FG replies Sanusi: 7-point agenda stays
Written by Emma Ujah, Daniel Idonor & Abdulsalam Muhammad
Monday, 08 June 2009
ABUJA — IN apparent reaction to remarks credited to Governor of the Central Bank (CBN), Mr Sanusi Lamido Sanusi on President Yar’Adua’s seven-point agenda, the Presidency yesterday gave reasons why it cannot prune down the policy, saying doing that would amount to economic suicide as the seven points are interrelated, inter-independent and very crucial to the survival of the Nigerian economy in line with the Vision 20-2020 project.
Government also said Sanusi’s remarks, made on the floor of the Senate, during his screening exercise is just a suggestion


Governor of the Central Bank (CBN), Mr Sanusi Lamido Sanusithat should not been seen as attack on the government’s focal policy.

Presidential spokesman, Mr Olusegun Adeniyi, while fielding questions from State House Correspondents declared that there was no way government would concentrate only on power and infrastructure without gas which is the Niger-Delta element in the Seven-Point Agenda, saying the power sector requires adequate gas supply from the Niger-Delta to function and without peace in the region, gas cannot be sourced.

On the heels of this, former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba, criticised the Seven-Point Agenda, saying the policy plan is unpopular because it alienated most Nigerians. Na’Abba, who spoke in Kano said the agenda is an embodiment of contradictions that could not be relied on for positive effect, stressing that there are serious disconnections between proponents of the agenda and the Nigerian citizens.

Echoing Adeniyi's position, Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola, also said that government would not reduce the agenda, saying that Sanusi was talking of “focus and prioritisation.”

His words: “I am not sure that is what Sanusi meant. He was talking of focus and prioritisation. The new CBN governor knows that the Seven-Point Agenda presents a multi-pronged development platform.
“The issues and challenges are not mutually exclusive,” he said.

Sanusi expressing Yar’Adua’s mind, says Adeniyi




President Yar’Adua cannot prune down seven-point agenda, Adeniyi said: “I watched the Senate proceedings of the confirmation of SLS as some people call the CBN Governor, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, and I didn’t see any area where he attacked President Yar’Adua’s seven-point agenda as was imputed. All the items on the seven-point agenda are interrelated but if you check the 2009 Budget, those two areas highlighted account for more than 90 per cent of the spending. But even at that, paying more attention to power and infrastructure does not mean you have to neglect Niger Delta because if you do that, the power agenda would be dead on arrival”, he said.

One of the critical challenges facing government today, he noted, is gas and pipeline vandalisation and the Niger Delta is crucial to this; saying “you can also not ignore food security or even physical security. So, the President and Mr. Sanusi are on the same page”.

He spoke further: “I know that power is central to everything and so does the President and that is why he is taking the Niger Delta situation very seriously because without tackling that problem, we will not have power after we have made so much investment in turbines. With what is going on today, you cannot conclude that President Yar’Adua does not understand the importance of power and infrastructure. But my own interpretation of what Mr. Sanusi said on the need to pay more attention to two items on the Seven-Point Agenda would be that he was only expressing the mind of the President with whom he had had extensive discussions in the last couple of weeks.”

Huge waste from poor planning

According to him, also critical is infrastructure, hence the recent contract for the rehabilitation and construction of several key roads across the country, awarded at the cost of about N140 billion, saying “I am also aware that once the current negotiations with trailer owners who have about 3000 trailers along the Lagos Ibadan expressway are concluded, hopefully within the next few weeks, the company which recently won the concession of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will commence work and many others lined up for concession”.

Citing the several millions of naira spent on tree planting along the present four-lane airport road, a road originally planned for 10 lanes, now being mowed down by the contractors who won the bid to expand the road to ten lanes, as an example of huge waste resulting from poor planning in the past, Adeniyi said that the President will not allow such avoidable mistakes to recur because “President Yar’Adua is a methodical person but I think Nigerians will ultimately appreciate his approach.

“The President said that at the time those trees were being planted many years ago and with probably billions of Naira spent to nurture them, someone must have known that the airport road was designed for ten lanes. Yet they erected NEPA poles and planted trees very close to the four-lane road such that to extend the road now, you had to cut down those beautiful trees and the power poles will have to be relocated. That episode alone tells a story about our nation”, he stressed.

Giving this experience as a reason why whatever the President does, there is much thought to it not only in terms of current challenges and prospects but also with regards to the future, the Presidential aide explained that “take the story of railway for instance, what government is doing now is to work on a PPP Model with General Electric and African Development Bank to ensure that by early 2011 at the latest, we will have railway services across the nation”.

Still on infrastructure, he disclosed that “the dredging of river Niger which has been so much talked-about since independence will also be undertaken this year. The contractors have already mobilised to site and are just waiting for the water level to rise.

The dredging will start next month with expectation that it will be completed before December”.
According to him, “last week Tuesday, the President held a meeting with the Governors of the eight states along the River Niger channel which is more than 500 kilometres, that is Niger, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Imo, Rivers and Bayelsa on the benefit derivable from the project not only to these states but the entire nation and West African sub-region”.

Agenda addresses different sectors, says Babalola

And in a chat with reporters at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, on his way back from Lagos, Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola, told journalists that the economic recovery agenda of the present administration addressed different sectors that would make the Vision 20-2020 a reality.

