*Maintains APC presidential candidate’s age not a factor
*Says relationship with Lagos governor could be better
*Defends APC’s same faith ticket
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
In a major break from his apparent reticence since the campaigns began, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, yesterday vowed to vote and vigorously campaign for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, in next month’s presidential election.
Fashola, a former Chief of Staff to Tinubu before he (Fashola) became governor of the state and later a two-term minister, also defended the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the party, stressing that the best way to end all the arguments was for APC to defeat every other ticket during the poll.
The minister further defended the rumoured frailty of his former principal, maintaining that even at their youngest and best, Tinubu’s opponents in the coming elections were still far less effective and possess less capacity than him.
Aside Tinubu, other major contenders for Nigeria’s top seat during the election are Abubakar Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP). He’s largely seen as too feeble to govern the country in these very challenging times.
Speaking during an interview on TVC, one of Nigeria’s private television stations, Fashola who was asked whether Tinubu was fit and proper to rule Nigeria, posited that it would be to the peril of the opposition to underestimate the intelligence and capacity of the APC national leader.
“Without a doubt in my mind. I’ve worked with him. And I was his chief of staff for four and a half years. So, I worked with him on a minimum basis of over 14 hours a day. So, I saw him at close quarters.
“You underestimate his resilience and intelligence at your own peril. And one needs to read the tribute I wrote when he turned 60. So yes, but he’s a much older man. And one side of the question is okay, he’s older. The other side is what is on offer on the other side?” Fashola queried.
Still in defence of Tinubu, Fashola said the APC presidential candidate raised the first state bond for infrastructure and development in the country as governor in spite of a federal PDP opposition, which many states are now modelling.
In addition, he explained that Tinubu’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) initiative has become a model today for many states of the federation.
He further stated that the office of the public defender was created during Tinubu’s time as the governor of Lagos, with over 10 states now following suit, while the Lagos signage and advertising body is now being emulated by several states. According to him, about 16 states have already passed their own version of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).
“All of his policies have gained resonance nationwide, even by his most virulent critics. And he says now I want to do this on a national scale. And you are asking me whether he should run?
“I will vote for him. And I’m campaigning for him. And let the opponents come and show us what they have done. Because we are now saying from local to national, what have you done?
“So, it’s not about how old the man is. Even his older version is better than any of the younger versions as I speak today, because I’ve seen all of them at work, and I’ve taken time to objectively analyse what they have done,” he opined.
Fashola also mocked one of the candidates whom he said always talks about how he would privatise Nigeria’s assets, pointing out that the only company privatised, which is NITEL, is now defunct.
He argued that the privatisation programme started under Ibrahim Babangida, stressing that NITEL that was privatised is now dead and urged Nigerians to notice the fine distinction between privatisation of public assets and sale of licenses to the private sector.
“So you will hear that one of the candidates says, oh, yes, I want to privatise. Privatisation of what? 1986, that was when the law was passed. And then you say you privatise and that’s why we have a telephone line. What was privatised? It was NITEL. I don’t know how many Nigerians are still using it. The lines we use today are licenses that were sold.
“And there’s a very fine distinction between privatising an asset or selling a license on a law that you did not enact,” he maintained.
On Sanwo-Olu, he said he would equally vote and campaign for him because he was better than his opponents in Lagos, singling him out particularly for praise for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Again, it is always what is on the other side? And this morning, I would vote for him without a doubt. I’m going to campaign for him. I’m coming back home to campaign because I love this period. Because I can go to the electorate with our results. That’s the kind of politics that I love.
“Just imagine if those first incident cases had disappeared into Nigeria,” he stated, adding that although Sanwo-Olu has completed the rail system, build houses , only the living could enjoy those facilities.”
However, he admitted that his relationship with the governor could be improved upon, but said he won’t be writing public letters to Sanwo-Olu since he has other channels of reaching him.
“He calls me egbon (elder brother) because we have a good relationship. We still spoke, I think on the third day of the year, so we are in regular contact.
“So just want to say that, of course, there’s always room for improvement. But I won’t discuss room for improvement by writing letters to him. I have a direct channel,” he said.
On whether he would like to serve in the next government, Fashola said although he’s always available to serve the country, for him, it has been 24 long years in public service, noting that he needed some rest.
“I became chief of staff at 39, became governor at 44 And I’ve run that race for 24 years and I sincerely need a break. That said, whatever is left of my life is to continue to serve and it will be in different positions under consultation. Maybe not necessarily a nine to five job anymore. I need to catch my breath,” he added.
On those who deploy religion in politics, he said: “I think the best way to dissuade it (people who see religion as a factor in politics) is to defeat those who reach out to those arguments. I remember when we wanted to raise Sukuk funding and people whether in ignorance or mischief, or a combination of both, said we were going to use it to Islamise Nigeria.
“It’s a very base argument and it doesn’t address the fundamentals of what we need to do. So when you get to hospital, do you ask for Christian blood when you are dying? Or do you ask for a Muslim surgeon when you need emergency care? Or when the pangs of childbirth holds you, do you say it must be somebody of your own faith who must be your midwife?
“And as you said, these things have no resonance in my own home. My father was Muslim, my mother is Anglican. I grew up in the Anglican Church before I just said as an adult, I’m going to worship how my father worships,” he stressed.
