The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has urged Nigerians not to be hasty in passing judgment of non-performance on the government of Muhammadu Buhari.
He made the remark when he fielded questions from journalists at the premises of Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria-Island in Lagos.
He revealed that prior to the 2015 general elections, the All Progressive Congress (APC)candidates were not aware of the collateral damage the ousted government wrecked on the social-economic physic of the nation, stressing that on the strength of the information available to it, APC candidates made their electoral promises during the campaign.
“We never knew the extent of collateral damage the Goodluck administration dealt on the economy of the nation, while the campaign promises were made, however you will agree with me that it will take a careful and prudent management to revert what has been destroyed this past sixteen years after all, we are barely eight months in office.
“What we crave of Nigerians is to be patient with us as there are silver linings in the horizon” he noted.
Earlier during an interactive session with Ports Concessionaires, which held under the auspices of the Shippers Council of Nigeria and the Nigeria Ports Authority, Amaechi noted that the gathering was to afford him the opportunity to cross-check information at his disposal and that if at the end of the day, those information turns out not to be what he has heard, then he will be compelled to rescind on some of the decisions he had already planned to executive with immediate effect.
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Above all, he revealed that the federal government and by extension, the Ministry of Transportation, under his watch, is not too pleased with the running of the ports even after it has been concessioned.
He expressed worry at the way the funds that are accruing to the government is reportedly been spent for projects which are not visible to authentic the veracity of such spending.
“Almost ten years after NPA surrendered its cargo handling functions to private terminal operators, there seems not to be any remarkable difference even though it is a known fact that the maritime sector generates a lot of money every year without a corresponding contribution to the budget, there is therefore an urgent need for improvement of the nation’s seaport”, he stressed.
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On the controversy that seems to exist between stakeholders in the maritime sector over the berthing of oil and gas vessels at government ports before finally berthing at their private jetties, the Minister noted that government will respect the concession agreement, even as he expressed worry at the winners take it all attitude of the various stakeholders.
He noted that most of them are only interested in what they stand to get and not how to move the industry forward, just as he revealed that the federal government has concluded arrangement to conduct performance audit of all agencies in the maritime sector with the view to ascertain how much they are generating, as well as what they contribute to the budget.
