The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has officially received Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, former senator Philip Gyunka, the Deputy Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, five other assembly members, who recently defected to the ruling party.
The APC National Chairman equally received the former publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), state chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), as well as several other politicians.
Speaking at the inauguration of state, local government, zonal, ward and unit coordinators of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors in Lafia, on Thursday, Professor Yilwatda said the large turnout was a declaration by the people of Nasarawa State that they are progressives.
He commended Governor Abdullahi Sule for completing the Lafia airport, establishing technical schools and vocational centres, and described Nasarawa as a shining example of good governance in northern Nigeria.
“Today, is a declaration by the people of Nasarawa State, that they are Progressives. I saw the excitement, I saw the atmosphere, I saw the roads. The roads were clearly showing that there is progress in the state,” he said.
Governor Abdullahi Sule said he was overwhelmed by the confidence residents are reposing in President Bola Tinubu and his administration, stating that the massive infrastructural changes happening in the state were made possible by the reforms of the President.
Governor Sule disclosed that through the National Education Loan Fund, parents no longer need to be rich to send their children to school, as beneficiaries are not required to repay until after they secure employment.
He urged the newly inaugurated ambassadors to take this message to the grassroots.
“The renewed hope agenda has come up with so many programmes, so many interventions and a lot of our people are not aware. I urge you, our local government, our ward and our unit renewed hope ambassadors to ensure that you do that. All these progress we are witnessing are because of the wonderful job that is taking place at the national level and at the state,” he stated.
Imo State Governor and National Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, Senator Hope Uzodimma, said the gathering was not a political rally but an exercise in political evangelism.
He charged the ambassadors to inform Nigerians that food prices are coming down, foreign reserves have increased, the naira is strengthening against the dollar, and the President has declared a state of emergency on insecurity.
Senator Uzodimma said 20 ambassadors have been appointed for each polling unit across the country to represent the President at the grassroots and to showcase the achievements of the administration.
“I charge the zonal coordinator of North Central, state Coordinator in Nasarawa State, local government coordinators, ward coordinators, and the polling unit ambassadors to go home with this our message. Preach the gospel. Evangelise. Take ownership. Prove the message that there is a new Nigeria. A new Nigeria is possible. Under President Tinubu, it has started changing for the good,” he said.
Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura, former governor of Nasarawa State and North Central Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, described Nasarawa as the home of the renewed hope agenda.
He said President Tinubu has introduced a different style of leadership that carries everybody along and considers people at the grassroots, wards and local governments.
He reaffirmed his commitment to deepening grassroots engagement and strengthening party unity in the region.
In her goodwill message, the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, said the large turnout shows that Nasarawa State does not gamble with its support for the President.
She stated that under the renewed hope agenda, prices of food have come down and the exchange rate has stabilised, contrary to the experience of the past where prices never dropped.
She pledged that the ambassadors would advocate and sensitise citizens on the achievements of the administration.
Earlier in a welcome address, Convener and Nasarawa State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, Labaran Shuaibu Magaji, SAN said the gathering was neither a campaign nor a political rally, but a convergence of Nasarawa people from all parts of the state to thank President Tinubu and Governor Sule.
Magaji, SAN, who doubles as the Secretary to the Nasarawa State Government, noted that Governor Sule, though on transition, is setting programmes and projects scheduled for completion within his tenure.
He added that the enthusiastic crowd marched seven kilometres to the venue and waited patiently for the arrival of dignitaries.