Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are set to begin campaign outings almost immediately after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu returns from his working leave, said the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, on Sunday.

Uzodimma disclosed this after meeting the President at his Lagos residence, where he said he briefed Tinubu on developments in the country during his absence and the activities of APC governors.

The Imo governor said the meeting also reviewed efforts by the Progressive Governors Forum to communicate the Tinubu administration’s achievements and policies to Nigerians ahead of the start of political mobilisation.

"The President has just come back from a working leave. And while he was away, we were working in Nigeria. And it is only fair that he is briefed on the happenings in the country and given an interim report on the issues on the ground.

“I came and briefed him. We had a very quality conversation, and he is now aware of what happened while he was away and the efforts of the Governors of Progressive Forum in making sure that Nigerians are properly aware of the achievements of his government and the policies.

“We referred straight to our campaign outing, which will start almost immediately since he is now back. So it was a quality conversation, a quality meeting I had with Mr. President”, Uzodimma said.

Uzodimma also said APC governors had taken a cue from Tinubu’s recent broadcast and would now concentrate on ensuring that Nigerians directly feel the benefits of the Federal Government’s economic reforms.

According to him, the reform programme had moved beyond implementation to the stage where its gains must translate into improved living conditions for citizens.

“We have already taken cue from that broadcast, and that is exactly what we are doing. The reform policy has moved from implementation to ensuring that the people of Nigeria get the dividends of the reform policy itself”, he said.

The PGF chairman cited the deployment of compressed natural gas-powered buses as an example, arguing that the reduction in operating costs arising from the initiative should result in lower transport fares for commuters.

He urged transport operators to pass the savings from cheaper CNG-powered transportation to passengers rather than retain the entire benefit.

He stressed that APC governors would not merely promote the administration’s reform agenda but would work to ensure its benefits reached ordinary Nigerians.

“So we are not going to only sit here and sing the songs of reform. We are going to make sure that the benefits… the real beneficiaries of the reform policy are the people. That the masses will feel the impact. That these policies, the dividends, should be impactful”, he said.

Uzodimma used Imo State’s fiscal position to illustrate what he described as the gains flowing to states under the Tinubu administration.

He recalled that when he became governor, the state struggled to meet recurrent obligations and had little left after paying salaries to execute projects and run government.

“In 2021, I became the Governor without President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his reform policies. It was difficult at the end of every month after paying salaries. That is, if we managed to pay salaries, we had money to run the state.

“Today, we pay salaries as we do, and we have money to do all the achievements that we have recorded in the state. It is not only in my state. Every other state. Most of our Governors are very active, with a lot of projects here and there”, he said.

Uzodimma said the governors were grateful to Tinubu for his reform policies but had also been challenged to ensure that the increased resources and other gains associated with the reforms translated into tangible improvements in citizens’ lives.

“We are grateful to Mr. President and his reform policies. And we are charged again to ensure the real benefits, that the real beneficiaries of the reform policy are the people. That the masses will feel the impact”, he said.

He added that making the benefits of the reforms visible at the household level would help Nigerians better understand the administration’s policies and their intended impact. (The Nation)

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