The minority caucus in the House of Representatives has congratulated Nigerians for crossing into a New Year, urging them to face 2021 with greater optimism and faith despite the sour experiences of the last year.
The caucus noted the “vigour and intensity” of its legislative activities in 2020, while pledging to intensify all statutory activities especially, legislative oversight, to ensure prompt execution of projects that have direct bearing on the welfare of the people.
This is just as the Peoples Democratic Party caucus in the House criticised the regime led by the President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling party, APC, for mismanaging the affairs of the country.
The minority caucus, in a New Year message issued by the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, charged government at all tiers to give more attention to youth development, education, health care, food security programmes, economic empowerment through job creation and support for hard-working entrepreneurs.
In a separate statement by the leader of the PDP caucus, Kingsley Chinda, titled, ‘We Must Remain Resilient and Patriotic,’ the opposition lawmakers said, “Our situation in Nigeria was further worsened by a poor and dwindling economy, now in the worst recession ever, and several incidents of kidnappings, killings and general insecurity across the county, occasioned by an inept, visionless, clueless and failed leadership of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government.”
Meanwhile, former South-West Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Eddy Olafeso has asked for an end to all divisions within the party in the region.
The former Information Commissioner in Ondo State who stated this in his new year message signed by his Media Aide, Wande T. Ajayi in Akure, the state capital, lamented that the nation was sliding into its worst recession in 30 years.
“Our Party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), remains strong and better whilst a need to ensure unity amongst our people remains a priority. “
“Unity is critical in our resolve for future victories in coming elections. We have had enough of the wranglings amongst us and it will only endanger our chances in future elections.
“We must close ranks now. I beg all to sheathe swords and charge toward a common course.”
Olafeso also asked the nation to take lessons from the previous year, 2020.
“The previous year was filled with all sorts of surprises. From a pandemic, the deadly COVID-19, that ravaged the whole world to a protest that shook the core fibre of this country, the #EndSARS protests.
“We may have learnt our lessons never to see anything impossible and that our youths have resolved to seek a better future for themselves.
“The year, surely, has taught us so many lessons and I urge us to keep living safely while we hope for an end to the pandemic,” he said.
“I encourage our governments to make the empowerment of our youths their topmost priority.
“Our future is in their hands and we must strive to do all to keep it safe”, he said.
However, Olafeso also charged the Federal Government to do all within its might to take the country out of recession.
“Our country slides into its worst recession in 30 years and though the future looks bleak with the current crop of leaders at the helm, we can, however, hope on God for a better future while we pray our leaders to take extraordinary measures to take us out of this absolute poverty we have found ourselves as a nation.”
Olafeso said, “ In all, I pray that this year shall usher in blessings, joy, hope and peace to all in this country, Nigeria, the South West Zone, my dear Ondo State and my Party, the PDP.”