Asked if the Federal Government would review or reduce the seven-point agenda in line with the remarks of Mallam Sanusi, Mr Babalola said: “I am not sure that is what Sanusi meant. He was talking of focus and prioritisation. The new CBN governor knows that the seven-point agenda presents a multi-pronged development platform.

“The issues and challenges are not mutually exclusive. No doubt, power sector is the number one priority of this administration. All resources are channeled to power sector solution. How do we attain the MDGs and the National Vision 2020 without focusing on human capital, national security, food security and wealth creation?”

7-point agenda unpopular, says Na’Abba

However, in Kano, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba said the seven-point agenda is unpopular because it alienated most Nigerians.

His words: “The leadership categories of all the critical sectors had not got the opportunity to sit with the President for briefing on the Agenda. No one understands what the Agenda is all about. There is a disconnection between the people and the President.

It is only the bureaucrats that seem to understand the whole concept of the slogan”, The former Speaker stated.
Na’Abba told Vanguard in Kano that the items of the agenda is more of a slogan that is best understood by bureaucrats, pointing out Nigerians yearn for concrete action in their quest to nationhood.

“When you marginalise the people, you can’t get them to support your agenda and you can not implement that agenda alone, you need to mobilise all Nigeria for the agenda to succeed”, Na’Abba said.

President Yar’Adua’s administration’s 7-point agenda focuses on power and energy, food security, wealth creation, transport sector, land reforms, security, and education but has been criticised as lacking in focus and measurable targets.


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when will they bully Sanusi to retract or clarify his statement and endorse the Yar'adua Government and seven point agenda

Or no need to demand he falls in-line because he is a PRINCE OF KANO

its frightening if the Presidency and CBN are singing from different hymns about the country's economic policy

I think we should give Sanusi a chance to settle in and see what his policies are, but to be honest in an organised society a new appointee either agrees with the previous policy in place or he is the face of reforms that the government who appointed him seeks. However with Sanusi non of the above is the case.

I wish him luck as I believe time will tell based on his record of achievements. I am optimistic he will deliver.

mikeansy:

its frightening if the Presidency and CBN are singing from different hymns about the country's economic policy

Were you not the same person that said the Sanusi of a guy could make good president just by merely looking at his photos? Some of you porous heads sef.

Bialegend:

Were you not the same person that said the Sanusi of a guy could make good president just by merely looking at his photos? Some of you porous heads sef.

I think you need to grow up, you are filled with so much agony don't let it consume you.

I believe at this point, the last thing we need is an official who will come in to echo what the president has preaching the last 2 years. Yar adua has done next to nothing in 2 years with his 7-point agenda. Are we somehow suggesting Sanusi ought to come in as another Dora Akunyili for yar adua or something?

when will they bully Sanusi to retract or clarify his statement and endorse the Yar'adua Government and seven point agenda

How can? As a newbie in goverment vomitting something contrary to "the capo" intentions and nothing bad has befallen him shows that he is a "noble" in this "biz of ours".

Kobojunkie:

I believe at this point, the last thing we need is an official who will come in to echo what the president has preaching the last 2 years. Yar adua has done next to nothing in 2 years with his 7-point agenda. Are we somehow suggesting Sanusi ought to come in as another Dora Akunyili for yar adua or something?

When Robert Gates criticized the war in Iraq while taking over, he did that because the Bush Administration chose him to change strategy. Meaning that the Presidency agreed with his new strategy.

So if the Presidency agrees with Sanusi then they should endorse what Sanusi said and streamline their policies to 2 or 3. Otherwise Sanusi has to be forced to endorse the silly 7 point agenda.

It is a worst case senario when the President and his newly appointed CBN Governor don't even agree on how to run the economy. So what exactly is the country's economic policy going forward.

Kobojunkie:

[b]I believe at this point, the last thing we need is an official who will come in to echo what the president has preaching the last 2 years. [/b]Yar adua has done next to nothing in 2 years with his 7-point agenda. Are we somehow suggesting Sanusi ought to come in as another Dora Akunyili for yar adua or something?

Indeed. Anyone sycophantically praising this grossly inept Government has nothing to offer Nigeria because that stance will mean they support the continuity of our currently unacceptable situation. Your example of Akunyili is a good one also. When push came to shove her real character was revealed. "You can fool some people sometimes but you can't fool all the people all the time".

What we badly need are leadership folks who are not attempting to fool Nigerians at all .

mikeansy:

its frightening if the Presidency and CBN are singing from different hymns about the country's economic policy

If Nigerians actually reflect on what you have said they should be very scared. Yar Adua is a confused and insecure man . He thinks he wants meritocratic achievers when he actually resents them and is likely to emasculate them when they begin to gain too high a profile. Many have already said Lamido is the type of man that should be our president if it must be a Northerner. Yar Adua will not be pleased to hear that.

I can see it all ending in tears for Lamido and this current Government . Lamido appears to be very intelligent , assured, resolute and dilligent. Those characteristics will not be allowed to flourish in this current government. If it is sycophancy and blind loyalty (ala Akunyili, Anenih, Bello Haliru Mohammed - he of the "USA plotting against Yar Adua's govt" fame ) then your longevity and relevance in Nigeria today, as a leader, is ensured. Pay homage (even if the Government is terribly wrong) or get out !!!! Unless Lamido 'reforms' to become a PDP sycophant he won't last.