President Muhammadu Buhari has continued his foreign trips in a bid to repair Nigeria’s reputation which was severely damaged by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said on Monday.
Fashola, in an article titled, “PMB’s foreign trips — My takeaway,” also stated that Buhari’s intervention in the global oil and gas sector led to the recent stability in crude oil prices.
The minister further stressed that Nigeria currently has the support of the world’s seven most powerful countries. He attributed this to the visit the President made during a meeting of the G7 countries in Germany, last year.
On why he decided to make this public, Fashola stated that he sought to ensure that every Nigerian who cared about the country had some information about what the President was doing.
He stated that barely two decades ago, Nigeria was ostracised from global events because of bad governance, adding that the country lost the respect accorded nations like ours.
Explaining what transpired during the recent meeting with top government officials in China, the former Lagos State governor stated that six collaborative agreements were signed.
He added, “This last mentioned agreement was a legitimate coup by PMB, because the intelligence was that some West African countries were going to sign before us. PMB seized the moment. Of course, he had to apologise for our previous failures on our agreement made to part-fund four airport projects in Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt and the Abuja-Kaduna rail project.
“The Chinese had provided their agreed part of 85 per cent but the remaining 15 per cent Nigeria did not honour during the last administration. Some of the recent revelations about financial scandals estimated at $2.1bn in the Office of the National Security Adviser alone during the last administration suggest how impactful such funds would have been in delivering these critical infrastructures; but we all know what happened.
“This is why PMB is travelling. To repair our reputation severely damaged by the last government, and to assure our partners that Nigeria has changed. From there, to renegotiate an existing funding agreement to complete critical transport infrastructure.”
On the G7 meeting in Germany, the minister noted that the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, as host, had invited Buhari on his inauguration to be their guest, along with some three or four other African countries.
The agenda of the meeting, he said, was global security, economy and health in the aftermath of Ebola, which was still raging in some African countries then.
Fashola stated that apart from the personal aides of the President, other officials who accompanied Buhari on the trip were Governor Shettima of Borno State, General Abdulrahman Dambazau and himself.
He noted that participants at the meeting highlighted the difficulty of time and the resources that it would take to develop new antibiotics and the risk to global health.
The minister said, “If we all appreciate how vulnerable we can be without effective antibiotics, especially our children, and if we remember how low life expectancy was and how poor global health was before the discovery of Penicillin after the World War, we will appreciate the seriousness of the platform to which Nigeria was invited. I was proud that our President was there.
“If the seven most powerful nations stand with you, who can stand against you? I need not say more except that I can attest that PMB has been following up on these matters, and the progress on security is visible while results in the economic front will manifest soon enough.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Hilarious.
ReplyDeleteContinue your blaming games, Nigerians are getting tired of you people. Wake up from your slumber
ReplyDeleteFashola is a disgrace...it would have made sense if he said he was repairing the image of Nigeria damaged by IBB, Abacha, OBJ, Buhari and other past leaders since independence. Now they want us to believe that Nigeria was good since independence till GEJ took over.
ReplyDeleteNonsense a president that goes around the world telling people that his country is corrupt. where in this world that does not have corruption?
ReplyDeleteA president that is quick to kill his visit by saying his people are corrupt. what does he think the countries he is visiting will think about him self as a Master of corrupt people ? or the Jesus of Nigeria
i have not seen any president in the world traveling round the world saying his or her country is corrupt
buhari should wake up from his camel age aboki
See what politics can do to someone. So you have put aside your certificate and all that you had learnt to play the foolish man expected of you in order to fit into the system and to show allegiance. It is a shame.
ReplyDeleteSee what politics can do to someone. So you have put aside your certificate and all that you had learnt to play the foolish man expected of you in order to fit into the system and to show allegiance. It is a shame.
ReplyDeleteSee what politics can do to someone. So you have put aside your certificate and all that you had learnt to play the foolish man expected of you in order to fit into the system and to show allegiance. It is a shame.
ReplyDeleteThis Statement from Fashola is laughable. Jonathan destroys Nigeria's image abroad. The Same GEJ is being sorted round the world and Honored. I now believe that the entire APC team is a huge joke.
ReplyDeleteFashola, you are a saint at all
ReplyDeleteWhat you did in Lagos is worse than what GEJ did to Nigeria. All your works as Lagos State governor were later deleted from Lagos State official website because of the massive corruption that unintentionally displayed by your proud successor. Wayo people. You people (APC) talk as if you are talking to fools. Nigeria problems have been there before Jonathan and he tried to repair them but you guys would not let him
Fashola, you are a saint at all
ReplyDeleteWhat you did in Lagos is worse than what GEJ did to Nigeria. All your works as Lagos State governor were later deleted from Lagos State official website because of the massive corruption that unintentionally displayed by your proud successor. Wayo people. You people (APC) talk as if you are talking to fools. Nigeria problems have been there before Jonathan and he tried to repair them but you guys would not let him
NE stop being sensational in your news reports. There is nowhere in Mr. Fashola's write up that he mentioned Jonathan.
ReplyDeleteWhy will you say Nigeria's reputation damaged by Jonathan? Is it only Jonathan that has ruled this nation?
Pls be objective and put in context what Mr. Fashola wrote.
I think fashola is not making sense here cos how on earth can u just say mr jonathan damage the nation when de nation has been in a mess since 80's I remember then we ve been experiencing black out,poverty reigns what is the different now
ReplyDeleteGod will punish you Fashola and all of you useless liers...You idiots has messed up this country and kept blaming GEJ. Nigerians has never witness this kind of suffering before since the history of this country.Just within one year,you criminals has turned the country upside down.
ReplyDeleteFashola is a bloody fool. So Nigeria was not damaged before GEJ came in? APC Association of Progressive Criminals.
ReplyDeleteIf you think Nigerians have never witnessed such suffering before.,then I wonder how young you are...you should study your history books more
ReplyDeleteThis Fashola is a very useless man.Nigeria is in total darkness right now and you open that your dirty mouth to say that Jonathan destroyed Nigeria.Your Daura chief herdsman is in power now, so let him repair Nigeria then.
ReplyDeleteSatan punish u, punish the entire APC tugs...for always mentioning and apportioning blames on GEJ. Was ur country better b4 GEJ regime? Liers and dubious politicians.
ReplyDeleteThe history book said Nigeria once witnessed this kind of suffering during buari regime between 1983 to 1985. A similar suffering is happening again. Sai buari
ReplyDeleteFAshola, Don,t be disturbed by their rantings. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteWe thought Fashola is a superman; just an ordinary and bloody politician. NEPA has grown from bad to worse since you assumed office and you are there blaming JONATHAN. Idiot.
ReplyDeleteEnough of this blame culture. You Guys promised us change. We already know that the system was bad. Get down to work and stop blaming the past administration. Infact we know that Fashola, Saraki, Ameachi etc took Goodluck to court. Just because you Guys wanted the oil reserves money to be shared. And now today you Guys, come back and blame his administration. That no money was left in our reserve account. Infact since the APC came into power things have gone worst. Please you Guys should get down to work and stop the blaming culture.
ReplyDeleteBoth the present and the past leaders are guilty of this, they are birds of the same feathers, but they should stop pointing accuse fingers on Jonathan alone, some of our past leaders may even be worst than Jonthan administration if we are to open their anus.therefore, APC and his members should face their work as the economy is getting worst day-by-day, Nigerians are not interested in your blaming because is not blaming we are going to eat
ReplyDelete