Foundation member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and immediate past Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has claimed that though the ruling party recorded several low and high moments in its 10 years of existence, it, however, scored above average in the transformation of critical infrastructure.
His words: “On my take, the APC, set off at dawn in July 31, 2013, when it was registered by INEC; by adopting progressivism as its philosophy, with the primary objective to advance Nigerian human conditions and change our society at large for the better.
“With the change mantra as our slogan, we in no unmistakable terms made a clear distinction between the party in power, between 1999-2015, the PDP and my great party. We did the unimaginable by continuation of all ongoing and abandoned federal road contracts, some abandoned for over four years. A lot of people were marveled that President Buhari instead of cancellation and fresh award adopted continuity.
Buhari’s argument was that it was not the fault of the contractors, but the previous government which failed to pay them in the midst of oil windfall pre-2014. The second Niger Bridge was one of the beneficiaries of this laudable infrastructure renewal.
“APC’s government was the first to embark on Standard Gauge Rail line in Nigeria; commencement with Western Corridor. The visible outcome is that today, some people comfortably rail from Ibadan to Lagos to and from work on daily basis.
“On social infrastructure, the APC Federal Government embarked on green energy solar electrification of major markets, hospitals and universities throughout all the six geopolitical zones.
“APC-led Federal Government also frowned at the humongous salary debt owed workers by state governors and quickly doled out over N2 trillion Bail Out Fund as social investment.
“In assessing our score card in 10 years, one can summarise without being immodest that we scored above average in the transformation of critical infrastructure like railways, bridges, dams, Anchor Borrowers Programme and containment of Boko Haram in the North East.
“There were downsides as well, exemplified by the crash of crude oil price to below $40USD which hampered huge infrastructural plan by the APC-led Federal Government. And there was also unprecedented palpable insecurity like kidnapping, banditry and terrorism. The general insecurity in the land dampened Buhari’s agrarian revolution, the most ambitious agricultural programme by any Federal Government post-1970.
“And since all major changes which happened throughout the history of liberal democracy had been instrumental and gradual, we expect more good news from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. Tinubu’s bold and courageous economic reforms had already attracted the buy-in of the international community, as noted by British Higher Commissioner, Richard Montgomery.
The next crucial stage is the buy-in of Nigerians which if all things remain equal will happen in no distant time.”