By Oyero Abiodun Yakub
The President of Nigeria, Muhammad Buhari marks his 80th year on earth today and over 7 years of peddling the affairs of the nation.
In terms of criticism, he scores well and is the most criticized democratic President compared with his predecessors.
Beyond the criticism and backlash suffered at the hands of Nigerians, both on social media and in real life, the Buhari-led administration has some achievements worthy of mention to his credit.
Below are 5 of his major achievements since he resumed office in 2015:
1. Infrastructure
The construction of infrastructure is a sector the Buhari-led administration prioritized. The Infrastructure Corporation of Nigeria (InfraCorp) was established in February 2021. The body was tasked to catalyze and accelerate investment into Nigeria’s infrastructure sector.
Buhari completed and commissioned 156km Lagos-Ibadan Standard Guage Rail line, 186km Abuja-Kaduna Standard Guage Rail line, and 327km Itakpe-Warri Standard Guage Rail line, amongst other rail lines. The roads, air, and sea ports also got a feel of Buhari’s positive touch, including the completion of new terminals for International Airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt.
2. Housing
Buhari’s administration has completed housing projects in 34 states in Nigeria, under the National Housing Programme. With the State government providing the land, more than 5,000 houses are at various stages of completion, and thousands more are planned.
3. Education
Since assuming office, the administration has committed more than #2 trillion of capital intervention to Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. He launched the Alternate School Programme (ASP) to ensure every out-of-school child in Nigeria gains access to quality basic education. Also, the establishment of At-Risk-Children Project (ARC-P) to cater to children lacking basic education and social protection. The number of out-of-school children was reduced by over 3 million.
4. Health
Buhari began the inclusion of the 1% minimum portion of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF). He also approved a grant of #5 billion for NCDC in March 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic.
His administration invested $10 million to establish a world-class Cancer Treatment Center at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and $5 million each in Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital and Federal Medical Center, Umuahia, for the establishment of a modern Diagnostic Center.
5. Youth
The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development under Buhari’s tenure established the DEEL Initiative which trained over 250,000 young Nigerians, creating empowerment opportunities for them.
Buhari also approved the sum of #75 billion for the National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) to provide business loans ranging from #250,000 to #3 million for young innovative Nigerians.
Lastly, he increased the monthly allowance of Corps members under NYSC from #19,800 to #33,000.
