National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, yesterday called for more prayers for President Muhammadu Buhari, saying governing Nigeria has been a difficult assignment for him in the last two years.
Oyegun, who made the plea while receiving a delegation of APC chieftains from Niger State at the APC national headquarters in Abuja, said that Buhari was not only contending with health challenges, but also the enormous responsibilities inherited from the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
“It is a very difficult task that we have all thrust on the President. We had to deal with a predecessor regime whose hallmark was corruption. A regime that had lost all vision; that had lost all interest in developing our nation given the kind of resources that were available.
“A regime that instead of developing, wasted our national resources such that as at the time we were taking over, there was really nothing. The economy had already collapsed. Salaries were not being paid. Public infrastructure had collapsed. Price of oil had also collapsed.
“So, the President had a very difficult situation to handle. It is not surprising then the kind of pain that a lot of our brothers and sisters are going through today.”
Oyegun called for patience from the citizens. “One will depend on people like you to help us pass the message to our people that this is just a passing phase, this is an evil that was created by predecessor regimes.
“The president and his team are working flat out to make sure that our economy is diversified and our nation no longer depends on oil only. I pray that God restores the president to complete health so that he can continue the mission.
“There is no magic to it. It is taking time, but this country will never go back to the bad old days where all we did was divide the money from oil. Today, I am very proud of the accomplishment of states like Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara and the rest of them in agriculture. Today, Nigerian rice is becoming what we all eat. Tomorrow, by God’s grace, we will be able to export Nigerian rice to the rest of Africa and far beyond,” he said.
The APC national chairman told the delegation that the leadership of the APC has been working assiduously to ensure the unity of the party which was created out of the merger of four legacy parties in 2013.
“The National Working Committee (NWC) has tried to the best of its ability to do the difficult job of welding together the party that was created out of three or four other parties. It has not been easy as you very well know. But we thank God that by and large, it has been a significant success,” he said.
Oyegun disclosed that the party would hold its congresses before the end of the year.
However, he did not state when the party would hold its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which would approve the congresses.
According to him, the party was only waiting for the National Organising Secretary, Osita Izunaso, to conclude the planning and programme for these congresses, adding that these preparations will be over in the next two three months.
Earlier, the Chairman of Suleja Local Government Council, Hon. Abdullahi Shuaibu Maje, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, said the Suleja community and the entire people of Niger State have faith in the APC and have voted for the party at all levels since 2015.
According to Maje, the delegation had resolved to pass a vote of confidence on the APC National Chairman on account of his leadership style and for managing the affairs of the party well.
“You led the greatest mega opposition party ever in the history of our country and the African continent to defeat a so-called biggest ruling party and the most corrupt in the annals of the history of Nigeria, the PDP, in the 2015 general elections which brought in the current government of Change. We are proud of you and we are proud of our great party, the APC, at all levels,” Maje said.
He reaffirmed the belief of the delegation in the Change Agenda of the administration at both the federal and state levels.
He noted that President Buhari and Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State have recorded tremendous achievements.
He scored Buhari high in the fight against corruption, economic recovery and transformation, massive capital infrastructure development as well as security.
NWC members present at the meeting were the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi; National Organising Secretary, Izunaso; National Treasurer, Alhaji Bala Mohammed Gwagwarwa and National Youth Leader, Hon. Dasuki Ibrahim Jalo.
Oyegun, who made the plea while receiving a delegation of APC chieftains from Niger State at the APC national headquarters in Abuja, said that Buhari was not only contending with health challenges, but also the enormous responsibilities inherited from the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
“It is a very difficult task that we have all thrust on the President. We had to deal with a predecessor regime whose hallmark was corruption. A regime that had lost all vision; that had lost all interest in developing our nation given the kind of resources that were available.
“A regime that instead of developing, wasted our national resources such that as at the time we were taking over, there was really nothing. The economy had already collapsed. Salaries were not being paid. Public infrastructure had collapsed. Price of oil had also collapsed.
“So, the President had a very difficult situation to handle. It is not surprising then the kind of pain that a lot of our brothers and sisters are going through today.”
Oyegun called for patience from the citizens. “One will depend on people like you to help us pass the message to our people that this is just a passing phase, this is an evil that was created by predecessor regimes.
“The president and his team are working flat out to make sure that our economy is diversified and our nation no longer depends on oil only. I pray that God restores the president to complete health so that he can continue the mission.
“There is no magic to it. It is taking time, but this country will never go back to the bad old days where all we did was divide the money from oil. Today, I am very proud of the accomplishment of states like Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara and the rest of them in agriculture. Today, Nigerian rice is becoming what we all eat. Tomorrow, by God’s grace, we will be able to export Nigerian rice to the rest of Africa and far beyond,” he said.
The APC national chairman told the delegation that the leadership of the APC has been working assiduously to ensure the unity of the party which was created out of the merger of four legacy parties in 2013.
“The National Working Committee (NWC) has tried to the best of its ability to do the difficult job of welding together the party that was created out of three or four other parties. It has not been easy as you very well know. But we thank God that by and large, it has been a significant success,” he said.
Oyegun disclosed that the party would hold its congresses before the end of the year.
However, he did not state when the party would hold its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which would approve the congresses.
According to him, the party was only waiting for the National Organising Secretary, Osita Izunaso, to conclude the planning and programme for these congresses, adding that these preparations will be over in the next two three months.
Earlier, the Chairman of Suleja Local Government Council, Hon. Abdullahi Shuaibu Maje, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, said the Suleja community and the entire people of Niger State have faith in the APC and have voted for the party at all levels since 2015.
According to Maje, the delegation had resolved to pass a vote of confidence on the APC National Chairman on account of his leadership style and for managing the affairs of the party well.
“You led the greatest mega opposition party ever in the history of our country and the African continent to defeat a so-called biggest ruling party and the most corrupt in the annals of the history of Nigeria, the PDP, in the 2015 general elections which brought in the current government of Change. We are proud of you and we are proud of our great party, the APC, at all levels,” Maje said.
He reaffirmed the belief of the delegation in the Change Agenda of the administration at both the federal and state levels.
He noted that President Buhari and Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State have recorded tremendous achievements.
He scored Buhari high in the fight against corruption, economic recovery and transformation, massive capital infrastructure development as well as security.
NWC members present at the meeting were the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi; National Organising Secretary, Izunaso; National Treasurer, Alhaji Bala Mohammed Gwagwarwa and National Youth Leader, Hon. Dasuki Ibrahim Jalo.
Comments