Those secretly pushing for a military solution to Nigeria’s problems yesterday got a piece of advice – forget the idea.
All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu warned that any attempt to break the nation’s nascent democracy would be resisted.
Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai had raised the alarm about some politicians meeting military officers for political reasons.
Tinubu, who spoke at a joint parliamentary session organised by the Lagos State House of Assembly as part of activities to mark the State’s Golden Jubilee celebration, said the nation had gone too far to allow a military coup to happen again, adding that such a move would be resisted at all cost.
“Amidst the celebration, I will not fail to sound a caution to us all; the precious thing we have, the democracy that we are now trying to perfect is not guaranteed to us. We must sweat hard, yet think wisely if we are to keep it,” Tinubu said, adding:
“There will always be some people who want to undermine democracy. These people gain more from the government in the dark. Just a few days ago, we had a warning that some people were trying to entice the military out of the barracks. I say don’t try it. I want to add my voice to that warning. Those who think they can break the democracy so many of us laboured and for which too many people died, sacrificed their lives, they are sure mistaken.
“Nigeria has come too far for such a thing to happen. Those people behind such idea will find no fertile ground to plant their seed in Lagos. We will not buy their sad product; whatever they want to sell is a bad product and we are going to reject it.”
“ We tell them, ‘move away from here because Lagos State will resist it’. Lagos State is saying move away from it, don’t think about it, we are all staying together to grow our democracy,” he said.
To the frontline politician, Lagos at 50 is worth celebrating, considering the state’s achievements in the last 50 years.
But, amid the revelry, said Tinubu, it is important to emphasise the need to create more opportunities for the people.
“We also have realised that we need to do more in order to create more opportunities, better education, improved housing and more jobs for many of our people so that all can witness the full blossom of growth and prosperity,” the former governor said, adding:
“As a state, we have shown we can do great things to enhance the lives of our people. We have so much more to do we need to do more to create great opportunities, better education and numerous business opportunities in the state.”
Tinubu said achieving this objective requires cooperation between the legislature and the executive, adding that during his tenure as governor, the interface between his administration and the House was very cordial.
“We succeeded in taking Lagos to an enviable height. We set the agenda for progress and today that progress is being felt because the executive and legislature cooperated. This has continued from Fashola to Ambode. This cooperation does not erode on your oversight responsibility,” he said.
