Abati: I thought I could rattle Tinubu during media chat — but he knows what he’s doing

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

Vice President Kashim Shettima has assured that President Bola Tinubu will replicate his feat in Lagos when he held sway as the governor between 1999 and 2007 at the national level.

Shettima, who gave the assurance in Abuja, yesterday, during the public presentation of two books written by legal icon, Mallam Yusuf Ali, SAN, stressed the need for improved public-private infrastructure partnerships in the country.

According to him, such collaboration was the key to economic growth in any country.

Delivering his speech titled, “Mallam Yusuf Ali: Enduring Reflection in Law, History, and Public Policy,” the Vice President stated: “There is, of course, no politician in the country today who can match President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s experience in both brokering public-private partnership and understanding what must be done to bridge our infrastructure gaps.

“You only need to gaze into the realities of Lagos State before and after his progressive leadership as Executive Governor to realise his spectacular legacy, a skill set he’s again brought into play to reposition Nigeria as a competitive global player.”

Noting that the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda “is built on the realisation of improved infrastructure as a critical catalyst for “the nation’s economic growth,” Sen. Shettima pointed out that the projections of the administration’s sound economic team on revolutionising investment in infrastructure were in tandem with those of its development partners.

“I am here to acknowledge that such a grand vision is the reason we are exploring innovative funding mechanisms like Public Private Partnerships, with avenues like the Infrastructure Concessions Regulatory Commission (ICRC) as testimony to such ambition. The ongoing review of the ICRC (Establishment ETC) Act, 2005, is telling,” the VP stated.

The vice President described the two books, “The Supreme Court and the Jurisprudence of the Right to Fair Hearing,” and “Public Private Partnerships: An Essential Guide for Stakeholders,” unveiled today as an eagle-eyed contribution to the “nation’s pursuit of order and development.”

“These books aren’t well-timed solely due to their thematic interests. They are not being celebrated solely for their interpretation of paramount aspects of our nation’s journey, nor for a yearning for such interventions in our collective responsibility to serve the nation. These two books stand out due to the intellectual and professional pedigree of the author,” he added.

Referring to the author of the two books, Mallam Ali (SAN), as a friend and brother, VP Shettima also described the learned silk as a “reservoir of knowledge acquired over decades of sincere engagement with the legal intricacies of our dear nation.