President Bola Tinubu, on Friday, made it clear that he is not in office as Nigeria’s leader to seek personal gain or accumulate wealth.
During a meeting with the Forum of Former Presiding Officers of the National Assembly at the Aso Rock Villa, Tinubu stated that his purpose is to work for Nigeria and its citizens.
The President stressed that despite the challenges, his administration remains focused on delivering tangible results that will positively impact the nation’s infrastructure, food and energy security, education, and long-term economic stability.
The Forum of Former Presiding Officers, led by former Senate President Ken Nnamani, included 15 other members, comprising former senate presidents, speakers of the House of Representatives, former deputy senate presidents, and deputy speakers of the House of Representatives.
In his address to the group, Tinubu said: “I didn’t come to look for money and exploit the situation; I came to work. I asked for the votes, and Nigerians gave them to me.”
The President acknowledged the support and encouragement from the forum members, regardless of political affiliations, and urged them to continue fostering unity and collaboration to achieve national development goals.
He further called for enhanced cooperation between the legislative and executive arms of government to ensure national prosperity, saying, “Regardless of party differences of the past and difficulty of the present, you still believe in me and what we all plan for this country.”
Tinubu expressed gratitude for their trust and noted, “No one will do it better than us. I have traveled the world and seen how developed countries have done it for themselves through collaboration, inclusiveness, and financial structure.”
Speaking on the hardships facing the country, the President asked, “Yes, there is hardship, but how did we get here? What did we do when we had very high crude production?”
He pointed out that Nigeria neglected its communities and failed to provide a good standard of living for its people, even in regions producing the nation’s wealth.
He also highlighted the neglect in the education sector, saying, “We forgot to educate our children. Go around and look at the dilapidated schools. The education environment must be decent enough for pupils to want to learn.”
The President stressed the need for introspection, urging the nation to ask itself tough questions about its priorities and the actions taken to improve the situation.
“We can complain from now till eternity that the school enrolment is low. But did we do anything to encourage the enrolment process? We must ask ourselves because it is a matter of conscience,” Tinubu added.
Tinubu promised that his administration would address these identified challenges by improving infrastructure, ensuring adherence to financial regulations, exploring alternative energy sources, and providing energy security. He assured, “We have come a long way, and I promise we must do our best.”
The President urged the former presiding officers to continue sharing their wealth of experience in nation-building and governance, recognizing that they were in a unique position to provide “clear interpretations of where we are” to the Nigerian public.
Speaking on behalf of the forum, Senator Nnamani acknowledged that Nigeria’s current challenges were not the fault of the Tinubu administration. He assured the president of the forum’s support for his efforts.
Nnamani also noted that this was the president’s first official engagement with the group since taking office and congratulated him on his leadership thus far.
“Mr President, history has never been the burden of one man alone, but some are called to meet a special share of its challenges,” Nnamani said.
He added, “Though not of your creation, it has fallen onto you to end the pervasive insecurity across the nation, the economic downturn that has resulted in hunger and anger, infrastructural decay due to years of neglect, and myriads of other national challenges.”
Despite the magnitude of these issues, Nnamani expressed confidence that Tinubu could handle and surmount them, pointing to the president’s bold actions in tackling local government autonomy as an example of his leadership.
“We are convinced that you will dig in deeper again to eradicate these problems and restore Nigerians’ pride of place among the comity of nations,” Nnamani said.
He also affirmed the forum’s readiness to contribute to national development and ensure the country’s prosperity, saying, “It is in this light and in the national interest that we wish to pledge our support as you work to restore national security, build an economy that works for all, and strengthen the bond of unity amongst our disparate peoples.”