The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, says the Muhammadu Buhari administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are committed to the welfare of the common man.
This, he explained, is because the APC is a party of the people and will continually ensure that the common man benefits maximally from its government.
Osinbajo stated this on Friday when he received on a courtesy call, a delegation of the APC Professionals Forum at the State House in Abuja.
“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 the government which is why we have the big programmes like the social investment programmes – the largest of its kind on the continent and several of such other programmes that emphasise how serious we take the lot of the common man,” he was quoted in a statement by his media aide, Laolu Akande.
The vice president believes the party, which was formed nine years ago, has made an impact and is determined to improve the well-being of Nigerians.
For him, the APC is also where many young people are and the ruling party in Africa’s largest democracy which by itself is a phenomenal achievement for such a young party.
“You’ll find that in the particular ideological direction of our party, it’s one that it was clear to the original founders of the party, the initial persons and groups that came together to form the party and they came from different parties, but it was to present a left of centre, a social democratic alternative to the ruling party,” Osinbajo added.
The APC, according to him, is determined to ensure the country’s further growth and development as it carries the hopes and expectations of millions of Nigerians.
“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.”
The vice president believes leaders and politicians are there to serve the people and give them reasons to believe in a better country.
“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 said.
Acknowledging the significance of the forum in the scheme of things, the Vice President urged the members to play more important roles in shaping the party’s ideology.
In his remarks, Chairman of the forum’s Board of Trustees and former governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, said the professionals in the party felt the need to identify with Osinbajo who is also a professional.
He also invited the vice president to the forum’s upcoming event in Abuja next week.
The forum’s delegation also included its Deputy Chairman of Board of Trustees and former APC National Secretary, Waziri Bulama; its Board of Trustees Secretary, Dapo Akinosun, SAN, and the National Coordinator, Akeem Akintayo.
