The political romance between President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which has been rekindled by the 2019 presidential election, waxed stronger yesterday when both men in separate speeches assured Nigerians that the country was being rescued from the wreckage of past administrations.

Buhari, who is in Lagos for a two-day official visit, spoke at the 10th Bola Tinubu Colloquium held in Nigeria’s commercial capital to mark the APC leader’s 66th birthday.  Buhari at the event, restated his commitment to implementing people-oriented programmes, saying: “Our goal is to bring everybody together for mutually beneficial ethnic, economic, social, religion, political and cultural relationships.

“We are determined to invest in people because we depend on people to govern.”

Buhari, who also commissioned the Ikeja Bus Terminal in Lagos designed to handle 200,000 passengers daily, said his administration would continue to invest in social programmes, including school feeding and agriculture.

He said: “We have set Nigeria on an irreversible path of growth and development. We are resolute to uplift our people and make Nigeria a better place.”

The president described Tinubu as his friend saying, he was happy to be in Lagos “to celebrate the birthday of my friend and political partner”.

According to him, Tinubu is a well-known political strategist who has elevated politics above self.

He said: “I have come to see him as a man who cares about people, who is a fountain of ideas, for the common good of the common man and woman. He has played an appreciative contribution to Nigeria and Africa’s progress.

“We seek a change in the ways and means of our collective existence. We seek to construct a nation where people are no longer ruled by whims, but according to the law and for the betterment of the people.

“We seek to replace corruption with correctness, insecurity with safety, and poverty with prosperity.”

The president called on Nigerians to join him to celebrate “Asiwaju”, a man whom he said was widely known as a political strategist, a caregiver and a man with a vision.

Supporting the position of the vice-president that the administration must continue to expose the magnitude of corruption under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government, Tinubu said the APC-led administration must continue to talk about corruption.

He said: “They said that we should not talk about it. Seriously, what should we then talk about? After we came into office, we discovered the looting.

“After assuming office, did you expect us to join you in the act and encourage such acts. We are not just talking about the needs of Nigerians.

“Please forget those parties. They will not come back to power. There is no nation that is not facing challenges. Even America is facing its own. So, who are we? How many years of democracy have we practised?

“We did not say that Nigerians would not enjoy. But we have to report back to the millions of Nigerians that elected us into office that this is what we found when we assumed office.”

Tinubu acknowledged that the task of running the country in the last three years has not been easy but enjoined Nigerians not to accept the apology tendered by the PDP for their past mistakes.

“It is not an easy task at all, but dear Nigerians, do not take their apology. They lied, they falsified, they even changed figures. For 16 years, they made fake promises and gave us fake figures.

“And they said we should not talk about it. It is like saying, ‘After all, they did wrong, so do not look at me. Just steal your own.’ But we have a nation to rescue. We have hope to build Nigeria. We have the lead. We have the people to invest in,” he said.

While acknowledging the challenges the APC has had to contend with, Tinubu said: “Life is not without challenges. As a political party, we showed everyone our logo… Our logo with a united Nigeria, we focused on the fight against terrorism, corruption and the promotion of the economic revival of the country.

“I can see what the government is doing with so little resources. But the idea and the fact that they are doing it with beneficiaries and the fact that it is demonstrated in practical terms is what we need to get our country from the tentacles of corrupt officials.”

He thanked Nigerians for their patience with the APC saying that there was a clear understanding in the difference between the APC and PDP, saying: “We are like night and day.”

Tinubu said he was happy that the president had changed the course of the ship of the country that was heading in the wrong direction.

“He has changed it from the wrong direction to steer the ship back before the final crash. We have started the journey and the voyage is on, the voyage of hope and the voyage that we are reclaiming Nigeria. We are retooling Nigeria, we are reinventing Nigeria and we are redirecting Nigeria,” he said,

He urged the president to continue with the war against corruption and appealed to the banking sector to make credit available to the people.

According to him, “Once credit is available, this will play a role in stemming corruption. If we have good credit packages, people will not need to pay N4 million at once for a car.

“Credit must be made available digitally. We can provide soft credit for this economy. We should encourage people with low incomes and extend hope that will stimulate this economy.”

While thanking dignitaries at the event, Tinubu urged Nigerians to move on without the PDP.

He also called on the people not to vote for them because the party had yet to account for its 16 years of misrule.

In his welcome address, Lagos State governor Akinwumi Ambode showered encomiums on Tinubu and praised the president for his commitment to the progress of Lagos.

He said: “I am grateful to the president for his immense support for Lagos. We have flagged off the Lekki deep seaport project and the completion of the Ikeja Bus Terminal. It is important to invest in people because creating impactful programmes for our people is my priority.

“As we celebrate Tinubu, if you look around, you will see that there are only very few people that can match his unquestionable thirst to invest in people.

“His era as governor showed the depth of his governance capacity. That is why he is acknowledged for his role in the emergence of our great party.”