A pro-democracy group, Campaign for Dignity in Governance (CDG), has earnestly expressed readiness to welcome the immediate past Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), back on board of the new government under the headship of his all-time boss, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Convener and National President of the group, Comrade Razaq Olokoba, in a chat with newsmen in Lagos Weekend, though admitted that Nigeria is blessed with a lot of competent materials across all the spheres of human endeavours, he however believes that, synergy between Fashola and President Tinubu would benefit the country immensely because of two main reasons.
The reasons, Olokoba said, are the relationship between the President and Fashola on one and Fashola’s Midas touch which Mr President himself is very much aware of on another hand, recalling that, “it was Fashola’s discovered Midas touch that prompted his boss to anoint him as his successor in 2007 to become Lagos State governor for eight years.
The CDG boss in addition to that, reminded that, Fashola’s last national assignment as the immediate past Minister of Works and Housing where he excelled to the extent that his name has become a reference point of excellence, believing that, “Fashola, nick-named ‘Mr Infrastructure’ is an all-round administrator that can add values to the government from any angle.”
Though Olokoba’s organization would have loved to have Fashola back in his last office, he however took a critical look at his credentials, antecedents and pedigree and came to the conclusion that, “he is like a utility football player, who can play defence, attack and the role of a scorer,” submitting that, “against this backdrop, we should leave everything in the hand of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who knows Fashola more than the rest of us to fix his political son where he deems fit.”
The CDG National President said, reason he would have loved Fashola back to his last office is borne out of the belief that, “we cannot compare an already tested and trusted hand with a new comer that will start learning the rope,” suggesting that, “it would save the new administration a lot of trouble searching for a new hand to maintain what somebody has started since the person that started it is still very much available.”
Olokoba is of the impression that Nigerians would not be happy to see that infrastructural successes achieved by the immediate past administration through Fashola’s ministries are allowed to go bad due to unnecessary disconnection or avoidable discontinuity, saying, “what gives Nigerians confidence about Fashola’s factor in the next cabinet include his agility, competence and capability coupled with his experience over the years.”
Olokoba therefore commended President Tinubu for, expectedly starting on a promising note that has convinced the citizenry that truly, the promised renewed hope is here undoubtedly, urging the good people of Nigeria to give him the necessary support he deserve to lead the country to an Eldorado.
The youthful youth leader restated his belief that, new administrations anywhere around the globe always require gestation period to get settled before getting their bearings, saying, “It is however gratifying to realise that President Tinubu, from May 29 immediately after his inauguration and swearing in, just hit the ground running.”
The CDG National President therefore expressed the conviction that, Fashola on board would be an added advantage for the administration of the forward looking government of Tinubu, a known achiever, moulder of future leaders and dogged lover of humanity, concluding that, “with Tinubu on the saddle, Nigerians can go to sleep expecting to wake up the second day into a new dawn.”
