By Bolaji Ogundele, and Nicholas Kalu,
…Leads other dignitaries to launch Omatseye’s book on Tinubu
Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday, March 12, described the 2023 presidential election as the most divisive in the history of Nigeria, saying that politicians deliberately manipulated the nation’s fault lines for political gains.
Vice President Shettima was speaking as a special guest of honour at the launch of a book written by veteran journalist and columnist, Sam Omatseye, on President Bola Tinubu’s journey to the Presidency, titled: “Beating All Odds: Diaries and Essays on How Bola Tinubu Became President.”
The vice president also assured Nigerians that President Bola Tinubu, whom he described as the Nigerian candidate in the election, has the interest of the nation at heart, saying the Nigerian President is a man of courage, who would not be afraid to take the necessary steps to pull the nation out of the current challenges.
Speaking on the processes that saw the 2023 elections through to its end and the eventual victory of the Tinubu/Shettima ticket, the vice president noted that despite all the political scheming by politicians and exploitation of the nation’s fault lines, Nigerians ignored the ethno-religious manipulations to choose the best candidates.
“The last election certainly was the most divisive in the history of this country. All the ethno-religious fault lines that divide this nation were deliberately manipulated for political ends. But it is interesting to note that the most Christian of northern states is Benue state. The Nigerian candidate defeated a religious candidate in Benue state.
“The most northern of northern states is Sokoto. A Nigerian candidate lost to the regional candidate by a mere 5000 votes and the APC went on to win two Senate seats, the…..and the majority of House of Representatives seat. And the most Christian in the South-South state is Rivers, the Nigerian candidate defeated a religious candidate in Rivers. So there is cause for celebration. One thing I believe is that what binds us together supersedes whatever divides us.
“Some of the journalists in this room, I don’t want to mention their names to avoid embarrassing their person, they are of the Christian faith but they were the most vociferous proponents of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s candidature. They are men and women of integrity who stood for what is right”, he said.
Speaking to the current challenges, particularly economic, facing the country, Shettima assured Nigerians that President Tinubu, being a courageous leader, which he had demonstrated from his first day in office, will do the needful to reset the order of things, without placing blames.
“Be rest assured that the President has Nigeria in his mind. Yes, we are having challenges we are not denying that. And we ate not here to apportion blame. Leadership is about accepting responsibility and finding solutions to national challenges.
“The president is a man of courage and conviction. In his the one week in office, he took far-reaching decisions. The oil subsidy has been an albatross round the neck of the Nigerian economy and the Nigerian nation. He took the bull by the horn and withdrew the fuel subsidy from day one. He was able to collapse the multiple exchange rate regime that gave room for a lot of hanky-panky. Be rest assured that in the fullness of time, history would be kind to him”, he said.
Taking a review of the book, the Vice President said works like the one done by Omatseye would go a long way in the fight to espouse the truth against propaganda and lies, taking a cursory look at the different parts that make it up.
“In the second part of the book, Mr. Omatseye took us to the beginning of the misadventures that preceded the formation of the All Progressives Congress. The year 2013 provides an interesting window to examine the chain of events that gave birth to the APC, leading to the emergence of former President Buhari and then President Tinubu.
“This context serves as a remedy for the oversimplification of those who have succumbed to nostalgia, those who have refused to accept that we aren’t where we are by accident.
“Our recourse to facts in this climate of propaganda and lies would disinfect the minds of the impressionable, and this book does justice to the subject of President Tinubu’s ascent up the ladder of glories as the recipient of the nation’s highest honour—the office of the President. I believe this book is an interaction with time, a record of the science and miracle of our journey to this height”, he said.
In his speech at the event, the Chairman of the occasion and former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, explained the crux of the events that the book depicts; the process of ascent of Asiwaju Tinubu to the Nigerian Presidency, using a Yoruba analogy of the elephant and limiting creepers.
According to him, the book worked well to narrate, in different parts, all the struggles and attempts by some others to prevent President Tinubu from being, but like the elephant, he prevailed while his traducers, whom he represented with the creepers rather got pulled along in the process.
“I am wrapping my speech around the elephant because Yoruba people say…..This is the case of the aspirant Bola Tinubu meaning that the creepers that want to disturb the elephant in walking to the stream would of course end up in the stream with the elephant. This is the story of the aspirant Bola Tinubu contesting and going into primaries. Of course, he won with the creepers all through the stream.
“The other side of the elephant is that in Yoruba it is said…..it means in climbing the hill to Aso Rock, he was kicking plants and everything on his way. Again he turned them into cobwebs until he now got to the villa. That is the story of the book that we are launching today.
“The book largely chronicles the interventions of Sam Omatseye on the 2023 presidential race, the thrills and the trials, tribulations and the triumph. As a book on an important process in the life of our country, this is a welcoming read.
“As a book on candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu who eventually emerged as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of its Armed Forces, it provides an excellent insight into the vision, character, methods, and strategies of an unusual politician”, Chief Osoba said.
Chief Presenter of the book, Sir Kensington Adebutu, represented by Aare Kola Oyefeso, said “The book would invariably turn out to be a veritable resource material for anyone who desires to achieve what others feel is unattainable”. He launched the book with N25 million, at N250,000 per copy.
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who was represented by Nwodo Onyekachi, said the book meticulously chronicled President Tinubu’s journey to the Presidency, offering the reader an invaluable insight into the character of the man who now leads the nation.
“This narrative serves not only as a historical account but as a source of inspiration for every Nigerian, affirming that no obstacle is insurmountable but with dedication and hard work we would overcome.
“Today as we celebrate this launch of the book let us also celebrate the spirit of our people and the resilience as a nation. Let this book be a reminder of where we have been, the battles we have fought and the victories we have achieved”, he said.
