.
Bigwigs
and national leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the six
geo-political zones including all its Governors on Thursday gathered in Abuja
for the inaugural national summit of the party with Governor Babatunde Fashola
(SAN) stating that the APC was not just going to talk about change; it is going
to embody change.
The
Governor who spoke at the opening session of the first national summit holding
at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja
added that Nigeria longs for change and that the APC is committed to leading a
movement for that change.
He
added that the future that is envisioned by the party is a future that will be
built together by everyone and not just for one political party, not for one
region, not for one community but for all Nigerians.
Governor
Fashola who described the event as a historic one, added that it is about
building a future for Nigeria when there are jobs for everyone who wants to
work, a future without leaders who deprive the very families they are supposed
to protect and a future of peace and stability.
He
added that it is about a future when Nigeria can feed its families; a future
when a Nigerian education is as good as any education in the world and a future
when the high prices of food and fuel don’t undermine every family’s quality of
life.
He described the APC as
a home for all Nigerians, maintaining that it is already happening with the
turnout for membership registration exceeding even the largest projections and
has been a turnout of Nigerians of diverse backgrounds all across the country
who shared a belief in the need for change.
“It was a turnout of
Nigerians who shared a belief that together we can build a New Nigeria.
It was a turnout of
people who have had enough of division in our country. People tired of the
politicians who turn one group against another for their own political gain.
We’ve all seen it. We all know how it works. We all know how demeaning it is to
our nation”.
“When one takes a look
around our country, Governor Fashola added, the question to ask is what has
division brought to the nation? Has it brought peace or brought prosperity? Or
the future that people want for their families and children, but it has not, reiterating
that the only recipe is for Nigerians to come together, work together and live
in peace together and choose unity.
“And today, we declare
that, we make it clear to the nation that the APC chooses Unity, this room is a
living testament to that choice and that commitment, this room is a celebration
of the cultural diversity that gives our nation such great promise”, he
stressed.
He added the party
believes that the Nigerian nation must be economically and socially vibrant,
must be peaceful, just and secure and that corruption must no longer be
tolerated in any corner of the nation, not in political life and not in
business or civic affairs.
The Governor reiterated
that the APC also believes in investing in the people because they are the most
important assets of the Nation and believes that every person deserve work that
enables them to provide for their families, to contribute to the community and
to have a favorable, quality of life.
Fashola also stressed
that in the history of Nigeria, no party in more than fifteen years has done
what the APC did on Thursday by publicly, and most importantly, together as a
party, telling Nigerians what it believes in a meeting, not in a rally or in
the middle of a political campaign.
“Systematically and
transparently – we want people to know what we stand for, we want people to
know about the change we are offering; we want people to join us in building a
New Nigeria. A nation of progress, a nation of hope, a nation of opportunity. A
nation together. One Nigeria”, he emphasized.
Governor Fashola
maintained that the new nation that everyone wants which is the dream New
Nigeria is only possible through unity, is only possible if each person values
each and every person and hold tight every child as his or her greatest asset,
adding that it is only possible if respect is given to every person’s choice of
faith.
“It is only possible
if we commit ourselves to one rule of law for everyone, if we commit ourselves
to fairness and opportunity for all, if we commit ourselves to a strong system
of government at the federal, state and local levels. It is only possible if we
bridge our inequalities and if we put our nation back to work. There cannot be
true freedom when there are not enough jobs. There cannot be shared opportunity
when there are not enough jobs. There
cannot be peace and justice when there are not enough jobs”, he emphasized.
He
said the set of principles must guide the people’s path when times are tough,
when people’s pathway becomes hard to navigate, when forces block the way
forward, when challenges stand in the way of the nation’s vision, when hope
seems just out of grip.
He stressed that when
people make inquiries about the APC and what makes it different, the answer
they will get is that APC has a Code of Ethics, it also has a Roadmap to the
future and that Nigeria is a great nation that has been misdirected.
“We will tell them
that no nation, no people are more hardworking but that we need jobs. We will
tell them that our youth are ready to do great things, to make history, to lead
our nation, to lead Africa, but they need opportunity. We will tell them that
when we come together, celebrate our diversity, accept each other and stand
together as One Nigeria, there is nothing we cannot achieve. We will tell them
the APC is ready to build a New Nigeria”, he stated.
The Governor said what
is being deliberated upon is the future of Nigeria and that the people can
either accept the Nigeria they have or build a new Nigeria or accept a
stagnant, jobless economy or resolve to build a new Nigeria. “We can accept a
Government that cannot account to us or we can change it and build a new
Nigeria”.
“Let there be no doubt
about the link between corruption and jobs. If we had a Government that is
serious about fighting corruption, there would be financial resources to create
jobs. Instead of stopping this corruption, this government pardons those
convicted of corruption and removes those who point out corruption. Corruption
has drained our national strength and we need change”, he added.
He charged the party
members to ensure over the next year that the nation joins the party and makes
the same choice, adding that Africa is waiting for them to play the leadership
role and the rest of the world is also watching.
He gave a commitment
that the APC is not going to abdicate that responsibility as the event is going
to be an exciting and illuminating day together as it heralds the beginning of
the people’s journey to a new agenda.
He also acknowledged
the contribution of national leaders of the APC like Major General Mohammadu
Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu and Chief Bisi Akande as
well as members of the Interim National Executive Committee and the Governors
while not forgetting members of the party’s Strategy Committee.
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