₦airaland Forum

All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has urged Organised Labour to pitch its tent with him in the 2023 presidential election, saying he has the track record for good governance.

Tinubu stated this during a Townhall meeting with Organised Labour at Chida Hotel Conference Centre in Abuja on Monday where he also said he is the most qualified to lead Nigeria among the presidential candidates.

The session, which was used to dissect the Tinubu-Shettima Action Plan for a Better Nigeria was well attended by Labour leaders from the Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress among others.

Comrades Ayuba Wabba and Festus Osifo led the two Labour associations to the event.

Vice Presidential Candidate Senator Kashim Shettima, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara) as well as Hon James Faleke, Secretary of the Campaign Council, and other APC leaders attended the interactive session.

Former Deputy President of NLC and Director of Labour Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Comrade Isa Aremu, set the tone for the engagement when he told the Labour leaders and workers that the choice before them and Nigerians in next election is who among the presidential candidates is truly committed, tested and trusted to protect workers and the poor and who is ready to industrialise the country to bring back decent jobs and good pay.

Comrade Aremu said Tinubu is the best to deliver on the priorities of the workers.

In his speech, the APC flagbearer who intermittently spoke off his written address said his antecedents as former Lagos State governor, during which he transformed the state and powered it to the 5th largest economy in Africa it is today, stands him out and makes him a better candidate ahead of his competitors.

Tinubu listed the problems of unemployment, lack of credit system to allow workers own houses, poverty, challenges in educational sector, weak industrial base of the economy as what he is coming to address as the President of Nigeria.

“Today, the questions you all you must ask yourselves are these: who can be trusted to accomplish all of this? The man who has done it before, or the man whose most lasting achievement as Vice President is the corrupt sale of national assets to his friends and cronies?

“Who has the better plan? The man whose blueprint guided the emergence of Lagos State as fifth largest economy in Africa or the man whose greatest pride is the amount of money he managed to bury in sand while his state’s infrastructure decayed and its workers suffered endless hardship?

“The choice is yours. But permit me to now talk a little about myself and my vision.

“I have always been and will continue to be a progressive democrat. In my worldview, government has a cardinal responsibility to work not only with business but also with labour to ensure that all constituent parts of our society are afforded their fair share of rewards without taking on undue hardship,” Tinubu said.

Further speaking on what stands him out, Tinubu said just like the labour leaders, he has been in the forefront of fighting the government for good governance all his life, a move for which he was detained and eventually forced into exile.

He added: “As Organised Labour, you have been at the forefront of the workers’ rights movement in Nigeria, championing economic fairness and the welfare of the average person, the weak and the forgotten.

“You have also been involved in the struggle for democracy and political rights. Your collective efforts breathe life into the democratic rights and economic ideals enshrined in our constitution.

“I can speak fondly of your impact on our nation because of my personal history on the frontlines of the social justice movement.

“I may be running for president now, but I was not always in this position. Long before I started running for the presidency, I was running away from military dictators angered by my important role in protests against them and their efforts to vanquish our democratic aspirations.

“The defining moment of my public life came during Nigeria’s struggle for democracy and my membership in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) movement.

“I have dedicated my entire being to that cause. I was detained, then was forced into exile because of my refusal to accept anything less than a government based on the proposition that the will of the people is sovereign and should reign over armed might and imposition.

“I believe that those assembled here today share the same ideals of progressive and democratic good governance. I have spent my political life advocating for the rights and interests of ordinary Nigerians as you also do. We have long been fellow travellers on the same road. I hope that we shall continue as friends and brothers.

On his plans if elected, Tinubu said his administration would make the fiscal and monetary policies work for the workers and Nigerians so they can have a good life.

He also said he would ensure the nation is massively industrialised to give more people better paying jobs, while also opening doors to more emerging sectors younger ones can harness.

“My Action Plan for a Better Nigeria, sets out a vision of opportunity, social justice and prosperity for all. I seek a Nigeria where sufficient jobs with decent wages give people the chance to live better lives. Where the private sector thrives, we will not disrupt it. However, where the private sector cannot do it alone, my government will take the lead in lending a helping hand.

“For young Nigerians, my goal will be to open the doors wide to emerging sectors such as the digital economy, entertainment and culture, and tourism. Specific policies will empower women and young people to become more active in our nation’s leadership.

“Our industrial policy will help Nigerian businesses manufacture, create, and invent more of the goods and services we require and to export more of those products across the globe. We will modernise and expand public infrastructure to create jobs, develop skills and spur rapid growth across all economic sectors, giving real opportunity to those who previously only dreamed of it.”

He also added that his government would protect Nigerians and their property, strengthen the national security architecture to end terror, kidnapping, banditry, and all other forms of violent extremism and bring policing and the police closer to the communities they serve.

He promised to foster a closer partnership with Organised Labour where dialogue on major policy issues and cooperation will become the order of the day.

Deputy Director-General of the APC PCC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, noted that Tinubu's Action Plan will bring back dead industries like Kaduna Textile that once employed over 4000 workers.

