Urges NGO, govt’s partnership on North-east
By Chizoba Ogbeche and Taiye Odewale, Abuja
Senate President Bukola Saraki, has opened up on the planned new mega party, reportedly peopled by some chieftains of both the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political associations, saying he has no problem whatsoever with its formation.
The mega party, otherwise called the Action Democratic Party (ADP), last Wednesday, submitted requirements for registration to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
But the identities of most political bigwigs, especially from both the APC and PDP, are yet to be unveiled, even as there are speculations that Saraki and some notable APC chieftains might team up with the new party ahead of 2019.
Explaining reasons for its registration, Yagbagi Sani, ADP protem national chairman, described the party as an alternative platform that will put the country “on the path of sustainable development and national cohesion.
“The current pathetic and weak conditions of the existing major political parties in Nigeria as well as the challenging socio-economic and political situation in the country made us establish this party… It is a child of necessity.
“The ADP is poised to rebuild Nigeria to achieve greatness as envisaged and desired by all. It is regrettable that despite the enormous human resources for development that we are endowed with, the nation wallows in abject poverty, and lack of direction, the ADP is prepared and equipped to halt this slide,” he had said.
Speaking on the emerging political party while featuring on Channels Television yesterday, Saraki declared that he has no issues with the party’s emergence, provided it would give Nigerians the economic leeway.
He said: “If the mega party will see us pushing Nigeria’s economy forward, I don’t have problem. Like I have said to many people, my focus now is on the economy.”
The Senate President also spoke on his party- the APC, admitting that though, they made some mistakes as the governing party, but “we are making some progress.”
“It’s been tough. There are many things we should have done differently; we didn’t manage the success well in the early stage. But it’s a learning curve.
“Here is a party that hasn’t been in power for so many years. But we are making progress. I mean, look at the budget process. Compare now to last year, you will see that the process is better, and it’s going to get better as we go on,” Saraki assured.
The nation’s number three citizen also promised Nigerians that there won’t be any delay in the passage of the 2017 budget.
“We are going to put everything in place, we will be back on the 21st, hopefully by then reports will start coming in, plus or minus three weeks by the time we come back. The National Assembly will open up its budget in 2017, yes in my own time,” Saraki further declared.
In another development, Saraki has advised all humanitarian agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) operating in the North-east to always liaise with government agencies to help ease administrative bottlenecks in the cause of their duties.
He gave the advice while receiving the Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP), Ms. Ertharin Cousin, who led other members of WFP to the National Assembly.
The Senate President urged humanitarian agencies to always collaborate with security agencies “so as to ensure their safety at every point during their stay in the country.”
He said such collaboration with different levels of governments in the country, would help ease some of the administrative challenges the NGOs might encounter in their line of duty, especially on security and importation of their equipment.
According to him, “the collaborative efforts will help us play our part very well by providing the necessary counterpart initiatives.”
Saraki also called for a sustained humanitarian effort to address the challenges facing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-east, while urging the WFP to help ensure that the food crises in the IDP camps were reduced.
Earlier, the WFP Executive Director had sought the intervention of the Senate President in some administrative bottlenecks her organisation encountered in the importation of items needed in the discharge of their duties.
Ms. Cousin said the WFP is providing high yield seedlings to the displaced persons in the North-east, adding that the intervention was to ensure food security in the region.
She said over one million people had benefitted in the provision of assorted seedlings and that between January and April, this year, the number would increase from 1.3 million to 1.8 million following the joint efforts with the various states’ Ministries of Agriculture.
