By Omeiza Ajayi

Some chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC under the aegis of ‘APC Legacy Awareness and Campaign team’ have warned the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP against trying to assault the sensibilities of Nigerians in the lead up to the 2023 general elections, saying the APC has been trying to correct wilful mistakes of the 16 ruinous years of the erstwhile ruling party.

The team is led by a presidential aide and Youth Representative in the APC’s Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee CECPC, Barr. Ismail Ahmed, former National Publicity Secretary of the party and current Editor-in-Chief of the party’s magazine, “The Progressives”, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, another presidential aide, Mr Tolu Ogunlesi and Director General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum PGF, Mr Salihu Moh. Lukman.

While they conceded that criticisms and opposition are integral requirements of democracy, they, however, contended that the PDP must do so by presenting its scorecard to Nigerians for a comparative analysis.

“If PDP and its leadership want to join in criticising and opposing the APC, they must do so by presenting to Nigerians what they did comparatively during their 16-year stewardship.

“PDP and its leadership must never imagine that Nigerians have a short memory of how destructive they were as managers of Nigeria. APC is working to rebuild Nigeria after years of neglect and destructions. President Buhari is laying solid and sustainable foundation for Nigeria’s greatness”, they stated.

The team added that since the APC administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office six years ago, it has boldly pursued reforms aimed at laying a solid and sustainable foundation for the greatness of Nigeria.

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It said more road and rail infrastructure are being built and/or completed since 2015, than in the sixteen years between 1999 and 2015.

“Several landmark infrastructure initiatives are being implemented by the Buhari Administration, from the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) to the Infrastructure Company (InfraCo), the Highway Development Maintenance Initiative (HDMI), the Sovereign Sukuk Bonds (that have collectively raised close to a billion dollars), and the Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme. All of these are unprecedented efforts in developing and upgrading national infrastructure. Equally unparalleled is President Buhari’s commitment to completing abandoned and unfinished projects inherited from previous administrations.

“Through landmark initiatives like the Anchor Borrowers Programme and the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, millions of farmers across the country have benefited from improved access to land, input, credit and fertilizers; and private sector players have invested more than a billion dollars in cultivation, milling and processing”, the team added.

The team added that under President Buhari, the era of unhelpful Federal interference in subnational affairs, resulting in illegal impeachments of Governors, withholding of State Government Funds, balkanization of the Governors’ Forum and several other infractions has ended.

“Instead, the Federal Government under President Buhari has positioned itself as a vital source of support to the States, making available long overdue refunds like the Paris Club Refunds ($5.4 billion); Refunds for Federal Road Projects (approximately 700 billion Naira); and Bailout Funds and Budget Support in excess of Two Trillion Naira”.

The statement added that even as the country continues to struggle with several historical security challenges, the APC led administration of President Buhari has been planting the seeds for a more efficiently policed and secured country, through unprecedented investments in military hardware, Presidential Assent to the new Police Act, in which Community Policing has been enshrined, and the establishment of the Police Trust Fund to finance training, logistics and welfare Investment in technology-aided policing of land and maritime environments.

On building bilateral partnerships and advancing Nigeria’s Foreign Policy interests, the team noted that the Buhari Administration has restored Nigeria’s relations with countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and our neighbouring countries, with positive outcomes like the sale by the United States of 12 fighter aircrafts, the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative with Morocco, and the revitalization of the Multinational Joint Task Force and the Chad Basin Commission.

Vanguard News Nigeria