President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is far too wealthy to have any interest in exploiting Nigeria’s resources, according to Ayodele Olawande, the Minister of State for Youth Development. Speaking at the Joint Union Negotiating Council (JUNC) week event of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in Abuja, Olawande highlighted Tinubu’s vast personal wealth as a testament to his lack of intent to misuse public funds.
The event, themed “The Working People in a Volatile, Uncertain, and Complex Economy,” provided a platform for the minister to appeal for patience from Nigerians as the new administration works to implement its policies.
“I urge you to be patient with this administration,” Olawande said. “In no distant time, the country will take shape, and the lives of its citizens will be transformed.”
Referring to Tinubu’s financial stature, he added, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not a pauper; he is an acknowledged epitome of wealth. It cannot be said of him that he desires to loot the treasury of Nigeria. He has seen money, and as a result, he is not interested in looting the nation’s resources.”
Olawande emphasized that true leadership is defined by a commitment to service. “Leadership is all about being committed to serve. If you are a Minister now, tomorrow you will be addressed as a former Minister, likewise a Director. There is no permanent position, but the impact you make while in office will speak after you.”
Tinubu, a former two-term governor and senator during Nigeria’s Third Republic, has built a substantial business empire with interests in sectors such as tourism, real estate, and media.
Similarly, during an inter-denominational service held before Tinubu’s swearing-in, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu reaffirmed the family’s commitment to serving Nigeria without financial gain. “God has blessed my family. We don’t need Nigeria’s wealth to survive but to do the right thing,” she stated at the National Christian Centre, Abuja. “Nigeria’s wealth is the commonwealth of all. It belongs to everyone.”
