Society Gists

Ahead of the swearing in of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on May 29, a former governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has recalled how he took ideas from the Lagos government under Tinubu to run Ogun State.

Daniel described Tinubu, long term friend, as the right man for the job, saying he will surprise Nigerians with his intelligence and ability to navigate through difficult situations. Fielding questions from journalists in a media chat on Friday in Abuja, Daniel said Tinubu may be underrated in so many areas “but never in his capacity to innovate and be creative for progressive developments of the society.”

He added, “I have known Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for over 25 years and he has not ceased to surprise many of us who have been close to him with his doggedness and capacity to innovate.

“Our country, Nigeria is no doubt going through a very difficult moment, there are so many things requiring attention, there are just so many thanks to fix, we need to unite Nigeria, we need to get our economy back on track, and I have no doubt in his ability to transform and deliver on all these responsibilities.

“And I think I am in a very good position to speak on the ability of Asiwaju Tinubu in these regards because I was a member of his Transition Policy Committee in 1999 when he was elected as the Governor of Lagos State, I also doubled as the Chairman of his Transition Infrastructure Committee. And when I had the opportunity to serve as the Governor of Ogun State four years later, I benefited immensely from his policies in Lagos State.

Some of the interventions that we did in the area of security, direct labour in the construction of roads, transport management and legal reforms were directly copied from Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s template in Lagos.”

Daniel, who gave some insights on what to expect from the 10th Senate, said the legislature cannot be an opposition to the executive, rather they should be partners with the president.

“The 10th Senate must strive to complement the efforts of the President who we all know is inheriting very huge economic and security challenges,” he said. He assured the media that the National Assembly is made up of persons who are also desirous of moving the nation forward, “once the leadership of the house is sorted, all hands will be on deck to carry out the main business of law making for a greater Nigeria.”