APC Affirms Promise Of N5000 Stipend

CONTRARY to the allegation making the round on the social media and by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party over the failure of the All Progressives Congress led administration to fulfill its promise on N5000 monthly stipend for unemployed Nigerians; the party has assured Nigerians that it will not renege on its campaign promise to pay N5,000 each monthly to 25 million most vulnerable Nigerians.

APC called on the citizens to ignore the “mischievous” attempt by the PDP to confuse and mislead them on this issue.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had on Thursday condemned the Wednesday’s rejection by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) senators of N5000 monthly stipend.

The National Publicity Secretary for APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday said: “even though the PDP-led Federal Government plundered the common wealth in its time, it (APC) has devised creative means not only to pay the money but also to fulfill its other campaign promises to Nigerians.

He explained that the non-implementation of the payment policy so far is due to the fact that it was not included in the 2015 budget, which was prepared by the PDP-led Jonathan Administration, and also because of the need to first block all financial leakages.
”Now, the Buhari administration has been busy putting into place measures that will make it possible to start the implementation of this project. Such measures include the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA),” he stated.

He further disclosed that as at the end of September this year, over N1.4 trillion, which previously was lying unproductively in various commercial banks, has been recovered and paid into the TSA.

The party said PDP in its usual “jumpy and superficial approach” to issues, the irresponsible opposition has already rushed to judgement on the issue without bothering to hear from the APC, which made the promise in the first instance.
”Had the PDP not sacrificed the truth on the altar of political expediency, it would have realized that the APC never at any time indicated it has reneged on its promise to pay N5, 000 monthly to 25 million most vulnerable Nigerians.
“In our press statement of Aug. 30th this year, we still reiterated our plan to redeem our campaign promises, including the social security payment policy, despite the primitive looting of the treasury under the watch of the PDP,” the statement added.

The party also reiterated that the Buhari administration is poised to lift millions of Nigerians out of extreme poverty by providing social protection and safety nets with another N2.5 trillion Special Intervention
Fund.
”It is therefore astonishing that the same PDP, which is becoming more and more infamous for its penchant for peddling half truths and sensationalizing every issue, will rush to the press to celebrate the figment of its imagination that the APC will not fulfill its campaign promise regarding the payment”.

The APC said the Buhari administration is also embarking on a massive infrastructure renewal programme in the areas of roads, rail and power, for which a 2.5-billion-dollar Infrastructure Fund is being put in place.