Works Minister, Babatunde Fashola, has addressed a major aspect where he believes Nigeria needs the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Fashola noted that the biggest issue with Nigeria was the need to drive its vehicle from poverty to prosperity and he said Tinubu had the capacity to do so.
The minister first publicly spoke emotionally about the Tinubu’s candidature on Sunday, during a heated interview anchored by Seun Okinbaloye on Channels Television.
There were fears in some quarters that he might not be too keen in Tinubu’s presidential ambition based on some past differences between them.
He however spoke spiritedly in favour of his former boss in Lagos, saying the Muslim-Muslim ticket was not the main issue.
Fashola said, “How do we move ourselves to the prosperity that is imminent for this country and who is the best person to drive that (Nigeria) vehicle to prosperity.
“In my own opinion, Asiwaju is the best person to drive that vehicle because I have worked with him at very close quarters and I know his capacity; tenacity and I think sometimes we need to test some hypotheses and the opportunity to test these hypotheses is there.
“My position about religion has been made known on different platforms and I think religion should leave public space and go back to where it belongs; to the homes and religious centres.
“There’s too much religion in our public life and there is no nation that is valorising religion. It (religion) is a private thing. All these praying in public, I think we should just stop them and get to the real business. When you’re in the office (elective positions), go and do your work.
“We have to understand that democracy is an undertaking of numbers essentially and democracy is not always rational. It is the tyranny of the majority that has replaced the tyranny of the minority because democracy was created to stop one man or woman from dictating to the majority.
“So, everybody will make his political calculations about what he thinks will best serve his purpose and I think to look at something simply on the basis of A or B is perhaps to miss the point.
“I think sometimes, we should stop being afraid of fear itself. If this (Muslim-Muslim ticket threat) is something that is real, the votes (in 2023) will show it eventually and that is my take really. And at the end of the day, who cares really?
“At the end of the day, the issue is people want good water, schools, good public healthcare facilities and people want infrastructures. If you go on both sides, there’s been a Christian vice-president under a Muslim President and sadly people were killed in a church, and priests are murdered the same way Muslims have been murdered.”
