With the growing outcry over the attacks and gruesome killings carried out by herdsmen in several parts of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that the rising attacks on communities would soon be brought under control by security forces deployed in vulnerable areas across the country.
Receiving board of directors of Nigerian Economic Summit Group in the State House, Abuja Monday, the president expressed concern that the unfortunate attacks had brought sorrow and hardship to many Nigerians, with the government also affected.
The president’s media aide, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement, said the president promised that the federal government would soon end the incessant attacks on communities by herdsmen to pave way for good environment for businesses to thrive.
The president also stated that he remained resolute and focused on his commitment to deliver his three-pronged campaign promises to secure lives and property of Nigerians, revamp the economy and fight corruption.
Buhari highlighted the recovering economy, dwindling inflation rate, growing foreign reserves, and improved ranking on the World Bank’s ease of doing business index, as signs of progress so far.
The statement quoted the president as saying: “If you look critically into the 2018 budget, we have already taken into account key issues of more stable electricity supply, the construction of roads and rails, and airport concessions,” as pointers to measures to be taken by the government to sustain economic gains.
Adesina also said Buhari promised his visitors that the government would further accelerate and increase the momentum in agriculture, power and gas projects, manufacturing and processing, and commended the Chinese government for its support in improving infrastructure in Nigeria.
“We send our gratitude to the Chinese for all their support to Nigeria. Since independence, no country has helped our country in infrastructure development like the Chinese.
“In some projects, the Chinese have committed to funding the projects by as much as with 85 per cent through soft loans that span 20 years. No country has done that for us,” he said.
In his remarks, chairman of NESG Board of Directors, Mr Kyari Abba Bukar, according to the statement, commended the government for its “pragmatic approach” in engaging citizens of the Niger Delta region, which has translated in the steady rise in oil production.
“Your Excellency, we salute your courage in providing support to the states that have had fiscal challenges. We recognise that without the intervention of the presidency, many state governments would have been unable to pay salaries last year,” Bukar was quoted as saying.
It also said Bukar observed that the economic outlook remained positive, projecting a 3.5 per cent gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate and urged the president to pay more attention to the menace of herdsmen attacks, which he cautioned could reverse the gains recorded in the agricultural sector.
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