FG to commence Virtual NEC Meeting

The Minister disclosed this while commissioning 12 digital projects built by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA and other agencies under the ministry.

He said the presidential directive came after the 12th Virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting also introduced by the Ministry since the COVID-19 pandemic.

”President Buhari has directed the Ministry to organise NEC meeting after the 12th FEC virtual meeting. It is our challenge that a significant percentage of our citizens are provided with digital skills,’’ he added.

Pantami said the commissioning of the 12 digital projects was in compliance with the directives by President Muhammadu Buhari to actualize his change agenda.

The Minister also said that the project commissioning was aimed at bringing to the knowledge of Nigerians the existence of such projects in their localities and part of the measures put together by the administration to render account of the management of its resources.

He explained that the projects which are scattered all over the country capture every geo-political zone in the country as well as the 36 states and the FCT.

‘‘There is no state without at least three projects with maintenance and sustainable plans already in place. The digital commissioning has proven to be the positive part of the COVID-19 pandemic as multiple projects were commissioned simultaneously at different locations in the country.’’

Still, on the significance of the commissioned projects, the minister said by automating transactions and other services, a significant percentage of corruption will be eliminated in alignment with the Digital Nigeria agenda.

Meanwhile, the Jigawa State Governor, Mohammadu Abubakar said that Nigerians should no longer blame President Muhammdu Buhari‘s administration for the current scarcity of the foreign exchange, saying that the problem was traceable to the fact that Nigeria “ Is a Chronic Importer”.

He insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari should not be blamed for the hardship in the country and the high cost of food items and other goods in the market, stating that the previous administrations failed to create a buffer for the preservation of naira against dollar, hence the scarcity of dollar in the money market and the rising cost of goods.

‘‘In the last five years of the previous administration, oil was averaged at $100 per barrel, our five year probably $50 per barrel on average. At least with half of the resources available to Mohammadu Buhari, we have achieved a lot.

‘‘The ministry of aviation has completed 150 projects in four years and still counting with half of the resources so is the same story in other ministries. Today, we can proudly say, five years of Buhari administration and five years of previous administration if analyzed, I am sure it will be confirmed that we have done well with lesser resources available.

‘‘In trade and investment, we are increasing our non-oil export by the day, a good strategy. And again our Ease of Doing Business, we are improving in the ranking, so many industries are coming up.

In my state alone, we have seen industrial revolution for export substitution. If we take the statistics and compare them with the last five years, I am sure we will see the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has done very well.

‘‘The ministry of works is constructing about 500 roads, many projects are ongoing across the country.

‘‘The problem is that there was no import substitution, no clear agenda to be realized to reduce import substitution during the last administration. We kept making money without savings, we relied heavily on importation.

We blame Buhari but he did not cause drop in oil price. We have to import with dollars because the past leaders have been chronic importers, we have to import everything we need. Not only import, but we also rely heavily on available few dollars.

‘‘The foreign reserve was 29bn dollars when we came in, we could not dip hands into the reserve. This was the genesis of things being expensive. I do not see where Buhari is responsible.

“He is not responsible for drop in the price of oil, we have to blame past leaders, who know that oil can never be stable. They had the opportunity to dip hands in the reserve and stabilize our currency but did not save for the future and they have the audacity to shamelessly accuse Buhari for high cost of commodities.

‘‘Any fair-minded Nigerian will know that President Buhari has delivered on his mandate and deserve our commendation. We have done wonderfully well and will soon blow our trumpet for people to see. Nigerians should come out with the truth and stop listening to propaganda and trace our problems to the roots. He is not the one who killed the rabbit, he was asked to carry the dead rabbit.’’

On the projects commissioned, the Governor said about 120 people had been trained in Jigawa by the federal government on digital skills acquisition and scientific way of farming.

For him, the President made the right choice in appointing Dr. Pantami as minister of Communications and Digital Economy, describing him as a round peg in a round hole.

The 12 projects commissioned are; E-Library Federal College of Education Technical, Bichi Kano State, ICT Innovation Hub Oyo state, E-Accessible center Government school for the deaf Malumfashi Katsina state, Virtual Examination center College of Education (technical) Enugu state, Digital capacity training center Elkanemi College of Islamic Theology Yola state, School Knowledge center, SKC, AUD high school Ekiti state, Emergency communication center, ECC, Kano state.

Others include digital capacity development program for Artisans in Suleja Niger state, Lautech Oyao State, FCE Okene Kogi state, NIIT Owerri Imo state, Benchills school Warri Delta state.

It would be recalled that the Minister had commissioned 6 projects in July in the first phase of the commissioning, while another was commissioned on August 11th in the second phase to aid Digital Economy revolution.