By Louis Achi
Six days after leaving New York, US, after attending the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA-78, the whereabouts of President Bola Tinubu had remained a subject of speculation.
However, the seeming fog was cleared by Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State who was on the President’s team to the New York event and has confirmed that the Nigerian leader is scouring Europe in search of foreign investors.
He also stoutly dismissed what he called needless propaganda over the President’s absence.
The Kaduna State governor spoke in an interview with Channels Television as he chided those he said had chosen to make politics and propaganda over the president’s disappearance from the radar after the 78 Session of United Nations General Assembly, UNGA.
Observing that President Tinubu changed the narrative of Nigeria and Africa at the UNGA, Governor Sani said it was regrettable that traducers would be spreading propaganda over his whereabouts instead of praising him for doing what he claimed no Nigerian or African leader had ever done at UNGA.
Asked specifically of the whereabouts of the president in the interview with Channels TV, Sani said: “That is propaganda. You know in Nigeria instead of them praising his activities at UNGA …because what Asiwaju did at the United Nations Assembly is simply unprecedented.
“Because he spoke as the leader of Africa and I can tell you what he has achieved in the two days that we were with him in New York I don’t think there is any leader in Africa who has done that.
“He discussed with a lot of important people in the private sector, a lot of bilateral meetings with other presidents, side meetings with presidents and that will give Nigeria a lot of opportunity. And he is also positioning Nigeria as the leader of Africa.
“That is the issue. People should be talking about governance, talking about what President Asiwaju has done for Nigeria instead of talking about rumours, talking about propaganda.
“There are two things in life. You either win propaganda battles or political battles. Asiwaju is winning the political battle but the other people are winning propaganda battle.
“Propaganda battle has limitations and very soon they will stop it because he will prove them wrong. For me, that is key. Have we sat down and analysed President Asiwaju’s very important speech at the United Nations that drew the attention of leaders who are not even from Africa but from other continents.
“For the first time they have seen hope in Africa, they have seen a president that is going to speak for Africa. They have seen opportunities in Africa.
“For me, this is what we should be celebrating but in Nigeria we are wasting our time on propaganda. But we should praise our leader for what he has done to reposition Nigeria to make us the leader in Africa.”
Following his assertions, the interviewer went back to the question asking the governor, “in the spirit of transparency and accountability, are you aware of the president’s location.
Replying, Governor Sani said:
“Listen to me, I am not going to be involved in that….Mr. President as I am speaking with you is also busy talking, reaching out to other investors in Europe to ensure that Nigeria benefits from other meetings he has scheduled.
“So, why are people sitting down talking about that? Mr. President is fine, he is doing very well. I Myself, I only returned today (Wednesday), some have not even returned. This issue is not something that someone should waste time talking about.”
