President Bola Tinubu says Bisi Akande, former interim national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), taught him how to manage resources.
Tinubu spoke on Tuesday at a dinner to mark Akande’s 85th birthday, at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
The president said the former APC chairman deserves to be celebrated, adding that he could teach forgiveness and reliability to anyone willing to learn.
“We the younger ones are very lucky to have you. You’re a father to many and you’ve lived a life worthy of emulation. You taught me perseverance, patience, honesty and management of resources, be it human and capital resources,” he said.
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“Thank you because of who you are and what we are today. I stand before you today as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“You know how many times and for how long we spoke truth to power. We deliberated on how to take the cuff off of this nation.
“You kept telling me, be patient, forget the past, keep looking forward. Today, I am not looking at the past but looking forward.”
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On his part, Akande said the dinner was a surprise gesture from the first family and thanked the president and Remi Tinubu, his wife.
He said the first time he celebrated his birthday elaborately was when he turned 70, and it was also a surprise by eminent persons in government including Tinubu.
“Yesterday evening when I got to Ibadan ready for today’s celebration there, because I wanted an educational talk, they said we were going to talk about leadership, I was happy,” he said.
“Early in the morning, someone called me to say, have you seen what baba sent to me? I said ‘no’. So I opened my phone. It was an invitation for this dinner.
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“Like I felt when I was celebrated at 70, so I felt this morning and here we are.
“I don’t know what you see in me, and I don’t know what younger people see in older people, but I will attend your 100th birthday. Thank you very much for being a loyal friend.”
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