•Says Nigerians are hungry, the country not moving forward under APC
•Urges APC Govt to Reassess Priorities
By Shadrach Okon
An elder statesman in Akwa Ibom State and former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, RT. Hon. Nduese Essien, has criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) government in Nigeria for ignoring the reality of biting hunger in the land and failing to lead the country on the path of progress 10 years after the party took over power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in country.
Chief Nduese Essien gave his assessment of APC government in Nigeria while fielding questions from newsmen recently in his country home Eket, Akwa Ibom State.
According to him, “The APC-led government has been in power for about 10 years. President Tinubu has served nearly 30 months of that. I will recuse myself from giving a full assessment in public, but I will say this: Nigerians are hungry, the country is not moving forward, and insecurity is worsening. The government must reassess its priorities urgently.”
Speaking on the rising insecurity in the country, Chief Nduese Essien, had this to say: “Insecurity is now so widespread that the international community has categorized Nigeria as a country of particular concern. The crisis evolved from Boko Haram’s early years to a mix of insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and religious extremism.
After 2015, many foreign insurgents who came to force out the Jonathan administration stayed behind. Some wanted to be paid to leave; others found Nigeria conducive for crime. They diversified into kidnapping, assassination, and other violent acts. Over time, these groups merged into various ideological or criminal networks.
Nigeria must differentiate between the different types of insecurity and tackle each one urgently and strategically if the nation is to return to normal.
Rt. Hon. Essien, who also served in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007 highlighted some of his achievements while serving as a Member in the Federal House of Representatives to include: mobilizing the South-South Caucus to secure the passage of the bills establishing the NDDC, removing the offshore/onshore dichotomy, and compelling the president to pay the constitutionally provided 13% derivation to oil-producing states. As chairman of the Anti-Corruption Committee, we also initiated key amendments to strengthen anti-corruption laws.
