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Tag: Tinubu

  • Tinubu is my leader – Fayose

    Tinubu is my leader – Fayose

    Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose has revealed that the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu is his leader.

    Fayose, however, told his listeners that he is not planning to decamp to the ruling party, like many others have done.

    Fayose said this with speaking at the 13th convocation lecture at the Benson Idahosa University in Benin, Edo state.

    The Governor said “I am the man to watch in this generation. So, I am controversial because I am doing things other men like me cannot do. They are scared. They are afraid; they don’t have courage.

    “What I am saying to you is that controversy is necessary for democracy. We must have our voice.

    “I am not an APC member and I will never be. But remember the fact that our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a courageous man in his own right, our leader in Yoruba land, forget about politics, if they give Asiwaju appointment, he will give a Yoruba man. Whether he is in the APC does not matter.

    “‎And I came out strongly; I defended him. I am not defending politics. I am defending the truth. Our politics must have where we would stop it and say the truth as may be necessary.”

    “Some people chose to be under the table; they don’t want to die. They are afraid.

    “But remember that the Bible says that those who want to gain their life will lose it and those that lose their life will gain it.

    My strength lies in God Almighty. If you put me inside running water, the water will become still. If you put me the den of lions, the teeth, the claws will go inside; you can find that in the Bible too,” he added.

    Quoting Joshua 1:6-7, 9 and 17, Fayose said: “I draw my power from those things (Bible passages). When I wake up, I lie down in my bathroom and say.

    “Lord, many are the afflictions of the righteous. But the Lord God will deliver him from them all,” he added.
    Governor Ayo Fayose also said Nigerians made a mistake by voting for President Buhari.

  • Biafra: Nnamdi Kanu blasts Tinubu, says ‘you have no principle, integrity’

    Biafra: Nnamdi Kanu blasts Tinubu, says ‘you have no principle, integrity’

    Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has blasted the National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for opposing calls for the independence of Biafra.

    Kanu noted that the former Lagos governor was once an advocate of the sovereign national conference during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Kanu was speaking when he played host to both foreign and local journalists at his home in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

    He said, “There was once agitation for a national sovereign conference. If you listen to Bola Ahmed Tinubu today, you won’t know that Bola Ahmed Tinubu was a leading figure asking for sovereign national conference. Once they get into power, they forget because they are not principled.

    “They have no honour, unfortunately, integrity. They tell one thing in the morning and another in the evening.

    “Anybody asking you to support one Nigeria doesn’t love you. If you read history, no one will like to be called one Nigeria.


    “Whenever anyone tells you to support one Nigeria, tell the person to tell Prime Minister of Britain to support one EU.

    “Naturally human being will always agitate when they feel they are not at the right place. For instance when a baby reaches nine months it starts agitating from the stomach.

    “It starts finding ways to come out and when the mother refuses to open her legs for it to come out it dies, is that not so?”

     

     

  • Eid-el-Fitr: Voices calling for war must be condemned

    Eid-el-Fitr: Voices calling for war must be condemned

    …Says Nigeria remains a unified entity

    Former governor of Lagos State and national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has urged Nigerians to declare support for the unity and genuine integration of all Nigerians under one flag, in one indivisible nation.

    Tinubu made the call in his Eid-el-Fitri message to Nigerians, entitled “The Spirit, Strength of Our Diversity, ” in Lagos.

    He condemned the call for violence or issuing of quit notice by some Nigerians to fellow Nigerians, saying that the voices calling for secession and break-up are wrong and should not be followed.

    “Voices calling for violence must be roundly condemned for it is wrong to incite brother to go against brother and neighbour to combat neighbour.

    “However, in the spirit of understanding, we must listen to the genuine concerns of our fellow Nigerians.

    “This is in order for us to make ourselves a stronger, more unified and prosperous nation built on a foundation of dialogue and collective purpose.

    “We must join hands in order to bring progress. We must decide whether our diversity shall be our strength or our weakness. It is for us and no one else to determine, ” he said.

    Tinubu, however, said that the lessons of the holy month of Ramadan point to the success of unity, not the failure of division.

    He said the spirit of sacrifice, self discipline, goodwill, justice, tolerance, mercy, forgiveness and compassion inherent in the Ramadan Fast should remain with Muslim faithful to guide their day-to-day interactions and relationships with one another.

