… Scorecard has countered choreographed pushback by opposition – Lai Mohammed
…Unveils 5 variants of scorecard
By Emmanuel Elebeke

Our Scorecard has countered choreographed pushback by opposition President Muhammadu Buhari says the achievements so far recorded by his administration in the last eight years has reversed the developmental tides against it, in the face of fierce criticism and great sacrifices.

The President stated this at the presentation of PMB achievements tagged: “Preserving PMB Legacy” on Wednesday at the banquest Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

President Buhari who was represented by his Vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo said the administration had pursued the realization of its promises for better security, laying a foundation for prosperity, and creating a fresh burst of hope for the future of the country despite tough challenges.

The event comprised the launch of five variants of the PMB scorcard as part of the ongoing PMB Scorecard presentation series that started in October 2022.

According to the President, the accomplishments were the hard-won dividends of the social contract he entered into with the Nigerian people when he came into office in 2015, insisting that the administration has given as much as it could.

‘‘The whole exercise is important for various reasons. First, it is a historical record, and a fairly reliable one because it is a nearly contemporaneous record of what transpired in that eight year period.

Second, the records being kept in many different forms help to reinforce their accuracy and authenticity.

Third, this detailed record, even though some will argue is the biased view of active participants in the matters being recorded, will nevertheless provide very useful source materials for researchers and historians in the future whether they are for or against our administration.

‘‘ by undertaking with great diligence and commitment this incredibly difficult task of record keeping, the Minister and his colleagues in this effort have provided a body of systematically structured facts in writing , photographs and film footage on the most recent eight years of almost a quarter of a century of democracy in Nigeria. The Scorecard series is more than a self report card it is also, a programmatic agenda that has provided a platform for Ministers to highlight their challenges, and unfolding plans for their respective ministries.

‘‘But some aspects of this record keeping exercise standout , for their sheer poignancy -The 19-minute teaser of the documentary series and the testimonial series we just saw are just some of such star features. Through the testimonials of actual beneficiaries we are able to practically present the largest social investment programme in Africa and also gauge the impact of the programme and some accompanying policies over the years.

‘‘ Hearing from citizens themselves; the petty trader who was able to expand her business because of TraderMoni; the unemployed graduate who benefitting from the N-Power programme discovers a new and profitable path; in addition we see and hear recorded for history, the passengers who could not hide their excitement at the seamless operation of the modern railway system or the state-of-the-art airport terminals; and the President of the rice farmers association who told us how rice production in the country has increased exponentially under the Anchor Borrowers Programme.

‘‘These are real people provided with a springboard to do more for themselves and for their communities; real people inspired to hope and believe that Nigeria can be positively transformed in our lifetime. But aside from the ultimate usefulness of this work as an anthology of the life and times of the Buhari administration , it is also a fascinating and riveting account of unfolding facts and stories of some of the most intriguing events in contemporary Nigeria and I think these accounts must be given the widest possible reach across traditional and new media channels; let the Documentary and Testimony Series resound on radio, television, and across social media; let the Compendium be circulated, in hard and soft copies, far and wide, to engage, provoke and maybe even inspire Nigerians and others who may come across it.

‘‘Government, as we know, is a continuum. It is the desire of every elected government that the unfinished business of its administration finds continuity and fulfillment in subsequent governments.

Our administration considers it a privilege and an honour to serve the people of our great nation as we have done in the last 8 years.

‘’These accomplishments are the hard-won dividends of the social contract we entered into with the Nigerian people when we came into office in 2015. Still, time and history will no doubt speak more eloquently of our stewardship. But for now we can confidently say that we have given of as much as we could. Life, for the living, also offers a continuum, such that even when we are no longer in office, we can and must continue to pursue the fulfilment of our country’s great promise and potential wherever we find ourselves’’, he asserted.

Earlier in his remarks, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed said the Scorecard Series provided a counter to the choreographed pushback by the opposition and the naysayers, who contend – because of ‘bad belle’ – that the Buhari Administration has achieved nothing.

He said the ministry introduced the Scorecard Series to consolidate all that Buhari administration has been doing since 2015 to propagate the policies and programmes of the administration.

“We have, over these past years, highlighted these policies and programmes via the 22 Town Hall Meetings we have held across Nigeria, Press Conferences, Radio and TV Documentaries,

Media Appearances and the first edition of the Testimony Series, among others. But as the Administration winds down, we believe it’s very important to consolidate our efforts at showcasing our achievements.

“The Scorecard Series provided a counter to the choreographed pushback by the opposition and the naysayers, who contend – because of ‘bad belle’ – that the Buhari Administration has achieved nothing.

” It also provided campaign materials for our party and its candidates in the run-up to the 2023 General elections. Recall that the singsong of the opposition was that this Administration has nothing to campaign

with.

“We have now shown that not only do we have a lot to campaign with, we are spoilt for choice! We also went beyond the moment by creating the Legacy Portal which, as I said earlier, is an electronic storehouse of the achievements. This is unprecedented in the history of our country,” he said.

Highlight of the event was the unveiling of the five variants of PMB Scorecard series (2015-2023): Scorecard Presentation; Documentary; Testimony Series; Compendium of the Administration’s achievements and Legacy Portal, www.pmbscorecard.gov.ng, the electronic repository of all the achievement.