Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has unveiled an innovative programme, tagged TESTIMONIES OF CHANGE, to showcase the achievements of the Buhari Administration from the perspective of Nigerians themselves.
Speaking
at the occasion, held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa,
Abuja on Sunday night, the Minister said the personal testimonies
from the lips of Nigerians is to complement the different platforms
created by his ministry to communicate the various achievements of
the Buhari Administration.
He
said the testimony series was borne out of the experiences of
Nigerians who have benefitted from the various programmes of
government and are ready to relate such experiences to fellow
Nigerians.
“We
have used many platforms to communicate the numerous achievements of
the Administration to Nigerians. These include Town Hall Meetings,
which we have now held 16 times across the country; media tour of
infrastructural projects; regular visits to media organizations,
press conferences and media interviews, and the FGN/iAPP.
“However,
we decided to add another platform, which is personal testimonies.
The simple, dictionary meaning of testimony is 'evidence or proof of
something'. There is no better evidence of what this Administration
has achieved than that given by Nigerians, who have been positively
impacted by the policies and programmes of government,” Alhaji
Mohammed said.
He
said no one can better tell Nigerians about the impact of the
Home-grown School Feeding System than the 9.3 million school children
who are fed one meal a day, five times a week, or the over 90,000
cooks who have been employed under the programme.
The
Minister also said no one can better tell Nigerians about the impact
of the N-POWER programme than the 500,000 graduates who have been
employed under the scheme.
“If
you want to know about the success of Tradermoni, ask any of the 2
million beneficiaries. If it's Marketmoni, ask any of the over
350,000 beneficiaries. Who can better communicate the efficiency of
the Abuja-Kaduna rail transportation than the thousands of people who
are daily ferried between the two cities. And if the government says
it has paid pensioners from the defunct NITEL and Nigeria Airways,
among others, is it not better to hear directly from those who have
received their pensions after waiting for many years?'' he asked.
Alhaji
Mohammed said the testimonies, which started running on radio and
television stations across the country, as well as in the Social
Media, late last year, have so rattled the opposition that they were
forced to issue a statement in which they acknowledged that the media
space is awash with the testimony series.
''The
achievements of this Administration are real, and the Administration
has impacted positively on millions of Nigerians, in just three and
half years and with very limited resources, compared to other
Administrations that have presided over the affairs of our dear
country since 1999,'' he said.
In
his remarks, President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by the
Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma,
congratulated the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture for the
innovative way it is showcasing the numerous achievements of the
administration.
He
said hearing directly from Nigerians lends credibility to the
positive impact of the policies and programmes of the government on
the lives of the people.
“In
our second term, we will build on this momentum and we will do even
more. Nigerians can look forward to greater prosperity, more
opportunities and the continuation of growth that is diversified,
inclusive and sustained. Under my leadership, we will achieve the
Nigeria of our dream,” the President said.
Twenty-two
persons, including the Oba of Jebba, Alhaji Abdulkadir Alabi Adebare;
Ba’ale of Bode Sa’adu, Mr. Bolakale Yusuf; Mr. Lookman Animashaun
of the defunct Nigerian Airways, Mr. Udeh Mathew Orji of the defunct
Biafran Police Force, Hajia Halita Aliu and Mr. Jamiu Abiola, the son
of the late M.K.O Abiola, were present at the occasion to testify to
the benefit of the policies of the government under the N-Power,
School Feeding Programme, payment of pensions, TraderMoni,
MarketMoni, various infrastructural projects as well as on the
recognition and honour bestowed on the acclaimed winner of the June
12, 1993 presidential election, the late Chief M.K.O Abiola.
Dignitaries,
including Head of Service of the Civil Service of the Federation
Winifred Oyo Ita and Directors-General of the agencies under the
Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, attended the event.
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