The Senate President launched the book with N10 million.
Former Lagos Commissioner for Environment, Tunji Bello, in his message, noted that with the work done by Omatseye, history has already begun unravelling, calling on Nigerians to start listening.
“More will still come but one thing I’ll just say is to commend him for the grand literary work which I think is good to set the ball rolling. All in all I want to thank everybody for honouring him and we his colleagues are also here to honour him”, Bello said.
Former Delta State Governor, James Ibori, also lauded the writer for his work, saying though he was yet to read the new book, he would ensure to read it, just as he had been reading his weekly column. He also pledged six months of his pension to the launch of the book.
The Delta State Commissioner for Works, Charles Aniagu, noted that Omatseye, who is originally from Delta State, represents all the good qualities of what it means to be Deltan, including doggedness and saying-it-as-it-is.
He recalled that he also played a role during the run-up to the elections, when he was spokesman to the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), not acknowledging that what is not controversial now is that Bola Tinubu is now President of Nigeria.
He noted that Tinubu can write its name in history by making a difference, which can only be achieved by carrying all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic, religious or political persuasion. He congratulated Omatseye for being able to contribute to history through his works.
Former Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, in her brief message, thanked Omatseye for his efforts, pointing out that though he writes controversial pieces, he however ensures to write his mind.
The reviewer of the book, Louis Odion, titled his review “Sam’s Prophetic Muse: Tracking Jagaban’s Rise to Power”. He described the book as a meticulous chronicle of events that preceded and followed up the most divisive election in the history of Nigeria.
He also attempted an analysis of the structure of the work, which he revealed was taken from two parts; from the writer’s diary and his column published in The Nation newspaper.
Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, who was represented by Commissioner for Information, Dr Ifeanyi Osuoza, saying, “Omatseye is without doubt Nigeria’s most engaging and consistent chronicler of our national experiences, capturing with every offering, the essence and impact of our individual vicissitudes and existential ethos.
Former Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, said “we are excited that Sam Omatseye has put together this chronicle. Several other chronicles would follow after this and of course it would find a good place in the shelf of chronicles that would be churned out for our great leader and current President Bola Tinubu”.
Also speaking the Managing Director of Leadership Newspaper, Mr Azu Ishikwene, vouched for the content of the book put together by Omatseye, though he said he was yet to read it, saying “I know the author and the subject of his book, and I have known them for decades”.
Mr Alex Kaba, a veteran journalist, who flew in from New York to be part of the event, in his goodwill message, saluted the courage and loyalty of Omatseye for not wavering in his belief and support for President Tinubu, in the days ahead of the election, especially when other writers were still bidding time to determine where to pitch their tents.
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, represented by his deputy, Ikechukwu Emetu, said “of a culture, we the new Abians do things in a nice way and the governor has asked me to tell Mr Omatseye that he is going to do something reasonable and he would not do it from the government money but from his personal pocket.”
The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, who was represented by Yakubu Lamai, lauded the writer of the book, just as he gave credit to the efforts of President Tinubu, acknowledging that it was not a bed of roses. He launched the book with N5 million
The author, Mr Omatseye, said the book aimed at dispelling the erroneous perceptions of the 2023 general elections.
He said the book, which is divided into two parts, was a collection of his diaries which he stated at the beginning of the campaigns for the last election.
Omatseye said it also consisted of some of his essays that tracked the plot to stop Asiwaju Bola Tinubu from becoming President.
“This book is in two parts. I started writing diaries when the campaign started. I didn’t know what I was going to do with the diaries, but I was taking them week after week, following everything. Whether it was the tempest over the Muslim Muslim ticket and the battle between the then Rivers governor and Atiku, them we went to the time when there was a storm.
“Even there was a time when they said the Vice President does not know how to dress well that be wore sneakers over suit, it was all there. When people came out and started showing all over social media, icons of of culture who were dressed like to counter them, it was all there. And then there was the fight the naira, fuel, whether the election was going to hold and of course Emilokan. It is all there.
“I also tracked the second part, some of my essays that tracked the plot to stop Asiwaju Bola Tinubu from the time Adams Oshiomhole was unseated as party chairman and all the plots until it got to the primaries, including when somebody called somebody that it would be better off selling ice cream.
“It was an interesting thing to do and after going through the story, I thought I should gather all those together and tell the story because many people started fighting that the elections delegitimised and so on and so forth.
“It was a way of trying to put in context all the things that happened. People forget that even very early in the campaigns, Babatunde Raji Fashola appeared on TV and laid bare long before, the mathematics of the election. He said how can one be divided into four and fight one. He said it didn’t make sense. I didn’t really listen at that time, maybe they should have come together and coalesced, but you know what they say about destiny is that you cannot stop it”, he said.
Among dignitaries at the event are Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike; former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Niyi Adebayo; former Minister of State for Health, Adeleke Mamora; Senator Adams Oshiomhole; former Lagos Governor, Babatunde Fashola; former Delta Governor, Chief James Ibori; and the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga.
Others were the Senate Preseident, Godswill Akpabio, who was represented by Nwodo Onyekachi; the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, who was represented by his deputy, Ikechukwu Emetu; Managing Director of the NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku; Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU), Professor Ibiyemi Tunji-Bello; Mr Kayode Komolafe; Prince Kasim Afegbua; Bolaji Adebiyi and many others.
Also mentioned as launchers of the book are Minister of the FCT, Wike (he launched with N10 million); and Alhaji Rufai Jose, (he launched with N10 million).
At the launch, an aggregate of N60 million of cash was announced, just as former Delta State Governor, Ibori promised six months of his pension, former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, on behalf of five other members of the last administration, said they would be reaching out to the author and many other pledges.
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