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Enioluwa Adeniyi
Guest
The factional National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Sly Ezeokenwa, has praised President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as a minister as both audacious and commendable.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Ezeokenwa, who took over the leadership of APGA in 2023 after Chief Victor Oye’s eight-year tenure, expressed his approval and pride regarding the new appointment.
President Tinubu, in a recent reshuffle, appointed seven new ministers, giving them various portfolios which are subject to Senate confirmation.
Among these appointments, Mrs. Odumegwu-Ojukwu was named the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, a position that has drawn considerable attention given her prominent background and the political significance of her appointment.
Ezeokenwa highlighted that Mrs. Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s appointment reflects a progressive step towards inclusive governance and recognition of meritorious service to the nation.
He said, “Bianca is one of the most revered members of the party; very iconic; a woman with sterling qualities; wife of our foremost national leader.
“In life and in death, we have an external leader, the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu; and he is our spiritual leader because APGA is not your regular political party.
“I wish to commend Tinubu for making such a laudable and audacious move.”
He said he had previously called for the president to form a strong cabinet of technocrats who would drive his agenda effectively.
Ezeokenwa, a legal practitioner, said he supported the president’s success, but something urgent must be done to revive the economy.
He further stated, “I can tell that the economy of this country has taken the brunt for the past few years; nobody can shy away from the fact that Nigerians are suffering.
“No matter how one wants[ to play politics, the president has come out on different fora to admit that he understands the pains and agony of Nigerians: so, he understands the reality; the inflation trend is worrisome.
“In trying to turn things around, you must look beyond your party men; you must go beyond partisan politics; you go beyond party affiliations; fish out credible Nigerians who have what it takes; those technocrats and eggheads who can actually make a difference.
“Because at the end of the day, it is all about Nigerians; I want Tinubu to succeed; because if he succeeds, Nigeria will succeed; if he succeeds, the level of hunger in the country will wane.”
According to him, if the president succeeds, it will improve the country’s image as investors will come in.
He said that Nigeria should not just be number one in Africa but among the five leading economies in the world.
Ezeokenwa said, “We have what it takes; we have the vast human capital; so, I commend the president for making that very bold and audacious move; looking beyond his political party to invite people who have it takes to help in his renewed hope agenda.”
He added that there was a need to decentralize Nigeria’s security architecture in order to address the myriad of security challenges facing the country.
On the crisis in the party, he said there was no fictionalization in APGA as the party remained a united, indivisible family.
“Everything about politics is dynamism; and so, for APGA, we don’t lose sight of the fact that there can be issues; but the party will still thrive.
“What we have in APGA today is not fictionalisation; what we have is an attempt by some people who are not members of APGA trying to hijack the party though the back door,” he said.
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