A National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu, on Thursday advised Nigerians not to accept the apologies tendered by the People‘s Democratic Party (PDP) for its mistakes while in power.
Mr Tinubu made the statement while speaking at a colloquium organised to mark his 66th birthday in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the colloquium, the 10th edition, was “Investing in People “.
The PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, had on Monday in Abuja, apologised to Nigerians for the mistakes the party made while in power.
Mr Tinubu described the apologies as deceitful, saying they sought to hoodwink Nigerians to get a political advantage.
The APC chieftain added that the PDP brought the country to its knees with massive corruption, saying they should not be allowed to return to power again.
“Nigerians should not accept PDP’s apologies, they are corrupt, they lied, they falsified, they changed figures.
“For 16years, they made fake promises, gave us fake figures, and they tell us ‘Don’t talk about it’.
“It is like, after catching a thief and he tells you ‘Don’t look at me, go and steal your own’, he said.
Mr Tinubu said the PDP had the opportunity to transform the country and set it on the path of progress with high oil price and high oil production level.
The APC chieftain said that the PDP, with massive corruption and ineptitude, could not make any meaningful impact in governance.
He said the promised change by the APC would be delivered by the party.
According to him, the administration of President Mohammadu Buhari is taking steps to deliver the goods in spite of their odds.
“The voyage is on, the voyage of hope, the voyage that will change Nigeria for the better,” he said.
Mr Tinubu described the social investment programmes of the Federal Government as impactful, saying it had helped to empower many Nigerians.
He said he trusted in the administration of Mr Buhari to deliver more democratic dividends to Nigerians.
In his remarks, Mr Buhari described Mr Tinubu as a political strategist and a man who cared for the people.
He said the giant strides of Mr Tinubu in governance are a reference point in development.
The president congratulated him on his 66th birthday and wished him all the best in his endeavours.
He restated the commitment of his administration to the advancement of the welfare of Nigerians.
In his speech, Vice President Yemi Osibajo said the government ‘s social investment programmes had been largely successful as it had impacted on lives.
He attributed some of the successes to the free hand given to him by Mr Buhari as coordinator of the programme.
“I want to thank President Buhari for giving me the opportunity to coordinate the programme and the free hand to run the programme,” Mr Osinbajo said.
He said the programmes had done a lot to improve the welfare of Nigerians.
The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed said no fewer than 7.9 milllion Nigerians had benefitted from the government social investment programmes.
She said the beneficiaries were covered in such programmes as “The Free School Feeding Programme” and the N-Power” .
The Minister cited others as the National Cash Transfer Programme (NCTP) and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme(GEEP)
She reiterated the commitment of government to investing in people to improve their well being.
NAN reports that state governors, ministers, serving and former members of the National Assembly attended the programme.
Captains of industry including Aliko Dangote, Jim Ovia and members of the diplomatic corps also attended the programme.
The highpoint of the programme was when Mr Tinubu’s wife, Oluremi joined her husband on stage to cut the birthday cake, creating a delightful spectacle.
(NAN)