EXTRAORDINARY TIMES REQUIRE EXTRAORDINARY ACTIONS
Being
the text of an address of welcome by the Chairman of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun, at a two-day retreat for all APC
Senators-elect at the Ibeto Hotel in Abuja on Saturday, May 23rd 2015
Extraordinary Times Require Extraordinary Actions
Extraordinary Times Require Extraordinary Actions
Being the text of an address of welcome by the Chairman of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun, at a two-day
retreat for all APC Senators-elect at the Ibeto Hotel in Abuja on
Saturday, May 23rd 2015
Protocols
Let me formally welcome our party’s torchbearers in the upper chamber of the incoming 8th National Assembly to this retreat.
This is the first formal interaction between our Senators-elect and
the leadership of our party, since the conclusion of the 2015 General
Elections.
While I congratulate all of you on your elections, I must quickly add
that I don’t envy you. This is because you are being called to service
at one of the most challenging periods in the history of our nation.
APC members
Unparalleled commitment, uncommon patriotism, unprecedented hard work
and indeed a reservoir of your innermost strength will be required, as
our party takes the centre stage in the next few days and begins to
implement its programmes for the benefit of the long suffering people.
Make no mistake about it, the days ahead will be tough, and this is not crying wolf.
From the first day of this government, a total of 4.1 trillion Naira
will be required for sundry expenses, including oil subsidy payment,
arrears of salaries at federal and state levels and debt servicing, just
to mention a few.
Put this against the background of the falling oil prices, the
unprecedented 60-billion-dollar debt which the outgoing government has
left for the incoming one, the largely depleted Excess Crude Account
(ECA), the 60 billion dollars that have been lost in the last four years
to crude oil theft (and which are perhaps still being lost as we
speak), the need to rapidly create jobs for our teeming army of
unemployed youths, enhance the security of the citizenry and improve the
economy, and you will begin to understand the enormity of the
challenges ahead.
This is not a lamentation forum, but still, we must tell ourselves
the truth about the state of the nation, and the expectations of our
people.
In fact, to a number of our compatriots, by May 30th, a day after the
swearing of our President-elect, all the streets in Nigeria will be air
conditioned while electricity will become stable and fuel scarcity will
be a thing of the past.
Yes, we will get there, but it won’t happen overnight.
You, our Senators-elect, will be called upon to take extraordinary
actions to address the extraordinary challenges that confront our
nation.
The incoming President, more than anyone else, needs the support and
cooperation of the 8th National Assembly to fulfill his campaign promise
to Nigerians.
You may be required to pass important bills at very short notices.
This will not be unprecedented but will require a buy-in to the
programmes of the President and the Party and a willingness to work with
him and the party for the benefit of all Nigerians. The demands on you
will be tasking, but you are up to the task!
Fortunately we have the numbers, even though we believe that a bipartisan effort – to which we are open – will be a better deal
And there is good news! You, our Senators-elect, share in the dreams
of the President and our party to make our country great again.
May I also remind you that all eyes will be on our party – and by
extension on all of you – to see if our government will walk its talk in
terms of running a lean and effective government, one that eschews
waste, corruption and indiscipline, and one that will harness the
nation’s human, material and natural resources for the well being of the
people.
Finally, let me end on a note of caution.
There is no magic wand to make our economy better overnight. Against
the realities on the ground, some of which I listed earlier, reviving
our economy will be a long and tortuous process. Bold decisions will
need to be taken, and this can only be possible if there is a synergy
among our party, the National Assembly and the President. We know you
will not fail us, and you will not fail Nigerians.
Well, the 1921 Nobel Laureate for Physics, Dr. Albert Einstein, must
have had a moment like this in mind, while responding to a question.
He was asked: “Dr. Einstein, why is it that when the mind of man has
stretched so far as to discover the structure of the atom, we have been
unable to devise the political means to keep the atom from destroying
us?”
His answer: “That is simple, my friend. It is because politics is more difficult than physics.”
