With $94bn oil earnings in three years, PDP can’t beat us — Osinbajo boasts
which accrued to the Nigerian government from oil sales in the past
three years at $94 billion.
He, however, stated that in the four years preceding the All
Progressive Congress, APC, administration, the government – then led
by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – earned about $393 billion in
oil sales but made less impact on the livelihood of ordinary
Nigerians.
Osinbajo made this revelation during a town hall meeting in
Bariga/Somolu LCDA in Lagos State, on Tuesday, as part of festivities
marking the Eid-el-Kabir with Lagosians.
He said: "In the past four years of the previous administration, over
$393 billion was earned in oil proceeds alone. In the past three
years, we have earned $94 billion. Look at the difference.
"And the reasons are very straightforward. The price of oil was about
half of what it used to be. But with the same $94 billion, we have
been able to do far more."
The vice president, who addressed a gathering comprising APC
chieftains in the state, youth groups, state government officials and
the LCDA Chairmen of Somolu and Bariga, noted that the
administration's National Social Investment Programmes (N-SIP) were
geared towards improving the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
"The president's focus has always been on the common man. So, when we
came, we decided on a few things to tackle youth unemployment. First,
the N-Power programme to engage as many young people who are graduates
as possible.
"We started with 200,000, and just this month, we have employed
another 300,000. So, in our N-Power programme, we have 500,000 young
graduates who are employed in the programme. Now every local
government (area) in Nigeria has N-Power graduate," he said.
"When we got into office, 24 states had not paid salaries for over six
months and we ensured that these salaries were paid.
"And President Buhari said then, 'Look, I have been a salary earner
all my life, I have never done any business; the only thing I have
ever done is government work, either as a soldier or in government. I
cannot imagine how anybody can go to sleep as a governor without
paying the salaries of his workers.' So, we made sure that we paid
salaries, and we have done so many other things.
"In investments, look at the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; for almost 12
years, with all that money, it was never done. Now we have set about
and we are doing it, we will complete it. Also, the Lagos-Kano railway
project, so many of us know that we are moving towards Ibadan now. And
we are going to complete it," he added.
No comments
Post a Comment