Power Purchase Agreement. In all, government has set a two year target to bring to an end the power supply problem.
- Approves fund for rural electrification involving 186 communities nationwide.
Steel
Aluminium
- Reactivation of the smelter project in full swing. A $150 million subvention to be released instalmentally by government over 6 months, with counter funding by German. Industrial Development Bank with a DM 400 million soft loan for the completion of all construction works and attaining 100% production capacity within 2 years.
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- Undertaken several trips to notable Western countries to market Nigeria's potentials and renew faith and confidence in the economy.
Among the benefits are:
- Daimler Chrysler to open its African centre for the production of heavy duty vehicles in Nigeria;
- Coca Cola to invest $50 million in the development of new plants in Nigeria;
- South Africa to establish a sugar producing plant in the country;
- India to reactivate the Machine Tools Factory at Osogbo and the Defence Industry, Kaduna.
- Nigeria Embassies now to process visa applications within 72 hours to facilitate in-flow of foreign investment.
- Set up a Special Investigation Panel on Trade malpractices to solve reported cases of trade malpractices, 419 and take preventive measures.
- Produced an Industrial Blueprint for industrialisation which sets out the stragegies for action, time frame and relevant implementation agencies.
- Resuscitation/Rehabilitation of ailing industries and completion of those that are of strategic importance. In this category are :
- The ADB assisted expansion and rehabilitation programmes at the Nigerian Sugar Company Limited, Bacita, and the Savannah Sugar Company Limited, Numan;
- Repair of the Ammonia Plant at NAFCON and revamp of the Federal Superphosphate Fertilizer Company in Kaduna with a facility from the ECOWAS Fund;
- Commissioned Kellog of USA to give estimate for refurbishing NAFCON and building a new fertiliser plant;
- Requested proposals for the resuscitation of the Volkswagen Assembly Plant with the hope of achieving a truly cheap, made-in-Nigeria car.
- Banned the importation of bagged cement.
- Approved the establishment of Cement Technology Institute to be supported and funded by the cement manufacturers.
- Reviewed the operations of Development Finance Institutions such as NIDB, NBCI, NERFUND to stimulate SMES.
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- Slashed telephone installation fee from N50,000 to N20,000 in order to give more Nigerians access to telecommunication facilities.
- NITEL's monopoly broken.
- Initiated the Global Satellite Systems to improve the country's teledensity.
- Puts total end to fuel scarcity nationwide.
- To expand the rail system and conversion of the old track to standard guage.
- Earmarked the construction of East-West line linking Lagos to Calabar and Lagos- Abuja as priority projects.
- Released N399.7m to ease the Railway pensioners problem.
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- 24 hours port operation at the ports.
- Computerisation and reduction of the desks from 24 to 5 to enhance efficient cargo discharge and delivery systems.
- Relocated some parastatals such as NRC, NPA, NMA Nigerian Shippers Council back to Lagos to enhance their operational efficiency.
- Initiated steps that led to the recertification of Nigerian airspace by the American government.
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- Created a new Ministry of Environment.
- Sent a bill on the Niger Delta to the House to address the socio-economic problems of the region.
- Formulated an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy that addresses such problem as coastal erosion, loss of biodiversity, pollution and general degredation of the coastal area.
- Launches re-afforestation Campaign to improve the environment and combat desertification and related ecological hazards.
- Established new rapport with donor agencies for technical assistance and environmental management. One of such is with the United Nations Environment Programme on which government has
secured funds for a project on integrated management of Land and Water in shared catchment in the Transboundary area of Niger and Nigeria.
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- Released the economic blueprint of the admistration.
- Inaugurated new National Council on privatisation headed by Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
- Established joint government/private sector committee on the economy.
- Appointed Panel on uncompleted projects.
- Cancelled 41 oil lifting contracts generally agreed as not being in the best interest of Nigeria.
- Released a comprehensive policy on food security and boosting the agricultural sector.
- Appointed Interim Management to wind down the Petroleum Task Force (PTF).
- Signed final agreement on the West African Gas Pipeline project.
- Initiated Reforms to make NNPC self sufficient.
- Approved Nl billion for the purchase of excess grains from farmer thereby ensuring maximum agricultural output.
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INTERNATIONAL SCENE:
AFRICA:- Created a full fledged ministry to pursue the objective of regional economic cooperation and integration in Africa.
- Under this established an Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolutioin and a Technical Cooperation Fund.
- 22nd ECOWAS summit accepted his Fast Track Approach proposal to allow those member countries that are prepared and committed to programme implementation to go ahead on a faster track with the expectations that others will subsequently join in the race for African integration.
- Proposed to establish an African Renaissance Bank - a private sector equity led institution with governmental support.
- Instrumental to the resolution of the Siera Leonan crisis.
World:
- Championed a new debt resolution initiative for development countries.
- Improved Nigeria's image and stature.
YOU CAN SEND YOUR COMMENTS AND SUGGESTION TO THE PRESIDENT AT THE FOLLOWING EMAIL: suggestion@nopa.net
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