President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his commitment to creating a political culture where every citizen, regardless of gender, faith or party affiliation, has a seat at the table of national discourse.
Tinubu made this known while delivering his goodwill message at the launch of the book, “Being True to Myself” an autobiography of Sule Lamido in Abuja.
Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, reaffirmed his belief in a democratic culture where opposition is not enmity but a contest of ideas.
He described Lamido as an accomplished politician and public servant.
“His wealth of knowledge and experience is definitely an asset that ought to be shared with the world, and it is heartwarming that he has gone ahead to do this in his book.
“While we may differ in our approaches or the platforms we represent, we are ultimately bound by our shared desire to see that Nigeria progresses and prospers.
“As a staunch member of the political opposition and often a critic of my administration, Lamido remains one of the strong pillars of Nigeria’s political evolution.
“Let me state that as a true democrat, I am committed to creating a political culture where respect triumphs over rank, order, and where every citizen, regardless of party affiliation, has a seat at the table of national discourse,” Tinubu said.
He noted that there were those who would disagree with the content of Lamido’s book, adding”that is the nature of biographies and autobiographies.
”They represent a person’s unique recollections and accounting of situations, but it is also a clue into the future and what they think is their own account of happenings during that time.
“I cannot take this stage at such a high profile and well attended event without seizing the opportunity to highlight some of the very many accomplishments of my administration.
“We are commemorating two years of bold and ambitious reforms, projects and initiatives, all designed to lay an enduring foundation for national prosperity.
“Are we saying that there are no challenges?Not at all.
“What we are saying is very simple, that my administration has demonstrated an uncommon audacity and vision to set Nigeria on the part of true growth and development.
“After a somewhat rocky start going to the toughness of the inevitable reforms that we embarked upon, we are now entering an era of intended beneficial outcomes underlying by macroeconomic stability.
“Have there been some pains accompanying these efforts? of course, I will be the first to agree, but we remain resolute to introducing policies and programmes to alleviate the pains and make life better for all Nigerians,” Tinubu said.
He noted that the tax law which would soon be signed intended to grow the revenues of the country, not just for the Federal Government but the subnationals, and not imposing additional tax burden on all tax payers.
“I welcome constructive criticism at all times. This is in the spirit of freedom of speech and democratic engagement; but we as a government will not allow ourselves to be distracted from doing what is right for Nigerians.
“On that foundation of what is right, we will build a country that will wortk for everyone regardless of age, gender, religious or political affiliation. This is what our Renewed Hope Agenda is all about,” Tinubu said.
