Thread by @jarmari01

OPENING REMARKS BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED,AT THE 19TH EDITION OF THE ''PMB ADMINISTRATION
SCORECARD SERIES (2015-2023)'' IN ABUJA ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 26TH 2023

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PROTOCOL

I welcome us all back to the PMB Administration Scorecard Series
(2015-2023). This is the 19th edition of the series that we launched in October last year to massively showcase the achievements of the Buhari Administration.

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2. As a quick reminder, we have hosted 18 Honourable Ministers so
far. They are the Ministers of:
i) - Works and Housing
ii) - Transportation
iii) - Aviation
iv) - Interior
v) - Agriculture and Rural Development
vi) - Finance, Budget and National Planning

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vii) - Water Resources
viii) - Environment
ix) - Mines and Steel Development
x) - Science, Technology and Innovation
xi) - Power
xii) - Niger Delta Affairs
xiii) - Women Affairs
xiv) - Sports and Youth Development
xv) - Police Affairs.

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xvi) - Minister of State, Petroleum Resources
xvii) - Health
xviii) - As well as Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

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3. Before I invite to the podium our Special Guest today - the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy - let me quickly comment on an event that transpired between our last Scorecard session and today.

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About two weeks ago, during his campaign stop in Kogi State, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP, said if voted into office, his government will resolve the problems facing the Ajaokuta Steel Company.

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4. This is a deceitful statement borne out of desperation for power. A little bit of background will show that the former Vice President was deceiving Nigerians when he made that promise.

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Ajaokuta was concessioned to Global Steel Industry in 2004 by the regime of then President Olusegun Obasanjo. Who was in charge of that Administration's privatization programme? Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

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That concession that turned out to be a mess was terminated by another PDP Administration.

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5. Following the failed concession, the concessionaire, Global Steel Industry, took Nigeria to court, asking for $7 billion, and that case lingered for 12 years until the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari stepped in and the company finally settled for $496 million.

Out of the amount, we made a bulk payment of $250 million and agreed to pay the balance in five instalments. To date, we have paid a total of $446 million out of the $496 million.

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We will make the last payment of $50 million next month and Ajaokuta will revert fully to us - ending the shameful and failed concession by the Administration in which Alhaji Atiku Abubakar served as the VP.

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6. Now, we are talking to investors who are ready to bring their money into Ajaokuta to make sure it works. The Honourable Minister of Mines and Steel Development, who was here last month, assured that before this Administration leaves office,

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...Ajaokuta will be
concessioned in what he called equitable terms.

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7. What I am saying in essence is that the problems facing Ajaokuta was the poorly-thought-out and poorly-executed concession by the regime in which Alhaji Atiku was Vice President, and a regime under which he presided over the failed privatization programme.

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If the former Vice President had any solution to the Ajaokuta challenge, and he didn't execute it in 2004, why should Nigerians trust him to do so in 2023, almost 20 years later? Apparently, the former VP is not even aware of the current status of Ajaokuta,

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the settlement reached with the concessionaire and the payments made. Without this information, how does he want to revive the steel company?

8. Nigerians should beware of snake oil salesmen, who engage in deceit just to swindle them.

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The solution to Ajaokuta does not lie in the hands of the same people who scuttled the development of the country's steel industry through a questionable concession. Nigerians beware! Don't allow yourselves to be conned twice!

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9. It is now my pleasure to invite the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy to make his presentation.

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