The President also recounted how he left behind his professional career to pursue a full-time career in politics.
President Bola Tinubu says he was a brilliant student and his academic exploits enabled him to train at Deloitte, paving the way for his emergence as Nigeria’s head of government.
The President spoke on Thursday during an interaction with Nigerians on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in India, a statement by presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale said.
At the ceremony, which had several Nigerian students in attendance, Tinubu remarked that if they were committed and diligent, they could reach the zenith of their careers.
Reflecting on the trajectory of his life and how it prepared him for leadership, the President narrated how he worked as a security guard before landing jobs at Deloitte and Exxon Mobil.
“Good education brought me here and I am happy to stand before you here as the President of Nigeria. I started small,” Tinubu said.
“I was a security guard. I was a tutor in school. I was a brilliant student. I joined Deloitte and was trained by one of the biggest accounting firms in the world, because of my education.
“When I joined them, I asked them, Do you have branches in Nigeria? And they said, ‘We have a lot of clients, we will take you if you want to go home’.”
The President also recounted how he left behind his professional career to pursue a full-time career in politics.
“That’s how I got to ExxonMobil and was a very successful accountant, auditor-general, and treasurer until I joined politics with a can-do attitude,” he exclaimed.
“You can also do it; do not be despondent in any way. Nigeria is ready to accommodate all. It does not matter which part of Nigeria you are from.”
President Tinubu also told the audience that he ran for the highest office in the country because of the fact that, despite the great human and natural resource wealth, the leadership and public sector management deficit in the country held Nigeria back from manifest destiny.
The President’s comments on his educational and professional background come on the heels of a hard-fought Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal case against him and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Details about his past have been scrutinised extensively with members of the opposition arguing that he was unqualified to have contested and won the election. The tribunal however affirmed his victory in the February 25 poll.
‘Nigeria Not Poor In Knowledge’
The President also affirmed that Nigeria had no shortage of knowledge and that it was ready to accommodate all Nigerians irrespective of their ethnic background.
He called on Nigerians to harness the country’s rich diversity as a uniquely powerful tool for advancing prosperity and national development for the benefit of all citizens, Tinubu emphasised that the nation’s diversity must be leveraged to drive economic growth, innovation, and social progress.
“We are not poor in knowledge. We are not poor in human resources. We are only poor in management and leadership, and that is why I ran for president, to help all of us mould the soul of our country in the right direction,” he stated.
“We are here to present a new future to you. A future of a country that is so rich, endowed, and highly populated. Very dynamic, unique in its culture, tradition, and ethnicity. That is what will make our prosperity possible, if only we can make use of our diversity for prosperity.”
See the full statement below:
STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE
OUR PROSPERITY WILL DERIVE DIRECTLY FROM OUR DIVERSITY OF TALENT AND CULTURE FROM ACROSS NIGERIA, PRESIDENT TINUBU TELLS NIGERIANS IN INDIA
President Bola Tinubu, who is currently in India for the G-20 Summit, shared his conviction with Nigerians during an interaction with them on Thursday evening.
The President called on Nigerians to harness the country’s rich diversity as a uniquely powerful tool for advancing prosperity and national development for the benefit of all citizens, emphasizing that our diversity must be leveraged to drive economic growth, innovation, and social progress.
“We are here to present a new future to you. A future of a country that is so rich, endowed, and highly populated. Very dynamic, unique in its culture, tradition, and ethnicity. That is what will make our prosperity possible, if only we can make use of our diversity for prosperity,” he implored.
President Tinubu also told the meeting that he ran for the highest office in the country because of the fact that, despite the great human and natural resource wealth of the nation, the leadership and public sector management deficit in the country held Nigeria back from manifest destiny.
“We are not poor in knowledge. We are not poor in human resources. We are only poor in management and leadership, and that is why I ran for president, to help all of us mould the soul of our country in the right direction,” the President said.
Reflecting on the trajectory of his life, which prepared him for leadership, the President told the meeting that was attended by several Nigerian students studying in India, that with dedication, honesty, determination, and a change of mindset, they can reach for the top in their respective careers.
“Good education brought me here and I am happy to stand before you here as the President of Nigeria. I started small. I was a security guard. I was tutor in school. I was a brilliant student. I joined Deloitte and was trained by one of the biggest accounting firms in the world, because of my education,” the President recollected.
“When I joined them, I asked them, do you have branches in Nigeria and they said, ‘we have a lot of clients that will take you, if you want to go home.’ That’s how I got to Exxon Mobil and was a very successful accountant, auditor-general, and treasurer, until I joined politics with a can-do attitude.
“You can also do it; do not be despondent in any way. Nigeria is ready to accommodate all. It does not matter which part of Nigeria you are from,” the President exclaimed.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, while addressing the students, explained that President Tinubu’s foreign policy thrust included four Ds, with one of them being Diaspora, which focuses on improving the quality of services that Nigerians in the Diaspora receive at Nigerian Missions abroad.
“The issue of passport delays will be a thing of the past. You won’t have to wait indefinitely for your passports to be ready. Secondly, you are the first point of contact between Nigerians and other countries. We can’t grow beyond what our people project. That is why it is very important for you to project a consistently positive image of Nigeria online and off-line,” Nigeria’s Chief Diplomat said.
Earlier, Business magnate, Mr. Tony Elumelu, told pressmen that Nigeria was the best place to invest and that a bet on Nigerians is one of the best bets anyone can ever make, citing Nigerian success in all countries of the world.
“We believe in Africa, but especially in Nigeria. An investment in Nigeria promises a return that is scarcely found anywhere in the world and I do business across several continents,” the Africapitalist concluded.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
September 7, 2023
