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Tag: Ahmed Tinubu

  • Kick in the teeth

    Kick in the teeth

    Believe me, dear reader, on what I want to say. Yes, tears rolled down my cheeks while reading the message sent to my email Monday night, stating that the country’s President,  Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had accepted to release N12 billion to settle all debts owed the country’s sportsmen, sportswomen, officials, coaches and other ancillary staff, who worked their socks wet, representing Nigeria at different sporting competitions across the globe. As I read the story sent through The Nation newspapers, my thoughts ran to the night in Paris in 1998, when Retired Colonel Abdulmumini Aminu cried over the conduct of some Super Eagles players days before Nigeria confronted Denmark in the second round fixture at the France ‘ 98 World Cup.

    Aminu’s reaction was hinged on the players’ insistence that they should be paid upfront $15,000 each before they stepped onto the pitch to honour the Second Round fixture against Denmark. Indeed, the 1998 Super Eagles squad has been the most incorrigible set of stars, yes stars, who knew that they were injured but chose to be in camp to cause confusion there.

    Interestingly, many of those who represented Nigeria at France’s 98 World Cup knew that it was their last chance to play at the Mundial. Rather than bow out with their heads high in glory, they chose to be recalcitrant. It didn’t matter if Nigeria was disgraced. This France ’98 World Cup Eagles would have been the country and Africa’s first team to play at the World Cup final game if only they were all physically fit. Recall that Nigeria beat the dreaded Spanish team 3-2 in the Group’s opening game, making pundits salivate because the bulk of players in the squad were members of the country’s debut World Cup squad in 1994 and those in the now famous Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games’ gold-winning team. The stars were there, but many were injured; some others were no longer motivated to die for Nigeria but chose to fight to collect what the country owed them as allowances and match bonuses from preparatory games. The way they behaved was shameful – absolutely.

    Recall that the late goggled one in the country’s jackboot era had died and the world celebrated the end of a tyrannical reign in Nigeria. The late Emeka Omeruah had to return to Nigeria to get the funds to pay the players upfront before they agreed to play. The players behaved as merchants. Patriotism was thrown into the lagoon. Just a word to them. Pity. The country’s 3-2 victory over Spain ignited the mood in Nigeria. Why the players used the Mundial in France to settle scores with the NFF left much to desire, knowing that many of them were playing for top European clubs and earning mind-boggling weekly wages well over the $15,000 they were agitating for.

    The argument that the players deserve to earn what was promised is good. My quarrel is with how they went about getting their money. It turned out that most of the time, the government’s bureaucracy delayed the payment, not that their entitlements were misappropriated. After all, the NFF key officials dragged to the court in the aftermath of the crises that engulfed Nigeria’s South Africa 2010 World Cup campaign were discharged and acquitted of all the charges levied against them.

    Read Also: Dominican Republic 2024: NFF restores World Cup bronze-winning Flamingos’ technical crew

    A situation in which players get paid between $5,000 and $15,000 as match bonuses aside from their other entitlements, yet would want to take a large chunk from the competition’s gate earnings leaves the NFF perpetually broke. We tolerate the players’ idiocy most times like instances where they are given cash before playing games under the guise of motivating them. It is not done anywhere in the world. Would it shock you dear, to know that such cash is never refunded if they lose such failed encounters?

    The perennial feud between the players and those in power truncated Nigerians’ quest for a resounding World Cup performance reminiscent of what happened in 1994 in the United States of America (USA). It accounted for the country’s failure in France. Denmark beat Nigeria 4-1. Many businesses suffered because many forward-looking business outfits looked forward to a ‘revenge’ game between Nigeria and Brazil, two years after the country’s Dream Team 1 beat the Brazilians 4-3 in the golden goal rule at the Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games’ semi-final game.

    Fast forward to another World Cup year in 2002 co-hosted and another bonuses and allowances brouhaha broke out; this time during the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria sure of the ticket to Korea/ Japan. This time the feud had a new combatant – the Sports Ministry. The ministry chieftains stood their ground by disbanding the squad after the Nations Cup and constituted a new Super Eagles squad. Many of the country’s big boys, who would have made a difference, were dropped and a  renowned coach, who was a disciplinarian, Adeboye Onigbinde, was appointed to lead the squad to Japan at short notice.

