Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina said Nigeria have become a better country than it was before President Muhammadu Buhari’s election in 2015.
Adesina in an article to commemorate Buhari’s six years in office titled “The Buhari administration at six: counting the blessings one by one”, reeled out achievements of the Buhari administration in six years.
Adesina said Buhari’s milestone affords Nigerians the opportunity to reflect and recount the impact that has been made in different sectors of the country, listing projects in education, agriculture, health security, sports, business and other sectors.
“From infrastructure to finance, education, healthcare, sports, anti-corruption, human development, housing, oil and gas, foreign relations, and many others, the Administration is recording giant strides, enough to make Nigerians proud,” Adesina said.
“That is, those who are dispassionate and fair-minded, not beclouded by political partisanship and undue cynicism.
“Some people claim: we don’t see what they are doing. We don’t hear about it. Well, here it is. A Fact Sheet, a report card on the Buhari Administration, just a bit of the successes, as the milestone of six years is attained.
“As it is said, the past is but a story told. The future may yet be written in gold.
“When the Administration breasts the tape in another two years, by the grace of God, the applause will be resounding, even from the worst of sceptics.
“Facts are undeniable, and always remain so. They are stubborn things.’’
Many Nigerians will argue that the realities in different sectors of the country’s economy do not support his claim, Adesina insisted that Nigeria is making steady progress to a “land of milk and honey” under Buhari.
In security, Boko Haram and other insurgency groups, banditry, kidnapping for ransom and civil unrest have been on an increase for several months.
Buhari’s home state, Katsina, has not been spared by violent gunmen attacks and kidnapping.
Also, according to Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), more Nigerians have slipped into poverty since 2020 due to the economic state of the country and impact of COVID-19.
Over 40 percent of Nigerians live below the poverty line of N137,430 per annum, according to the NBS report.
Adesina acknowledged that “no doubt, Nigeria faces a lot of challenges, particularly in the areas of security and the economy.”
“And it has affected the quality of lives of the people. Will we pull back? Yes, we are pulling back already, and our country is being retrieved. Soon, we will arrive Canaan, flowing with milk and honey,” Adesina said.
“President Buhari inherited a land that was badly riven, a boat filled with holes, and taking in water massively. He struggled, and stabilized the craft. Things got better, as the battle was taken to the enemies of the country. Then, suddenly, it got worse again. If insurgency was the main problem, banditry joined. Kidnapping for ransom threw its hat into the ring. Murders, mayhem, cult killings, violent criminalities, all joined, till it began to seem that nothing else was happening in the land, except killings, and more killings. True? False.
“Despite the overwhelming nature of security challenges, the Muhammadu Buhari administration is taking some giant strides that make one believe that happier days lay ahead of the country. But that is for those who choose to see the bright, and not perpetually gloomy side of things.”