    “’For all Muslim brothers and sisters and indeed for all Nigerians, may this be a happy and peaceful Eid-el-Fitri.

    “The holy month of Ramadan has now passed, but we dare not allow the spirit and the true meaning behind the holy month also pass.

    “ We must keep hold of the excellent and wonderful things the holy month of Ramadan signifies. Ramadan is more than a month of fasting. We fast to strengthen our relationship and our appreciation of Allah.

    “In this spirit also, we must face the travails that confront our nation; as people led by the spirit and strength of our diversity, togetherness and charity towards all.

    “Let us move in this way, so that we may make of ourselves a better people and nation in which all people, Muslim and non-Muslim, may live in trust, peace and justice as Allah would have it be, ” Tinubu said.

     

  • Nigeria under ‘civilian dispensation’ – Tinubu

    A former governor of Lagos and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said Nigeria is not yet operating “full-blown” democracy.

    Tinubu stated this over the weekend, when he received the National Icon of Democracy award at the Tell Awards for Excellence.

    Tinubu, who was represented by former Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dele Alake, said: “This civilian dispensation that we have – we don’t call it full blown democracy.

    “What we have today is a civilian dispensation. So, our democracy is a work in progress, and we believe by the grace of God that we’ll achieve full blown democracy in our time.

    “So, every one of us must work towards full blown democracy in Nigeria. We all know the tenets and principles of full blown democracy. And we hope we shall achieve them in our own time in Nigeria.”

  • 24 Years Anniversary: June 12 mother of May 29 – Tinubu declares

    24 Years Anniversary: June 12 mother of May 29 – Tinubu declares

    Former Lagos State governor and national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said June 12 (a day which marks the President election held in 1993 and won by late Chief MKO Abiola) overrides May 29 Democracy Day in the country because of its significance.

    The former governor said this in a statement released by his Media Office on Sunday night to mark the occasion of the 24th anniversary of June 12.

    Tinubu described the late philanthropist and politician as an embodiment of “The eternal Yoruba adage, which says that death is better with honour than life without dignity.”

    He also used the occasion to appraise the two years of the present administration, saying any objective analyst would agree that the Muhammadu Buhari administration had already taken impressive strides to clear the Augean stables it inherited from the past administration. He said critics labelling the administration a failure was not been objective.

     

    In the statement entitled, ‘What June 12 Taught Us,’ Asiwaju Tinubu said:

    “The blood of those who gave their yesterday and sacrificed even their lives for the democracy and freedom we enjoy today was not shed in vain. The truth is June 12 is the mother of May 29th. Without the uncompromising resistance to military rule engendered by the annulment of the June 12 election, there would most probably be no 4th Republic today and we would still be groaning under the jackboots of military dictatorship.

    “The annulment was a bitter pill to swallow especially for the millions of people who expended so much time, energy and material resources to help ensure victory for Chief MKO Abiola. The late MKO selflessly committed so much of his substantial fortune towards ensuring his victory at the polls. In doing this, he was not motivated by personal, selfish or pecuniary considerations.

    “Abiola could have chosen to abandon the mandate in order to rebuild and resuscitate his disrupted business. But he opted for the path of the true ‘Omoluabi’. He refused to sacrifice honour for an ephemeral mess of pottage. He was an embodiment of the eternal Yoruba adage, which says that death is better with honour than life without dignity.

    “Looking back, we can say, thank you Chief MKO Abiola for giving your all that we may bask in the glow of democracy today. The annulment was meant to halt the unstoppable and irresistible march to deeper democratic practice in Nigeria. That objective failed woefully. The annulment was a challenge that precipitated a concerted response, which helped to promote the cause of democracy in Nigeria contrary to the will of its anti-democratic perpetrators. That annulled free and fair election taught us, once again, to organize. It tutored us new tactics and strategies of confronting, undermining and ultimately overcoming seemingly impregnable forces and fortresses of dictatorship and oppression.

    “It revealed to us the imperative of forging working relationships and diverse networks across ethnic, religious, regional and partisan divides if we were to move forward.

