2023: Times Are Hard, Let APC Continue Fixing Nigeria – Okechukwu

A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu has told Nigerians to reject the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2023 general elections.

Okechukwu who is the Director-General, Voice of Nigeria (VON) argued that the PDP has had its chances in the past but blew the opportunity, hence the party can no longer be trusted to lead Nigerians to the promised land.

He added that it is better to allow the APC to continue its work of fixing Nigeria despite the hard times the country is experiencing at the moment.

“How can Nigerians trust our sister political party, the PDP, given their antecedents riddled with trust deficit? We know that times are hard; methinks it is better to allow APC to fix Nigeria. Where do one start from?” Okechukwu queried.

The VON DG went further to recall how the PDP allegedly embezzled billions of dollars that were meant to be used in setting up Greenfield Refineries in Lagos, Kogi, and Bayelsa during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

He stated “Can we forget the squandermania of $23 billion Greenfield Refineries – one meant for Lagos, one for Kogi and one for Bayelsa? A golden opportunity cost to our economy.

“Recall that on March 19, 2015, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties CNPP queried Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, then Minister of Finance thus,

“May we under the Freedom of Information Act 2011, request for the full disclosure of transactions concerning the three Greenfield refineries and petrochemical plant contract awarded on 13th May 2010 by President Goodluck Jonathan to Chinese State Construction and Engineering Corporation Limited (CCEEC), at $23 billion meant to be located at Bayelsa, Kogi, and Lagos States?”

“Secondly, why are they dead on arrival as six years down the line, neither the three Greenfield refineries nor petrochemical plant is under construction. The three Greenfield refineries one understands, on completion were to add 750,000 barrels per day capacity to Nigeria’s refining infrastructure and create over a million jobs.

“The Greenfield Refineries fiasco happened when our Excess Crude Account had over $40 billion and the China State Construction Corporation even upped their equity to 80 per cent. The unfortunate outcome is that $15 billion is fleeced off our national treasury annually for the importation of refined petroleum products for over a decade”, he added.

Okechukwu submitted that the APC is looking forward to the coming onboard of Dangote Refineries rather than take up the Greenfield Refineries abandoned by the PDP.

“From all indications the company was frustrated by the PDP and we were excited by the prospects of the Dangote Refinery,” he submitted.