TheCable

Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday met President Muhammadu Buhari at the villla, and said afterwards that they were culpable for the state of the country’s economy.

Present at the meeting were governors of Imo, Adamawa, Plateau, Kogi, Kaduna, Edo, Ogun, Kano, Kebbi and Benue states.

Speaking with state house correspondents after the meeting, Rochas Okorocha, governor of Imo state and chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, said the agricultural policy of the government, which was “already yielding results”, was discussed.

He said the governors also congratulated the president on the release of the 21 Chibok girls, emphasising that “whatever was the action taken to bring back these girls, let the action be repeated so that the rest of the girls can be free this will help because this is a very big achievement in the life history of this government”.

Okorocha said the governors also commended the anti-corruption fight of the federal government and urged the president not to relent.

“We also encouraged him on the fight against corruption that he should continue,” he said.

“We know that in the pursuit of good programmes, certain lapses will be noticed and there is nothing wrong in pursuing a good course. We encouraged and thanked him for the efforts he is making to move this country forward.”

On the state of the country, Okorocha said: “There is no surgery that is not painful. Nigeria is going through a very serious economic surgery and that is the pains we are experiencing.

“We share the pains of Nigerians; every human being must feel it. We also feel what they are going through but we are asking for a little patience. Let us do things the right way and do it once and for all.

“I am sure that by next year you will begin to see changes, the price of rice will drop, prices of dollars will begin to stabilise and we will see a lot of challenges. But at this painful moment, nobody likes it.

“It is like a woman in the labour room; when she is in the labour room there is no joy but she has to pass through that moment and that moment she doesn’t wear her high heel shoes, no makeup, no champagne, no party; she is going through a process. But shortly after that process joy cometh once she sees the child. So Nigerians should bear with us as a government.

“This was not a problem brought by APC government; it is a problem that has existed long before APC came to government and we are only trying to clear the mess of the past. But we must take responsibility and we must never shift the responsibility to anybody. APC you are responsible for everything happening in Nigeria; we are responsible. The good, the bad, the ugly; but we are promising Nigerians that we shall fix it.”