President Bola Tinubu has disclosed that he nearly guit the 2023 presidential race.
Tinubu said this at a special Iftar held in his honour at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday night.
The president thanked guests for their presence, prayers, and contributions to the nation’s development, and appreciated Nigerians for their outpouring of goodwill and prayers as he marked his 73rd birthday.
Reflecting on his political journey, Tinubu recounted a moment of doubt during the 2023 election campaign when he contemplated withdrawing from the race after an encounter with a close relative.
He said: “Those close to me know that the odds were against me. During the campaigns, one of them came to my living room at about 3:30 a.m. and said he needed just N50,000 to buy foodstuff for our uncle.
“He told me, ‘The currency is gone because of you. People are jumping over bank counters because there is no cash. Our uncle, a wealthy man, doesn’t even have N10,000 in cash. What are you running for?
“I told him, ‘I am running for president, not for you and our uncle.’ I gave him the N50,000. As he walked out, he turned to me and said, ‘I don’t think you will make it.’ I replied, ‘I will make it.’”
President Tinubu stated that his uncle later called to confirm receiving the money but admitted that he had only given the messenger N10,000, keeping the rest.
Tinubu added: “I was amazed. At that moment, I almost dropped the idea of running for president. But thanks to Aminu Masari and all of you who encouraged me.
“When I came to Abuja, Masari told me, ‘I am the Chairman of the North West Group; don’t look back’.”
President Tinubu noted that he assumed office during a time of economic uncertainty and had to make immediate, difficult decisions, including removing the fuel subsidy.
“On the day of my inauguration, I had to decide on something not originally in my speech, and that was the fuel subsidy removal,” he said.
At 73, Tinubu’s acts of compassion in leadership, by TUNDE RAHMAN
Noting that Nigeria had reached a point of no return on the issue, the president said: “The hallmark of a great leader is the ability to make the right decision at the right time.
“That was the day I declared that the subsidy was gone. The following day, I was hounded and thoroughly abused in the media. But I stood firm, knowing it was the right thing to do for our nation’s future.”
Vice President Kashim Shettima lauded the president’s sacrifices, stating that history will remember Tinubu as the leader who took on the nation’s most complex challenges.
Shettima said: “Thanks to his boldness, future presidents of Nigeria will not have to wrestle with the same ghosts that haunted past administrations, including fraud-ridden fuel subsidies, an unstable forex market, and the suppression of local government autonomy.
“These were the thorny issues that many before him sidestepped. But Asiwaju did not sidestep history; he came to rewrite it.
“And in rewriting it, Asiwaju has taken the bullets that many before him simply lacked the courage to face.
“But that is the thing about true leadership: it is not for those who seek comfort. It is for those who understand that the path to national greatness is lined with difficult choices.”
On his part, Senate President Godswill Akpabio Tinubu’s ability to forgive and his relentless passion for national development.
Akpabio described Tinubu as a leader who thinks outside the box and as the “most audacious president” in the country’s history.
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