Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Osoba: Tinubu’s mark in Nigeria’s politics indelible

By Seye Olumide
29 March 2020   |   3:26 am
Former Governor of Ogun State, Aremo Segun Osoba, has said the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who clocks 68 years today; has impacted Nigerian politics beyond what his contemporaries at the state or national level have done.

Former Governor of Ogun State, Aremo Segun Osoba, has said the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who clocks 68 years today; has impacted Nigerian politics beyond what his contemporaries at the state or national level have done.
 
Osoba told The Guardian: “I have emphasised it times without number that Tinubu is a rare gem in politics, especially this Fourth Republic in which one of his (Tinubu) major attributes was the ability to draw up a succession plan in Lagos that is second to none in Nigeria.
 
“If you look at Nigeria, there is no politician with an accurate and consistent succession arrangements like the national leader of APC and that is what stands Lagos State out among others in terms of development and progress in the last 21 years since Nigeria returned to democratic rule.

“Even at the presidency, Nigeria hasn’t got it right in terms of succession and continuity of governance arrangement plans and policies like he perfected in Lagos State.”

 
Osoba remarked that Tinubu could not be excluded from the emergence of his immediate successor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who is now the Minister of Works and Housing, in 2007, stressing that the national leader also played the biggest role in the successors of Fashola in person of the immediate past governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode (2015-2019) and the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

His words: “As a matter of fact, it is not an exaggeration to say emphatically that Tinubu installed all his successors since 2007 and what this translate to is continuity of government policies in the state since 1999.”
 
There are other great attributes of Tinubu and Osoba noted for instance, “Lagos has not had more than three or four commissioners for Works, Health and Education respectively since 1999. This is also at the instance of Tinubu’s political dexterity and it is helping the state.

Osoba recalled that there was even a situation where a Permanent Secretary in the Works Ministry was appointed as commissioner in   same ministry at the instance of the national leader, adding, “these key ministries are the critical areas of governance and there is continuity.”

Pouring further encomiums on his political ally, the former Ogun State governor said it is true that a Yoruba leader evolve and not by election, but that “the national leader has however played critical role in politics that does not only cross the entire Southwest, but also played immense part in formation of APC and how the party won the central power in 2015.”
 
While wishing Tinubu long life in good health and politics, Osoba expressed his readiness to support the former Lagos governor peradventure he (Tinubu) expresses interest to contest the next presidential election, saying: “If the presidential ticket is zoned to the South in 2023 and call beckoned on Tinubu to run, I will support him.”

0 Comments