The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF)
says President Muhammadu Buhari has
performed low in the area of
infrastructural development. This is contained in a statement on
Friday which assessed Buhari’s two
years in government.
The statement signed by ACF National
Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Muhammad
Ibrahim Biu, called for the completion
of projects like the Baro Port Terminal,
Mambila Power station, Kano-
Maiduguri dual carriage way, Calabar- Jalingo-Biu-Maiduguri trunk A road,
Kano-Lagos Railway and many others
in view of their economic values and
direct bearing on the lives of the
people. The forum also noted that the power
privatisation arrangement concluded
three years ago, had not yielded the
desired result and called on the
government to take practical steps to
improve power supply in the country. “Power being the driver of the
economy has been erratic and low. ACF
had earlier called on the federal
government to take necessary and
practical steps to improve the power
supply including reviewing the privatisation.
“The Senate has of recent taken the
same position by asking the
government to reverse the
privatization of the power sector in
view of the inability of the private
entrepreneurs to improve power supply and distribution”, the statement
said. The ACF urged the government to put
in place, a policy framework that will
encourage private investments in the
renewable energy sector to
compliment the thermal and hydro
generating plants. On employment and the economy, ACF
lauded the N-power programme, Social
Investment Project, diversification in
agriculture and solid minerals,
recruitment into the military, Police
Force and other security agencies, noting that such initiatives were
commendable efforts aimed at
reducing unemployment and as well as
boosting the economy.
The statement called on the
government to explain the fate of the
$30 billion needed to revive the
nation’s ailing economy.
“Nigerians need to know the fate of
the $30bn loan needed to reflate the
economy through massive expenditure
and increase in supply of forex thereby
exiting the recession. In this respect,
we need to see better working relationship between the Executive
and the Legislature for good
governance.