Akinwunmi Adesina Lifted Agriculture to Commanding Heights

Akinwunmi Adesina

It did not come as a surprise when President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina to man the agriculture portfolio.  He is a technocrat, who is knowledgeable in the field of agriculture.

The minister has been able to pursue the sector’s transformation agenda targeted at producing at least 20 million metric tonnes of food for the country by 2015 and generating about three million jobs from the entire value chain of the sector.

Under his leadership, Nigeria commenced the exportation of cassava chips, which has also resulted in the production of high quality cassava flour for bread. In fact, with him in the saddle, the sector attracted about  $8 billion of private sector investment in 2012 alone.

In addition, his ministry developed a new programme christened the ‘Nigerian Agricultural Entrepreneurs’. The initiative is expected to lead to the creation of 760,000 young commercial farmers in the country in the next five years. These emerging young farmers would require capital from the banking industry in the neighbourhood of N3 trillion.

There are also plans by his ministry to create marketing co-operations. The marketing co-operations, which will be run privately, will play the same role the marketing boards played in the past.

2 ,Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Instituted Fiscal Discipline in Governance

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The appointment of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance was greeted with high hopes and expectations.  Nobody doubted that she would perform because of her pedigree as the finance minister in the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration, as well as her expertise as the former Managing Director of the World Bank.

About one-and-a-half years on, she has lived up to expectations. She has entrenched fiscal discipline in the management of public finances, which has helped in growing Nigeria’s Excess Crude Account and in turn the external reserves.
When it was apparent that some dubious petroleum marketers were feasting on the nation’s resources, Okonjo-Iweala instituted a probe committee headed by the Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, with the aim of exposing the culprits and in the long run putting an end to corruption in the subsidy regime.

Against all odds, the courageous move by the minister paid off as it was quite revealing and has instilled some sanity in the administration of subsidy. More importantly, it has cut down significantly the amount spent on fuel subsidy from N2.19 trillion as at the end of the 2011 fiscal year to slightly over N1 trillion this year.
Besides, the commencement of the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), which had been vehemently resisted by the state governors, stands to her credit. The SWF took off in October with a seed capital of $1 billion and the appointment of a board and management team.

The job creation initiative by the Federal Government - Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YoUWiN) - is also a testimony of her determination to create jobs. The initiative popularly called YoUWiN! is an innovative business plan competition aimed at job creation by encouraging and supporting aspiring entrepreneurial youths in Nigeria to develop and execute business ideas that will lead to job creation. So far, YouWiN has created 1,200 awardees.

3, Idris Umar Brought Railways Back to Life
Idris Umar

As Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Audu Umar remains one of the key policy makers in the transport industry. Umar, hitherto a member of the National Assembly, is not a neophyte in government.

Umar, in 2012, stepped up efforts to deliver on the mandate given to him. However, none of these deliverables was as noticeable as the rehabilitation of railway tracks across the country. Umar has given impetus in the provision of mass transit buses and rehabilitation of railway lines. The Lagos-Kano railway line was launched with fanfare a few days ago with the movement of soldiers to Lagos. More railway lines and the provision of modern coaches fitted with air conditioning are expected in the months ahead. Not a few Nigerians have expressed delight that the railway that had gone moribund for years is now back on track.

For their dogged determination – singular and collective – to overcome the odds and deliver on their job descriptions, Akinwuni Adesina, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Stella Oduah and Idris Umar, are recognised as THISDAY Persons of the Year.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/idris-umar-brought-railways-back-to-life/135011/

Barth Nnaji

if this is all you can show as evidence of performance despite gulpin national treasury and having the world most expensive cabinet shame on all of you pro Otutueke baboon

Yea, i saw these articles last night. They were declared, with the Nigerian soldiers and SSS, as Thisday Newspaper's 'Persons of the Year, 2012'

I have no doubt that the GEJ govt will deliver. In fact, the various reforms of the govt are already yielding fruit. I dare to say that 2013 shall be a year of harvest, harvest and more harvest.
However, we'r not unaware of the machinations of HATERS, propagandists, SEE-NO-GOOD and HEAR-NO-GOOD apostles of evil. We'r aware these devils are capable of vandalizing public infrastructures, including power supply infrastructures just to keep their relevance and keep ranting online. But the GOOD NEWS is that every of their nefarious activities will FAIL. They will be terribly disappointed in this new year.
Happy New to all patriotic Nigerians!!

Achievements my foot. Corruption is still on a all time high . . . So wtf is OP & Sincere 9gerian blabbing about?

This is one of the best post I've seen this new Year.
For those shouting corruption , which previous govt have exposed corruption like GEJ.
The panels go half way cos Nigeriana are too docile to follow up and demand justice.
ACN apologists are afraid their source of income through subsidy will be cut off .