The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has called on Nigerians to hold their state governors and local government chairmen accountable for improved welfare and economic development across the country.
Speaking in Abuja at the launch of the book Vicious Red Circle written by Alex Ugochukwu Oriaku, Yilwatda said that while the APC-led Federal Government has taken bold economic steps including the removal of fuel subsidy, state and local governments must ensure that funds from the centre reach ordinary citizens.
He lamented that many Nigerians are yet to feel the impact of increased federal allocations at the grassroots level, blaming state and local government leaders for not doing enough.
“As a political party, the APC is known for doing the unthinkable, implementing changes that may seem unreasonable at first but are driven by a sincere desire to improve the lives of our people,” he said. “The economy is changing, and the numbers are there to prove it.”
Yilwatda praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for achieving measurable economic progress, citing Nigeria’s 4.23 percent GDP growth, which surpassed the World Bank’s projection of 3 percent, and an increase in oil production to between 1.7 and 1.8 million barrels per day.
He, however, stressed that the benefits of these improvements can only be felt if governors and council chairmen manage resources effectively.
“Governors now receive two to four times more than they used to. They have enough to handle major projects, but they must also focus on the daily needs of the people,” he said. “Nigerians must speak up and demand results from their local and state leaders.”
The APC chairman noted that state governments recently shared ₦2.2 trillion in federal allocations, up from about ₦400 billion monthly two years ago. He insisted that there is now no excuse for poor governance.
“No governor in Nigeria today receives less than three or four times what they used to get. They can do much more for their people. Talk to your governors and local government chairmen, urge them to deliver,” he stated.
Yilwatda reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening the APC as a platform for genuine progress, adding that his emergence as chairman despite not being a former governor reflects the party’s openness to change.
He also called on civil society organisations to speak for the vulnerable, academics to engage in research that drives social change, and the National Assembly to fortify institutions and legal frameworks for good governance.
Meanwhile, the author of Vicious Red Circle, Alex Ugochukwu Oriaku, said his book was written to humanize the issue of human trafficking by telling a deeply personal story.
“I didn’t write it just to add to the statistics,” he explained. “I wanted to build a bridge of empathy to show the human face behind this global crisis. It’s about one girl’s journey, one story that could belong to anyone’s child, a story of choice, coercion, and survival.”
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