President Goodluck affirms commitment to infrastructural development, youth empowerment

SURE-P Reports

President Goodluck Jonathan has emphasized his government’s determination to impact positively on the infrastructural needs of the country as well as work to improve on meeting the needs of Nigerians in the healthcare, community service and youth empowerment initiatives, especially for the lower class.

He stated this during a stakeholder’s forum at the Banquet  Hall of the Presidential Villa, organized recently by the Subsidy, Re-Investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) to dialogue, strategise and trigger new ideas to better and quality service deliver to Nigerians.

The president, who was represented by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu said that SURE-P has indeed become an important component of the Transformation Agenda of Government. He also noted that the Federal Government’s component of SURE-P which translates to 41% of the subsidy savings has since February 2012 been impacting positively on the lives of Nigerians.

According to the President, Nigerians are once again enjoying the resuscitation of the rail transport system’s benefits to rural communities, traders and businesses with the intervention. Adding, it is also offering Nigerians cheaper and relatively safer means of transportation. He inferred that in due course, Government will be able to derive some savings from the funds usually implored for the repair of roads damaged by heavy haulage vehicles.

He further said that the Maternal Child Health (MCH) programme of SURE-P has reduced the country’s maternal and infant mortality rate and has now prepared the country to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Nigerian President disclosed that under the Community Services, Youth and Women Empowerment (CSWYE) and the Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) of SURE-P, over a hundred thousand (100,000) youths as well as women have been employed either in some  community activities or have enrolled in internship schemes.

Speaking earlier, the Acting Chairman of SURE-P, Martin Luther Agwai in his welcome address said that the forum aimed not only at bringing the different  partners   and agencies up to date on the activities, progress and achievement  of SURE-P; but also to dialogue, strategise and trigger  new ideas about how best to move forward.

The Acting chairman also indicated that it was an avenue to obtained feedback from critical stakeholders so as to assist the SURE-P committee to assess its mandate, review its operations and chart a way forward in the new year.

“In executing our mandate, we have recorded successes with job creation, ease of transportation for the masses, better roads, and access to vocational training, child births, effective family planning, better developed health facilities and functioning railways lines. We have to accelerate the pace so that we can provide the much needed platforms for the rapid transformation of our country,” he stated.

He also noted that the committee through various sub-committees has been successful in the implementation of assigned projects, while working closely with relevant ministries, department and agencies.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on SURE-P, Abdul Ningi disclosed that SURE-P was created to give immediate impact to people’s lives and charged civil servant not to exhibit their bureaucratic procedure. “When you bring too much bureaucracy into a system that is supposed to bring immediate impact, it slows down the process. We would be happier when the programme makes the desired impacts,” the Senator stressed.

Also, the Governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada in his speech said that the State’s SURE-P is focusing on youth employment and empowerment in Kogo State. He further inferred that the State branch of SURE-P has trained six thousand on different vocational programs which has enabled most of them to become entrepreneurs.

The governor disclosed that the SURE-P fund is used for rural roads, renovation of dilapidated schools and rural water supply. “The money gives us the confidence to plan because of the assurance of its bid, saying the initial challenge was that they were not sure of   the appropriate guidelines.Idris Wada called for a clear indication of the components which constitute the Monitoring and Evaluation process as well as demanded Abdul  Ningi to continue  with the appropriation of the SURE-P funds.

The Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko represented by the Commissioner for Employment, Ogundeji Iroju in his remarks said that the SURE-P funds have assisted them to create and generate employment for Ondo State youths. He further noted that this has help to reduce its population of social miscreants, making the state one of the most peaceful in the country.

The Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Edem Duke in his address emphasized   that Government should invest in culture and tourism for virile growth by the year 2020. Culture and tourism, he said is one of the greatest source of employment mob-up because its low entry barriers.

The Minister averred that in 2002, one World Bank Report indicated that the second likely destination for tourism growth is Nigeria and another report in 2012 also revealed that Nigerians are the fourth highest spender of money in the United Kingdom. “With SURE-P intervention, it is possible for us to create opportunities through retail destinations. SURE-P must give us the opportunity to convert the culture and tourism content into economic activities,” he stated.

The Permanent Secretaries in the Ministry of Transport, Finance, Works and Petroleum were present at the forum. Also present were the Director-General of the Budget Office, the Executive Secretary of the National Planning Commission and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammed Uwaise, who was he chairman of the occasion.