    Again, fast forward to 2010; the Super Eagles qualified for the epochal Africa Mundial hosted by South Africa in 2010 with pomp and ceremony. Of course, Nigeria was returning to the Mundial after an eight-year hiatus and most bookmakers felt we must have learned our lessons from the past mistakes.

    The show of shame during the South Africa 2010 Mundial was such that the team was serving two masters – the NFF which is a body recognised to administer any country’s soccer in line with FIFA’s statutes and a yoyo body called the Presidential Task Force (PTF). Directives were issued at cross purposes and it didn’t come as a surprise that the Eagles exited the competition with nothing to cheer.

    Going to the Brazil 2014 World Cup for the Super Eagles was dogged by intrigues from within the NFF and from the Sports Ministry, leading to the formation of groups who prayed openly for the country’s failure. So, it wasn’t a surprise that the players refused to train for the second-round game against France. The players refused to be persuaded to play unless their outstanding debts were paid.

    A top government official who was in Brazil rushed back to Nigeria and was given $3.8million which the players shared throughout the night before the game against France. The Eagles were beaten 2-0 by the French which didn’t shock anyone close to the squad.

    The country’s campaign at the Russia 2018 World Cup wasn’t any different, except that those agitating for changes at the NFF stuck to their guns. They failed in their quest for changes at the federation’s headquarters in Abuja. The Eagles didn’t do well during the competition despite the presence of good players in the squad.

    It is instructive to reveal here that the troubles that have affected how Nigeria has prosecuted her World Cup games started after that year’s edition of the Africa Cup of Nations. The President’s decision to defray all the debts in the sports sections across the board speaks to the problems which have bedevilled the sector.

    For the first time in decades, the players dressed like Nigerians in one of our national attires. Not in coats of many colours or party and beach wear.

    Garlands for Mr President for restoring peace to the sporting industry. The President’s intervention is the fillip of growth that the sector needs to bring back the country’s sports investors.

  • Why I visited Tinubu in Lagos, by Soyinka

    Why I visited Tinubu in Lagos, by Soyinka

    Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has said that he would assess President Bola Tinubu’s administration after a year in office. 

    Soyinka, however, said that he discussed a 7-point agenda with the president.

    Professor Soyinka, who spoke to journalists after meeting with President Tinubu, who is on vacation in Lagos for the Christmas, said he has a practice of not criticising governments before they exhaust their first year in office.

    He said he visited the president and his family to commemorate the Christmas season, adding that he knows that most leaders of the country have had to start the process of leading the country to development from below ground zero, a circumstance which he said would make criticism at that point unfair.

    The global figure, who revealed that he had advised President Tinubu against running for Nigeria’s President, how said he would not say yet whether going against his advice had panned out well for the President until after one year in office.

    “My first visit, actually it was an embarrassing visit because when I visited him the last time, it was to try and persuade him not to run for office. I think I’ve written about that. I told Atiku and himself that they should please leave the ground for young people. That was the last time we met, about five years ago.

    “I call him, secretly, olorikunkun, a stubborn man, so he ignored my advice completely.

    Read Also: Tinubu assures Nigerians of new dawn

    “So I came to see how’s doing after neglecting my advice, I wanted to see if both he and his wife were weathering Nigeria as well as can be expected and to wish them happy Christmas. You know we’re friends, as you know, very well, and it was as a friend that I told him don’t run, leave this thing alone, but he ignored me”, he said.

    Asked if he had been convinced that the President made a good choice by running for the office he was advised against, Soyinka said

    “Something you may have noticed about me, like when most heads of state take office, I always leave them alone for about the first year, if you have noticed that because I know when they come in, they don’t start from ground zero, they often start even lower than ground zero and they have to make up.

    “So I have this personal policy, whether it’s Obasanjo o, Buhari o, or Jonathan, you will notice that during the first year, I hardly say anything, then people will ask me why are you not talking and I will tell them, go and ask the last person whether I spoke during the first year. So, I’m adopting the same principle. At the end of one year, ask me this question.”

    Asked what he would like to see the Tinubu administration achieve, he said “that’s very simple. I came here with a seven agenda and we had a very thorough discussion on those items.”

  • Momentous occasion as Tinubu signs first budget

    Momentous occasion as Tinubu signs first budget

    It was a momentous occasion as President Bola Tinubu  presented the 2024 budget estimates to the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

    This is especially against the backdrop that it was his first budget and a former member of the National Assembly was returning as Commander in Chief.

