By Cross Udo, Abuja
The claim by the opposition that the certificate submitted by President Bola Tinubu to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC was forged is not true, Mr. Temitope Ajayi, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity has said.
Ajayi said that the certificate was authentic and not forged as insinuated by the opposition, adding that the Chicago State University confirmed that the president didn’t submit a fake result to INEC.
According to Ajayi, CSU affirmed under oath that Tinubu attended and graduated from the institution and that the school does not handle replacements for lost certificates.
The Presidential aide in his verified X formerly known as Twitter posited that there was no veracity in the forgery claim, adding that no person can forge a certificate he already has.
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He said, “We should be clear. In the deposition made by the Chicago State University, there was nowhere the University said the certificate presented to INEC by President Tinubu was fake. The University insisted under oath that President Tinubu graduated with honours and even at that, replacements for lost certificates are done by vendors, not the University.
“The claim that President Tinubu submitted a fake certificate to INEC does not make sense. A man cannot forge the academic records he possesses. You can only forge what you don’t have.”
Recall that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, had petitioned the court over the alleged certificate forgery
The court in its judgement ordered to CSU release Tinubu’s academic records to the PDP presidential candidate.
Atiku had requested the documents to back his allegation of forgery against Tinubu.
The allegation of forgery was one of those dismissed by the presidential election court in the suit Atiku filed to challenge Tinubu’s election.
Makinde tasks officials on inter-agency collaboration to achieve economic prosperity
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, yesterday in Ibadan urged state officials to ensure inter-agency collaboration to achieve economic prosperity for the state in his second term in office.
Makinde made the call at a three-day Leadership Retreat, which has the theme: “Adaptive Leadership Strategies in an Uncertain Time,” and was held at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
The governor said the people of the state have great expectations from his second term, having re-posited trust in him due to his performance in his first tenure.
“People were contented with the kicking off of several projects during my first term, and now they look forward to the commissioning of more projects,” he said.
Makinde however charged political office-holders to ensure that his government delivered on the promises made to citizens of the state during the electioneering campaign.
He assured that his administration would build on the achievements made in his first term, based on four cardinal pillars which were the expansion of the state economy, health, education, and security.
“Under 1.0, for the expansion of our economy, we focused on agribusiness and development of infrastructure.
“But under 2.0 we have added two more areas where we think we have comparative advantages, which are tourism and solid minerals development,” Makinde said.
He urged political appointees to speed up the delivery of his administration’s promises to the people of the state through proactiveness and inter-agency collaboration.
“You have to know the role your ministry or agency has to play to support others in achieving the goals of this administration and have a clear understanding of the Oyo State Roadmap for Sustainable Development 2023-2027,” the governor said.
In his keynote speech, the Chief Executive Officer, of First Bank Nigeria, Dr Adesola Adeduntan, tasked government officials with the importance of personnel management to the administration’s overall success.
Citing his experience as head of one of Africa’s largest financial services groups, Adeduntan emphasised the evolving dynamics and challenges faced by not just individuals but businesses at different levels.
“Through this journey, I have come to appreciate the significance of conscious and intentional personal management, not only in achieving personal and corporate success but also in fostering resilience and adaptability.
”This is what the First Bank Group has internalised in our 129 years of serving Nigeria, the Nigerian people, and the world at large,” Adeduntan, who was represented by Mr Olusegun Alebiosu, the bank’s Executive Director and Chief Risk Director, said.
He pointed out that the current economic landscape was characterised by rapid changes which pose challenges and threats to public and private institutions, as well as individuals.
“But they also offer potentials and opportunities for those who can effectively manage their resources, make informed decisions and embrace change as a constant companion through the growth journey of any individual, organisation, state or nation that must stand the test of time,” Adeduntan said.
Earlier in her address, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Olanike Adeyemo, said the essence of the retreat was to align with the vision of the governor.
She said it was also to domesticate the agenda of “Omituntun 2.0” to the citizens of the state, as well as chart ways of effective implementation.
Dr Debo Akande, the Executive Adviser to Gov. Makinde on Agri-business, International Cooperation, and Development, said the retreat was needed as was done in the first tenure of the administration.
“What this retreat will do is to set the architectural design for the house that we want to continue to build for Oyo State, as laid out by the governor in the Sustainable Development Roadmap Omituntun 2.0, where he has stated what will be the outcome in the next four years,” Akande said
