President Bola Tinubu says his goal is to serve the nation
and deliver meaningful results to Nigerians, rather than seek personal gain.
Tinubu spoke in Abuja on Friday when he received members of
the forum of former presiding officers of the national assembly, led by Ken
Nnamani, ex-senate president.
The forum comprises 16 former presiding officers of the
national assembly, including past senate presidents, former speakers of the
house of representatives, ex-deputy senate presidents, and former deputy
speakers.
“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 said.
He acknowledged the support given to him by members of the
forum, regardless of political differences.
He charged them to continue to promote the unity and
cooperation of Nigeria to further national development.
Speaking on the complexities of legislative functions,
constitutional amendments, and the nation-building process, Tinubu expressed
optimism that Nigeria would progress through collaboration and inclusiveness.
“Regardless of party
differences of the past and the difficulty of the present, you still believe in
me and what we all planned for this country,” he said.
“I thank you very much; no one will do it better than us. I
have travelled the world and seen how developed countries have done it for
themselves through collaboration, inclusiveness, and financial structure.”
The president also reflected on the prevailing economic
hardship, questioning the mismanagement of past opportunities during the period
of high crude oil production.
“Yes, there is hardship, but how did we get here? What did
we do when we had very high crude production?” Tinubu questioned.
“We neglected our
communities; we neglected the goose that lays the golden eggs; we forgot even
to give them a good standard of living.
“We forgot to educate our children. Go round and look at the
dilapidated schools. The education environment must be decent enough for pupils
to want to learn.
“We can complain from now till eternity that 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.”
The president outlined his administration’s priorities,
which he said include improving infrastructure, ensuring compliance with
financial regulations, exploring alternative energy sources, and securing
energy independence.
“We have come a long way, and I promise we must do our
best,” he added.
He urged the former presiding officers to keep contributing
their expertise to nation-building.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Nnamani pledged the
forum’s support for Tinubu’s administration and its efforts to address the
country’s pressing challenges.
The former senate president noted that the meeting was
Tinubu’s first official engagement with the group since assuming office on May
29, 2023.
“Mr. President,
history has never been the burden of one man alone, but some are called to meet
the special share of its challenges,” he said.
“Though not of your creation, it has fallen on 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.
“As difficult as
these problems are, we believe that with your experience, you can face the
difficulties and surmount them.
“What gives us more hope is the courage with which you
handled the issue of local government autonomy, which has won you open
admiration from friends and foes alike.
“We are convinced that you will dig in deeper again to
eradicate these problems and restore Nigeria’s pride of place among the comity
of nations.”
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