Politics
THE Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) said President Bola Tinubu introduced 15 impactful initiatives in his first 18 months in office to show his readiness for the job.
Mr Emeka Nwankpa, Chairman of TMSG, and Mr Dapo Okubanjo, Secretary, in a statement released on Saturday in Abuja, said what the administration had done in its first few months showed that Tinubu came fully prepared with a plan.
“From our vantage position, we have been able to identify no fewer than 15 federal government initiatives introduced by the President Bola Tinubu administration in its first 18 months in office.
“Many of the initiatives are not by happenstance or ad hoc in nature and execution.
“They are mostly products of proper planning and were clearly spelt out in the President’s 80-page campaign document tagged ‘Renewed Hope 2023-Action plan for a better Nigeria,’ which contained multi-sectoral policy options.
“This is contrary to the position being canvassed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the public space,” the statement added.
TMSG said 18 months into President Tinubu’s four-year term in office, his administration had prioritised at least 15 initiatives, which were tied to national security, economy and education.
“One of the flagship initiatives of the Tinubu administration is the ground- breaking student loan scheme which was formally launched in July 2024 to improve access to higher education as well as reduce the financial burden of indigent students.
“We are pleased to note that barely three months after the Nigerian Education Loans Fund (NELFUND) portal was opened, 351,317 students registered with 258,943 applying for loans.
“At the last count, N84.2billion has been disbursed; N27.5billion went to the schools and N56.7 billion for student upkeep,” said the group.
It said NELFUND was on the verge of creating a job portal to link loan beneficiaries with employment opportunities to boost their capacity to pay back the loans two years after graduation.
“There is also the N100 billion Consumer Credit Scheme managed by the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CreditCorp), which within five days of its launch disbursed N3.5 biliion to 10,942 beneficiaries through participating financial institutions.
“Other initiatives introduced by the Tinubu administration are the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, which is gradually being embraced as a cheaper, safer and cleaner alternative,” said TMSG.
It added that the Tinubu administration also introduced the micro and small business loan schemes to grow local businesses.
In line with this, the group said the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy spearheaded the 3 million Technical Talent (3MTT) targeted at building a new generation of Nigerian experts in the digital space.
“Also ongoing on the watch of this administration is the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) project for which the federal government has recently committed 618 million dollars to strengthen Nigeria’s creative industry.
“And not to forget the infusion of skills into the curriculum of basic education from the next academic session.
“This is expected to expose pupils in the first nine years of schooling to an array of skills from which they can choose one and build capacity in while still focusing on their education,” the group stated.
According to TMSG, the President Tinubu administration has floated the National Youth Academy (NIYA), which has the goal of empowering and training seven million youths within the next two years and generating five million jobs within the next four years.
It added that the Tinubu government also introduced a N110 billion National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) scheme, a financial support initiative of the Ministry of Youth Development.
It explained that the scheme was designed to provide financial assistance through loans, grants, and equity investments, along with non-financial support like mentorship and business development services.
It said in addition to the above youth empowerment programmes, the Tinubu government also introduced an NDDC Internship Scheme for Niger Delta youths.
The group said all the initiatives were products of clear thinking, and that the initiatives had moved from the drawing board and were already being implemented with identifiable beneficiaries across the country. (NAN)
9th November, 2024.
C.E.
Tags:
