Still basking in the glow of the recent debt relief granted Nigeria by the Paris Club, President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday said that Nigeria has now joined the league of credit-worthy nations.
The President also added that apart from the debt relief, removing “the burden of debt on Nigerians today and in the future”, it would also enable the private sector to “create more jobs, make the economy to grow and ensure economic stability”.
President Obasanjo who made this know when a delegation of the Organised Private Sector and captains of industry in the country came to congratulate him over the recent debt relief at the State House, Abuja, also challenged the captains of industry to “look outside the huge Nigerian market of 150 million because we must not be an oasis in the midst of a desert”.
While expressing appreciation to the organised private sector, he noted that “the regular advice you have given me individually, collectively, formally and informally from your experiences on the field has helped us in shaping policies”.
The President described the visit as unique, “because previous contacts have been for dialogue, requests, complaints or demands, while this one is to celebrate an achievement”.
Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries, Chief Festus Odimegwu attributed the President’s success to his “rare and yet unparalleled capacity for hard work and focused commitment to do all that is noble and good for Nigeria”.
Odimegwu listed some of President Obasanjo’s achievements to include the “restoration of confidence in the nation’s leadership, re-injection of the culture of discipline, rebuilding of haemorrhaging national institutions, reforms, commitment to stamp out corruption and the major transformation of Nigeria from a pariah state”.
He also added that the private sector had come to express apreciation for President Obasanjo’s efforts which led to debt forgiveness for the country.
President Obasanjo has expressed regrets that the civil service in Nigeria is still far from reaching the desired standard.
He noted that “inspite of regular training programmes offered in various institutions, I regret to note that the Civil Service is still a long way from reflecting the level of our determination to change for the better”
In his address yesterday at the foundation-laying ceremony of the Civil Service College, the President, while giving reasons for the setting up of the college, said that “in fact, the service has simply refused to be energised away from old and bad methods and procedures. Access to new ideas, information, technology and methods of administrative action has been weak or poor”.
He therefore advised the entire public service to take up the challenge and rededicate and refocus itself, adding that he expects “that the civil service as the driving force of Government service delivery, must be seen to be efficient, effective and credible in order to maintain its prime positon both as an agent of Government and trustees of the people who are beneficiaries of the services that Government provides”.
He also noted that “we all know that when people talk of inefficeincy in the system that normally refers to the civil servants who are responsible for moving files that are vehicles for the implementation of government policies. When people talk of corruption in government, politicains as policy makers may be the first line of attack. But politicians come and go. So civil servants who tend to be there for all seasons not only get their share of the blame but we also know that they are active participants.
“It is in regognition of this malady that we put in place regular training programmes to help members of the civil service refresh their administrative skills, ethics and professionalism”, he added.
President Obasanjo also noted that “the establishment of the college is therfore one of the answers to the identified inherent capacity deficiencies of the Nigerian Civil service. Let me therefore reiterate the commitment of Government towards the completion of the College to facilitate its take off as soon as possible”.
Meanwhile, he has congratulated all Sudanese on the return of peace to their country.
He said that ending the over three-decades old civil war in the Sudan, signing a comprehensive peace agreement and the installation of a transitional government on Khartoum were achievements that were worth celebrating and ensuring that they never fail.
Speaking when he received the out-going Ambassador of Sudan, Nr. Abdul Rahim Khalil, at the State House, President Obasanjo said that he was “delighted at the achievemnt of peace and hope that it will contribute to ensuring peace in Darfur and East Sudan”.
The President who recalled his personal interest in the affairs in the Sudan when he was in and out of Government, also stressed that the unfolding developments would be carefully watched “until peace completely returns to the whole of Sudan”.
While wishing the out-going Ambassador well, he also urged him to continue to promote relations between Nigeria and the Sudan.
Speaking earlier, Khalil noted that the increase in the number of peace keepers from the African Union, AU, has led tremendously to improvement in the humanitarian situation in Darfur, Sudan.
He noted the improved bilateral relations between Sudan and Nigeria, especially in the areas of sugar and gum arabic production and people-to-people relations also commended President Obasanjo’s commitment to ensuring peace and stability in Darfur in particular and Sudan in general.
