Politics

NIGER DELTA AFFAIRS MINISTER, SENATOR GODSWILL AKPABIO VISITS APC SECRETARIAT.

Published

5 years ago

April 29, 2021

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswil Akpabio has appealed to Nigerians to stop the blame game and join hands to tackle the security challenges in the country.

While addressing the Media before a closed door meeting with the National Secretary of the Caretaker Committee at the All Progressives Congres National Secretariat in Abuja, Akpabio says current security challenges in the country are politically motivated, and require collective efforts to unravel their sponsors in order to fast track the efforts and desire to build a united Nigeria.

The Niger Delta Affairs Minister acknowledged the activities of the Governor Mai Mala Buni led APC Caretaker Committee towards ensuring positive transformation in line with the mandate given to them,which is yielding the desired results.

The Minister stated this Thursday during an interaction with journalists at the national headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC), before he met with the Secretary of the party, Senator John Akpanudoedehe behind closed doors.

He said, “The issues of insecurity for me has already assumed a very worrisome dimension, if you notice, it is not limited to one region, it is not a function of North East, it is not a function of South East, even in the South South, even in my own local government, and if you read everyday what is happening in Benue State and other States, we have never in the history of this nation witnessed where people in uniform are targeted for elimination. That will show you that we have infiltrators in our midst.”

Akpabio noted that the security of neighboring countries must also remain a priority, adding that all the heavy arms in Nigeria today came into the country after Mammah Gadaffi was taken out, and people looted the arms.

He added that in Chad and Niger Republic, people buy arms like they buy petrol by the road side in Nigeria. The Minister noted that Niger Delta region is the most peaceful region today in the country due to the amnesty programme of the government.

Akpabio stated: “So, I think most of it is from outside influence. Most of the actions you see today are politically motivated, to try to derail the government but the government will not be deterred. And there is nothing that lasts forever, you know that everything that goes up must come down. So the insecurity you are seeing today, you will not see it again.”

Akpabio however denied any hostile relationship between himself and Akpanudoedehe, saying there has never been anytime the duo had issues together.

According to him, “We have never quarrelled with one another. In fact, we have always cooperated with one another, if anything, he will use his mouth to tell you how we used to dance Kokoma, holding hands together, then we go down and come up again. All these things happened in the 2019 elections, when we tried to install the APC government in Akwa Ibom State, until there was a conflict from both within and without, and that effort was shattered. And I don’t want that to happen again.

On his part, the Secretary said Akpabio’s visit was a surprise visit, and also denied having issues with the Minister. He added that politicians are people who can easily resolve their problems without fighting.

According to Akpanudoedehe: “I want to remind you what I said two months ago. My father told me that if you go to heaven, you don’t see politicians in heaven, and you don’t see politicians in heaven, you have to leave because that one is hell. I asked him why, he said politicians are people who can easily resolve their problems without fighting.

“That is why when you people put your mouth or your pen in issue of politics we always laugh because you will not know when we will laugh and resolve these issues. But that is not to say that we have issues.

“This visit is a surprise visit, it is like a girlfriend who has been expecting her boyfriend and keep saying when will my boyfriend visit for proposal, and j have been ambushed for this proposal. What will the girlfriend do, excitement. That you have been waiting for this diamond.

“So I’m happy that this proposal has come finally because it is what I have been waiting for. Let me tell you something, it is like America, Britain or world powers. If a small country wants to survive, you have to rush to America to support you. So most of the problems are not personal. It is between a small country and a big country. So it may set confusion between two bigger countries, but if the two bigger countries understand how to deal with the issues, the issue becomes a non-issue and they have become non-issue today,” he said.

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Adamawa APC Showcases Tinubu’s Two-Year Achievements, Applauds Ribadu’s Role as Stakeholders’ Meeting Kicks Off in Yola

Published

3 weeks ago

October 10, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

Stakeholders of the ruling APC in Adamawa State have identified the achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the last two years since assuming the Nigerian presidency, describing such achievements as monumental and unprecedented.

