Mr President listen to the masses, by Yusuf Ali
As we continue to grapple with the worst costs of living crisis in history due to removal of fuel subsidy and devaluation of the Naira by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, I am concerned by certain developments that is threatening to bring disrepute to our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
There are conservative elements in the government who are masquerading as progressives that are working assiduously to tarnish the reputation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Nigeria’s foremost progressive leader.
It is inconceivable that the well applauded people-oriented Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President to turn around the fortunes of the country for the better, some people with sinister motives for their own personal interests want to see to the collapse of Tinubu’s administration. God forbid.
As a media professional and supporter of APC, I would not sit down and watch an administration that has cleared legitimate $5billion forex backlogs, reduced revenue to debt-service from 97 percent in the last 13 months to 68 percent, established 200 billion consumer credit scheme, and increased oil production to 1.6 million barrel per day that improved revenues now be stained by saboteurs who are overseeing months-long fuel scarcity amid high cost, and a poorly implemented fuel subsidy and Naira policy that has brought immense misery to Nigerians.
The deliberation to sabotage President Tinubu to live with a bad taste in the mouth of Nigerians shall not succeed.
I was a member of the National Publicity Standing Committee of the APC in 2015 that propelled the party to power.
I also served as Media Officer under the Governor Buni-led Careraker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee that rebuild the party.
In all my years at the APC headquarters, I wanted to see the progressive ideology of the party entrenched in governance.
As aide to late Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, one of the founding member of the APC, I know how we suffered to defeat the corrupt PDP and brought APC to power in 2015.
When we began the merger process, I had in mind that the progressives will be in power and continue to implement pro-poor policies and programmes to run a progressive nation.
Without mincing words, as an ardent supporter and keen observer of events in our APC administration, I must say that anti-progressive elements have crept into your administration.
They are implementing the behemoth PDP ideology of anti people policies and programmes against the ideology of our great party.
As we navigate this current socio-economic crisis, I have to tell President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that the narrative would be “your policies have brought hardship in the land and made our party look like anti people party.”
The 2027 general elections is very critical for the continuity and consolidation of the APC administration.
As Governor Mai Mala Buni, who rebuild and reposition the party, once said, APC needs 32 years to fully implement its progressives manifesto for the benefit of Nigerians.
To remain in power, there are just certain things that progressives parties do, and must be seen to do.
We must be seen to listen to the voices of the Talakawas, the down-trodden masses, the very people that voted us to power.
If they say they don’t want certain policies and programmes we must listen to them. It is because of the people that we are in power.
The economy has been adversely affected because of the hardship brought by the naira devaluation policy and subsidy removal.
People are suffering unimaginable hardship. Businesses are shutting down. People can no longer attends to their basic needs as payments for medical, school fees, food and other essential needs is beyond the reach of the common man.
The food inflation crisis is real. The hunger in the land is pervasive, affecting millions of people, especially in the Northern part of the country because of the preexisting multidimensional poverty and insecurity bedeviling the region.
Don’t let anybody deceives you that the #EndBadGovernance protests in the North was planned against a Southern president. No. It’s hunger, real hunger.
This is very dangerous for the survival of our democracy.
As ardent supporter of the APC and lover of progressives policies and programmes, I want to call the attention of the officials of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited NNPCL that history will not be kind to them if Nigerians lose their means of livelihoods or even lives because of fuel price increases that sees no end in sight.
The opposition party are naturally cashing in on the pains which the subversive implementation of the naira devaluation policy and fuel subsidy removal is causing Nigerians.
The policy is spawning the anger of Nigerians in just a year in to the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This is not a policy of our progressive party we all work hard to build.
Why should we allow people to suffer this untold hardship at this very crucial moment of the President’s Renewed Hope? Why is the NNPCL telling Nigerians to queue up in filling stations even when fuel is sold above 700 per litre? What disregard for people’s time and money is this? Does it mean that we cannot care for our people?
If we are in government for the sake of the people, then we must listen to the people and alleviate their suffering.
Our interest in the APC should be progressives and I will personally be watching for Mr President to address some of these issues as it affects our people to guarantee success for our great party at all times.
I will call on Nigerians to continue to trust the All Progressives Congress, APC, as a party that will make Nigeria great and support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to bring succour to Nigerians.
The President needs support and prayers to succeed. We will do everything within our power to support him.
I must remind the President that before the next hunger protests begins which is better imagine than experience, he should do everything within his power to tackle and mitigate adverse effects of food inflation.
The government, the major driver of inflation through its policies, must take several urgent measures to help curb it and provide immediate and long-term relief to Nigerians.
Yusuf Ali, a former National Publicity Standing Committee member of APC, writes from Abuja and can be reached via yali14337@gmail.com
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