Oshiomhole charged the labour movement and civil society that the basis for their support for a presidential candidate should be who among the candidates has social and economic policies that will make life better for the working families in Nigeria. The former Edo State Governor said Asiwaju Tinubu is the best candidate for the workers to adopt because of his antecedents as a successful governor in Lagos.

NLC President, Comrade Wabba presented the workers' charter of demands which include a total war on corruption.

According to him, corruption has almost destroyed the social and economic fabrics of Nigeria across the private and public sectors and a reason the country is not making desired progress.

"In Nigeria, our problem is people problem and we must have a government that will prioritise the fight against corruption. This is a key demand of Labour. We also need government that will make social and economic justice a priority," he said.

Responding to a question on corruption, Asíwájú Tinubu said his administration would have a zero-tolerance to corruption by strengthening anti-corruption agencies.

On crude out theft, he said if elected, he would ensure maximum deployment of technology to monitor, protect pipelines and block theft, while also condemning those receiving stolen crude, saying if there is no receiver, there won't be supplier.

Tinubu Media Office
Tunde Rahman
December 18, 2022

A case challenging the candidacy of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been dismissed by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

It was the fourth case to be dismissed by the courts in recent weeks.

In the latest case, suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/854/2022, Justice Fadima Aminu Muritala described the plaintiff, Elder Ngozika Ihuoma as a “meddlesome interloper having no locus standi to institute the suit”.

He therefore dismissed the case for being speculative after APC’s counsel, Julius Ishola Esq from Babatunde Ogala & Co had urged the Court to dismiss it with heavy cost for wasting judicial time.

Ihuoma dragged Tinubu and five others to court on 9 June, 2022 after the former Lagos State Governor won the APC presidential primary election.

He sought for six reliefs, which included INEC barring Tinubu from contesting the 2023 presidential election.

In defense of the suit, the law office of Babatunde Ogala (SAN) & Co on behalf of All Progressives Congress filed a counter affidavit in opposition to the Originating Summons and a Notice of Preliminary Objection.

The counter affidavit challenged Ihuoma’s locus standi and grounds for the action.

It sought a court declaration that the case was speculative, pre-emptive and non-justiciable being the internal affairs of a political party.

The counter affidavit also punctured Ihuoma’s case as academic, theoretical and an abuse of court process.

The court on Monday upheld the defense counsel’s objections and struck out the case.

In the last couple of weeks, the courts have dismissed several cases brought against Asiwaju Tinubu by opposition elements, including Action Alliance, for being frivolous, lacking in merit and abuse of court processes.

Bayo Onanuga
Director, Media & Publicity
APC Presidential Campaign Council
November 7, 2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctnIzxO8uLk

Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority- LASRERA has concluded plans to host the third edition of Lagos Real Estate Market Place Conference and Exhibitions.

The Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Housing, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka disclosed this at the weekend in her office at Alausa, Ikeja.

She informed that the 3rd Lagos Real Estate Market Place Conference and Exhibitions has been scheduled for Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th December, 2022 at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island.

Benson-Awoyinka added that discussions at the event will be in the form of a Town Hall Meeting on: “The Lagos Real Estate Emerging Markets – Mitigating Potential Risks”.

She emphasised the need for stakeholders in the Real Estate Market to protect the sector from impostors whose actions portend great risk to the Real Estate Market in the State.

Benson-Awoyinka revealed that seasoned speakers are already billed for this year’s Conference and Exhibition to deliberate on potential risks in Real Estate Transactions, Laws that protect Real Estate investment Transactions, Policies and Guidelines about Lagos State Real Estate Sector.

Benson-Awoyinka stated that the event is meant to redefine the Lagos State Real Estate Market meet developmental Standard and to attract more international investments opportunities for the State Real Estate, she said.

While assuring that Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority- LASRERA will continue to play its role as the State Government’s Regulator in the Built Sector, to strengthen and curb the potential risks for investors/investees in the Market, the Special Adviser urged individuals/organisations that are yet to register with the Agency can do that at the Conference event.

She promised that the Lagos State Government will sustain the platform of the annual Conference for the Stakeholders to brainstorm on how to ensure that Real Estate Business Transactions meet the Smart City vision T.H.E.M.E.S of the State Government.

Interested persons willing to participate in the 2-Day Conference and Exhibitions are expected to register on https://3rdlagrealconference.eventbrite.com and it is free, she stated.

The way these APC members turn out for their rallies makes one wonder who they always leave at home; the crowds are always mindboggling and massive; their rallies are beginning to resemble an inter-party competition, akin to the inter-House Sports we used to have in our schools when we were kids.

It's a game of who can outdo who, and the APC has nearly killed the show today in Oyo Alaafin with its mother of all rallies. (We keep repeating "mother of all rallies" because there is no other way to explain the massive crowds observed at these events.)

Senator Obanikoro, Former Minister Jelili Adesiyan, Hon. Kazeem Kolawole RAJI, Director, National Youth Mobilization South West, APC Presidential Campaign Council, and others were among those who attended the intimidating event.

Could this be the structure that everyone is talking about? Take a peek at the large audience in attendance and leave a comment below.