A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) Osita Okechukwu, has said that members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have majorly benefited from President Muhammadu Buhari’s continuity trademark.
The President promised continuty on his return from medical check up which the opposition PDP frowned at.
But in a statement he released Sunday in Abuja, Okechukwu said: one cannot like PDP dismiss off hand the hunger and poverty, banditry, killings, kidnapping and Boko Haram insurgency in the land; but added that one cannot either dismiss off hand the fine points of President Buhari’s regime, “which whoever takes over in 2023 must as a matter of urgent necessity continue.
“For us Buharist, we must candidly agree that some unforced errors were made; however our continuity trademark in many spheres of public affairs are unbeatable. And PDP is the main beneficiary. To turn round now to clean mouth and condemn Mr President is unconscionable and height of ingratitude. Banditry, Herdsmen/Farmers clashes, kidnapping and insurgency will sooner than later not only abate but vanish.” Okechukwu said.
According to Okechukwu, among the fine points of continuity which President Buhari bequeathed the PDP as a principal beneficiary is the over 1,000 Board appointments which tenure were not concluded. In 1999, PDP sacked all Board members and made humongous appointments of their members.
“On this issue, opinion was divided, some of us canvased that Mr President should dissolve all the Boards to make room for APC members and supporters and Buhari said emphatic no. These PDP Board appointees were not only beneficiaries, but more or less adulterated our transparency manifesto.
“Point two, all the federal contracts, most remarkable is over 1,000 federal roads. In this instance once more opinion was divided some argued that the contracts should be revoked and awarded fresh as contracts, Mr President said emphatic no.
“In 1999, PDP revoked nearly all Petroleum Trust Fund ongoing contracts and made a bazaar of the exercise. One of the casualties was Enugu Urban Water Scheme; which was callously awarded to Chinese instead of Strabag of Germany which designed the project. It failed and today scarcity of water in Enugu is the outcome.
“PDP became the beneficiary when Mr President started paying the contractors some of whom their monies were embezzled by the PDP in what turned out to be dubbed the locust years, when oil sold above $100 per barrel.
“Point three, was the much mangled and manipulated Privatisation program; where State Owned Enterprises were auctioned off. Even Ministerial and Legislative quarters were sold. In this instance opinion was once divided and Mr President maintained his continuity standard. The bad side of PDP Privatisation program was that the accounting process was less than transparent.
“Point four, is the Buhari’s Agrarian Revolution #BUGREV. In #BUGREV, Mr President has invested heavily to make us produce what we eat, therefore has demonstrated that every square meter of land in Nigeria is fertile for one crop or the other.
“Like or hate Mr President, no rational and patriotic Nigerian will dismiss the ideas that #BUGREV, a program aimed at rural Agro-Industrialization will not continue. Luckily, the beneficiaries are across the board, multi-partisan and non-partisan inclusive. One stands to be contradicted.
“Point five, is the Executive Order 10, an Order Mr President primarily signed to give life to Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
