FG Discloses The Approval of N750bn for Jonathan’s ‘Ghost’ Projects

President Muhammadu Bu­hari has approved the re­lease of about N750 billion for the take-off of various infra­structural projects awarded by the administration of former Pres­ident Goodluck Jonathan without cash backing.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Pub­licity, Malam Garba Shehu, who disclosed this on Wednesday, said the current administration would speed up the execution of the pro­jects and invest heavily in the con­struction and repair of highways, railways and power-generating plants across the country.

In an interview on “Express Radio”, Kano, Shehu said that the Buhari administration had cho­sen to fast-track projects related to infrastructure in order to pump money into the economy as a way of pulling the economy out of re­cession.
He said an unprecedent­ed amount of N750 billion has therefore been released for capi­tal projects in the last five months and that counterpart funds for the take-off of the $11 billion Kano-Lagos rail project had been paid.
According to him, a number of projects existing on paper are now being activated, and cited the Kano-Katsina dual road project as an example of what he called “de­ceitful and ghost projects now be­ing given life” by Buhari.
In his words, “Kano-Katsina dual highway was awarded three years ago by the last administra­tion. They didn’t pay a kobo for its start-up. President Buhari just paid money for the first tranche of 75 kilometres and work has be­gun apace.”
Shehu said infrastructure was important for Nigeria’s economic and industrial take-off, noting that “without infrastructure, the coun­try will not witness growth”.
On the resurgence of mili­tancy and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta, the presidential spokesman appealed to militants to maintain peace in the region as the President seeks a permanent solution to the problems which are equally worrisome to every citizen.
“We must keep national inter­est above all else and give priori­ty to eschewing violence and de­struction,” he urged.
He however, expressed regrets that the militant groups have not reciprocated the government’s and other Niger Delta stakehold­ers’ good gesture in finding peace­ful and lasting solution to the crisis in the oil producing areas of Nige­ria through dialogue.
According to Shehu, “despite the government’s practical dem­onstration of goodwill by bringing the parties or stakeholders to the round table, the militant groups have continued to blow up na­tional economic assets.”
He stressed that the contin­ued destruction of oil installa­tions, including those repaired, had thrown a spanner in the works, causing enormous hard­ships on innocent Nigerians on account of declining oil produc­tion output and massive losses of revenues.
These have in turn, badly af­fected the ability of governments at all tiers to meet their basic obli­gations, including payment of sal­aries.
He therefore appealed to Ni­ger Delta leaders at all levels to exert every influence they have to stop the violence and econom­ic sabotage to enable normalcy return to the region as violence brings no benefits to anybody.