Tinubu Visits Sardauna’s Tomb, Explains Fascination with Northern Nigeria
POLITICS DIGEST- The All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has shared his blueprint for Nigeria’s development in his interaction with the Arewa Joint Committee at Arewa House, Kaduna on Monday.
Tinubu praised past leaders of the country including Nigeria’s late Premier of the region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Nigeria first and only Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe for being visionary leaders who gave their all to nation-building.
Before addressing the Northern leaders, he first visited the tomb of the late Saudauna of Sokoto who he prayed for, for his invaluable sacrifice to the North and the country at large.
Riding on the wings of the heroes of Nigeria’s independence and history, Tinubu said he would continue to give his best even as president to ensure the country remains indivisible, achieving greatness together as one.
“As I said when I chaired the Sardauna Memorial Lecture, last year, I have a solemn feeling of responsibility and duty to our country every time I am here. Standing here evokes memories of a great leader and a father of this nation, the Late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the late Sardauna of Sokoto. The contributions of the Sardauna to nation-building remain a reference point for us all. He was a visionary builder of men and institutions.
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“The dream of Sardauna, and indeed that of our other great leaders such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and our first and only prime minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was for one indivisible and prosperous nation built on shared values of patriotism, equity, justice and brotherhood.
“It is therefore no coincidence that at Independence this vision was clearly laid out and encapsulated in our first National Anthem. It says: ‘Though tribes and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand.’
“This is a strong statement which acknowledges our diversity, and, therefore, existence of different perspectives and interests, and how that should not stand on the path of our unity as brothers,” Tinubu said.
The former Lagos state governor tackled his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, for playing ethnic politics and telling the same audience that northerners should not vote for Yoruba or Igbo candidates but choose him as a fellow northerner.
“The framers of this anthem, God rest their souls, will cringe to know that 62 years after, someone would come to this hallowed platform to campaign on the basis of tribe or where others come from.
“The dream of those forefathers, ladies and gentlemen, was for a nation ‘Where no man is oppressed’, a nation ‘with peace and plenty’, and these – unity in diversity, peace and prosperity – are the fulcrum of my mission in this contest. They also form the bulk of my address to you this afternoon, in line with the areas the organisers wanted me to address,” Tinubu added.
