The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has
said corrupt elements are doing everything possible to obfuscate the
good work of the present administration, as a response to the
government’s determined fight against corruption.
The Minister, who stated these while addressing the staff of the
Nigerian Embassy in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, December 4th, said as the
government fights corruption, corruption is
also fighting back, using even unsuspecting sources, adding: “This is
the biggest challenge facing the administration at the moment.”
He however assured that the Administration remains determined and focused in its efforts to root out corruption in the country.
Responding to a question on how the government can better ensure the
flow of timely and accurate information to Nigerian Missions abroad,
Alhaji Mohammed said the Ministry would launch an Information App on 15
Dec. 2016 to provide real time information to Nigerians at home and in
the Diaspora.
He also said the Ministry is considering setting up a Foreign Service
Information System as part of plans to furnish the Missions with
much-needed information, especially for prospective investors and
tourists.
The Minister told the Embassy Staff that apart from using the
traditional means of communicating with the people, the Administration
has resorted to holding Town Hall Meetings in order to better inform
Nigerians of the activities of government, as well as to get the
necessary feedback on government’s programmes and policies.
He disclosed, however, that the Town Hall Meetings, which has been
held in five states and Abuja so far, will be held on a sectoral basis
from next year, in order to provide more information to Nigerians on key
sectors, including Agriculture, infrastructural development and the
economy.
Alhaji Mohammed also announced that efforts are being made to
revitalize the National Orientation Agency (NOA), which he said is the
closest to the grassroots, with a view to strengthening to be able to
communicate the programmes and policies of the Administration to
Nigerians
“We are reinventing the NOA in a more professional manner. The
challenge is to better equip the NOA staff with the latest communication
facilities so that they can do their work more effectively,” he said.
The Minister, who was in Abu Dhabi to attend the International
Conference on the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Conflict Areas,
said the Administration has acquitted itself creditably in fighting the
insurgency in the North-east, tackling the incessant clashes between
farmers and herders and taking concrete measures to end the militancy in
the Niger Delta
He said the government has already provided 200,000 of the 500,000
jobs it promised under the N-Power Volunteers Programme, while at the
same time embarking on an agricultural initiative that will see Nigeria
become self sufficient in rice and wheat in the shortest time possible.
On the economic recession, Alhaji Mohammed said ”We are spending our
way out of this recession, we are investing massively in infrastructural
development: roads, railways, power etc, and creating jobs in the
process.”
Earlier, the Charge d’Affaires, Mr. Nura Rimi, said the Embassy is
carrying out its assignment diligently in spite of the challenges facing
it, adding that it recently bagged an award for excellence from the
United Arab Emirates authorities, one of only three missions in the UAE
that won the award.
Issues raised by the Embassy Staff in their interaction with the
Minister include the suspension of flights to Abuja by Emirates
Airlines, the visa restriction to Nigerians willing to travel to the
UAE, the need for Nigeria to tap from the $350 million renewable energy
fund that is available in the UAE and the possibility of Nigeria
partnering with the UAE Red Crescent to assist the Internally Displaced
Persons in the North-east.
Among top officials of the Embassy who attended the meeting are Mr.
Aliyu Hamman (Minister – Economic); Mr. Rabiu Lawal (Minister –
Consular); Mr. Zakari Usman (Senior Counsellor); Mr. Adesoye Samotu
(Senior Counsellor), Mr. Bukar Salihu Malgin (Finance Attache) and Mr.
Mohammed Bashar Magaji (Immigration Attache)
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