Ministerial nominee, Olatunbosun Tijani, has apologised to Nigerians and the Senate for some of his previous social media posts in 2019, criticising the then All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government and its national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He alluded frustration over the state of the nation to the views he expressed at the time.
Ironically, Tijani is among President Tinubu’s ministerial nominees, and he appeared before the Senate for screening on Saturday.
During the screening exercise at the National Assembly, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, raised the issue about his past criticisms and demanded an explanation from Tijani.
In a bid to apologise, the ministerial nominee said: “As a Yoruba boy born and brought up in Abeokuta, we were taught not to disrespect our elders, I said what I said out of frustration, please accept my sincere apology.
“That wasn’t the training that was given to us. My father won’t be proud of me about all these allegations. But one thing he will be proud of is the passion that led me to those mistakes, has also led me to where I am now.
“So everybody in this hall, including everyone anywhere in Nigeria, that have been offended by everything I said, I ask that you please accept my apology. I said it out of frustration, please accept my sincere apology.”
In an affirmative response, Senate President Godswill Akpabio acknowledged that everyone, including public figures, make mistakes. He expressed appreciation for Tijani’s intellect and commended President Bola Tinubu’s forgiving nature despite Tijani’s previous criticism of him.
“On behalf of the Senate, I want to accept your apology and encourage you to continue creating opportunities for your people to grow. Let them not have the kind of anger that led you to make all these mistakes. Your apologies are accepted, and congratulations on your nomination,” Akpabio told the nominee.
The Senate President thereafter asked Tijani to step forward to take a ‘bow’ and leave the Senate chamber, signifying the end of his screening exercise.
LEADERSHIP earlier reported how an old tweet from the Nigerian-British entrepreneur and CEO of CcHub, Olatunbosun Tijani, lambasting Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in 2019 over power grabbing narrative, resurfaced on social media after his nomination as a Minister, causing quite a stir.
The tweet, which criticised Tinubu at the time, has raised controversy, given that Tijani is one of the ministerial nominees in the second batch forwarded to the Senate by President Tinubu.
Tijani, who is well-known for his leadership in expanding CcHub across Nigeria, Kenya, and Namibia, holds an impressive academic background, boasting two degrees from the University of Jos and an M.Sc in Information Systems and Management from the Warwick Business School in England. He has also completed a Ph.D program in Innovation and Economic Development at the University of Leicester.
The controversial tweet, dated July 23, 2019, was a response to several individuals and it read, “It is becoming the norm. Tinubu fed them that rubbish narrative with his ‘serving power a la carte’ wisdom. Go invest your time and money into your business if you want to propagate such a rubbish narrative.”
Following the tweet’s resurfacing, social media users weighed in on the matter. One netizen with the handle #Optimistic Ade questioned Tijani’s stance, stating, “Do you now agree that power is never served a la carte and it is never a rubbish narrative? I am glad that the investment you and your colleagues made in the development of Tinubu’s policy in the digital economy has finally produced a result. Congratulations, Dr. Bosun.”
Another netizen, using the handle #ghostskeen, commented, “Tinubu is really something. Now you have to work with him and prove your mettle, otherwise, your own go worse pass people you condemned. Talk is cheap sha.”
The online debate didn’t end there, as a user #xagreat chimed in, saying, “Let’s see if you will accept or reject the ministerial appointment by Tinubu. Seems you might be served power a la Carte too.”
Another social media user, #ThatIsokoLawyer, humorously added, “Eziokwu! The rest is history today. Are you not on the List, Sir? Do you see this internet ehn? Na kaka wen hit table fan and e con deh blow scatter everywhere.”
As the resurfaced tweet continues to spark heated discussions on social media, it remains to be seen how this revelation will impact Tijani’s ministerial nomination and subsequent confirmation by the Senate and the dynamics between him and President Tinubu.
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