President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday in Abuja that 266 ecological projects have been finished nationwide over the last seven years (2015–2022).
The President said 332 ecological projects were approved during the period under review; 266 of those projects were completed, and the remaining 66 are in various stages of completion. He was speaking at the introduction of a compilation of ecological projects carried out by this administration.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Management Team of the Ecological Project Office (EPO) were commended by the President, who launched the publication before the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting got underway, for their wise use of the resources at their disposal for the successful implementation of approved projects as well as for taking the initiative for the publication.
The President ordered Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that haven’t yet done so to share their performance and accomplishments with the public in order to maximise the benefits accruable to government from the EPO’s admirable efforts and the effective communication of these efforts through the publication.
‘‘The enormity of Nigeria’s ecological problems and inherited infrastructural deficit in general, has the tendency, like the proverbial drop in the ocean, to always drown our achievements in addressing ecological challenges and infrastructural deficit at large.
‘‘It is against this background that publications like the one being launched today, become very important and a useful tool in correcting the negative public perception, that government has not done anything in addressing these challenges.
‘‘The documentation and publication of these achievements in our modest effort to tackle ecological problems is therefore predicated on our quest to improve communication in governance, as a tool for keeping citizens well-informed and helping them to hold government accountable.
‘‘This is the most significant implication of the Ecological Project Office’s initiative in publishing this compendium.’’
The President noted that by describing the precise locations of ecological projects, providing visual evidence, and documenting the projects’ transfer to the beneficiaries, the Compendium—which is intended for Nigerians to read for leisure and knowledge—would close the information and communication gap between Nigerians and the real-time performance of this Administration.
In order to solve the ecological issues in their regions, President Buhari advised States and Local Governments to prudently spend their part of the ecological budget, exclusively for ecological initiatives.
Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), informed the President that the 554-page publication, which was overseen by Dr. Habiba Lawal, the Permanent Secretary, EPO, aims to keep the general public informed of the administration’s efforts to address confirmed ecological problems in “all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.”
He thanked the President for supporting the accountability culture and for allowing the name change of the Ecological Fund Office to EPO so that the public wouldn’t misinterpret its mandate.
‘‘The Office was established through the Federation Account Act in 1981, primarily to carry out intervention projects nationwide with the Federal Government share of the ecological funds, to address critical ecological problems to supplement States and Local Government shares of the fund.’’
Regarding the Federal Government’s portion of the Ecological Fund, the SGF indicated that the most recent Ecological and Derivation Fund (EDF) sharing formula as adjusted allots 1% to the Federal Government, 0.72% to the States, and 0.60 % to Local Governments.
According to him, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) receives 20% of the Federal Government’s monthly share, followed by the National Agency for Great Green (NAGGW) Wall, 5%, the North East Development Commission (NEDC), 10%, and the National Agricultural Development Agency (NALDA), 10%.