David Mark Says APC Policies Are Causing Hardship and Poverty for Nigerians

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) said that President Bola Tinubu’s “needless vicious policies” were implemented by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), subjecting Nigerians to unimaginable suffering and poverty.

The announcement was made yesterday in Abuja by Senator David Mark, the former Senate President and National Chairman of the ADC.

Mark lamented the persistent disruption of citizens’ social and economic lives by insecurity while the APC government persisted in increasing tax burdens.

At the ADC headquarters in Abuja, Mark gave a speech at the opening of a 50-person Policy and Manifesto Committee.

Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the former governor of Edo State and national chairman of the APC, chaired the group, which was made up of various distinguished Nigerians.

“Nigerians are suffering today, perhaps more than at any other time in our history,” said the former president of the Senate. Poverty is right in front of us.

“Yes, poverty and misery have always existed, but they have gotten worse for Nigerians during the APC rule.

“The government’s excessively cruel policies have caused and exacerbated this situation. Therefore, genuine alternative ideas, actions, and policies are what Nigerians are eagerly seeking.

“They want policies that would make their lives better now and provide a strong basis for future improvements. They want compassionate policies.

“Nigerians don’t seek out intelligent debates. They seek policies and behaviors that demonstrate that the government is aware of their plight and is ready to respond with clarity, bravery, and—above all—compassion.

“The African Democratic Congress is a party that prioritizes the needs of its constituents.”

No matter how great its goals were on paper, the national chairman of the ADC made it apparent that a nation unable to secure its citizens will not be able to expand its economy.

He emphasized that Nigeria needed practical solutions and honest thought, not just bluster. Families all around the nation are working harder and making less money. Food costs increase more quickly than revenues, salaries, and wages can keep up.

Even when tariffs skyrocket, the power supply is still inoperable. Oddly, the APC government keeps making taxes more difficult for its constituents. People’s social and economic lives are still disrupted by insecurity.

Mark emphasized that Nigerians already understood who was to blame for their misery, therefore they weren’t searching for someone else.

“They (Nigerians) are looking for who will ease the pains,” he said. Instead of policies that require people to keep giving, they want genuine, workable solutions that tackle today’s problems.

“I think most of you can agree with me that Nigeria does not lack ideas, which is something I have observed over the years. Our inability to relate concepts to reality is what causes us to suffer. In this nation, policy has all too frequently become an academic endeavor disconnected from the very people it is intended to assist.

“The people’s lives, which are the most important thing, remain unchanged despite the creation of documents, committees, reports, and white papers.”

“Policy is not about sounding smart,” said Marked. Volume and complexity are irrelevant. You have to fight the urge to address symptoms at the expense of causes.

You have to think creatively. You have to raise tough questions about why this country isn’t functioning. The burden in front of you is this.

“The administration has been regaling us with figures regarding GDP performance, economic growth, and increasing revenue in recent years. When these numbers don’t improve people’s lives, they are pointless.

“There is a fundamental problem with a growing economy that keeps most people in poverty. Economic advancement must be evaluated based on how it affects people’s lives rather than only on data.

In response, Odigie-Oyegun gave party members the assurance that his committee would create policies that would enable the party to release a manifesto that would satisfy everyone.

“Through your leadership and the message you have so eloquently passed on to us today, we are going to do our very best to ensure that the path that you have now clearly enunciated will become the mantra of this party,” he declared.

That will finally let the entire country know that they are indeed keeping an eye on us. Are they sincere? Will they differ from the others, some of whom have similar faces?

“But I believe that with the manifesto, we hope the party will finally adopt, in a language that the average person can understand and see how he himself fits into it, will change the dynamics of politics in this country.”