A presidential aspirant, Bola Tinubu, has taken a swipe at Nigerian leaders, saying he would tackle the challenges they have failed to address if he becomes the president.
Speaking in Lagos on Saturday while addressing hundreds of young people who gathered to declare their support for his ambition, Mr Tinubu said “we feel your anger when you are angry. I don’t blame you, the promises of the past have failed to realise that you build a future from the onset, from the kindergarten. We cannot continue the lamentation of the past.”
In his speech, which video was seen by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Tinubu did not distinguish between the government of incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari and that of Mr Buhari’s predecessors.
Mr Tinubu and Mr Buhari are of the same party, APC, and the aspirant has sought the support of the president for his ambition.
What Tinubu Said
Mr Tinubu said that the promises of a better Nigeria by the past administrations have not been attained. He encouraged the youth to forgo the pains of such failed promises.
President Buhari promised three main things when he was elected: improvements in security, anti-corruption and the economy.
While Nigeria was battling a Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria before Mr Buhari was sworn in, killings and kidnappings by various groups across the country have become the norm under the president.
The economy has also gotten worse with inflation reaching unprecedented levels while the president has been repeatedly criticised for undermining his own anti-corruption efforts.
It was not only in the area of failed promises that Mr Tinubu took a swipe at Mr Buhari and other former presidents, the former Lagos governor also took a direct but veiled swipe at Mr Buhari for referring to young Nigerians as lazy.
“We cannot continue with excuses or NEPA failure. No. No nation can make rapid development without electricity. Give us that and if we cannot be successful, then you can abuse us. But you cannot give us erratic electricity that is undependable and then blame us again that we are lazy,” the APC leader said.
“No. We have enough gas to fire up our electricity. We can supply the rest of Europe with gas and we can make money.”
Mr Tinubu presented himself as the best candidate that deserves the support of Nigerians and urged the youth to forget the failure of the past and obtain their PVCs ahead of the 2023 general elections.