    “It is this invaluable experience we gathered in the struggle to enthrone democracy and retrieve our country from the iron grip of dictatorship that emboldens us today to warn those directly or indirectly threatening our democracy through another military intervention to perish the idea. Just as happened in the past, those who stand on the path of truth and higher moral values will always triumph over those whose strength derive from the barrels of the gun.

    “Twenty-four years after its annulment, the spirit of June 12 lives on in the hearts and minds of millions of Nigerians. The lessons of that election still speak eloquently to us today despite the utter lack of vision and imagination in governance between 1999 and 2015 that has fuelled the revival of separatist agitations and deepened distrust among the component parts of Nigeria.

    “One enduring truth that June 12 demonstrated is that given inspirational, visionary and sincere leadership, Nigerians can rise above divisive primordial sentiments to demonstrate high patriotism and a belief in merit in their voting patterns.

    “Thus, Chief MKO Abiola won a pan-Nigerian mandate in that poll garnering considerable votes across the various zones of the country and even beating his opponent in the latter’s Kano State home base. Again, despite having a fellow Muslim, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, as his running mate, the duo won handsomely even in wholly-Christian dominated parts of the country. All these show that it is really the elite most times that deliberately instigate the politics of distrust, fear, suspicion and divisiveness; they are the ones that all too often exploit our differences to destabilize the polity for their own selfish interests.

    “This year’s commemoration of the anniversary of June 12 coincides roughly with two years in office of the All Progressives Congress at the federal level. Some critics particularly of the opposition are already writing off the government as a failure. Well, that is their prerogative and in accordance with their rights in a democratic polity. But the vast majority of Nigerians are neither stupid nor lacking in political sophistication. They are aware of the immense mess inherited by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    “Of course, the APC administration has not simply sat back lamenting the crippled economy it inherited from the previous government of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, which earned unprecedentedly high oil revenues for the most part of its tenure with little or nothing to show for it. Two years into its term, any objective analyst will agree that the APC has already taken impressive strides to clear the Augean stables it inherited from the past administration. Concrete gains are being made in curtailing corruption, reviving and diversifying the economy and strengthening national security even though much harder work still lie ahead admittedly.

    “There is no doubt that once the APC Federal Government successfully contains these challenges, and we are gradually turning the corner with light discernible at the end of the tunnel, it can more urgently and firmly begin to address other planks of its manifesto especially the imperative of strengthening the country’s federal practice.

    “But even in our darkest moments, let the torch of democracy be our guide to the higher and nobler plains of good governance, strong institutions, reverence for the rule of law and a continually-improving and growing economy. It is only through strengthening the institutions, practices and procedures of democracy that we, like the Americans, foremost exemplars of the democratic ideal, can ceaselessly strive moment by moment, day by day and year by year to continually aspire towards the more perfect union of our dreams”.

  • I never met Tinubu before I was appointed commissioner in 1999 – Osinbajo

    The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has said he never met or lobbied the former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu before he appointed him (Osinbajo) Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State in 1999.

    Osinbajo made the disclosure while speaking during an event to mark the 50th Lagos anniversary.

    The Acting President commended Tinubu for taking cognisance of the diversity of the state while forming his cabinet in 1999.

    According to Osinbanjo, “I did not and I had never met Bola Tinubu before I was appointed commissioner and that says a lot about the kind of individual that he is.

    “This is the kind of thinking that makes nations great; that is the kind of thinking that would make Nigeria great.

    “A type of thinking that considers all of our diverse talents; a kind of thinking that does not allow parochialism; a kind of thinking that does not allow us to say anywhere belongs to only a set of people. That is when our country would be truly great.”

    “This Lagos is going to be a leader; it would be a leader in expressing the world’s view that the black man is capable of governing not just himself but in leading the world,” Osinbajo added.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Osinbajo served as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State from 1999 to 2007.

  • We must keep, nurture democracy for our own sake – Tinubu

    Former Lagos State Governor, Sen. Bola Tinubu on Sunday urged Nigerians not to take the nation’s democracy for granted, but keep and nurture it for the progress and growth of the country.

    Tinubu, an All Progressives Congress (APC) national stalwart, made the call in his message on this year’s Democracy Day and 2nd year of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, and by doing so, ensure a better future and better Nigeria for all.

