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2023 Polls: PDP Should Seek Forgiveness From Nigerians And Not Votes – Lawan
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan said on Thursday that the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) should rather go round Nigeria between now and 2023 polls to ask for forgiveness over past failures and should not bother asking Nigerians for votes.
Lawan said the 16 years of PDP in power created so much damage that would only require them to seek forgiveness from the people and not their votes.
The Senate President said 2022 is a year of consolidation for APC administration in the light of the legion of ongoing projects which would be commissioned during the year.
He spoke at Agasa in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State at the commissioning of the Constituency projects of Senator Yakubu Oseni who is representing Kogi Central Senatorial District at the Senate.
Lawan said: “Year 2022 is a year of consolidation for APC administration across Nigeria.
“Since the arrival of this administration in 2015, so much projects are ongoing across the country including the second Niger bridge which by the Grace of God will be completed this year and will be commissioned by Mr President.
“There are so many road projects that are ongoing. So many infrastructural development projects…This year, by the Grace of God, we will complete these projects and President Muhammadu Buhari will go round the country either in person or virtually or in a representative capacity to commission these projects.
“So the best will be coming this year from the APC. Nobody should deceive anybody. When some people had 16 years, uninterrupted, they didn’t deliver. We have been around only for seven years, that is even less than half, and we have delivered more than they did in 16 years.
“I wouldn’t like to be too partisan but I know that some people have failed Nigeria in 16 years of their stay in charge of government.
“If anything, what they need to do between now and when elections will hold is to go to every community in Nigeria and ask for forgiveness for their failure. Not to seek for votes.
“To ask for votes is to show complete lack of respect for Nigerians. The damage that was done in 16 years are still very much with us. We are still trying to work hard to ensure that we remedy the mess left for us to deal with.
“The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is coming to an end by 2023. The administration would have been eight years and by the Grace of God we would have finished most of these legacy projects and another APC administration will come in 2023.
“This administration is doing everything possible to secure lives and property of Nigeria. It has not been an easy task…The security situation of this country will be far better by the Grace of God(before 2023). Our infrastructural development will have been far better and another APC administration will come and build on where Mr President would have left.
“This is without prejudice to the election because what we have done in the National Assembly is to produce a very important Electoral Act, the amendment to 2010 Electoral Act which Mr President patriotically signed into law and that is one law that will guide the general elections in 2023.
“So we are looking forward to a very improved, transparent elections in 2023. And of course APC will come out top.”
The Senate President showered praises on Senator Yakubu Oseni who he said “distinguished himself as a team player” and for being “able to ensure that the activities of the Ninth Senate never stopped as far as he was concerned and involved.”
One of Senator Yakubu Oseni’s Constituency projects commissioned on Thursday by the Senate President was a 600 capacity JAMB CBT Centre at Agasa, the country home of the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
Lawan seized the occasion to underscore the importance of the Constituency projects.
“When we fight for constituency projects to be funded in the National Assembly, we do so because of what we witness today.
“We go out to the remotest part of our community. We look for projects that will have very direct impact on the lives of the people that we represent. And that is important because, in effect, is to complement the major projects that we fund in the Federal budget.
“So we will continue to ensure that constituency projects are always there to ensure that our communities especially those that are so disadvantaged get access to government presence, government projects,” the Senate President said.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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