Former governor of Lagos State, Chief Ahmed Bola Tinubu, on Saturday, arrived the country to a tumultuous welcome by governors, All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftains and party faithful, among others who thronged the Executive Jet near the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja.Both governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) were joined by Senator Oluremi, wife of Tinubu, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Adeyemi Ikuforiji, former Deputy Governor Rafiu Ogunleye, Lagos APC chairman, Chief Henry Ajomale, Senator Ganiyu Solomon, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, commissioners and local government chairmen, to welcome the APC national leader, whose chartered plane with registration no: CS-OPF touched down at around 1:32pm from the United Kingdom.
As the plane parked and the door was opened, Tinubu’s wife, Oluremi, led the way, followed by her daughter, Folasade Ojo and governors Fayemi and Aregbesola to welcome the former, who went for a knee surgery at US and UK hospitals for two months.
The former governor later emerged at 1:38pm waving, while the crowd of supporters became ecstatic as governors and other party chieftains took turn to have snap-shots with him before he finally alighted from the plane and was led into his waiting jeep.
He later addressed the press as he spoke through the roof of the vehicle taking a swipe at President Goodluck Jonathan-led government over the recent move to convene a national conference and the air disaster that affected the corpse of former Governor Olusegun Agagu, in which 13 people died. He also spoke on his newly registered party, the APC.
Tinubu described the move by President Jonathan to hold a national conference right now in the country as unnecessary, a contradiction and a distraction, as well as a demonstration of lack of honesty and integrity on the part of the government.
The APC national leader, while querying the timing of the dialogue, asked: “When? How long have we been talking of it? It is only a very smart rodent in a house full of little crumbles of poison that will survive.”
The former governor, who further wondered why the focus on national dialogue should come around now, maintained that some salient issues had been jettisoned and should be addressed as a matter of priority.
“But Nigeria is very divisive right now, so why is this necessary? Where is the sovereignty? What about the Electoral Act, what about the Lemu Committee? Have you heard of a White Paper or green paper or pink paper come out of that for Nigerians? Why? How many months to the elections? How many months to the election?
Can’t you smell a good look porridge; can’t you smell a pit latrine and the odour of deception when it is passing by?” he queried.
He dismissed the suggestion that the election be postponed in other to have the national conference discuss the way forward for the country, saying “that is the saying of a thief, because he wants to continue to pilfer because he is enjoying as a thief.”
“What are you postponing about the election? Is it with the head you walk or with the feet? You must stand on something,” he added.
Speaking further, he described the recent air crash as unfortunate, declaring that Nigeria’s aviation industry was a risk to Nigerians as the sector, according to him, had never been allowed to be run by professionals.
Tinubu pointed out that the sector lacked infrastructure, just as it described the runway at the Murtala Muhammed International Aiport, Ikeja, as the worst in the world.
Besides, he said too much bureaucracy as well as issues of kinsmanship, ethnicity and mediocrity had been allowed to predominate in the country’s aviation sector, declaring, “we play with the value of lives of Nigerians.”
He accused the Ministry of Aviation of not, only interfering with the job of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), but also allowing fraudsters in the ministry.
The former governor alleged that anybody, who dared to fight the Federal Government, would have his or her airplane grounded, saying this was what happened to the governor of River State, Rotimi Amaechi, and Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomole, whose charted air crafts were grounded .
He advised that for the industry to move forward, the nation must end mediocrity, corruption and tribalism ravaging its aviation sector.
“We must ask questions; where are the professionals in this country? We must remove ethnicity, corruption and fraudsters from the aviation industry,” he advised.
He thanked God for sparing the lives of Feyi Agagu and others, adding that the late Dr Olusegun Agagu was a good man.
Afenifere faults Tinubu over comments on proposed confab -Says he is inconsistent
By Stephen Gbadamosi
Yoruba sociocultural organisation, Afenifere, has taken a swipe at the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over his statement regarding the proposed national conference.
Spokesman of Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin, expressed the disagreement of the organisation to Senator Tinubu’s opinion in an interview with Sunday Tribune on Saturday.
Tinubu was quoted, upon arrival from abroad, on Saturday, as saying that the timing of the proposed national dialogue was wrong and that it was a deliberate ploy to distract Nigerians by the Peoples democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government.
But Odumakin insisted that Afenifere had to disagree with the former Lagos State governor, demanding to know when Tinubu thought it would be the right time.
“When will be the right time? It is on record that Senator Tinubu was one of those that first called on the Federal Government to enter into negotiation with Boko Haram. If he called for negotiation with Boko Haram, why would he say that negotiation with the people of Nigeria by the government now is uncalled for?
“In 1998, after the death of Chief M.K.O. Abiola and General Sani Abacha, the then National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) of which Tinubu was a member in diaspora, called for national conference before any election would be held to take the country out of the woods. The same Tinubu was one of those who insisted that elections ought to hold first before any dialogue.
“Fourteen years down the road now, things have gone from bad to worse for the people of this country. When does he now think that the people should sit together and discuss their future? When will be the right time after 14 years? That is the question,” Odumakin said.
Afenifere went ahead to warn Nigerians to be wary of politicians targeting only the forthcoming general elections at all costs, without consideration for any opportunity to address the structural imbalance in the country, adding that those were the real enemies of the country.
“All politicians that are only looking forward to the next general elections without any consideration for how we can address the structural problem that can make or mar the future of Nigeria are the real enemies of Nigeria. We should all talk before we hold those elections. It is more important,” he added.
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