I won't govern from Dubai - Tinubu pokes fun at Atiku

Sit-at-home President: The former Lagos State Governor also pledged to commit his energy and attention to providing solutions to challenges facing the country.

This was contained in a statement released in Abuja by Tinubu’s Media Officer, Tunde Rahman, shortly after his interactive session with members of the popular Tijjaniyyah sect in Kano on Sunday, October 23, 2022.

The statement partly read: “I won’t be a part-time President who will share time between living in Dubai and Nigeria. I would concentrate attention and energy on confronting and surmounting Nigeria’s pressing challenges.”

Atiku mocked: Tinubu's reference to Dubai is a direct mockery of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s Presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku, who has been accused of spending most of his time in the emirate and only make himself available in Nigeria during election period.

Shettima tackles Atiku: The APC Presidential candidate's comment comes barely two months after his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, made a similar remark about Atiku, who he described as  a political tourist who only returned to the country every electoral cycle.

Tijjaniyyah makes demands: Meanwhile, endorsing Tinubu on Sunday, the Tijjaniyyah sect tabled their expectations of a Tinubu presidency which include inclusion of their members in cabinet and other appointments, reduction in Hajj fares and assistance in concluding Tijjaniyyah University under construction in Kano.

In his reaction, the former Lagos State Governor said the answers to the sect's demands were in his policy document unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, October 21, 2022.

Tinubu's word: “There is a strong nexus between the place of Kano as a centre of prosperity and my plan for Nigeria. What I pledge is a revamped economy which will renew the hope of our people. Our country needs multiple centres of prosperity, and we intend to achieve that by adding value across all sectors of our economy.

“As I said during my speech at the Arewa House on Monday, Nigeria is sitting on a goldmine. There is no state in Nigeria that is lacking in one resources or another. We are determined to explore and exploit these resources to the maximum benefits of our people.

"Kano, for example, has huge agricultural potentials and important mineral resources underneath its ground like gold, silver, nickel, tin ore and columbite. Each of these, if properly harnessed, can add significantly to our economy as a country.”