    The President, dressed in all white arrived the temporary chamber of the House of Representatives, at about 11:09 am , which served as the venue of the presentation to cheers from the lawmakers. He was accompanied by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu among others.

    The procedure to present the budget resumed promptly as the House was already sitting in plenary for the day presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

    Read Also; Nigerians to depart for 2024 hajj through 16 airports

    Despite the solemnity of the exercise it was a convivial atmosphere as the leadership of the National Assembly, represented by Senate President Goodwill Akpabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, romanticised the emergence of Tinubu as President and Kashim Shettima as Vice President, having both served as members of the National Assembly, for the first time ever.

    This they believed would facilitate a more cordial relationship between both arms of government, the legislature and the executive, to enhance the lives of Nigerians.

    Accompanying the President was his Chief of Staff, also a former lawmaker, who served as Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila.

    Also attendance at the epochal event were the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Nyesom Wike; the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje; the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume amongst others.

    The two halls that serve as temporary chamber for the lawmakers were unusually filled up as both members and Senators among others guests squeezed for space.

  • The President, performance bond, and service delivery

    The President, performance bond, and service delivery

    No one doubts that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a bold, courageous, determined, focused, and astute politician. For those who still doubt his governance credentials at the national level or doubt that he means business as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the cabinet retreat held Wednesday, November 1, 2023, through Friday, November 3, 2023, offered a glimpse of his governance acumen and preparedness. Coming in the sixth month of his administration, the cabinet retreat shows that the President has completed his homework and is ready to roll.

    What the press missed in reportage of the retreat is that it was the capstone of a series of preparations in the last six months. Those who wanted the retreat to have held earlier forgot that the most useful retreats are those for which sufficient background work had been accomplished.

    That’s why the President took his time to work through such background preparations. Thus, during the past six months, the Central Delivery Coordinating Unit, in collaboration with the offices of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination and the Head of Service, held bilateral engagements with all heads of ministries, and the Head of the Civil Service to develop the mandates or deliverables that would facilitate the actualisation of the major priorities and focus areas of the administration, 2023-2027. The major priorities were derived from the Renewed Hope Agenda, the National Development Plan 2021-2025 and various sectoral plans. The bilateral engagements were followed by robust technical sessions, involving many technical partners, including KPMG, McKenzie, and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

    Furthermore, each minister has met with the Permanent Secretary and top civil servants in his or her ministry and informed them of the Renewed Hope Agenda and the President’s mandate and areas of priorities. Some have even held their own retreat, while others will do so shortly. Besides, shortly after assuming the duty, the ministers also had to work on and defend their budget for 2024, bearing in mind their mandates and priorities.

    The cabinet retreat came as a capstone of all these activities and was divided into four major phases on (1) administrative processes; (2) managing relations with relevant stakeholders; (3) technical presentations; and (4) panel sessions on major focus areas. These sessions were followed by a detailed presentation on the performance evaluation mechanism of the Results Delivery Unit. The final event was the signing of the performance bond. The remainder of this essay focuses on these last two events.

    The main purpose of the ministerial performance bond is to ensure collaboration between ministers, who are the arrowheads of government policies in their respective ministries and their permanent secretaries, who are responsible for coordinating other civil servants in the implementation of the policies. Without a working synergy between political officeholders and career civil servants, policies and their implementation will remain poles apart.

    An even broader context, which the President elaborated upon in his opening and closing addresses, is the tendency for civil servants to see political appointees as come-and-go officials. Ministers coming into government circle for the first time could be dribbled by dubious civil servants whom one Governor once described as “evil servants”. Those among them who view public service merely as ise ijoba (government job) could be particularly dangerous. Their behaviour was recently demonstrated in the encounter between former Governor David Umahi, now Minister of Works, and the civil servants in his ministry, who did not show up for work on time.

    Another context for the performance bond is the provision of a reference point for future evaluation of the ministers’ performances by the Result Delivery Unit. The ministers and the civil servants need to be on the same page regarding the mandates for their ministries, if they were to achieve desired results. The tripartite bond cements the relationship between the two, on the one hand, and between them and the President, on the other hand. Once the bond is signed, neither can deny knowledge of the other or of the tasks they must accomplish together.

