PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja, said the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government had stabilised Nigeria in spite of obvious challenges.
He stated this at APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
´´I am happy to report that slowly and steadily, we have managed to stabilise the country and redirect the ship of state.
“We have restored prudence to the management of resources and confidence in Nigeria.
´´We have stabilised the naira and increased our foreign reserve from 20 billion dollars to 40 billion dollars. Inflation rate is down.
´´With considerably less resources available to the country, we have improved all the indices towards a stronger economy.´´ the president said.
He added that credit should be given to governors of APC-controlled states, chairmen of the party in the states for contributing to stabilising the polity.
Buhari also commended the Armed Forces, the police and other security agencies for stopping Boko Haram and driving them from their bases.
He said that though the government was poised to defeat acts of terrorism in the country, it was difficult to completely isolate such act.
´´No country, no matter how well secured can isolate acts of terror as we have seen in the United States, Europe, Asia and here in Africa.
´´We must support our security agencies to safeguard our country so that the job of development as outlined in our manifesto can proceed without too much interruption.
´´We cannot afford to fail in reminding Nigerians where we came from in 2015,’’ he stressed.
He particularly appreciated the party´s leadership and governors for their stewardship and for steering it to success.
The president noted that from the party´s resounding electoral victory in 2015, it had won elections in Edo, Kogi and Ondo states and had improved performance in the November, 2017 governorship election in Anambra.
According to him, the APC has moved from the party in government to the party of the Nigerian people.
He paid tribute to Nigerians who supported the government in spite of distractions from what he called ´´proponents of business as usual´´.
Buhari charged APC members not to relax and take things easy because, according to him, elections are looming in the horizon.
He, therefore, urged the members to get their acts together and to cooperate with the Sen. Bola Tinubu reconciliation team to succeed.
This, he said, was critical to resolve existing differences among party members in affected states, restore order, manage differences and strengthen the party.
´´It is perhaps inevitable that there will be differences of opinion within the party. If we resolve them, then we can build a genuinely democratic party.
´´But, we must not lose sight of our common purpose as a party to break the mule of Nigerian politics and take the country to new heights,’’ the president stated.
While acknowledging that the ´´face of government has not met the expectations of many within the party´´, he said that only a few appreciated the depth of the wrath when APC assumed power.
He explained that the APC government had spent the last two years trying to bring the country out of the mess it met it.
Buhari admitted that the stand-off between the Executive and the National Assembly slowed down the process of government within the period.
He, however, added that efforts were being made to resolve the differences so that the country could move forward.
Earlier, National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odegie-Oyegun, had thanked the president, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, governors elected on the party´s platform and its leaders for being supportive and available always in spite of challenges.
He noted that the party had a very tough year ahead, because of the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun coming up in July and September, respectively.
´´These elections are precursors of the national elections. It is therefore necessary that we treat them with great seriousness because they are elections we should do everything to win.
´´They are signals and signposts, indicators of what is to come in 2019. Preparations are also well underway for those elections,’’ he said.
He pleaded with party members to do everything possible to minimise stresses and crises within the party and to remain in fighting shape ahead of 2019.
The chairman reiterated the support of the party´s leadership to the Tinubu reconciliation team. (NAN)
