Tinubu Loves Nigeria
OpenLife Nigeria reports that Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu loves Nigeria by appointing Engineer Dave Umahi as the Minister of Works.
In an exclusive interview with OpenLife, the renowned business man and art collector explained that Tinubu truly wants to change Nigeria by appointing Dave Umahi as Minister of Works.
He describes Umahi as a tested and confirmed politician and technocrat who would deliver excellently on any assignment given to him.
He stated that he has absolute confidence in Umahi to develop road network across Nigeria and make the country one of the best, in terms of infrastructural development, in the world
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has just constituted his cabinet. What can you say about the cabinet make up?
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a focused President who means well for Nigeria. He knows how to hunt for talents.
All the Ministers he appointed are all good but I dare say that among them all, Engineer Dave Umahi, who was the best governor in Africa in term of infrastructure, is one of the best in the Tinubu’s cabinet.
Saying he is the best in Nigeria is under statement.
Looking at the development he brought to Ebonyi State in eight years, I have never seen such thing in any state in Nigeria even with the little allocation to Ebonyi State.
We must leave politics and our differences and speak and stand on the truth if we must move forward and meet up with the status of giant of Africa as some of us call our country.
The appointment of Engineer Dave Umahi shows me that Tinubu is a leader from birth. If Umahi is given total freedom to operate, he will turn Nigeria road network to western world standards.
He is a workaholic.
I am speaking as an Ebonyi man and as an arts collector who has been involved in so many arts exhibitions, arts auctions and cultural displays.
I have travelled round most of the states of Nigeria including many countries of western world.
Seeing what Engineer Dave has put up in Ebonyi State in the area of infrastructure is amazing. It is incredible.
It is difficult to describe it for those who have left Ebonyi state before his regime. If those who left earlier visit Ebonyi State today and see what Engineer Dave has put in place, it will be difficult for them to believe that such huge infrastructural renewal was done by one man within a spate of eight years.
Engineer Dave Umahi is good for the job.
What are your specific expectations from Umahi?
I expect a lot of developments in Nigeria. So Tinubu has got it right by appointing His Excellency, former governor of Ebonyi State , Engineer Umahi as Minister of Works.
Tinubu government wants to construct a super highway from Lagos to Calabar. Do you have confidence in Umahi to deliver such project?
For me, in terms of road network, Engineer Umahi is tested and confirmed by Nigerians. I don’t think anyone can handle it better than him.
What he needs is a free hand and encouragement , especially appreciating him for any move he makes in any project assigned to him by the President. He is the best man for the job, no doubt. And he will deliver more than expectations of Nigerians.
What do you say about the differences among the Igbos in Nigeria politics?
Yes, I want every Igbo man to emulate the Yoruba people and Hausas who believe in their culture and tradition.
Once the Yorubas and Hausas know that a man is from their tribe, they will give him all the supports he needs.
However, if you find few of them black mailing their brothers and sisters, if you make a proper investigation, you will find out that they are the ones who have nothing to contribute in anything positive.
And the blackmailing has no effect of any kind. As we all know that in every twelve, there is always judas.
Therefore, I call on all Ndigbo to support Engineer Umahi on his new appointment to succeed.
I also advise ourselves to go back to culture and tradition undiluted instead of claiming to be English people more than the British.
That has affected us so much when we are discussing important matters that will move us forward .
The Yorubas and Hausas discuss important issues with their dialects.
But we are struggling and claiming who has the best certificate from Oxford University and we forget that it is common wisdom and native intelligence that rule the world and bring out the best leadership.
All the time we are having our Igbo meetings, we embark more in English language in discussing important issues.
Then, some, in the meeting, will be judges of fault finding on how wrong sentence are made and how the adjectives were used or pronounced. Ndigbo, who is fooling who?
For example, if leadership is only about western education, Professor Osibanjo would have defeated Tinubu in the presidential primary 100 percent .
In leadership, what you can’t give, your executive will give and that makes union a team of leadership.
Ndigbo, we must start from now and chose one person that we will build leadership around like the way the Yoruba built leadership around Tinubu.
As President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State, it is a known fact that Ohanaeze Ndigbo has no allocation.
As a leader of Ohanaeze, you manage Ohanaeze through wisdom, native intelligence , your wealth, contacts, friends and well wishers especially in the area of finance if you want to get it right.
I have never got any penny from any south east governor. But if Ndigbo can build leadership around Engineer Dave Umahi, a person who can find his way to get what Ndigbo wants, I strongly believe that we will be better for it.
Every Igbo person who has interest of Ndigbo in his heart will be happy about Engineer Dave’s appointment as Minister of works.
Let us leave our differences and stop pronouncing how greedy and wicked we are in the public.
We should be looking more as one Nigeria because of our contribution to every state of Nigeria.
We are the ones who are making our contributions in Nigeria , especially in the area of development, valueless.
We should stop blackmailing one another. You can achieve any favour without blackmailing your Igbo brother or sister.
Engineer Dave is my brother. Because he was given wrong information about me and based jealousy, I could not achieve anything from him throughout his regime as governor. But not to worry, I always trust in God and not man.
But what nobody can take away is the fact that he is my brother and I will continue to support him.
He is doing well.
Above all, those who do not know it before must know it now that old age and death have no cure, no matter your achievements.
We need to come together more than any other tribe in Nigeria and support Umahi.
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