By Khasacha Mwene
The Minister for ICT and National Guidance Ms. Judith Nabakooba has described today’s swearing in of President Yoweri Museveni for a sixth term in office as “monumental as it signifies a transition into the country’s golden phase.” In a press statement she issued on Tuesday May 11, 2021 ahead of the event, Ms. Nabakooba stated that since 1986, President Museveni has led a Government that has been rational in its investments.
“Because of the limited resources, emphasis has been focused on steadily investing in critical sectors such as security, power generation, roads, science education and others. Today, through his good leadership, the country has built significant local capacity to be able to withstand any challenge,” said Ms. Nabakooba.
She added: “The start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year provided a big challenge to the country. However, through the President’s strong leadership, the country came together and averted the worst. The President entrusted the COVID-19 response to our scientists and this successfully paid off. The country managed to avert a major national calamity even when the world over had predicated otherwise.”
The Minister explained that during the same time, Uganda engineers enabled the country avert a major power crisis when the Owen Falls Dam temporarily shut down, reiterating that throughout all these situations, the country relied on its local talent for solutions. She said having achieved a critical level on investment in all key sectors over the years, there is no challenge the country cannot overcome.
“It is on the basis of these achievements and more that the President has decided to focus on people at the grassroots. Through the Parish Development model, families have direct access to money they need. As we start another term, the President has set very good targets for Wealth Creation. Over 2 million households every year access the money they need to transform their incomes and welfare,” she said.
Ms. Nabakoosa said President Museveni’s strategy against poverty is based on the pillars of job creation especially for the youth, wealth creation, commercial farming and value addition through industrialization. She said Uganda is a gifted country and that the swearing in ceremony coincides with the start of oil production, noting that this means that the country is going to have the money it needs locally to finance its efforts in wealth creation.
The Minister added that the President has worked hard to ensure that the country gets the best deal in the oil sector and that the deal has given Uganda both an oil pipeline and a refinery. She the two interventions are giving the country access to so many jobs especially for the youth and money to finance the parish development model.
“This is what makes this swearing in special. This event is the start of Uganda’s journey to a first-class state. I know we narrowly missed our middle-income status targets, but we have all it takes to live a good life. However, we must understand that we need to be ready to play our part in this journey. The battle against poverty requires a lot of hard work. Families and individuals need to be ready and well organized in order to access the money and resources available,” explained Ms. Nabakooba. She called upon all leaders especially at the Parish level to wake up and play their part, saying that the President had done his part.
The Minister further said it is everybody’s responsibility to make good of their leadership. She advised the public to reach out to their Parish leaders and demand to know what they need to do in order to access the resources. She explained that the Parish leadership should not be limited to the politicians alone, noting that parents, church leaders, cultural leaders and individuals should all come out and do their part in this transformation.
She urged Ugandans to continue being law abiding citizens during the swearing in ceremony, adding that Uganda police had released a traffic plan restricting access to Kololo Ceremonial Grounds to only invited guests with VIP stickers.
“I therefore call upon all motorists to uphold the revised traffic plan. Invited guests from abroad have started to arrive. I call upon everyone to be at their best behavior by giving our guests a warm hospitable welcome to Uganda. Let us stay away from any activities such as protests or parallel events. I urge everyone to stay away from any form of illegal activities. Please report any person you suspect to be unlawful to the nearest police station. Let us keep within the law and ensure that the event is successful,” said Ms. Nabakooba.
The Minister extended her warm wishes to Muslims on this year’s Eid Mubarak, urging Ugandans to continue upholding the good deeds of Ramadan through remaining united. “Continue praying for our President as he starts his next term in office,” said Ms. Nabakooba.(For comments on this story, call, text or whatsapp us on 0705579994, 0779411734, 0200900416 or email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com).