Buhari Cautions Against Frivolous Travel Advisory, Says INEC Ready For 2023 Polls

Buhari Cautions Against Frivolous Travel Advisory, Says INEC Ready For 2023 Polls

President Buhari has warned Western countries against issuing frivolous travel advisories on Nigeria, urging the international media to be more objective in its coverage of the country.

The President issued the warning on Friday in Washington, DC, during an interactive session co-hosted by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the International Republican Institute, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.

He told the international community that, despite the casual actions and attitudes of some of its friends and allies, Nigeria is winning the war on terrorism, making significant progress in dealing with threats to the safety and survival of Nigeria and the sub-regions.

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According to Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, President Buhari also urged the US to do more to improve the quality of governance in the West African sub-region, warning that the survival of democracy is under threat in the aftermath of democratic setbacks in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.

According to the President, Nigeria’s agricultural revolution has resulted in the creation of more than 13 million direct and indirect jobs over the last seven and a half years.

Furthermore, he stated that despite the global economic downturn and the conflict in Ukraine, Nigeria’s economy has grown in the last two quarters.

Expounding on steps taken by his administration to expand Nigeria’s economy since taking office in 2015, the President stated that targeted interventions in agriculture, led by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), transformed the country from a net importer of rice, Nigeria’s staple food, to self-sufficiency in production.

“This same scheme has financed the establishment and operations of our fifty (50) integrated rice mills. It has also financed over 4.5 million smallholder farmers, ensured the cultivation of almost 6 million hectares of farmland and almost 700 large-scale agricultural projects have been funded.

“This Agricultural revolution has led to the creation of over 13m direct and indirect jobs,”  he said.

President Buhari also told the Washington D.C. Community of global thought leaders and Democracy Advocacy Groups that focusing on the agricultural sector had put Nigeria in a better position to deal with the systemic shock caused by COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war on global food supply chains, as well as the attendant price spikes.

He went on to say that the sector revolution has improved the country’s capacity in the agro-allied sector, making it more efficient in enhancing and maximizing production yields and post-harvest losses.

The President said: “The non-oil sector remains the future of our economy and I hope successive governments will consolidate on the gains we have recorded under my leadership.

“You will agree with me that the Russia-Ukraine war has compelled many economies to carry out reforms and re-adjust policies to cope with the challenges posed by the conflict.

“In this regard, we are paying more attention now to energy transmission and distribution through targeted collaboration with global companies like Siemens to improve our efficiency in the Power Value Chain.”

President Buhari also used the occasion to remind Western nations not to rush to phase out the use of fossil fuels in order to ensure a healthy climate.

He recalled that, as a member of the global community, Nigeria had participated in several rounds of climate change talks, as well as various decisions resulting from COP26 and the recently concluded COP27.

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 “But as I stated in my Washington Post article, there can’t be double standards, wherein Western nations use their influence and weight to turn the taps off global financing for fossil fuel transactions, which are much needed by developing nations, yet when they feel the pinch they are quick to turn on their coal-powered plants.

“We owe it to our people to create jobs and livelihoods and we can’t accomplish this without maximizing our comparative advantage in energy to build up our manufacturing and industrial base.

“Therefore, stronger commitment needs to be made to the fund for climate adaptation and mitigation, if indeed there is intent to establish equity and fairness,” he said.

On the economy’s positive growth, President Buhari explained that government spending on infrastructure has also been a critical component of the overall strategy in ensuring the economy recovers.

“Our infrastructure deficit is widely known and with the volatility in capital markets, we devised creative ways of funding this infrastructure gap to build roads and thus, improving connectivity between markets and facilitating trade.

“We devised investment tax credit schemes and the use of Sukuk bonds, to reconstruct, develop and rehabilitate over 20,000km of roads. Additionally, we have revitalized our once comatose rail and roads such that trains are now up and running along critical corridors in different parts of the country.

“Our efforts on corruption continue to pay off as the relevant agencies continue to make impressive recoveries as well as secure Court convictions of those sabotaging Nigeria’s efforts for sustained development and growth.

“The major cash recoveries will be deployed in a transparent way towards funding these infrastructure gaps,” he added.

Unlike what was possible when he took office in 2015, the President stated that no Local Government Area (LGA) in Nigeria is under the control of Boko Haram terrorists.

The President, on the other hand, acknowledged that the events in Libya, Central Africa Republic, The Sahel, and Ukraine have had a negative impact on Nigeria and the West African region.

