John Oyegun, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says his party did not know the enormity of the country’s economic woes before taking over power in 2015, but it is already laying foundation for a future Nigeria.
Oyegun who spoke at a surprise 77th birthday party held for him by staff of the APC national secretariat in Abuja on Friday, said God blessed Nigeria with President Muhammadu Buhari, who is ready to take the challenge of fixing the economy.
“It has been tough times for the nation. When we were campaigning and it is necessary to continue to hammer on this part, we were not in government,” he said.
“We knew things were very bad, but we did not know they were as bad as we eventually found them and the revelations that come out everyday continue to buttress that fact.”
He lamented that due to the collapse of crude oil price, many states in the country could not pay salaries because of the heavy reliance on crude earnings.
“Nobody ever expected the price of crude to collapse in the way it has done and one can only repeat what Mr. President said a few days ago.
“That is for being a nation that had an excess crude account, today because of the collapse of the price of crude, a lot of states of this country do not have enough resources to meet their basic functions, responsibilities.”
He said that though the country is going through hard times, there is hope due to the determination of Buhari and the party.
“That we would never again depend on a single crop whether it is oil, whether it is solid minerals, whether it is agriculture,” he added.
“The president is laying a single foundation, very solid foundation, for the take-off of this nation such that all the resources that God has endowed this nation with, whether it is in solid minerals that it is plentiful, whether it is in agriculture, we can grow virtually anything in this nation of ours we have been blessed with rich soil.
“The Nigeria of tomorrow would be a Nigeria that produces, the Nigeria of tomorrow would be a Nigeria that can give employment to its youth.
“The Nigeria of the tomorrow would be a nation that would provide plentiful opportunities for its people that is the Nigeria Buhari is presently constructing.”
He appealed to staff of the party and journalists to “see ourselves as participants in this struggle”, saying: “We should all see the present deprivation as the sacrifices to ensure the greatness of this nation.”
