Umenzekwe eulogizes Fashola @ 60, urges him to keep serving Nigeria, humanity

Chief Modestus Umenzekwe (Eze Chimereze, Onwa Achina), a Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in this interview showers encomium on His Excellency Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) who will clock 60 years on June 28, 2023. 

He urged him to continue with his positive service to the nation and humanity at large. 

Excerpt:

Our good friend, His Excellency, Babatunde Raji Fashola, will be 60 on June 28, 2023, tell Nigerians how you feel

Thank you so much. First of all, a birthday celebration is a day to rejoice with a particular individual about the handwork of God to have created him or her. It is a day God acted in a special way to create mankind on earth. So we owe God a lot of gratitude for that act; because you know, God after creating everything, according to our own Bible, said on the sixth day, let us create man, in our own image, and from that date he started creating humans, in the book of Genesis.

The first instruction God gave human beings is to go and multiply, that is the first instruction God gave to man, and you know after creating Adam, He saw that Adam needed a helper, he made him sleep, and out of his so many ribs, God created Eve, and that is how we came to have man and woman. Along the line, they erred and ate the forbidden fruit, according to our Bible. But then God did not wipe out human beings, he kept on creating, and reproducing people through man and woman, and that is how all of us came into this world.

Therefore our friend, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola (CON, SAN) came out from a particular man and particular woman on a particular day, 28th June 1963. That was the day a trailblazer in Yoruba land and Nigeria was born. That was the day a legal giant was born. That was the day a giant achiever was born. That was the day a perfect gentleman was born. That was the day a nation-builder was born. That was the day a detribalized man was born. That was the day a man endowed with Queens English, and academic prowess was born. That was the day a man with a heart of gold was born. That was the day a Star Boy of Asiwaju’s administration in Lagos was born. That was the day a hero of Buhari’s Administration was born. That was the day the man that Buhari used to develop the six geopolitical regions of this country was born. That was the day the present chairman of Shelter Afrik was born. That was the day a man we are looking up to now to assume another duty in the government of our revered Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was born. It is a day of joy, and one thing significant about it is that it coincided with the Sallah celebration. That means God is with him. And we are looking up to him for more things to come out from him. Age is on his side, [at] 60 years, he is just a young man, so he has a lot to give this country. He has a lot for mankind.

You see – look at what he said – he said, what gives me joy is that when people come to my office, with their burden, when they are going out they go out with a smile on their faces, which means he is a problem solver. He is a human developer. He is a helper. He doesn’t hold his experience just to himself or to his family alone. He has his two hands open, ready to welcome anybody, both high and low, big and small, just name them. So I give God the glory that on the 28th of this month, he will be 60. He is now an elder statesman, a leader of thought. He is a community leader, even though he started this assignment as a very young boy but he has now gotten to the crescendo. His development and his achievement came with what we called geometrical progression. To God be the glory.

Fashola just concluded his assignment as the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing under Buhari’s administration, and Tinubu’s administration is here. Fashola still has a lot of youthfulness in him; do you think he should still be coopted into the current administration to continue his good work for the nation?

When you say coopted – unless I am not understanding the meaning of that word – when you say coopted, he has never been a floor member in the administration of this country. And in nation-building, he has been part and parcel of building this country. So I am not very comfortable with the word coopted. Rather I am more comfortable that he has to continue in the job, it may not be the same portfolio, but any other one, because Nigerians are looking up to him, the six geopolitical zones of this country are waiting. Although by his nature, the way I understand him – I might be wrong – he might say, let me rest having served this country for 24 years at a stretch. But then, people have been Presidents at older ages in this country and many other counties of the world. Look at Joe Biden, he started at 79 in America and he is still going to contest. Then a man at 60 – he doesn’t even look 60 when you look at him, very simple – he is likely to say no. But we are saying that he has to continue so that the downtrodden will not feel alienated. Because Fashola is a stabilizer; give him any assignment, [and] he will deliver – very silent. You don’t see him on the pages of newspapers or television. He is a silent achiever, and I believe that our big Oga; the political colossus, the political giant, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR would like to retain him by his side in any capacity he deems fit to work from within and not from without to make sure this country remains as one, remains united.

Let me tell you, try it, if you like, try it, when the man appears to be accepted in almost all the parts of the country, I used almost because, if I say all the parts of the country one might look at it as an exaggeration, go to Kano and mention his name, I was in Kano some weeks ago, in the course of our discussion, I threw in a spanner, let me know what they feel about the man, these people rose in anger, they said that man…We can’t afford to miss him. Go to Katsina the same thing, go to Maiduguri, the same thing, go to Calabar, the same thing, go to Warri, the same thing, you have the same thing. Then go to the Southeast, even with all the complaints and all that, Fashola is widely accepted.

When the present Governor of Anambra State ascended the throne, he invited Fashola to come and give the government staff tutorial, and he graciously accepted that and came. Then the best bridge in Africa, from my own judgement, the Second Niger Bridge, otherwise called President Muhammadu Buhari Bridge, was done by him. And a lot of other things. Zik’s compound was a thick bush, but he cleared it with the approval of the then-president, Muhammadu Buhari, and a lot of other things he did across the whole country. So many parts of the country still yearn for him. I know that some people will say is it only Fashola, why this man? I want to appeal to him to keep silent on those things because it is the tree that bears fruit that you throw stones in order to get the fruit, but when a tree doesn’t bear fruit, you simply pass and go your way, so he should not be bothered. And if everybody is singing his slogan, go and ask some questions, jealousy must be there, and unnecessary attacks must be there. But the generality of the people is applauding him. If he let him come down from his car and walk on any street, you will see what will happen. You will see that Nigerians will carry him shoulder-high, [but] that does not mean he is perfect. Even in our church, the Catholic, the Holy See is a human being, he can err. That does not mean that all he did are very correct. But when you scored 80 per cent, it is a distinction. I think he has scored more than 80 per cent. He has made a distinction, to God be the glory.

Your prayer for Fashola

Yes, I can only pray for him, longer life, and health. Let God help him to keep helping people, [to] keep doing good for humanity and for this country. And at the end of his life, when he must have spent his days on earth, may Allah receive him. In our own church, they told us Methuselah was 939 years, Gad was 400 years, Abraham was 197, and Moses was up to 120 years, therefore, I wish him long life in good health.