President Bola Tinubu has said he is in office to work and not to exploit his office to make money.
Tinubu said this in Abuja on Friday, when he received members of the forum of former presiding officers of the national assembly, led by former senator president, Ken Nnamani.
The forum comprises 16 former presiding officers of the national assembly, including past senate presidents, former speakers of the house of representatives, ex-deputy senate presidents, and former deputy speakers.
“I didn’t come to look for money and exploit the situation; I came to work. I asked for the votes, and Nigerians gave them to me,” the president said.
Tinubu acknowledged the support given to him by members of the forum, regardless of political differences.
He charged them to continue to promote the unity and cooperation of Nigeria to further national development.
“Regardless of party differences of the past and the difficulty of the present, you still believe in me and what we all planned for this country,” he said.
“I thank you very much; no one will do it better than us. I have travelled the world and seen how developed countries have done it for themselves through collaboration, inclusiveness, and financial structure.”
The president also reflected on the prevailing economic hardship, questioning the mismanagement of past opportunities during the period of high crude oil production.
“Yes, there is hardship, but how did we get here? What did we do when we had very high crude production?” Tinubu questioned.
“We neglected our communities; we neglected the goose that lays the golden eggs; we forgot even to give them a good standard of living.
“We forgot to educate our children. Go round and look at the dilapidated schools. The education environment must be decent enough for pupils to want to learn.
“We can complain from now till eternity that school enrolment is low. But did we do anything to encourage the enrolment process? We must ask ourselves because it is a matter of conscience.”
The president outlined his administration’s priorities, which he said include improving infrastructure, ensuring compliance with financial regulations, exploring alternative energy sources, and securing energy independence.
“We have come a long way, and I promise we must do our best,” he added.
