This was revealed by Okiro on Friday in Abuja at the unveiling of the summit planning committee for Tinubu’s support group, the ‘Defect Together Movement for Tinubu-Shettima 2023.’
According to him, Tinubu is a man with foresight and the ability to fix Nigeria, as evidenced by his developmental legacy.
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The former IGP said, “When Tinubu became the governor of Lagos, criminality was at its highest peak in Lagos, robbery, killing ,OPC, everything was in shambles and people were running away from Lagos.
“Then, Asiwaju made a special request to the I-G that if he wanted Lagos to be peaceful, he should bring Okiro back to Lagos. That was how I found myself back in Lagos, so I worked along with him to be able to keep Lagos calm.
”I left Lagos in glory to the extent that I was promoted from Commissioner of Police to DIG, all glory goes to Asiwaju.
“If as Governor of Lagos, he did it, I have no doubt in my mind therefore, that given this onerous task of championing the course of the entire Nigeria, he is going to replicate what he did in Lagos.”
Okiro thanked the group for electing him as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and pledged his support for making the vision a reality after saying that telling people to support Tinubu is like telling people that one plus one is two.
The group’s Chairman, Dr Kenneth Ibe-Kalu, stated that Okiro was chosen as BOT chairman due to his wealth of experience, exposure, and knowledge.
“He had contributed immensely to the development of the nation and had a credible career with the Nigeria Police Force, rising to the position of I-G and served as chairman, Police Service Commission.
“He is a destribalised Nigerian, who has earned the respect of most Nigerians, this in a nutshell is what informed our choice of him .
“He will bring his wealth of experience, exposure, goodwill and foresight to being our chairman, because we believe in him to be able to guide us to the promised land,” he said.
Dr. Umar Yakasai, the movement’s Deputy National Campaign Director, stated that the group conducted a thorough search before settling on Okiro to add value to its pursuit of Tinubu’s ambition to fix Nigeria.
Yakasai said, ”this is in view of Okiro’s long term closeness to Tinubu and his vantage position to spur other eminent persons to support the group’s plan.
“Okiro initiated the idea of the Amnesty Programme that doused the tension in the Niger Delta region during the late Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration, which guaranteed peace in that region.
“So, in all ramifications, Sir Mike Okiro qualifies to be recognised as a foremost statesman in Nigeria,” he added.
