Notable things The Federal Government Got Right in 2021

2021 will be the sixth year of President Buhari’s administration, and reportedly one of the best years since the president began his administration in 2015. The year saw development in every part and sector of the countries so without much talk here is a list of all the notable things the federal Government got right in  2021.

Power and Electricity.

1.  In April 2021, the federal government launched solar power Naija to deliver 5 million off-grid solar connections to Nigerian households. The program is expected to generate an additional N7 billion increase in tax revenues per annum and $10 million in annual import substitution.  In May 2021, the Rural Electrification Agency announced the planned deployment of solar-powered grids to 200 Primary Health Centres (PHC) and 104 Unity Schools nationwide.

2. In February 2021 the federal government signed the contract for the pre-engineering phase of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), A Government-to-Government initiative involving the Governments of Nigeria and Germany, and Siemens AG of Germany, to upgrade and modernize Nigeria’s electricity grid.

Infrastructure

3. In The early months of 2021, the federal government gave their approval for new private-sector funded deep seaports: Lekki Deep Sea Port Bonny Deep Sea Port Ibom Deep Sea Port; and Warri Deep Sea Port.

4. In march 2021, the president alongside his administration was awarded the 2021 Great Builder Super Prize, the Babacar Ndiaye Trophy, during the inaugural Africa Road Builders Conference held in Cairo for his personal leadership and for the efforts made to ensure road safety and the health of the population in the context of transport.

Oil and Gas

5. The Federal government alongside Morroco signed an agreement to develop a US$1.4 billion multipurpose industrial platform (Ammonia and Di-Ammonium Phosphate production plants) that will utilize Nigerian gas and Moroccan phosphate to produce 750,000 tons of ammonia and 1 million tons of phosphate fertilizers annually by 2025. It will be located in Ikot-Abasi, Akwa-Ibom State.

6. In April 2021 The Federal government commenced the Comprehensive Rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery (PHRC).

Agriculture

7. The Federal Government partnered with the  African Development Bank to commence the Special-Agro Industrial Processing Zones Programme in Ogun, Oyo, Imo, Cross River, Kano, Kaduna and Kwara.  Through the programme, agro-processing centres were established across the country. The agro-processing centres were provided with basic infrastructure such as water, electricity and roads as well as facilities for skills training.

Poverty alleviation

8. The Federal Government also approved the establishment of the Nigeria Investment and Growth Fund (NIG-Fund), in 2021.

Education

9. In January 2021, the federal government introduce a new special teachers salary scale and a new teachers pension scheme. The Federal Government also extended the retirement age to 65 and length of service to 40 years for Teachers in Public Basic and Secondary Schools in Nigeria

10. With the help of the World Bank-supported Innovation Development & Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS). The Federal Government invested $200m  in Federal Science and Technical Colleges nationwide to enable millions of Nigerian youths the opportunity to acquire hands-on skills to effectively contribute to national development.

11. Under the phased implementation of the National Youth Policy, Five Federal Science and Technical Colleges (FSTC)  was established in Bauchi, Plateau, Sokoto, Enugu and Cross River States.

Security

12. In July 2021 the Federal Government acquired  12  twelve Super Tucano from the United States Government for the Nigerian Airforce.

Corruption

13. The Federal Government also recovered GBP 4.2 million in the United Kingdom, The loot embezzled by the Ibori Family.

International Appointments

14. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, A former Nigerian minister of finance was appointed the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) (first African and first woman to hold the position).

15. Bankole Adeoye, A Nigerian man was also appointed as a commissioner in the African Union Commission’s Department for Political Affairs & Peace and Security.