•Mrs Betty Akeredolu and Tinubu
The widow of late former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has told President Bola Tinubu that it was the family’s desire for Akeredolu’s legacies to continue and built upon where necessary.
Mrs. Akeredolu spoke when Tinubu paid a condolence visit to the family in Owo, the headquarters of Owo Local Government Area and the leader of Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure.
President Tinubu also visited the burial site of the late Akeredolu and the palace of Owo monarch, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye, the Olowo of Owo, reports The Nation.
Akure, the state capital was on shutdown as party supporters thronged the streets to wear attires of their preferred candidate for the November governorship polls.
President Tinubu, who condoled with the late Akeredolu’s family had a closed-door meeting with the former Ondo First Lady.
She said: “As you are aware, the President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, paid his condolence visit to my family. Present at the visit are my children and extended family members.
“On behalf of my family, I appreciate Mr. President. We understood he couldn’t attend the burial ceremony due to the dictates of Yoruba culture. He couldn’t have attended the burial of his younger brother.
“Coming today is a big deal because we are in a better atmosphere. I also express my profound gratitude to the southern governors for their immense financial contributions to the burial. Most especially, Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-olu, who singlehandedly brought Aketi’s remains back to Nigeria. We appreciate this huge show of love and we are grateful and forever indebted to him.
“I requested that Mr. President see where Aketi had been laid to rest and he followed me. We are deeply grateful to Mr. President for coming. He’s indeed, Aketi’s brother and friend.
“I told Mr. President, yes, Aketi has left but he lives because he left behind legacies. It is our wish that those legacies continue and are built upon where necessary.”
Pa Fasoranti, who hails what he termed as Tinubu’s act of courage and sagacity to adopt the Oronsanye Report as the basis to reform the Public Service, reminded him that he is the first Afenifere member to be elected president.
Fasoranti noted that the performance of Tinubu showed that he (Tinubu) understood the full gravity of his mandate ‘which is to show the Nigerian people that a good government is possible.’
He said it was incumbent on President Tinubu to address the issue of constitutional reforms with courage, fairness and determination.
The Afenifere leader said the country needs to seek a future where regional competitions would bring out the best in the country as it happened in the First Republic.
“We seek therefore a true Federal Republic that would reflect fiscal federalism. If the derivation principle is good for oil, why is it not good for Value Added Tax for example? We believe a review of the 2014 National Constitutional Conference would help you in charting the course.
“For the people of the South-West, restructuring also has a more pressing meaning. Today, Nigeria has a population of 200 million which would double in the next 25 years to 400 million.
“However, the South-West is facing an avalanche of migration from the other zones of the country to the extent that in 25 years’ time, if the current trend continues, the South-West would be home to 50 percent of the population of Nigeria.
“By this time the states of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo would be home to at least 200 million people. We need to plan for this eventuality on a regional scale. We need to be prepared so that our region will not be overwhelmed by imported challenges.
“Mr President, please also seek institutional reforms that would strengthen our federation and make Nigeria safer and more prosperous. Try and balance the budget and execute capital projects that would create more employment. We thank you for welcoming the idea of state policing.
“We want each of the geopolitical zones to have greater responsibilities for security, food production and infrastructural development. Since the removal of the fuel subsidy, which was costing Nigeria 10 billion dollars yearly, the state governments have been receiving hefty allocations from the Federation account.
“Mr President should persuade the governors to allow this change of fortune for the states to reflect at the grassroots so that life can be better for our people. They should not just buy rice and yams for the people.
“They should create employment, improve education and build new infrastructures. Today, life is truly challenging for most people and the state governments have an important role to play to transform society.
“You have done well with trying to reposition our economy and reform the Public Service. We salute your courage in tackling many issues that have remained unresolved for many years.”
President Tinubu assured the Afenifere leaders that he knew the challenges when he took oath as President.
“I prayed for it, I danced for it, I campaigned for it and I got it. I know the enormous of responsibility so don’t pity me Baba just sit down and relax.”
President Tinubu said he is building structures that could not be reversed.
Tinubu said that the structure he was trying to put in place in Nigeria economically, socially and politically would be such that it would bring Nigeria back to where it was supposed to be.
He said the country would soon pay off the loans as soon as possible.
On the issues of restructuring, he said he was aware of the need to restructure Nigeria but that a proper foundation must be laid before bringing restructuring in place such that if it was done in a rush without proper foundation, the restructuring might collapse very soon but it would be done.
On the hardship Nigerians are facing, Tinubu appreciated the pains Nigerians are going through and said that very soon Nigeria would overcome it.
Tinubu said the policies his administration was implementing would bring positive solutions to the present challenges.
However, the visit turned campaign carnival as various groups in support of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa stormed the Akure Airport and major streets in Akure.
Chief Press Secretary to Governor Aiyedatiwa, Ebenezer Adeniyan, had in a statement, said the President’s visit was a state affair and not a political or campaign affair.
Adeniyan said: “Only government officials and those accredited by the government will have the opportunity to receive the president at the airport, not a campaign crowd.”
The comments of Adeniyan followed the condemnation by a governorship aspirant, Wale Akinterinwa.
A statement by the spokesman of Wale Akinterinwa campaign structure, Segun Ajiboye, described the alleged Aiyedatiwa’s directive as the most undemocratic, disrespectful, unreasonable and disdainful ‘attempt by any Chief executive in the annals of democracy in Nigeria.’
It said: “Ordinarily, we would not have responded, but based on the intelligent report at our disposal that he and his supporters have perfected plans to unleash mayhem on our people both at Owo and Akure, it is necessary for us to bring this to the attention of peace-loving Nigerians.
“The directive that no supporter or aspirants should come to the airport to welcome Mr President who is on a Private visit and not on a state visit is a directive from ignorant minds in Alagbaka. It is a tradition that whenever the President visit any State, members of his party offer him their love and support by welcoming him in their droves. It does not matter whether it is election year or not.”