    Read Also: 2024 budget will deliver ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda to Nigerians, says Senate leader

    The performance bonds are not just signatures on paper. Each performance bond articulates key mandates or deliverables for each ministry; establishes key performance indices; provides timelines for accomplishing particular tasks; and establishes the basis for quarterly performance measurement, beginning in the first quarter of 2024. This is precisely why a Delivery Unit is necessary.

    The Unit, headed by the Special Adviser to the President on Policy, Hadiza Bala Usman, consists of a group of specially trained technocrats in service delivery mechanisms. In consultation with the National Bureau of Statistics and with performance bonds in mind, the Unit has developed performance metrics and delivery tracking templates for periodic measurements of progress in achieving the deliverables according to defined priority areas. It has also developed bottleneck resolution mechanisms to resolve bottlenecks and sundry issues that may occur in the course of service delivery.

    Even more importantly, the Unit has developed a dashboard for performance content management. The dashboard provides a bird’s eye view of results achieved across all priorities and focus areas at any given time. Such a dashboard will provide an early warning system that triggers timely remedial actions when targets are not met.

    Even more interesting from the point of view of citizen participation is the Presidential Delivery Tracker, a mobile App that enables third party monitoring, by allowing citizens to monitor and report on key projects of the ministries. By including citizens in performance monitoring through a mobile App, we may be entering an era of inclusive governance and accountability we’ve never seen before.

    The take-aways from the retreat are unmistakable. The President is ready to lead and he has used the retreat as an occasion to inspire and charge his cabinet and top civil servants to be ready to serve. He wants everyone working with him to share the same vision and possibly work at the same pace, hence the performance bonds. As the opening quote clearly shows, we also see a President, who is not shy to hire and fire. Moreover, this President clearly values data as the basis for planning and performance evaluation and he is thoroughly in tune with the technology of modern governance. The clarity of his thoughts and vision is symbolised by the clarity of the opening and closing addresses as well as the content of the cabinet retreat.

  • SWAGA’23: Alaafin was firm believer in Tinubu’s ambition

    SWAGA’23: Alaafin was firm believer in Tinubu’s ambition

    The South West Agenda for Asiwaju 2023 (SWAGA’23) yesterday mourned the passage of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, who joined his ancestors at the age of 83.

    In a statement by its national chairman, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, and National Secretary, ‘Bosun Oladele, SWAGA’23 described the late monarch as an encyclopedia of Yoruba history and rallying-point for the advancement of the Yoruba race and unity of the nation.

    The statement reads: “The entire membership of SWAGA’23 under the leadership of Senator Dayo Adeyeye will sorely miss the departed icon and legendary traditional ruler of Oyo Kingdom, His Imperial Majesty Iku Babayeye, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, the 45th Alaafin of Oyo, whose transition was announced on Saturday April 22, 2022.

    “Oba Adeyemi, being the longest serving Alaafin of Oyo, was a symbol of Yoruba culture and tradition.  He was an encyclopedia of Yoruba history and displayed very rare ability for recollection and knowledge of Nigerian history, current affairs and global events.

    “The late Alaafin had depth and very sound communication skills, hence there was never a dull moment in the palace during his reign and time.

    “We in SWAGA’23 will forever cherish the moment we had with Oba Adeyemi when we visited the Oyo palace on December 14, 2020, to discuss the possibility of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency come 2023, particularly his express support for Asiwaju Tinubu’s presidential project and his prayers to God to make it a reality. We shall continue to hold on to his admonition that ‘our hands are on the plough, we must not look back’.”

  • Dogara to Tinubu: provide padded budget facts

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has challenged the National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu to provide facts on his accusation of budget padding by the two outgoing presiding officers of the National Assembly.

    In a statement Tuesday by his Media aide, Turaki Hassan, the Speaker said Tinubu accusation was as a result of his political ambitions.

    He also said the 8th Assembly has performed its legislative responsibilities well where the executive fell short of providing good governance.

    It reads: “We have noted the statement issued on April 21, 2019 by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu wherein he stated his reasons for sponsoring or supporting some aspirants to various leadership positions in the forthcoming 9th Assembly. Ordinarily, this would not have elicited any response from His Excellency, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara, as Asiwaju is entitled to sponsor those he believes will have no choice but answer to his dog whistles anytime he blows same in his capacity as the self-acclaimed National Leader of his party.