    ”Democracy Day and our commemoration of it must be more than an empty ritual. It must add up to more than another reason to have another holiday.

    ”We, as a people, choose democracy as our preferred form of governance not because it would be easy to achieve or to hold even once we have it.

    ”We choose democracy because history has taught us that the welfare of the people is best and perhaps only secured by government responsive and accountable to the people. This can only be democracy.

    ”Many Nigerians have fought and sacrificed to enshrine democracy as our way of governance. We mark this day in honour of these people, many of whom laboured in obscurity and without proper thanks, to achieve this precious thing for the nation.

    ”We mark this day to keep in remembrance that we must not take this good form of government for granted. We must keep and nurture it, not for democracy’s sake, but for our own sake.

    ”We must remember that should we fall asleep, there are those who would like nothing better than to take our democracy from us,” he said.

    Tinubu congratulated President Buhari on his second anniversary in office and urged him to continue to protect and improve the country’s democracy.

    ”I congratulate Nigerians on this day. I congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari and urge him and his administration to continue to do all it can to protect and improve our democratic way of life.

    “I wish all Nigerians a happy Democracy Day,” Tinubu said. (NAN)

  • Rescue of 82 Chibok girls, proof of FG’s commitment to Nigerian child – Tinubu

    The Senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, Oluremi Tinubu, has said the recent rescue of 82 abducted Chibok schoolgirls was proof of the commitment of the Federal Government to the well-being of the Nigerian child.

    Tinubu said this on Saturday in Lagos in her message on the occasion the Children’s Day celebration marked annually on May 27.

    She expressed the hope that the remaining girls would be rescued soon and be reunited with their families.

    Tinubu also urged the government to provide food, shelter, affordable and accessible health care and education for those who had been displaced by insurgency.

    “This is your right and I hope that Nigeria can be better to provide you a whole world of opportunities ahead of you.

    “It is my hope that every one of you can be protected from violence in all its forms such as exploitation, abuse, trafficking, physical and humiliating punishment and harmful traditional practices among others.

    “However, you must not let the difficulty of the situation around you limit the greatness you have,” she said.

    She promised to continue to do her best to ensure better conditions, welfare and opportunities for children, women and the vulnerable in the society as the senator representing Lagos Central.

    “My commitment to you children has not waned.

    “You are Nigeria’s future and everything you do and learn is to prepare you for that great responsibility and equip you with all the necessary tools. Please make the most of it.

    “I wish you a happy Children’s Day and I hope sincerely that you take on the baton of excellence, impacting lives, your surroundings and Nigeria in all you do, ” Tinubu said.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Children’s Day was set aside by the United Nations in 1964 to celebrate the importance of children.

  • We’ll resist attempts by military to take over Buhari’s government – Tinubu

    The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Sen. Bola Tinubu on Monday said there was no room for coup plotters in the country, saying that the state would resist any attempt to truncate democracy.

    Tinubu gave the warning at the Lagos Assembly Special Parliamentary Session to celebrate Lagos at 50, Second Anniversary of the 8th Assembly and official inauguration of L-Shaped Assembly Complex.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the army had, in a statement on May 16, warned all its officers and soldiers to steer clear of politics or have themselves to blame.

    Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, the army spokesman, had said in the statement that the warning followed information received by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai that, “some individuals have been approaching some officers and soldiers for undisclosed political reasons.”

    “On the basis of that, the army chief, has warned such persons to desist from these acts.

    “He also reminded them that Nigerian army is a thorough professional, disciplined, loyal and apolitical institution that has clear constitutional roles and responsibilities,” the statement read in part.

    Buratai, according to the statement, had advised military personnel, who were interested in politics, “to resign their commission or apply for voluntary discharge forthwith.”

    Tinubu, speaking on the issue, reiterated that any attempt to truncate democratic rule in the country would be resisted.

    “Coup plotters would find no fertile ground to plant their seed in the land. Whatever they want to sell is a bad product, we are going to reject it, we are going to resist it. They should not try it,” he said.

    Tinubu hailed the Lagos State House of Assembly for prioritising welfare of Lagosians since the return of democracy.

    He said that the state legislature had contributed immensely to the growth and development of Lagos through good laws.

