President Bola Tinubu has reiterated that his motivation for seeking the presidency was not financial gain, but a genuine desire to serve Nigeria.
Tinubu stated this during a meeting with the Forum of Former Presiding Officers of the National Assembly at the State House on Friday.
“I didn’t come to look for money and exploit the situation; I came to work. I asked for the votes, and Nigerians gave them to me,” President Tinubu, a former senator himself, told the gathering of 16 former NASS presiding officers, including ex-senate presidents and speakers of the House of Representatives.
Tinubu stressed his administration’s focus on delivering tangible results in areas such as infrastructure, food and energy security, education, and long-term economic stability.
He acknowledged the current hardships facing the country but pointed to historical neglect in key sectors like education and infrastructure development as the root causes.
“Yes, there is hardship, but how did we get here? What did we do when we had very high crude production?” Tinubu asked.
He further told his guests, “Regardless of party differences of the past and difficulty of the present, you still believe in me and what we all plan for this country.
“I thank you very much; no one will do it better than us. I have travelled the world and seen how developed countries have done it for themselves through collaboration, inclusiveness and financial structure.
“We neglected our communities; we neglected the goose that lays the golden eggs; we forgot even to give them a good standard of living.
“We forgot to educate our children. Go round and look at the dilapidated schools. The education environment must be decent enough for pupils to want to learn.
“We can complain from now till eternity that the school enrolment is low. But did we do anything to encourage the enrolment process? We must ask ourselves because it is a matter of conscience.”
Tinubu said his administration was, however, committed to addressing these challenges, including improving infrastructure, ensuring compliance with financial regulations, exploring alternative energy sources, and providing energy security.
He urged the former lawmakers to continue sharing their expertise in nation-building and governance.
Senator Ken Nnamani, who led the delegation, pledged the group’s support for President Tinubu to tackle insecurity, economic hardship, and infrastructural decay.
Meanwhile, Tinubu’s statement echoes a similar remark made by his wife, Remi Tinubu, shortly before his inauguration in May 2023.
NewsNGR reported that at an inter-denominational church service, the then-incoming First Lady had said, “God has blessed my family, we don’t need the wealth of Nigeria to survive but to do the right thing.”
“I promise you on this Alta, that with your help (and) with the help of God, we will set this nation on the right path,” Remi, who served as the First Lady of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 when her husband was governor of the state had said.