President Yar'Adua's Achievement to Date
We Nigerians are an impatient lot, impatient
in all aspects of our lives; look at the way we
drive on the roads, look at the way we talk
and walk, look at our pecuniary ways, they
way we behave generally, all very impatient,
all very edgy, wanting results there and now.
And because of this our impatient attitude, we
have all failed to recognise and applaud
President Yar'Adua's achievement to date.
Let us all go down memory lane the way
President Yar'Adua emerged as president: He
was not interested in the office first and
foremost unlike other candidates such as Dr
Peter Odili and General Ibrahim Babangida. He
never prepared for the position like President
Obama. His political party, PDP was equally
not prepared for the office, for it has no
manifesto. He had the post thrust onto him by
serendipity, poor soul. He had to start
somewhere. So barely two month's in office,
on August 1st 2007, President Yar'Adua came
up with a policy, tagged the "7-Point Agenda"
as the main thrust of his stewardship.
According to his government (http://
www.nigeria.gov.ng/7point.html): "The 7-Point
agenda constitutes the most important
framework for policy implementation in
Nigeria. The success of President Umaru Musa
Yar'Adua's administration will be judged by the
government's achievements in these seven key
areas….."
The key areas of the 7-Point Agenda are
summarized below:
Energy : We need to solve the problem of
power and energy – National Council on
Energy to drive the energy policy and advice
on power, energy and gas… energy emergency
to be declared.
Security : Treating security as a critical
Infrastructure.
Wealth Creation: 70% of all revenue comes
from oil; need to keep this focused and
extended to other areas.
Education : Need to address the various
problems in the education sector.
Land Reform : To provide proper ownership
and give a chance to take the land to capital
market.
Mass Transit : To develop capacity for mass
movement of goods and people.
Niger Delta: To implement the master plan
already developed.