Vice-President Kashim Shettima says President Bola Tinubu is facing “bullets” that many past leaders “simply lacked the courage to face.”
The vice president stated that due to Tinubu’s “boldness,” future leaders of the country will be able to avoid “the same ghosts that haunted past administrations.”
He noted that the president is reshaping the country’s history, emphasizing that the “path to national greatness is lined with difficult choices.”
Shettima made these remarks on Saturday during a special Iftar held in honor of the president’s birthday at the presidential villa in Abuja.
“Thanks to his boldness, future presidents of Nigeria will not have to wrestle with the same ghosts that haunted past administrations, including fraud-ridden fuel subsidies, an unstable forex market, and the suppression of local government autonomy,” Shettima said.
“These were the thorny issues that many before him sidestepped. But Asiwaju did not sidestep history; he came to rewrite it.
“And in rewriting it, Asiwaju has taken the bullets that many before him simply lacked the courage to face. But that is the thing about true leadership: it is not for those who seek comfort. It is for those who understand that the path to national greatness is lined with difficult choices.”
Several politicians have also written tributes to the president in celebration of his birthday.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari remarked that Nigeria’s history would be incomplete without mentioning Tinubu, adding that he is proud of his connection to his successor.
Godswill Akpabio, the senate president, stated that Nigeria is in “safe hands” with Tinubu as president.
