Nigeria: Buhari’s govt will not give excuses – Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed

Simon Ejembi

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said Nigerians will soon get the change they voted for, pledging that the government will not give them excuses.

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Mohammed told representatives of civil society organisations in Abuja on Tuesday that the current administration would start “firing from all cylinders”, starting with the unveiling of the 2016 budget, a statement by his Special Adviser, Segun Adeyemi, said.

He said, ”This Government will not give excuses. The painstaking and methodical approach by the Buhari Administration, its deep analysis and understanding of the challenges and the recent inauguration of the cabinet will herald a new dawn.”

He added, ”Nigerians will witness measurable and impactful progress in all spheres of governance. We shall not abandon our social intervention policies such as one meal a day for school children and the payment of 5,000 Naira each to vulnerable Nigerians. We are committed to lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.”

Mohammed explained that in view of the drastic fall in the price of crude oil, the Federal Government would fund its activities through the diversification of the economy, plugging of leakages as well as exploiting and widening the country’s tax base without necessarily raising taxes.

He said, “A comparative analysis between Nigeria and South Africa will drive the point home. In 2013, with a population of 160 million and GDP of $510bn, Nigeria collected $30bn in taxes, whereas South Africa, with a population of 54 million and GDP of $366bn, collected $74bn in taxes.

”In 2014, Nigeria, with a population of 170 million and GDP of $535bn, collected $26bn, while South Africa, with a GDP of $350bn and population of 54 million, raked in $70bn. From the figures, it is obvious that if only we can widen our tax base, we do not need to raise taxes to increase our tax revenue.”

He praised civil society organisations for contributing to the success of the general elections, adding that the government would carry them along in its activities.

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”That is why we have started our engagement with you this early. Therefore, this will be the first in a series of engagements with the Civil Society. We see you as credible, and we see you as patriots, who are genuinely interested in the welfare of the people,” Mohammed said.

Punch NG