Why Buhari is the best Nigerian president since 1999 - Akpabio

 

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday, said that no administration in Nigeria since the return of democracy in 1999 has constructed more roads than President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime.

Akpabio made this claim at the 2022 Annual Public Lecture organised by the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Bwari chapter, in Abuja.

The administrations of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan preceded Buhari’s government.

The minister said that the current administration had achieved a revolution in the building of public infrastructure, noting that the Second Niger Bridge and rail lines that have been constructed and commissioned were legacy projects of the President.

He said, “The administration has been adjudged as having constructed more roads than any other administration since our return to democracy.

“The Second Niger Bridge which had long enjoyed more political rhetoric than action is now visually evidential with work progressing at an appreciable speed.

“I have no reservation in asserting that the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has made the NSE proud.”

Akpabio said as a governor for eight years, he engaged 17 indigenous construction companies and they did not disappoint.

“I foresee our engineers building our roads, building our rails, building and manning our power stations, building our automobiles and all other needs engineering can offer.

“I look forward to when we will have wholly-owned Nigerian construction firms in the likes of Julius Berger, CCECC, Setraco, and Mothercat among others in Nigeria,” he added.

In his remarks, Mr Tasiu Gidari-Wudil, the National President, NSE, said that the significance of the oil and gas sector could not be overemphasised as it served as a major part of the nation’s economy.

“I am looking forward to seeing when all cars in Nigeria run on gas, it is already happening and I challenge my fellow engineers to come up with more unique and economic designs in this regard,” he said.