A federal lawmaker, Sen. Ali Ndume, has said that concerns that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government has failed Nigerians were unfounded.
Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, made this known at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.
He said that the government was working hard to deliver on its promises and should be commended and not condemned.
The lawmaker said that while he was not making excuses for the party, efforts at repositioning the country were being intensified.
“The APC has problems like every other party and particularly because it is a combination of many parties that came together to wrestle power from PDP.
“I am not using that as an excuse, but the people criticising APC are the people that destroyed Nigeria, abused and vandalised Nigeria for 16 years.
“When the previous government came into power, yes, there was armed robbery problem but it was minimal.
“There was no kidnapping, Boko Haram and no farmers-herders clash. Even, communal clashes then were not frequent.
“Buhari said he will address three things – insecurity, infrastructural decay and corruption.
While we will not say we have gotten there yet, we are working hard.
“Some of the challenges faced by this government are pure criminality and we should not politicise the issue by associating it with the APC,” he said.
Ndume said that Nigeria was lucky to have Buhari as president, adding that he was doing all within constitutional provisions to pull the country out of the quagmire it found itself.
He stated that the president was being admired by Nigerians, contrary to beliefs that he was being reprimanded by the people for under-performance.
“If you go to Wuse Market and start criticising this government, I don’t think you will come back alive.
“For instance, Charly Boy, convener of ‘Our Mumu Don Do’ carried his agitation too far. He went to Wuse Market and the masses chased him away,” he recalled.
The lawmaker urged the media to distance themselves from reports that were capable of causing tension in the country.
