Maku urges Nigerians to be patient with Jonathan administration

Published: September 7,2013

The Information Minister sad two years was not sufficient to judge the Jonathan government.

The Information Minister, Labaran Maku, on Friday urged Nigerians to exercise patience with the present administration in its bid to transform the country.

Mr. Maku made the call in a lecture entitled: “Sector’s perspective of the transformation agenda’’, delivered at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Jos.

He said the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration was just two years old; hence, Nigerians should not be quick at drawing a balance sheet on the performance of the government.

The minister said the present administration met a lot of dilapidated structures, which were abandoned for a long period and would need much time to put them back on track.

“I want to call on Nigerians to exercise more patience with this administration and its transformation agenda because we are doing our best to see that the country is transformed.

“President Goodluck Jonathan met a lot of abandoned projects on ground, and will need much time to put back those projects to proper use.

“The rail lines have been abandoned for over 20-years, education sector in total decay, even, the agricultural sector that is supposed to create millions of jobs was malfunctioning.

“So, with all these, how can you then use just two-years of this government to assess its performance,’’ he asked

Mr. Maku assured Nigerians that the Federal Government was doing a lot at ensuring that Nigerians were provided with better infrastructure and social developments that would enhance their standard of living.

He said government was determined to provide employment opportunities through the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), improve standard of education at all levels, and constructs roads for the betterment of all.

On electricity, Mr. Maku said the administration was doing a lot to revamp the Zungeru, Kainji, Mambilla and others power plants through private partnership.

He said that by the time all the above mentioned places were completed, the problem of epileptic power supply would be a thing of the past.

The minister called on states and local governments to strive toward complementing the efforts of the Federal Government in its bid to actualise the transformation agenda for the benefit of all.

(NAN)