The Federal Government yesterday said with the several initiatives embarked upon by the present administration, the country’s economy will soon be on track.

This is even as the government assured the nation that more than eight million Nigerians will benefit directly, and millions more indirectly, from its social intervention fund.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave this assurance in Abuja at the meeting between a group of ministers and members of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), when they jointly addressed the state of the nation.

Among the ministers, who was at the roundtable with the Minister of Information and Culture, were the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, FCT Minister, Mallam Mohammed Bello, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechuwkwu Enalameh and Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige. Mohammed said the Muhammadu Buhari administration is aware that it was not elected to make excuses, but to put the nation back on a sound economic footing, ensure the security of lives and property and banish corruption.

According to him, this meeting is coming ahead of Sunday’s first year anniversary of the administration.

He said: Many Nigerians have been asking, to what extent has this administration fulfilled its electoral promises? My answer is simple, we are on track! Recall that we campaigned on three major issues: Tackling insecurity, fighting corruption and revamping the economy.

“Any dispassionate observer of the activities of government in the past one year will admit that the administration has made great strides towards fulfilling its promises.

“Let me assure Nigerians that the change we promised is real, despite the tough situation we are in at the moment. It is real, because there is no shortage of political will, commitment, discipline and prudence on the part of government, under the dedicated and visionary leadership of President Buhari.

“Through our massive social intervention programme this year alone, we are catering for the weak among us through the conditional transfer of N5, 000 to the vulnerable, we are creating jobs as we move to employ 500, 000 graduates and 100, 000 non-graduates, we are offering soft loans to market women, men and traders, we are ready to feed 5.5 million school children once daily, and we are providing scholarships to 100,000 students studying Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.”