Now that you know the nobility of the calling in which you have found
yourselves, I am sure you will not hesitate to show that politicians
too can solve problems!
- See more at:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/there-is-no-magic-wand-to-make-our-economy-better-overni
Being
the text of an address of welcome by the Chairman of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun, at a two-day retreat for all APC
Senators-elect at the Ibeto Hotel in Abuja on Saturday, May 23rd 2015
Protocols
Let
me formally welcome our party’s torchbearers in the upper chamber of the
incoming 8th National Assembly to this retreat.
This
is the first formal interaction between our Senators-elect and the leadership
of our party, since the conclusion of the 2015 General Elections.
While
I congratulate all of you on your elections, I must quickly add that I don’t
envy you. This is because you are being called to service at one of the most
challenging periods in the history of our nation.
APC
members
Unparalleled
commitment, uncommon patriotism, unprecedented hard work and indeed a reservoir
of your innermost strength will be required, as our party takes the centre
stage in the next few days and begins to implement its programmes for the
benefit of the long suffering people.
Make
no mistake about it, the days ahead will be tough, and this is not crying wolf.
From
the first day of this government, a total of 4.1 trillion Naira will be
required for sundry expenses, including oil subsidy payment, arrears of
salaries at federal and state levels and debt servicing, just to mention a few.
Put
this against the background of the falling oil prices, the unprecedented
60-billion-dollar debt which the outgoing government has left for the incoming
one, the largely depleted Excess Crude Account (ECA), the 60 billion dollars
that have been lost in the last four years to crude oil theft (and which are
perhaps still being lost as we speak), the need to rapidly create jobs for our
teeming army of unemployed youths, enhance the security of the citizenry and
improve the economy, and you will begin to understand the enormity of the
challenges ahead.
This
is not a lamentation forum, but still, we must tell ourselves the truth about
the state of the nation, and the expectations of our people.
In
fact, to a number of our compatriots, by May 30th, a day after the swearing of
our President-elect, all the streets in Nigeria will be air conditioned while
electricity will become stable and fuel scarcity will be a thing of the past.
Yes,
we will get there, but it won’t happen overnight.
You,
our Senators-elect, will be called upon to take extraordinary actions to
address the extraordinary challenges that confront our nation.
The
incoming President, more than anyone else, needs the support and cooperation of
the 8th National Assembly to fulfill his campaign promise to Nigerians.
You
may be required to pass important bills at very short notices. This will not be
unprecedented but will require a buy-in to the programmes of the President and
the Party and a willingness to work with him and the party for the benefit of
all Nigerians. The demands on you will be tasking, but you are up to the task!
Fortunately
we have the numbers, even though we believe that a bipartisan effort – to which
we are open – will be a better deal
And
there is good news! You, our Senators-elect, share in the dreams of the
President and our party to make our country great again.
May I
also remind you that all eyes will be on our party – and by extension on all of
you – to see if our government will walk its talk in terms of running a lean
and effective government, one that eschews waste, corruption and indiscipline,
and one that will harness the nation’s human, material and natural resources
for the well being of the people.
Finally,
let me end on a note of caution.
There
is no magic wand to make our economy better overnight. Against the realities on
the ground, some of which I listed earlier, reviving our economy will be a long
and tortuous process. Bold decisions will need to be taken, and this can only
be possible if there is a synergy among our party, the National Assembly and
the President. We know you will not fail us, and you will not fail Nigerians.
Well,
the 1921 Nobel Laureate for Physics, Dr. Albert Einstein, must have had a moment
like this in mind, while responding to a question.
He
was asked: “Dr. Einstein, why is it that when the mind of man has stretched so
far as to discover the structure of the atom, we have been unable to devise the
political means to keep the atom from destroying us?”
His
answer: “That is simple, my friend. It is because politics is more difficult
than physics.”
Now
that you know the nobility of the calling in which you have found yourselves, I
am sure you will not hesitate to show that politicians too can solve problems!
Credit:
Vanguard
