From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin
The former Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi has said that Nigerians need All Progressive Congress(APC) for better welfare of citizens and development.
Abdullahi, who stated this yesterday while speaking with Journalists in Ilorin, said Nigerians needed to reflect whether they are better of now than in the last six years.
“The question you should ask yourself is whether you are better off today than you were six years ago; whether the education your children receive today is better than what they received six years ago and whether the health services available to you is better than what was obtainable six years ago and if you conclude that they are better then there is no need for you to change. But if, like many of us, you face the reality that they are not, then you will understand why we say that we need a change.
“I have served both at the state and national level and I am convinced now that I should be more involved in contributing to solving problems, not just writing about them (problems) again and that is why I am now a full member of the APC.
“Yes, I used to see myself as a technocrat and it was strategic because I needed to have an environment to perform the job I was given without necessarily becoming political or promoting myself because whether as a commissioner or minister, I was only there by the recommendation of my bosses and I needed to do the work assigned to me without failing.
“However, I also discovered that much as that gave me the opportunity to perform, the truth also was that it became a limitation in some ways because when the decisions are to be made which would affect the people, technocrats are not allowed to be in such gathering. They are only called upon to implement the decisions and even in doing that he has to be careful because it may affect the fortunes of the politician.”
Abdullahi, who publicly declared his membership of the APC, said that only the party holds the key to a credible political future for Nigeria.
He therefore asked Nigerians to carefully weigh the options before them in deciding which political party to support in 2015.
The former Minister of Sports announced that he is now a card-carrying member of the APC and fully engaged with politicking.
He urged Nigerian professionals, eager for a change in the affairs of the nation, to become active in the political sphere as most decisions which affect the destiny of the people are taken at the political level.
The former minister said he was thrilled to discover while in office both as a commissioner in Kwara state and a minister at the federal level that professionals, especially journalists with commitment, can make change happen in whatever capacity they are called upon to serve in the country.
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