President Bola Tinubu has declared that the 10 years’ existence of the APC in Nigeria has brought to an end the worst period, even as he urged Nigerians not to lose hope or go back.
The President said this on Tuesday in Owerri during his one-day official visit to Imo State for the commissioning of some gigantic projects executed by Governor Hope Uzodimma.
He said that the 10-year milestone already recorded by the All Progressives Congress is worth celebrating given the litany of successes made within the period.
The projects include the Owerri/Umuahia road, the Assumpta flyover and the gigantic Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Centre, Owerri.
He said that his administration, on assumption of office, promised change as well as renewed hope to Nigerians, assuring that rather than go backwards, Nigerians should continue to look and move forward.
President Tinubu acknowledged the fact that Nigeria as a country is not yet where it ought to be but assured that with the collaboration and support of all, the country will get there.
He said that as it stands, Nigeria’s economic growth rate shows that inflation has fallen to 21.12 per cent, which is the lowest in more than three years.
While thanking Nigerians for being patient, resilient and committed, President Tinubu assured that Nigeria will certainly be better.
In his welcome address cum public presentation of his book, A Decade of Impactful Progressive Governance in Nigeria, at the commissioned rebuilt Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Centre, Owerri, Governor Hope Uzodimma recalled that Nigeria’s story is never written by one person but written together.
He described the book as the product of months of deep reflection, careful research and honest writing, which offers a clear account of the APC’s journey in government from 2015 to 2025: the milestones, the challenges and the lessons.
Governor Uzodimma said that he was partly inspired to write the book out of curiosity, pointing out that the All Progressives Congress entered government in 2015 with enormous expectations on its shoulders.
He said that the APC inherited a fragile economy, deep security challenges and a weary citizenry, adding that in the next decade, Nigerians faced storms, some of them global, some of them homegrown.
He said: ‘This is my fourth book, and certainly the most demanding. I approached it not necessarily as a political figure but as a citizen with a responsibility to document this pivotal decade in our national history. I felt duty-bound to tell the story as it is, no sugar-coat.’
He acknowledged President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose pragmatic ideas and decisive leadership inspired many of the chapters.
He pointed out that from the moment the APC made history in 2015 by defeating an incumbent party, it had become more than just a political vehicle, but a movement, a courageous response to the yearnings of Nigerians for real change.
Uzodimma paid tribute to President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose courage and clarity have carried the APC and the country through many transitions.
He said: ‘Long before he became President, his ideas and his persistence shaped the progressive family. Many of the reforms we now take for granted had their roots in his insistence that Nigeria must do things differently.’
He said that in Imo, improvements are the fuel behind an infrastructure renaissance that touches every local government, adding that roads, bridges and urban renewal projects are moving at a speed that was once impossible.
According to him, beyond infrastructure, the new fiscal space has allowed the government to invest in people: in education, in healthcare, in welfare, agriculture and food security.
He said: ‘One area that gives me special pride is how we have treated workers and pensioners in our state. For years, Imo workers cried out for wages that reflect their effort and the realities of daily life. I dare say without any fear of contradiction that Imo workers are happier today than they were some years ago. Our senior citizens, who once endured neglect, now receive their dues promptly and respectfully.’