Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a national leader
of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described Rivers state governor and
director general of General Muhammadu Buhari has a 'General' of the Common
Sense Revolution Army.
Tinubu who was Special Guest of Honour
at the Public Presentation of 'Dynamics of Change: The Amaechi Years' today
said Amaechi was leaving behind a lasting legacy in Rivers after eight years of
meritious service to the people.
Read Tinubu's full speech below:
In the course of the historic campaigns for the 2015 presidential
election I was emphatic that the election itself was a great opportunity to
popularise and test the noble idea of a Common Sense Revolution in Nigeria.
Soon enough we found in the resonance of the APC Change mantra with the
electorate a confirmation that Nigeria needed a Common Sense Revolution that is
non-violent.
Indeed there is a publication with that title authored by me in which I
argued that Nigeria was ripe for a change of leadership and Nigerians must act
in a Common Sense and rational way in choosing their leaders. The results of
the March presidential elections and that of April have demonstrated clearly
the desire by Nigerians for change.
Elections over, both the leaders and citizens must brace up to meet the
challenges required to built a better, more prosperous nation. Indeed, even as
we subscribe to the tenets of Common Sense Revolution, we must retool ourselves
the new leadership must embark on policies that will improve the general well
being of the mass of our people.
Permit me to recall here how I once attempted to encapsulate the idea
of Common Sense Revolution: “… This revolution is not a violent one to tear
things down it is a revolution to rescue us from violence, injustice and
poverty.
It is a positive one to rescue, repair and restructure the nation and
its institutions in ways that further collective prosperity and well-being. The
only violence that is to be done is to violence, injustice and poverty
themselves. At its essence, a common sense revolution is a call to return to a
level of decency in the relationship between government and the governed,
between each one of us and his neighbor…” That was at commissioning of
people-centred projects on March 23, 2015 in Kano under the leadership of
Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
We are here today, because one of the 'Generals' in the Common Sense Revolution
Army, Rotimi Amaechi is bold and willing to show the world what he has achieved
in the task to chart the critical path to total political and economic
emancipation of the people whose mandate he enjoyed for 8 years.
In my view, our gathering to celebrate the landmark achievements of my
brother, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, in Rivers State in the last eight years is
also another justifiable celebration of idea of Common Sense Revolution for
development. The publication of the book, Dynamics of Change: The Amaechi Years
is a timely service to history. This occasion is all the more remarkable
because of the huge challenges Amaechi has been facing especially in his second
term from an extremely hostile federal government. His role as the chairman of
the Governors' Forum invariably brought him into a bitter collision with
President Goodluck Jonathan.
Governor Amaechi and most of the governors want a properly defined
federalist relationship with the government at the centre. The President would
have none of that as in the notable example of the management of the federation
account. This is, therefore, another great opportunity to salute Amaechi's rare
courage of conviction and sense of purpose. The All Progressives Congress (APC)
has every cause to be proud of him.
You can, therefore, imagine how much gratified I feel at the immense
intellectual efforts invested in the publication of Dynamics of Change: The
Amaechi Years. I salute the editors and authors of essays in the book. It is
thoughtful of them to document the legacy of Amaechi in Rivers state. The high
quality schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, security and human capacity
projects, among others, richly documented in the book are a testimony that
social democratic ideas can indeed be implemented in this clime.
It is our hope that the legacy of governance for genuine development
that Amaechi is leaving behind in Rivers would inspire state governments to
make the welfare and security of the people the focus of governance. It is
important to empahasise that security here includes social security if the war
against poverty must be won.
The APC change agenda is anchored on the three Rs- Reform, Relief,
Relief, and Recovery. It is the Tripod upon which Nigeria must operate in order
to unleash her potentials.
Rotimi will go on from here to continue to serve Nigeria in key
positions. He will not be alone. He will share the company of many change
agents and professionals who have cast their lots with the new political order
under the Leadership President elect, General Muhammadu Buhari.
Once more, I congratulate Governor Amaechi as he leaves behind this
proud legacy in Rivers State.
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