By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday declared that President Muhammadu Buhari led government is committed to ensuring better life for all Nigerians
Professor Osinbajo said this in his goodwill message to the All Progressives Congress (APC), South West Conference delivered by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu at the Premier Hotel, Ibadan.
He disclosed that as at present, the Presidency is working hard to effect the needed change and that the President is aware of the economic hardship facing the people and as well feels “the pains that you feel and he has asked me to reassure you that a glorious dawn awaits”.
“Change is not easy, but we are not relenting until we achieve a better life for all Nigerians. The change that we advocate will be irrevocable when we are finally done. Nigerians who desired the needed change that we promised voted for our great party in their millions. That confidence reposed in us by millions of Nigerians is what we have come to renew” he said.
Professor Osinbajo stressed that there is the need for Nigerians to display more patience and understanding for the present administration as the administration had since assumption of office in 2015, being tackling series of economic crises so as to move the country forward, saying, “we seek your continued trust and ask you all to join hands with the government as we tackle and surmount the challenges ahead”.
He lamented that with just a little over a year ago of the present administration, majority of Nigerians are already fed up with the situation of things in the country; and the direction that the seemingly rudderless ship of the Nigerian state was headed.
“Since we have savoured the sweetness of that electoral victory, we cannot afford to betray the trust that paved the way to usher in change from the ineptness of the past. When we took over the reins of governance, we knew things were bad. What we did not realise, however was just how bad they really were. Now we know better! We have since been working extremely hard to remedy the rot and malaise that pervaded our dear country. The current pains and sufferings that our people are feeling today are the results of yesterday’s mismanagement of the commonwealth of our great country”.
Speaking further, the Vice President declared “every day, as I travel round the country to meet our people, I see on their faces evidence of pains and trauma they are going through. I have heard the anguish and cries of our people in various town meetings that I have addressed”.
“As you all may well know, the darkest part of the night is the period before the dawn. Nigeria’s dawn is about to break. We are determined to turn things around, so that, once more, our people will begin the real impact of government in their lives. We just have to change from our old ways of doing things because things cannot be allowed to continue the way they were. Though things may appear difficult at the moment, it will not be long before Nigerians start deriving the full benefits of the current policies of government, which are designed to re-position the country and improve on the prevailing economic situation. Sector by sector, we have begun the process of introducing lasting and beneficial changes in the country. Already there are signs that things are turning around for the better”.
He maintained that “in the oil and gas industries for instance, many investors are showing tremendous interest in building petroleum refineries, in no distant time, the issues of fuel scarcity will become a thing of the past and we shall stop expending scarce foreign exchange on refined products”, saying “we are also appealing to the pipeline vandals and those that are carrying out acts of economic sabotage in the Niger Delta to desist or face the full wrath of the law”.
“In the power sector, the gradual improvement in power supply that is being experienced around the country is the result of the efforts of the government. We are committed to the implementation of the health insurance scheme that our great party promised the people during the electioneering campaigns. The diversification of the Nigerian economy is an area that the government is paying close attention to. We must, as a country, begin to look beyond oil to other areas that will generate sustainable revenues for our country. To achieve this purpose, we have begun to invest heavily in the agricultural sector.
“It is our hope and aspiration that Nigeria will once again be able to achieve sustainability and self-reliance in food production to the benefit of our people and also for export. In order that the food we produce will be readily available to our people in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, the government has revived the comatose railway systems to transport people and goods round the country. The re-construction of the death traps that pass for highways across the country is also being given top priority by the government”.
The South West conference was attended by Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Gov Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State and Senator Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State was represented by his deputy, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga, Minister for communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu and his Solid Minerals counterpart, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and other APC leaders from across the zone.
