-HON. TERVER AGINDE FMR. NATIONAL YOUTH LEADER,APC, NORTH CENTRAL
By Collins Vershima
The Tinubu Presidency began steering the ship of state typical as a bold administration with the declaration that ‘’sudsidy is gone’’ in Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inaugural speech upon his swearing in as the 16th President of Nigeria, on May 29,2023. This declaration did set the tone for the Tinubu Presidency as a bold administration poised to confronting the issues bedeviling Nigeria,Africa’s largest economy with a back bone as the 6th oil producing nation in the world with a penchant for exporting crude oil for refining, a situation which left previous administrations with the burden of importing the refined exported crude for the economy under a fuel subsidy regime.
This meant oil marketers could only thrive in business as far as the Nigerian Federal Government intervened where the free market forces of demand and supply were not allowed to interplay. Upon President Tinubu’s declaration that subsidy is gone,this scenario gave rise to concerns in divergent persuasions, positions about what the Tinubu Presidency has in stock for Nigerians. Hon. Terver Aginde, Former National Youth Leader All Progressives Congress(APC) North Central, whilst speaking with VC Collins Anyakpa, Host of the ‘Abuja Review’ a political and current affairs program on Kukuruku Radio, 105.9 FM Abuja, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has been bold and transformative with the policies he is implementing so far.
Aginde called on country men to be patient with Tinubu, stressing that it is too early in the day to criticize Tinubu’s policies as certainly the desired outcomes and dividends of good governance in a democracy will become Nigeria’s experience and not a hope.”Nigerians should be patient with Mr. President. He has the capability to pull Nigeria out of the woods of the state that we are in. Subsidy removal will fix Nigeria. In time Nigerians will have their expectations come into fruition and become great with Tinubu who has been prepared for decades for the task in front of him as the President of Nigeria”
Hon. Aginde, disclosed that the Tinubu Presidency is making the most with decision making in the governance of Nigeria optimally, as his choice of appointment of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, in Sen(Dr).George Akume wouldnot have been any better.
The APC Youth Leader stated that Sen. Akume was a perfect match for the position of the SGF as his appointment was greeted with jubilation across the country.
Hon Aginde said, the first class graduate of the famous West African University of Ibadan, Sen. Akume was a Director of Protocol at the Benue State Government House before he became the Executive Gorvernor of Benue State between 1999-2007,after which he became a Senator of the Republic and became the Senate Minority leader in 2011, and was appointed Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs in 2019.
Aginde said,Sen. Akume as an accomplished civil servant who rose to the peak of civil service as a permanent secretary, where he headed Local Government administration was properly primed to drive the administrative thrust of the Tinubu Presidency and to deliver effectively on the ‘Renewed Hope Manifestoe of the APC with President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in the saddle.
The former North Central APC youth leader reiterated that there would not have been a better preparation for a Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, as Sen(Dr).George Akume is a round peg in a round hole.
He also said Sen. Akume’s appointment as SGF underscores President Tinubu’s midas touch with democratic governance in the allocation of resources equitably.
‘’ Sen. Akume’s appointment has given a sense of belonging to the founding fathers of the party, as APC was formed in Akume’s residence in Maitama-Abuja. This appointment is a reassurance that Tinubu is poised to bring into fruition the original manifestoe of the APC which is designed to give necessities to the masses and not luxuries to the classes.
Also, Aginde, the emerging leader from the middle belt said :
‘’ The misrepresentation of the Tinubu/Shettima ticket for Islamization of Nigeria by detractors has also been put to rest with the appointment of Sen(Dr).Akume as SGF. This has balanced out the power game in Nigeria amidst the perceived marginalization of the minorities and Christians’’
He emphasized that, ‘’Nigeria will be great again, as it is too early in the day to criticize the President who has demonstrated capacity for state craft as he has hit the ground running with his policies, decisions and appointments.
On Nuhu Ribadu’s appointment as National Security Adviser,NSA, Aginde contended that Ribadu was a super cop and is conversant with the security architecture and situation in Nigeria.
” Ribadu has what it takes to function optimally as the NSA. The security system of Nigeria is a familiar terrain for the super cop. I am certain he will do well with intelligence gathering for advising President Tinubu to commandeer as the Commander -in-Chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ribadu has been tested and proven in activating operations with Nigeria’s security apparati”.
Aginde minced no words in disclosing that Sen. Abdullahi Adamu’s resignation was good riddance for the harmony of the party.
“Sen. Abdullahi Adamu was not a good leader and not a founding member of the APC but was imposed on the party by the out-gone President. Adamu never carried the National Working Committee,NWC, members along.
Aginde stressed that Sen. Adamu was autocratic and wanted to impose a northern presidential candidate on the APC not withstanding Buhari’s stewardship of eight(8) years as a President from northern Nigeria.
He decried this as undemocratic.
Aginde added that President Tinubu’s touch in managing the APC crisis has put paid to the implosion that was looming in APC.
Aginde concluded that, President Tinubu who is fondly called ‘Jagaban has the master piece approach in governance to fix Nigeria and make country great again, with the ‘Renewed Hope Mandate.
