PRESIDENTIAL candidate for the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has pledged that if elected in 2023, he would work to unite all Nigerians, regardless of their tribes or languages.
According to a statement by his spokesperson, Tunde Rahman, Tinubu made this pledge, in an interview with the Arewa Joint Committee today at Arewa House in Kaduna.
Tinubu commended past leaders for being visionary leaders who gave their all to nation-building, the likes of Tafawa Balewa, the nation’s first and first prime minister, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe.
Before speaking to the northern leaders, he first paid a visit to the late Saudauna of Sokoto’s tomb. He prayed for him and thanked him for his selfless sacrifice for the North and the country.
Riding on the shoulders of the independence and historical heroes of Nigeria, Tinubu declared that he would continue to give his all, even as president, to ensure that the nation remained together and attained greatness as a singular body.
“As I said when I chaired the Sardauna Memorial Lecture last year, I have a solemn feeling of responsibility and duty to our country every time I am here. Standing here evokes memories of a great leader and a father of this nation, the Late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the late Sardauna of Sokoto. The contributions of the Sardauna to nation-building remain a reference point for us all. He was a visionary builder of men and institutions.
“The dream of Sardauna, and indeed that of our other great leaders such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and our first and only prime minister, Sir Tafawa Balewa, was for one indivisible and prosperous nation built on shared values of patriotism, equity, justice and brotherhood.
“It is therefore no coincidence that at Independence, this vison was clearly laid out and encapsulated in our first National Anthem. It says: ‘Though tribes and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand.’
“This is a strong statement which acknowledges our diversity, and, therefore, existence of different perspectives and interests, and how that should not stand on the path of our unity as brothers.
“The framers of this anthem, God rest their souls, will cringe to know that 62 years after, someone would come to this hallowed platform to campaign on the basis of tribe or where others come from.
“The dream of those forefathers, ladies and gentlemen, was for a nation ‘where no man is oppressed’, a nation ‘with peace and plenty’, and these – unity in diversity, peace and prosperity – are the fulcrum of my mission in this contest. They also form the bulk of my address to you this afternoon, in line with the areas the organisers wanted me to address,” Tinubu said.
Speaking about his goals for Nigeria, Tinubu pledged to build on the achievements made by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari by consolidating the investments made by his administration in all sectors of the country.
