Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode on
Tuesday described the former Governor of the State and National Leader of All
Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a great Nigerian political
product and a successful leader who not only mentored many leaders in the
country but laid the solid foundation for the sustained progress of the State.
Speaking at 9th Colloquium held at Eko Hotels
& Suits in Lagos to mark Tinubu’s 65th birthday, Governor Ambode said the
test of any successful leader all over the world was in the number of leaders
such leaders created, and that using the said globally accepted parameter,
Tinubu without doubt, is a winner.
Ambode likened Tinubu to a coconut blessed with
divine task to be fruitful and useful to humanity, versatile, courageous, which
could bear fruit for a long time.
"Like the coconut, some by-products/fruits
will get bad along the way or after being sold in the market; in actual fact,
the political product may not be the favourite of some other people.
"The bottom line, however, is simple.
If Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, were a coconut; I dare say, with all simplicity,
I would be among the forefront liners that will eat, drink and sleep B.A.T.
24/7," Ambode said.
While alluding to Tinubu’s contribution to the
growth of the State, Governor Ambode said: “There is no doubt the Asiwaju
political dynasty is a made in Nigeria product. The foundation laid and
blueprints developed during his tenure as Governor of Lagos State which cuts
across all sections of the State’s economy have actually simplified the process
of governance till date.
“His blueprint has continued to serve as a road
map to achieving the Lagos of his and our dreams. This same political
product without doubt, traverses the Nigerian landscape and that is evident
with the emergence of the APC at the centre in 2015. Asiwaju is a made in
Nigeria product. We should make more products out of him,” the Governor said.
Besides, Governor Ambode described the theme of
the Colloquium which is: “Make It In Nigeria: Use What We Make; Make What We
Use,” as apt, adding that the partnership between Lagos and Kebbi States which
culminated in the production of Lake Rice was an eloquent testimony of the
ability of Nigeria to be a producing nation.
He, however, assured that his administration would
continue to improve on indices of the ease of doing business to ensure that
more products are made in Nigeria for the development and growth of our nation.
On his part, President Muhammadu Buhari described
Tinubu as an outstanding politician, great mobilizer, effective in conceiving
and planning governmental policies.
"Chief Bola Tinubu is an outstanding Yoruba
politician of his generation," he said.
Speaking on the economy, Buhari, who was
represented by the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau said that the
Federal Government was already putting policies in place to encourage and
facilitate Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to promote made in Nigeria
goods, adding that same was part of his administration's overall national
economic policy.
In her remarks, Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi
Adeosun assured Nigerians that the country would soon be out of the economic
recession, revealing that the Federal Government was already copying the Lagos
template to revive the economy.
She said the Federal Government recently released
N1trillion for capital expenditure to make the economy productive, adding that
measures were being taken to bring about multiple streams of revenue.
“The economic template we copied from you (Lagos)
is now being implemented for economic recovery of the country and we are not
ashamed to say it. The impact of that template is that many of the states are
now copying it especially in the area of IGR,” Adeosun said.
Also speaking, the celebrant (Tinubu) said it was
time for the Federal Government to press forward with its national industrial
policy and national infrastructural plan, especially by creating
infrastructural funding from financial institutions.
Tinubu, who commended the present leadership of
the country, also advocated the need to embrace other forms of power generation
and incentives to bring back some of the manufacturing companies that hitherto
left Nigeria due to unfriendly business environment.
Dignitaries at the event included Vice President,
Yemi Osinbajo; former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, former and serving
governors, Senators, politicians, entrepreneurs, among others.
Tags
Politics