Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government remains committed to the welfare of the common man.
Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said the vice president said this while receiving a delegation of APC Professionals Forum at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said that APC is a party of the people and would continually ensure that the common man benefits maximally from government.
“This is a party of the common man; a party of the people, a party that takes as its cradle, the importance of ensuring that the common man benefits maximally from government.
“Which is why we have the big programmes like the Social Investment Programmes, the largest if its kind in the continent and several of such other programmes that emphasise how serious we take the lot of the common man.
“While it was formed about nine years ago, the VP noted that the party has made an impact and is determined to improve the wellbeing of Nigerians; the party is also where many young people are.”
According to him, APC is the ruling party in Africa’s largest democracy which by itself is a phenomenal achievement for such a young party.
Osinbajo said that the APC is determined to ensure the country’s further growth and development as the party carried with it, the hopes and expectations of millions of Nigerians.
“The party is not a mere platform for running for political office; it carries with it the hopes and expectations of millions of Nigerians and we must make it a place where they are comfortable, a place where they feel this belongs to us; we can even put our resources into it.
“It is not just for politicians; it is for us all.
“Our people, the Nigerian people, need hope; they need to be able to believe in the politicians.
“They need to be able to believe in their leaders and if the leaders are within the political party, that political party must have an ideology that is attractive to them, that makes them feel wanted, that makes them feel cared for and I think that role is so crucial.
“It is the role this Professional Forum must take on to itself; and what it entails aside from that logical objective of the forum; what it entails is actually defining in writing in various ways what our party stands for.”
He acknowledged the significance of the forum in the scheme of things and urged the forum to play more important roles in shaping the party’s ideology.
The vice president said that professionals are integral to ensuring that the party stayed focused on the wellbeing of Nigerians and its ideals, as stated in the Constitution and Manifesto respectively.
“If the professionals cannot do that, then our party becomes all comers, anything goes so long as we have a platform to run for political office; but I think that we, especially professionals, have a unique advantage.
“We have many who have run their businesses, who have professional organisations or who have excelled in their own professions and we know that the only way to do things properly is if we are able to press on without relenting.”
The vice president said he hoped that the forum would also carry the hopes and expectations of millions of the party’s supporters nationwide.
He also believed that the forum, made up of professional elites, would be of great benefit to the party and Nigeria because of its leadership and quality of professionals on its board of trustees and as members.
In his remarks, a former Governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda, who is the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the forum, said that professionals in the party felt the need to identify with the vice president being himself a professional.
He invited Osinbajo to the forum’s upcoming event in Abuja.
The delegation also included Deputy Chairman, Board of Trustees and former APC National Secretary, Waziri Bulama, Board of Trustees Secretary, Barr. Dapo Akinosun and the National Coordinator, Akeem Akintayo.