“Our region is awash with small and light weapons that continue to seamlessly circulate as well as cope with the influx of foreign fighters,” he said, adding that Nigeria and other regional bodies in Africa and the rest of the world are working assiduously to deal with these existential threats to the very existence of humanity.

President Buhari praised the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Multi-national Joint Task Force, which included Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Benin Republic, and Nigeria, for displaying great bravery in the fight against terrorism while paying the ultimate price for collective freedom.

“Despite the difficult times we face, we continue to spend very scarce and lean resources to ensure that we have a well-resourced military force to take on this task.

“Ideally, these are resources that could be spent on Education or Healthcare or other social services, but without peace, we have learnt the hard way that our children cannot go to school or seek good healthcare.

“We are nonetheless, winning the war and making significant progress in dealing with the threats to Nigeria’s and the sub-regions’ safety and survival.

“This steady progress is in spite of the negative reportage in international media as well as the nonchalant actions and attitudes of some of our friends and allies to sufficiently appreciate our efforts in the fight against terrorism.

“Rather than focus on negativity, which is what Travel Advisories have become, Nigeria, the sub-regions of Africa and the rest of the world, can work more concertedly together to combat terrorism and prevent violent extremism, both of which are challenges to global peace and stability and not just Nigeria and Africa alone.

“Notwithstanding these attitudinal deficits from some friends and allies, Nigeria remains open to working with the International Community and other development partners, to enhance global security and stability.”

Making a strong case that a secured and stable Nigeria is indispensable for the overall peace and prosperity of not only the country but Africa, with huge implications for global peace and stability, the President underscored the need for strategic partnership with the USA to fight common challenges, such as terrorism, climate change and entrenching democracy in Africa, together.

The President disclosed that Nigeria is on the verge of commissioning her New Counter Terrorism Centre that would serve as a hub for counter-terrorism coordination and research in West Africa.

“Our efforts are driven by our Terrorism Prevention Act 2022, the National Counter Terrorism Strategy as well as the Policy Framework and National Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE),” he said.

On the 2023 elections, President Buhari reiterated his avowed determination to ensure the conduct of free, fair and transparent national elections, whose outcome would be largely accepted by the contestants.

“Since 2015, the conduct of our elections continues to steadily improve. From the 2019 general elections, the by-elections and the off-season elections in Edo, Ekiti, Anambra and Osun States were conducted in largely improved contexts to the satisfaction of contestants and voters.

“That is what we hope for in 2023. Through the observatory roles of the International Community, the credibility of the elections can be further enhanced to make the acceptability of the outcome to the contestants and political parties a non-issue.’’

On democracy in West Africa, President Buhari said Nigeria would ‘‘aggressively work together to improve the quality of governance in the West African sub-region, where the survival of democracy, is currently challenged.”

He noted that this can be done through targeted investments that can enhance dividends of democracy and the creation of robust means of livelihood for the people as well as promote accountability and transparency by the political class.

“I call on all of you here present, to continue to partner with us and our electoral body, for the needed collaborative efforts, which are critical to deepening and stabilizing democracy in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

“The recent reversals witnessed in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea are most unfortunate indeed and ECOWAS continues to effectively remain engaged with these countries in order to restore democracy to all the Member-States of ECOWAS as indeed the entire African Continent.”

President Buhari thanked Ambassador Johnnie Carson, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and his team, for inviting him back to the Institute after the last visit in 2015.

Recounting his outing in 2015, shortly after he assumed Office, wherein he spoke extensively on the vision and the focus of his administration in the three critical areas of security, economy and fighting corruption, President Buhari said:  “I am, therefore, exceptionally pleased today, that this stage, which served as my opening act has once more presented itself as the curtains are almost being drawn, for the opportunity to share experiences and discuss the last seven and half years.

‘‘When I met you in 2015, I was not unaware of the enormous domestic and international goodwill that I attracted. Although I am a converted democrat, and not your run-of-the-mill politician and therefore, less inclined to engage in double-talks.

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“My Advisers may not be happy with me in this regard. I am, however, measured in speaking but always certain that the truth I shall speak and this has huge consequences in a political space wherein this is an exception rather than the norm.”

In response to a question about INEC’s readiness to conduct the 2023 elections, President Buhari stated, “I made sure they were given all the resources they requested because I don’t want any excuses that they were denied funds by the government.”