    “Thank you (lawmakers) for the great job that you are doing in Lagos. It is clear that the welfare of the people is a priority to you.

    “Legislature is vital to the welfare of the people, the good laws made here have improved the living standard of the people. It is these laws passed by this House that the executive acts on.

    “All the executive actions must have the authority of the law. The power of legislature must be exercised within the context of the people’s desire and what they deserve.

    “Most of these successes in Lagos are based on the enlightened and wise laws you made. Lagos Assembly has done well, I am asking you to do more,” Tinubu said.

    The former governor, however, said that there was need for collaboration between the legislature and the executive for the people to reap the fruits of good governance.

    Tinubu described Governor Akinwunmi Ambode as `a wonder boy` based on his performance within two years.

    The APC National Leader said that cooperation between the executive and legislative arms should not stop the legislature from performing its oversight functions responsibly.

    Tinubu, who highlighted several laws enacted by the assembly, said that progress of the state is based on the cooperation among organs of government.

    According to him, previous administrations, including the one he led between 1999 and 2007 in the state, laid foundation and set agenda for the progress being celebrated in the state.

    In his remarks, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said that the success story of Lagos could not be well documented without the effort of the legislature.

    Ambode urged the House to continue to be relevant by raising the standard of legislative performance.

    The Guest Speaker, Prof. Patrick Lumumba, the Director of the Kenyan School of Law, Nairobi, said the legislature occupies a unique position in democratic governance.

    Lumumba, who spoke on the topic, “The Importance of the Legislature in Democratic Governance,” emphasised that the nation or state could survive a bad executive, bad judiciary, but not a bad legislature.

    “Beyond your important titles, how are you serving Lagos? How have you served Lagos? What would be said of you when you are gone or even as you are alive?

    “Those who acquire power must exercise it with humility. Before you drink the gin of political power, you must have a foundation of integrity,” he said.

    The scholar said that the democracy being practised in Nigeria was not home-grown, and was Euro-centric.

    He said that the nation’s democracy could be customised to achieve the aspirations of the country.

    Lumumba said that the relationship among the legislative, executive and the judiciary must be symbiotic.

    According to him, the legislature represents the people and it is a privilege to honour and represent the people.

    “Those, who steal public funds abuse the power given to them by the people. The legislature is the heart of the people.

    “On a mere allegation of corruption, the legislature brought down the government of South Korea and the same thing happened in Brazil.

    “But here in Nigeria and Africa, does the legislature bring thieves down? If Nigeria is to be great, you legislators must make solemn vow that you would make laws that would benefit the people,” he said.

    Earlier in his speech, the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, said that the Assembly had contributed so much to the much-touted success of Lagos with so many things to showcase.

    Obasa, who called for the strengthening of institutions, urged Nigerians to respect institutions and advised public office holders to be disciplined, selfless and above board.

     

     

     

     

    NAN

  • I was never comfortable that I lost personal relationship with Tinubu – Obanikoro

    I was never comfortable that I lost personal relationship with Tinubu – Obanikoro

    Former Senator, Musiliu Obanikoro has said he has always been unhappy about his frosty relationship with ex-governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    “I was happy that the reconciliation was done successfully. I was never comfortable all along that I lost personal relationship with Asiwaju Tinubu,” he said.

    The politician said he has learnt never to allow disagreement with a beloved elder affect the personal relationship with that person.

    “What has happened to me as regards my relationship with Asiwaju Tinubu should serve as a good lesson to the younger generation. Whenever you play your politics, always have it at the back of your mind that when you have disagreements, politically with someone, leave personal relationship out of it. Don’t allow your disagreement to affect the personal relationship you have with that person.” Obanikoro said in an Intervie with Punch.

    Continuing, he said: “We can always mend fences after political disagreements easily but it is the personal relationship that is crucial. There is also another person that I have been looking for a way to reconcile with.

    Don’t ask me for his name because I won’t tell you. We were extremely close before political difference tore our relationship apart. It is highly unfortunate that both of us allowed our disagreement politically to affect that relationship as friends. I will do everything possible to ensure that I reconcile with him too because he is also important to me.”

    Obanikoro had fell out with Tinubu after he defected to the Peoples Democratic Party while he was still a member of the National Assembly representing Lagos Central at the Senate.