The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Enugu State has hailed fiery Catholic priest, Rev’d Fr Ejike Mbaka for coming out to tell the world the pains Nigerians are going through under the current government, assuring however that the Federal Government was committed to alleviating the sufferings occasioned by the present economic recession.
It backed the Enugu-based priest for noting that truly, “there was too much hunger in the land occasioned by the immediate past administration of President Jonathan”.
A statement issued on Monday by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Kate Offor pointed out that the president together with his team is working hard to ensure things are better in the country.
According to the party, “Let us once more salute Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka, the crusader of the masses, liberation ideologue and Head Adoration Ministry, Catholic Church Enugu State; for speaking the truth as evidenced by his unrelenting attack on those in power and his memorable prediction of President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory on January 1st, 2015.
“We wish to reassure Fr. Mbaka that President Buhari will not in the fullness of time, disappoint Nigerians or fail to fix our dilapidated social and physical infrastructure. Never! Buhari is devotedly committed to pull Nigerians out of poverty, hunger and squalor.
“We agree 100 per cent with Fr Mbaka that, ‘it is not easy everywhere. Hunger is everywhere. Hunger is in the atmosphere.”
“There is sword moving about in the country. People are dying like flies. The sword of hunger is eating the land. We also agree 100% with him that, ‘The past PDP government was a Grasshopper and Locust to Nigeria.”
“The past government was a disaster to the land of Nigeria. The past government was cancer to this country. There is no need to cover their incalculable and iniquitous mess.’
“For us yesterday and for true reality is the architecture of today, and nobody can wash yesterday away. Therefore, Fr Mbaka is correct in stating that the past regimes sowed the whirlwind we are regrettably reaping today.”
“If the $16 billion expended on power supply was prudently expended, if the 3 Greenfield Refineries awarded on 13 May, 2010 was not dead and fund decayed in the sand, if the $8.3 billion spent on the old gauge Lagos-Kano Railway were for standard gauge, if the Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Port Harcourt, 2nd Niger Bridge the and other federal roads monies budgeted were not eating by Locust, if the monies meant for Enugu Coal were nor embezzled and if the billions budgeted for our schools and hospitals did not grow wings; hunger couldn’t have been in the land, unemployment could have been drastically reduced and our prosperity could have been guaranteed.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, we the members of the APC Enugu State and by extension Nigeria, feel the pains and pangs of hunger, feel the gruesome hardship and abject poverty ravaging the land. We are not immuned to hunger nor the gross unemployment dislocating our youths.
“To be candid, in our close door meeting with Mr President, he disclosed that he is aware, concerned and worried over the sordid economic situation. This is why he is waging strident war against corruption.
“His solution is to effectively and prudently implement 2016 and subsequent budgets, so as to fix the decayed infrastructure. On the issue of being slow, Mr President pointed out that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Procurement Act and other extant laws make it impossible for any official to expend monies not appropriated by the National Assembly.
“Otherwise, he could have dipped his hand into the trillions budgeted and hit the ground running. “It is pertinent to inform as well that Mr President is embarking on economic diplomacy, traveling the length and breadth of the globe, utilizing his huge goodwill to attract foreign investors to fulfill the solemn pledge he made to the good people of Nigeria.
“It is common knowledge that destruction is very easy and reconstruction very difficult. This is the ordeal that Mr President is facing in fixing Nigeria.
“Accordingly, we wish to once more reassure Fr Mbaka, and indeed all Nigerians that in the fullness of time; nobody will regret ever voting for President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. All he needs is prayers patience and support.”
