Tony Akowe, Abuja
GOVERNORS elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are unrelenting in their efforts to end the crises rocking their party, Jigawa State Governor Abubakar Badaru.
According to the governor, President Muhammadu Buhari has assured to do everything possible to leave a strong and united party at the end of his two-term tenure in 2023.
Speaking to reporters in Abuja, Badaru said: “The leadership of the APC Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) is working day and night to ensure that the crisis in the party is resolved.
“I want to also assure you that the President is looking at the situation and is working to ensure that the crisis is resolved. It will be resolved in no time. We are working on it and God willing, it will be over soon.”
On the survival of APC after President Buhari’s exit from office, Badaru said: “The President made a commitment to the governors that he will support us in any way possible to make sure that the party survives and wax stronger after him.”
Badaru said the APC government was working hard to address the security challenges in the country, saying “the government is working so hard to resolve these issues. There is a standing NEC committee that is working on security and it involved all governors in the country.
“The President is worried about the security situation in the country and is working tirelessly to see how the menace can be tackled. You will agree with me that in Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto, it has dropped significantly, while in Kaduna, the situation is not as it used to be. When you go to the Northeast, we have been able to reduce it signicantly.
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“If you remember clearly, coming from Kano to Abuja in those days was very challenging because you are not sure you will arrive in Abuja without somebody bombing your car. But now, you move, but you are only afraid of being kidnapped.
“So, we have different challenges at different times and I believe the government is working hard on that. Above all, the government is looking at the Social Intervention Programme (SIP) to see how we can create jobs and create wealth with the belief that it will help strengthen the economy and help reduce our security challenges.”
Reacting to the recent rating of Nigeria by Transparency International on the state of corruption in the country, Badaru said: “We have to look at the index carefully and not the general ranking. If you look at the index, you will discover that in some cases, corruption is coming down and in others, it is going up.
“When you say corruption, everybody lookS at the government. There is corruption in the market places because when you reduce things, it is a form of corruption.
“There are so many indices that determine corruption and the level. So, we need to have clear understanding of the indices, where we win and where we lose.
“You must agree with me that the APC government has done so well in bringing out so many cases and getting prosecution. But you know how the judiciary works and the fact that the law says you must prove beyond any reasonable doubt that corruption has occurred and that process takes time.
“Sometimes, you may see the corruption, but unable to defend it without evidence that will be beyond reasonable doubt. This issue of fighting corruption will take time and I am sure that the indices will be dropping over time. When you take a critical look, you will discover the APC government is not doing badly on corruption.”
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