Nigeria: APC Committed to Welfare of Masses – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has restated the commitment of the Buhari administration and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the welfare of the common man, saying it is a party of the people and will continually ensure that the common man benefits maximally from government.

Osinbajo stated this at the weekend when he received a delegation of the APC Professionals Forum on a courtesy call at the presidential villa.

According to him, while the APC was formed about nine years ago, the party has made an impact and is determined to improve the wellbeing of Nigerians.

He said, “This is a party of the common man, a party of the people, a party that takes as its cradle the importance of ensuring that the common man benefits maximally from government which is why we have the big programmes like the Social Investment Programmes, the largest of its kind in the continent and several of such other programmes that emphasize how serious we take the lot of the common man.

“We are the ruling party in Africa’s largest democracy which by itself is a phenomenal achievement for such a young party. But you’ll find that in the particular ideological direction of our party, it’s one that it was clear to the original founders of the party, the initial persons and groups that came together to form the party and they came from different parties, but it was to present a left of centre, a social democratic alternative to the ruling part.”

Osinbajo said the APC is determined to ensure the country’s further growth and development, noting that the party “carries with it the hopes and expectations of millions of Nigerians.

“The party is not a mere platform for running for political office, it carries with it the hopes and expectations of millions of Nigerians and we must make it a place where they are comfortable, a place where they feel this belongs to us. We can even put our resources into it; it is not just for politicians; it is for us all,” a statement by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, quoted the VP as saying.

The vice president noted that leaders and politicians are there to serve the people and give them reasons to believe in a better country.

He continued: “Our people, the Nigerian people, need hope; they need to be able to believe in the politicians; they need to be able to believe in their leaders and if the leaders are within the political party, that political party must have an ideology that is attractive to them, that makes them feel wanted, that makes them feel cared for and I think that role is so crucial.

“It is the role this Professional Forum must take on itself. And what it entails aside from that logical objective of the forum; what it entails is actually defining in writing in various ways what our party stands for.”

Acknowledging the significance of the APC Professionals Forum in the scheme of things, Osinbajo urged the forum to play more important roles in shaping the party’s ideology.

“There are many people that say ‘well, we have not done this, we have not done that’. There are so many ways of looking at it, but the truth of the matter is that the party was committed and is seen across the country as a party of the common man, which is why I think the role of the Professionals Forum is particularly important because we are trying to shape the ideology of the party,” he said.

The VP observed that professionals are integral to ensuring the party stays focused on the wellbeing of Nigerians and its ideals as stated in the constitution and party’s manifesto respectively.

He said, “If the professionals cannot do that, then our party becomes all comers, anything goes so long as we have a platform to run for political office. But I think that we, especially professionals, have a unique advantage.

“We have many who have run their businesses, who have professional organizations or who have excelled in their own professions and we know that the only way to do things properly is if we are able to press on without relenting.”

Osinbajo further urged the APC Professionals Forum to also carry the hopes and expectations of millions of the party’s supporters nationwide.

He stated that the forum, made up of professional elites, will be of great benefit to the party and Nigeria because of its leadership and quality of professionals on its board of trustees and as members, who he said “are not just politicians, but people who have distinguished themselves” in their respective fields.

“I think our party will rely a great deal on this forum and I hope and pray that the Forum will realize all of its objectives, including the extra ones that our party must place upon you, especially at this time in the life and history of our dear country,” he said.

In his remarks, former governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda, who is the chairman, Board of Trustees, of the forum noted that professionals in the party felt the need to identify with the vice president, being himself a professional.

He invited the VP to the forum’s forthcoming event in Abuja next week.

The forum’s delegation to the vice president also included deputy chairman, Board of Trustees; former APC national secretary, Waziri Bulama; Board of Trustees secretary, Barrister Dapo Akinosun (SAN), and the national coordinator, Akeem Akintayo.

2023: Obasanjo’s Son Pledges Support For VP

Meanwhile, Olujonwo, son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo has pledged support to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo if he decides to run for president in 2023.

Special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on political matters, Babafemi Ojudu, disclosed this on his Facebook page, while announcing the visit of the former president’s son to his office in Abuja.

Ojodu said Olujonwo, like many other Nigerians, came to his office to register his wish that Osinbajo should run for the highest political office in the country.

He said the son of the former president also promised to join the vice president’s campaign train if he runs.

Ojudu stated: “Olujonwo Obasanjo, son of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, visited yesterday.

“He too, like many others, came to register his wish and aspiration that vice president Yemi Osinbajo throws his hat in the rings for the 2023 contest.

“Smart and brimming with ideas, he promised that if Osinbajo heeds the call of Nigerians he will be willing and ready to volunteer to join the campaign train. Thank you Olu. I will pass your message across.”

By  Leadership.