Fashola: Tinubu can’t do certain things for Nigerians — his powers are limited

Babatunde Fashola, former governor of Lagos, says many services that Nigerians are expecting President Bola Tinubu to provide are not his responsibilities.

Fashola said the constitutional powers of the president make Nigerians expect that he or she can do everything for them.

Speaking on Untold Stories with Adesuwa, the former minister said it is not the responsibility of the president to provide water for citizens and ensure environmental sanitation.

Fashola said the idea that the president has too much power is premised on the fact that some people still have the mindset of “militarisation of the Nigerian politics”.

“The president is not an absolute custodian of power but a custodian of power in a constitutional democracy with checks and balances,” he said.

“There are differences between his powers, functions, and duties. We should not conflate them. That power vests us perhaps with the expectation that the president can make everything happen. There are certain things the president cannot do.

“These are the kinds of questions that we should be asking ourselves: Are we expecting so much from the president?

“What constitutional role does the president have with regard to things that affect the majority of people – water supply, sanitation, getting a business permit, paying rent?

“Those are things that are not the responsibilities of the Nigerian president.”

‘I DIDN’T STAGE-MANAGE LEKKI TOLLGATE CAMERA INCIDENT’

Fashola also spoke about the discovery of a hidden camcorder at the Lekki tollgate following the October 2020 ENDSARS protest.

The former governor of Lagos, while visiting the scene alongside other government officials and south-west governors, discovered a hidden camcorder, which he said must have been planted by “some subversive elements”.

The discovery sparked backlash on social media, as many Nigerians, including celebrities, took to their pages to air their different views.

The clip of Fashola picking up his discovery was turned into memes that trended on the internet for months.

Reacting to the incident, Fashola said the discovery of the camera was not stage-managed noting that he only wanted to help with the investigation regarding the shooting.

He said the question that should be asked is the whereabouts of the camera, adding that the issue was not raised at the Lagos judicial panel.

“Events at the Lekki tollgate and the way some sections of Nigerians turned it into comedy appeared to have helped defuse the tension. And for me, if that helped the country pull itself back from the precipice, it was worth the allegations,” he said.

“I won’t contrive that kind of thing. Those who know me know who I am. I don’t invent facts. I deal with facts as they are.

“That is what we all saw, and we handed it over if maybe it would be helpful in the inquiry as to what happened that night.”