*Unite every ethnic group, Fasoranti tells former Lagos gov
Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
The apex Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has urged the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, not to disappoint Nigerians but to hit the ground running and live up to his words.
The leader of Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, has also congratulated the President-elect and advised Tinubu to avoid making mistakes by his predecessors by ensuring that every ethnic group is united in his administration.
In a congratulatory message signed by Afenifere’s Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, the group said a lot is expected from the incoming administration.
“The incoming administration must hit the ground running with sustainable welfarist programmes, ousting terrorism and banditry, and putting an end to nepotism with round pegs in round holes,” Afenifere said in the statement.
“The administration must bring down the hyperinflation in the country, make sure fuels are available at very low prices, and artificial bottlenecks in the financial sector resulting in cash crunch are removed.
“It must create an atmosphere for all Nigerians to realise their potentials wherever they are and without infringing on the rights of fellow Nigerians, especially natives of a given area as is happening in some parts of the country presently.
“It is hoped that the Bola Tinubu government will not disappoint Nigerians. It will govern in a manner that will make citizens speak with pride at being a Nigerian, as he promised in his acceptance speech.
“We are confident that Tinubu can accomplish these as he promised.
“We are hopeful that he will be able to harness the requisite political and sundry other wills to give us a truly federal Nigeria where people are truly in control of their affairs.”
Afenifere described Tinubu’s victory as one that should further unify the country.
“Garnering substantial votes from five of the six geo-political zones demonstrates that the mandate given to Tinubu and his vice, Senator Kashim Shettima, can re-invent Nigeria as a truly federal yet united country,” the group said.
“A country in which every section and every citizen would have a sense of belonging without regard to any other consideration such as religion, language spoken or where the person comes from, etc.”
The group asked Tinubu to embark on policies that would heal “the deep wounds in the country” as soon as he was sworn in.
A splinter faction of the group, Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), has also congratulated Tinubu, saying his victory at the poll did not come to it as a surprise because it was a product of hard work, vision, and the sacrifice he pioneered over 30 years ago.
In a congratulatory message by its Ekiti State Publicity Secretary, Prince Michael Ogungbemi, the ARG noted that Tinubu’s unquestionable pan-Nigerian stand gave him an edge in the contest.
The group expressed confidence his reign would return Nigeria to the surest path of greatness, economic prosperity, and radical turnaround in all spheres of human life.
On his part, the leader of Afenifere, Pa Fasoranti, has advised Tinubu to avoid making mistakes by his predecessors by ensuring that every ethnic group is united in his administration.
While urging aggrieved parties to seek redress in court and allow Tinubu to settle down, he told the President-elect also to prove him right.
This was contained in a congratulatory letter addressed to Tinubu by the Afenifere leader and made available to journalists yesterday.
According to the letter, Fasoranti commended Tinubu for his doggedness and determination to achieve victory at the poll.
The letter read, “I did marvel at your doggedness, self-determination, self-assuredness, strong belief in self, ability to overcome daunting and ever surging challenges.
“I was also amazed at God’s grace on you that gave you the strength of character and such abundance of energy, that enabled you to navigate through all the ever emerging intricate problems, and made it possible for you to, against the wishes of some people, traverse successfully all the states of the federation, during the energy sapping marathon presidential campaigns. I am glad to know that your hard-earned victory had a very good national spread,” Fasoranti explained.
