Shettima: Tinubu not after wealth — my Maiduguri house better than his Bourdillon home

Vice-President Kashim Shettima says President Bola Tinubu is not in power to accumulate wealth but to leave a positive mark on the nation.

Shettima spoke in Abuja on Thursday at the launch of a book titled ‘Navigating the Politics of Universal Education Policies in Nigeria’.

The book is authored by Modupe Adelabu, a retired professor of educational administration at the department of educational management at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

According to Punch, the vice-president said Tinubu has a good soul, noting that he is a leader Nigerians can invest their trust in.

“He is in power to leave landmarks in the sands of time. He is the most demonised politician in Nigeria,” Shettima said.

“The first time I went to his house at Bourdillon, I was looking forward to seeing a mansion comparable to Buckingham Palace, with gardens, and swimming pools, but there was nothing special about that house.

“My house in Maiduguri is better than the house in Bourdillon.

“And at the formative stage of the APC, we held a meeting in his house. They served us a variety of meals, but he opted to take garri with groundnut for lunch. Since I have known him, he has been using only one wristwatch, and in fact, I dress better than him.

“He doesn’t even care. He has overcome all those odds to dress well. So, we need to rally around this poor man. He has taken some bold steps. The economy that we met was in a huge mess.

“But it wasn’t for us; we were part of the Buhari administration; we cannot deny that. We belong to the political family. It’s not about apportioning blame; it’s about finding solutions to our nation’s needs.

“We knew there were challenges. Forget about the politics being played by Atiku Abubakar and the obedient crowd; they all said they were going to withdraw the fuel subsidy.”

Shettima said the president had the courage and the willpower to take far-reaching decisions, adding that the economy is now on a path to sustained growth.

“We are now exporting about 1.7 million barrels of oil per day; the naira is stabilising against the dollar, and with the food security crisis that is confronting us, we cannot divorce ourselves from the realities in the global space,” he said.

“It’s not a localised phenomenon, but ours was further compounded by the security challenges in the traditional food basket of the country, the north-central, and the north-west, but the security issues will be addressed, and be rest assured that in the coming months, Nigerians will see a sea of change in their fortunes. I want to ask all of us to rally around this poor man.”