The challenges facing Nigeria are surmountable with unity, faith and commitment, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has said.
Tinubu said this at the Meet the Mentor Dinner organised by the Progressive Sisters Network (PSN), a national women-led and focused organisation, on Sunday in Abuja.
“As a nation, we are facing some challenges, but these challenges can be overcome. We have the capacity to find our way in situations where there seems to be no way.
“Please let’s work together to build the Nigeria of our dreams. I know it is difficult not to look for the easy way in today’s Nigeria, but together with our faith in one another and our nation, we can solve our problems,” he stressed.
He added that “we are where we are today as a nation because we failed to effectively harness the country’s God-given abundant mineral resources.”
He said if elected as the country’s president, he would ensure that Nigeria’s mineral resources were effectively harnessed to bring her greatness.
“We will achieve greatness in this country, let us just believe in ourselves,” Tinubu assured and thanked the organisers of the dinner.
Earlier, Ms Rinsola Abiola, PSN National Co-ordinator, said the event was convened to make it clear to any Nigerian woman who still had doubts, that Tinubu was the candidate who deserved her vote.
She said PSN was supporting Tinubu and was committed to actualising his presidential ambition because he had demonstrated commitment to the women folk.
“We are dedicated to his campaign because he has dedicated several decades of his life to the country that we all call home.
“From the bitter, drawn-out struggle against military dictatorship to his relentless efforts to steady the ship of our nascent democracy.
“Tinubu has proven himself to be a patriot in every sense of the word and a man who loves Nigeria and can be trusted to lead the country.
“He has also displayed an uncanny ability to spot and nurture talent, and so we are confident that when he wins by God’s grace, he will constitute a team made up of those who are eminently qualified,” she said.
Abiola expressed optimism that having done it in Lagos State when he served as governor for two-terms, Tinubu could do it again at the national level if given the opportunity.
She added that many Nigerians had at different points, benefitted from Tinubu’s guidance and mentorship, including Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila and Babatunde Fashola, Minister for Works and Housing among others.
The PSN national co-ordinator noted that during his time as governor of Lagos State, women played key roles in his administration, including late Olukemi Nelson who served as his Commissioner for Women Affairs.
She recalled that Nelson later became a rallying point for women politicians in the South-West region who benefitted from her support and guidance.
“Tinubu understands that tackling the issue of women’s under-representation in all spheres of life is something that must be done from different angles: political inclusion, economic empowerment, and girl-child education.
“Lagos, the state which Tinubu once governed and is being managed in accordance with his blueprint, also lead the way in legal protection for women.
“With an agency dedicated to diligently prosecuting all forms of domestic and sexual abuse, Lagos has signalled that there will be zero tolerance for the oppression and violation of women.
“It is also key to note that it was Tinubu who appointed the first female Chief Judge in Lagos State: Justice Ibilola Sotuminu now retired.
“His wife, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, has also shattered records as the first woman in history to serve for three terms in the Nigerian Senate,” Abiola said.
She added that a man who had demonstrated equity in his own home, would deal with Nigerian women equitably.
She thanked all PSN executives and co-ordinators for their commitment to a common cause and for all the work being done.
“I appreciate you all a great deal and feel deeply honoured to know you and to lead you, may God crown all our efforts with success and may renewed hope become a reality in this election cycle,” she said.