    “If Asiwaju had confined his intervention to stubborn facts, this response would not have been necessary. He, however, used the opportunity to manufacture falsehoods and paint a non-existing picture of the stewardship of Mr. Speaker and the work of the 8th House of Representatives under his watch. It is therefore, incumbent on us to set the records straight for posterity.

    “Asiwaju Tinubu accused the leadership of the National Assembly of stymieing “the APC legislative initiatives while attempting to hoist noxious reactionary and self-interested legislation on the nation”.

    He said further: “Just look at the way Saraki and Dogara and their ilk hijacked the Budget Process these past four years. National budgets were delayed and distorted as these actors repeatedly sought to pad budgets with pet projects that would profit them”.

    He continued, “Even worse, they cut funds intended to prosper projects that would have benefited the average person. After four years of their antics halting the progress of government, we should do all we can to prevent a repeat of their malign control of the National Assembly.”

    He generously used the usual unexplained words like installing a progressive leadership and so on.

    “We do not expect Asiwaju Tinubu to dwell on brazen mendacity, much less  murder facts and decorum in his rabid bid to justify his patently clear fascist agenda of controlling all levers of power in Nigeria. Asiwaju Tinubu’s nocturnal agenda has no parallel in the history of any democracy and it is more loathsome when he throws caution to the winds and maligns government officials who are doing a yeoman’s job of stabilising the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, even in spite of political differences.

    Read More

  • We are not interested in postponement of polls, says APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) said on Wednesday that the party was fully ready for the Presidential election scheduled for this weekend, dismissing reports that the APC was looking for a postponement of the elections.

    Deputy Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Arc Waziri Bulama said the council had carried its campaign all over the country, saying the campaigns have revealed that Nigerians would prefer go with a tested candidate

    Bulama said the responsibilities of leaders was to deliver good governance, secure the lives of Nigerians, empower Nigerians, secure their properties and create the conditions for opportunities for employment and the economic prosperity.

    He said “The other role of government or leaders is to ensure that they promote justice, they promote rule of law, they promote peace, promote freedom through their actions. So, this is the other aspect of the roles of leaders that most Nigerians don’t focus their minds on. But it is one thing that President Muhammadu Buhari promoted very strongly. Promotion of rule of law, promotion of work of institutions of government without interference, promotion of justice, promotion of fairness.

    Read Also: Polls: Igbo community backs APC

    “These are the things that he had done through words and actions, through personal example; he has promoted those things that would engender confidence in Nigerians to accept that the system is fair. Because you see incumbency places the responsibility on every leader to ensure that there is freedom, there is fairness, there is justice, that all the institutions of government are not exploited for personal interest.

    “We have stood by that strongly and you see there are increasing results that Nigerians are gradually showing confidence in democracy and institutions of government like INEC and actions the Police as well. You see, for instance, under our leadership since 2015 has held 195 off season elections; even governorship plus House of Representatives and others.

    “All stakeholders who participated in these elections has affirmed these elections as qualitatively better under this dispensation than the previous one. That means there is commitment, there is fairness and there is commitment to justice under our government because we are leaders that don’t impose conditions on INEC or the Police.

    “Even in our own party, APC President Muhammadu Buhari and Ahmed Tinubu, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole never imposes a condition you determine who is a party leader or party candidate. So they have the policy of allowing the institutions to work.

    “We have this record and also you see Nigerians have shown greater confidence in democracy because under our leadership Nigerians registered to vote increased from 68.5 million to 84 million. This is a sign of confidence in those in power because votes count under our leadership. That is why all Nigerians come forward to register and you see many people also rushed to collect their voter cards.

    “l want to tell you that base on our works as campaign council, we are ready for elections.”

  • Why I want to govern Delta State, ex-Tinubu aide

    A former Special Adviser on Revenue Mobilisation to Chief Bola Tinubu, Dr. Charles Nwadiani, has said the reason he wants to govern Delta State from 2019 is to enable him expand the frontiers of governance and rescue the people of Delta State from oppressive governance.

    Dr. Nwadiani who is a governorship aspirant of the All Progressive Congress spoke to newsmen at the Benin Airport.

    Nwadiani noted that Governors in Delta State have failed to replicate good governance as applicable elsewhere in the country.

    He stated that having helped to lay the foundation for modern Lagos while serving as a Special Adviser to former Governor Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos state, he hoped to replicate the same feat in Delta State.

