The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appreciated Nigerians for supporting President Bola Tinubu in the last one year, assuring that the administration will continue to prioritise citizen’s welfare.

Felix Morka, the party’s national publicity secretary, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Morka lauded Mr Tinubu for striving with unmatched zeal and vigour to deliver on his cardinal electoral promise to oversee the full restoration and revitalisation of all aspects of the country’s economic life.

“Undaunted by prevalent deep-seated and existential challenges confronting the nation prior to his inauguration.

“The president stepped up with courage and bold determination to remake the fundamentals by tackling those challenges at their deepest roots.

“Announcing the termination of the fuel subsidy regime in his inaugural speech, the President dealt a decisive blow against what was probably the most potent threat to Nigeria’s economic survival.

“In the same intrepid manner, the President approved harmonisation of existing multiple foreign exchange regimes that had become a gaping drain and massive damper to economic growth and development,” he said.

Mr Morka added that this was followed by a slew of other critical reforms, including the Oyelede Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy Reform.

Others,  he said, was reconstituting the leadership of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and directing the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC)  to remit its dollar earnings to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He added that the administration also waged a war against crude oil theft and improved the country’s oil exports and earnings.

“The administration’s relentless drive for foreign direct and portfolio investments into the nation’s economy is unrivalled, yielding tens of billions of US Dollars in investments into the economy.

“In the first year under review, investment in Nigeria’s stock market has ballooned from N18 billion in Q1 of 2023 to N98 billion in Q1 of 2024, an increase of 415 per cent.

“Just as the nation’s annual economic growth accelerated to 3.46 per cent from 2.5 per cent,” the APC spokesman said.

He added that Mr Tinubu had also left an incredible first year footprint on high grade infrastructure delivery not only in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) but around the country.

He expressed optimism that the recently commissioned 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would create jobs and boost tourism and economic development on completion.

He said that after decades of abandonment, the Sokoto-Badagry super-highway was now set to become a reality.

Mr Morka said the Abuja Metro Rail, Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri Rail, Ibadan-Abuja-Kaduna Riail, Kano-Katsina-Maradi Rail, and hundreds of roads and bridges across the federation were some of the landmark projects on the plate of the Tinubu-led government.

“From huge interventions to boost food security to drastic revamping of the security architecture and infrastructure to increased funding and reform of the health sector.

“The administration is steadily reclaiming lost ground and repositioning Nigeria for a future of greatness, this President has governed with remarkable candour and forthrightness.

“He has been clear that some of the policies implemented by his administration will not be without pain, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable citizens of our country,” Mr Morka said.

He said Mr Tinubu and the APC remained keenly aware and attentive to difficulties Nigerians were going through on account of the policies.

He said that the policies were critical to rebuilding the foundation for the enduring growth and development of the country.

He added that policy interventions and attendant transient difficulties, including inflationary pressures, had vastly characterised the trajectory of many of the world’s emerging high-growth economies.

He stressed that today’s pains would not be in vain but would return as gain for tomorrow’s Nigeria, adding that the administration would continue to prioritise the welfare of citizens.

“From the Credit Corps to Students Loan, to wage award of several months, to ongoing negotiations for upward salary review, to disbursement of conditional cash transfer.

“To the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, to up-skilling of Nigerians youths with a whopping 617 million dollars grants to small and medium enterprise (SMEs).

“President Tinubu is committed to making this epochal transition to a greater and brighter Nigeria as bearable as possible.

“We salute the patriotism and resilience of Nigerians. We thank you for your continued patience with and support of this administration,” he said.

He expressed confidence that better days were near, adding that Mr Tinubu remained resolute in his commitment to delivering a progressively stronger, safer and more vibrant Nigeria ahead.

Mr Morka also expressed optimism that with peace and plenty, Nigeria would be blessed.

(NAN)