The executive director, Senator E.A. Lamai Foundation, Chief Richard Lamai, has said with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president, a new Nigeria will unfold.
Lamai, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stated this at a press conference in Abuja ahead of the first Senator E.A. Lamai Memorial Lecture.
Lamai, a First Republic Senator from Fugar, Etsako Central Local Government Area, Edo State, passed away on May 14, 2009.
The event scheduled to hold at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on May 26, 2023, will feature distinguished speakers and thought-provoking discussions on topics related to Senator E.A. Lamai’s dream of a better Nigeria through the instrumentality of good legislation.
The younger Lamai further said that the APC means well for the country and not a self-serving entity.
Lamai said: “On May 29, 2023, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be sworn in as the President of Nigeria. The elections may not have been perfect as no election is, but he got majority votes and I don’t understand how else you can determine popularity.
“Given the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s work experience in international blue chip corporation, a former senator versed in law and policy formulation, combined with his successful eight years cutting edge executive administration modelling as Governor of Lagos State, I am very positive that a new Nigeria where we will all prosper is about unfolding. I know he will appoint credible and competent people with capacity and hit the ground running.”
On the performance of the APC in the past eight years, Lamai further said the APC, means well for Nigeria and by completing projects started by the PDP administration and initiating new ones, it has shown it is not a self-serving entity and has been able to change the usual narrative of policy somersaults and saved the country from the brink of imminent collapse in 2015.
“The party in its manifesto outlined their pathway for a better Nigeria and to a large extent, has performed creditably, but we must realise that Nigeria belongs to all of us and we all have a role to play in ensuring a better Nigeria,” Lamai also said.
On what necessitated the establishment of the foundation, Lamai explained that his father, Senator Ekpemoriri Akhagbemhe Lamai, was a well-known humanitarian and nationalist during his lifetime and the foundation is to promote the ideals he stood for.
“His foray into politics was a natural progression from his love for the improvement of his community, as evidenced by his numerous contributions. From adolescence, it was already clear that he stood for the upliftment of his fellow man and sought to defend and promote all issues relating to their wellbeing. He abhorred oppression and injustice and confronted any scenario or power that denigrated humans. From his well documented encounters with the then colonial authorities, his stewardship with Oba Akenzua in the movement for the creation of Midwest as Secretary General, his destiny was already visibly shaped.
“As a man who believed in compliance to lawful authority, but detested dehumanisation, this engagement could only be properly addressed via a political platform as it was in those days. Hence, he joined the Zikists to form the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons Party (NCNC).
“Today, in Nigeria, more than ever before, such ethos and leadership qualities are required to help stir the conscience of the citizens. It is for this, amongst other reasons, that our family established a foundation to support and mould selfless leaders who will stand for equity justice and fairness in our collective quest to have a united and prosperous Nigeria,” Lamai stated.