The stakeholders also commended Mr. President for appointing one of their sons, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as National Security Adviser, an appointment they emphasize has been justified by current results.

In a one-day grassroots engagement and sensitization meeting organized by APC lawmakers in the State Assembly, which was attended by various stakeholders of the Party from across the State and beyond, Monday, in Yola, speakers at the event posited that no Nigerian leader since Independence had in so short a time taken the various bold steps President Tinubu has undertaken in the last two years of his emergence as President.

Speaking as keynote speaker at the well-attended event, Director General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps,Rt.Hon.Yusuf Buba Yakub identified such projects as the construction of the 750-kilometre super highways from Calabar to Lagos and another one from Sokoto to Badagry in Lagos, as well as the one from Akwanga to Gombe and Yola and the one from Calabar to Abuja, including the Southeastern corridor railway lines,as monumental projects that are aimed at opening up the Nigerian hinterland for greater accessibility and overall development.

All of these, the Adamawa-born former federal lawmaker and leader said would not have been possible had the President from the first day of taking the oath of office not removed the hydra-headed fuel subsidy and floated the nation’s currency to bridge the yawning gap between the subsisting highly manipulated black and official foreign exchange markets.

“President Tinubu during his swearing-in ceremony took a bold step that no Nigerian leader in the past forty years in the history of our dear country was able to take. He removed the fuel subsidy before even taking over office!

“That move has turned around the fortunes of Nigeria such that today we can proudly beat our chests to say that we have become an exporter of finished petroleum products. In the past, despite our abundant crude oil we were busy importing petrol, which was very disgraceful.”

Buba, who commended President Tinubu for the two major decisions of removing the fuel subsidy and floating the Naira, against subsidizing the US Dollar as was the case in the past, said the decisions have saved Nigeria trillions of Naira. He recalled that during the 9th National Assembly one-third of the national fiscal budget for a particular year was completely eaten up by fuel subsidy claims.

“These decisions which have increased revenue earnings in our States in the last two years are the reasons you see today in serious States of the Federation the kind of monumental development taking place all over the place.”

Buba also commended President Tinubu for appointing one of their own as the National Security Adviser. He said Mallam Nuhu Ribadu’s appointment, which was hailed across the globe as placing a square peg in a square hole at a time Nigeria was almost becoming ungovernable owing largely to the unfortunate activities of insurgent groups, was a masterstroke by Mr. President that has convinced all doubting Thomases as to the genuine intentions of Mr. President.

While chronicling other achievements of President Tinubu in the first two years of his Presidency, including the efforts at repositioning Nigeria in the global community through the TAC Scheme and the grand diplomatic engagements of the Foreign Affairs’ Ministry, his many social intervention programmes for the poor, investment in technical and vocational training as well as scholarships for students and many other highly commendable good governance initiatives, the NTAC DG concluded that Nigeria has never had it so good. He called on the people to brace up for the return of Mr. President for a second term in office.

Also speaking at the event, the National Vice Chairman of the APC in the Northeast Zone, Comrade Barrister Salisu Mustapha drew comparison of the state of insecurity in the land before the coming of President Tinubu and the present moment. While thanking the people for their support for answering the call to duty ,which gave them victory at a recently conducted bye election in the State, he said the message must be carried far and near that the Party was prepared to reclaim victory in the State in 2027.He acknowledged the significance of such a gathering initiated by members of the Party in the State Assembly.

He thanked other members of the Party from the neighbouring States of Taraba and Gombe and also solicited commitment from the Party stalwarts in Adamawa towards ensuring that such a gathering be replicated at the Ward level of the entire State.

Among those who attended the event were some members of the National Executive Committee of the APC from the Northeast Zone, the Adamawa State Chairman of the Party, Barr. Idris and members of the State Working Committee, Local Government as well as the Ward Executive Committee members of the Party and various stakeholders.

The event concluded with the endorsement of Mr. President and other leaders of the Party for onward movement to the next level.

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