    Dr. Nwadiani said he would focus on improving security, youth empowerment and making the state an attraction hub for investors through massive investment in agriculture.

    His words, “The most important thing is bringing the culture of good governance and expanding its frontiers to the Niger Delta, making Delta State, the root of great developmental strides. We have limited our action plans to 4 years and we will implement in these 4 years and successive governments will build on it.

    “We will mount surveillance cameras everywhere, make the state safe for investors because if you do not have investors, you will only end up killing the people with multiple taxation and we will achieve this within the first 6 months in office”

    “We will create an organ called Delta state emergency agency (DELSMA). The DELSMA will involve us building a microfinance bank for the youths of delta state. The youths will have access to loans of up to 5million Naira to build their entrepreneurial skills, thereby becoming employers of labour”.

    “We also will employ a lot of youths into the Agricultural sector. We have vast land in the state that can be converted for agricultural purpose and this, we intend to do. After we have done these, we can then conveniently secure the trust of investors. We will have more investors coming and even those that ran away from the state will come back”

    “We will rebuild our industries, our moribund factories through adequate funding and putting competent hands and then, we can begin to look at revenue generation in the next one year”, he noted.

  • Buhari returns to Abuja, attends in-law’s wedding

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday returned to Abuja after a 2-day working visit to Lagos state where he inaugurated some projects and also attended the 10th Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Colloquium.

    On his return, Buhari went straight to the National Mosque Abuja where he performed the 2-Raka’at Juma’at prayer.

    The President also witnessed the wedding fatiha of Hamza Ahmed and Hadiza Jika which was performed immediately after the prayer session at the mosque.

    Read also: Buhari, Abdulsalami, govs, others grace Dangote’s daughter’s wedding

    The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, Governors of Nasarawa and Bauchi States, Alhaji Tanko Almakura and Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar respectively were among the dignitaries that witnessed the event.

    Other personalities at the wedding were the National Security Adviser to the President, retired Maj-Gen. Babagana Mongonu, cabinet ministers and former National Chairman of PDP, Ahmodu Ali.

    The groom, Hamza Ahmed, is a junior brother to Aisha Buhari, the president wife.

    NAN

  • Buhari, Tinubu say they are on rescue mission

    President Mohammadu Buhari and APC leader Ahmed Tinubu have re-kindle hope with assurances that Nigeria is being rescued from wreckage.

    Buhari, who is in Lagos for a two-day official visit, restated his commitment to implement people-oriented programmes.

    “Our goal is to bring everybody together for mutually beneficial ethnic, economic, social, religion, political and cultural relationship.

    “We are determined to invest in people because we depend on people to govern,’’ Buhari said , on Thursday at the 10th Bola Tinubu Colloquium.

    Buhari, who earlier commissioned the Ikeja Bus Terminal designed to handle 200,000 passengers daily, said that the administration would continue to invest in social programmes, including school feeding and agriculture.

    He said: “We have set Nigeria on irreversible path of growth and development.

    “We are resolute to uplift our people and make Nigeria a better place.’’

    Tinubu who marked his 66th anniversary, thanked Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, governors, legislators, industrialists, traditional rulers, and political associates for celebrating him.

    Acknowledging the current situation in Nigeria, Tinubu said: “Time is not interesting without challenges.’’.

    He said that there is no nation with its challenges.

    He said that the challenges would be surmounted because Nigeria is “focused against corruption, terrorism and is committed to economic revival.’’

    The government’s investment on people could be seen as a matter of reality. “I can see what the government is doing with the little it has. They are diversifying in practical terms to get our country out of corruption and poverty’’.

    Apparently referring to opposition, he said: “They say we should not talk about the past. If we do not talk of about it what else can we talk about?’’

    “Then what is the lesson to all Nigerians if we do not talk about it.’’

    “We will keep talking about it’’ and explained that the former ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) wasted the nation’s resources when production was at maximum.

    He explained that there is a difference between PDP’s administration and that of APC.

    Thanking Nigerians for their patient with the administration, Tinubu, and said: “I am happy that President Buhari has saved the ship from wreckage.’’

    “We are re-directing Nigeria. We have a nation to rescue and thank God we have a good leader to emulate.’’

    He advised the private sector to introduce credit system in economy to discourage corruption.

    Tinubu assured the people that Buhari was working toward prosperity and banish poverty.