Ex-Sports Minister Abdullahi Joins APC, Says Party Holds Key Nigeria’s Political Future

A former Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on Wednesday publicly declared his membership of the All Progressive Congress.

In an interview with journalists in Ilorin to announce his membership of APC, the former minister told reporters that he had become a card-carrying member of the APC and was involved in partisan politics.

He claimed that only APC held the key to a credible political future for Nigeria.

He urged Nigerian professionals, who desire a positive change in the affairs of the nation, to join the party.

Abdullahi noted that most decisions that affect the destiny of the people are taken at the political level.

The former minister said he discovered when he was in office as a commissioner in Kwara State and a minister at the federal level that professionals, especially journalists with commitment, can make changes happen when they are called upon to serve.

On the state of the nation, the ace journalist said: “The question you should ask yourself is whether or not you are better off today than you were six years ago; whether or not the education your children receive today is better than what they six years ago and whether or not the health services available to you today are better than what was obtainable six years ago.

“So, if you conclude that they are better, then there is no need for you to change. But if, like many of us, you face the reality that they are not, then you will understand why we say that we need a change.

“I have served at the state and national levels and I am convinced now that I should be more involved in contributing to solving problems, not just writing about them (problems). That is why I am now a full member of the APC.

“Yes, I used to see myself as a technocrat. It was strategic because I needed to have an environment to perform the job I was given without necessarily becoming political or promoting myself. That’s because whether as a commissioner or minister, I was only there by the recommendation of my bosses. I needed to do the work assigned to me without failing.

“However, I also discovered that much as that gave me the opportunity to perform, the truth is that it became a limitation in some ways. This is because when the decisions are to be made, which would affect the people, technocrats are not allowed to be in such gatherings. They are only called upon to implement the decisions and, even in doing that, they have to be careful because it may affect the fortunes of the politician.”