The All Progressives Congress (APC) vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, has recalled that Lagos was a sprawling slum until his current principal, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, emerged as governor in 1999.
He added that the APC presidential candidate was instrumental to the transformation of the former Federal capital – Lagos.
“When Asiwaju became the governor of Lagos, you and I know that the fear of Lagos for the average northerner was the beginning of wisdom,” the APC vice presidential candidate said during a Lagos State banquet for President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday.
“Lagos was a super slum but because of the quality of this man’s ideas, Lagos is now the third-largest economy in Africa. From N600m, Lagos government is now generating N61bn every month as the internally generated revenue, and Lagos is now projected to be the third-largest economy by the end of the decade.”
The former governor of Borno State, who says Tinubu can bring his wealth of experience to bear if elected as Nigeria’s president next month, called on voters to queue behind the APC flag bearer.
He said President Buhari deserves commendation for Tinubu’s emergence as the APC presidential flag bearer and described the elections are a watershed in the country’s history.
“I will urge you all to vote for the one that would sustain the legacies of President Muhammadu Buhari; for someone who has the integrity, the character, and the skill sets to catapult this nation to a higher pedestal,” Shettima added.
According to him, Tinubu deserves applause from the northern region. He said the former Lagos governor gave shelter to politicians from the area when they were facing political witch hunt.
Shettima listed such persons as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and an ex-chief of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Nuhu Ribadu. Asides from them, the APC vice presidential candidate said Tinubu’s backing of Buhari in the 2015 and 2019 elections is something the region won’t forget.
“Those of us from the north owe him a debt of gratitude for supporting our leader President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 and 2019 general elections,” he added.
He also dismissed claims about Tinubu’s health and age.
“We are not preparing for the Olympics but an institution that thrives on the superiority of ideas and established track records,” Shettima maintained.