The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and presidential aspirant Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has paid a condolence visit to Kaduna over the attack on a train that left at least eight people killed, with many others still unaccounted for.
Tinubu, who also donated N50 million to assist the state government to rehabilitate and care for the victims, was received by Governor El-Rufai at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Tuesday.
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The former Lagos State governor said “We are facing the current challenges seriously and we have to do more. Nigeria bleeds on behalf of everybody.
“We need to fight terrorism with all our energy and whatever we have. It’s not shameful for people to be poor, but it’s unacceptable to accept poverty as a norm.
“It’s shameful to be callous, wicked and be a bully or terror to instil fear in humanity and it’s not acceptable.
“I’m here on a condolence visit to Kaduna to sympathise with the Governor and people of Kaduna and entire Nigeria. What happened to the people on the Abuja to Kaduna train on Monday for all of us.”
Responding, Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai “This visit preempted my planned visit to Asiwaju to thank him for solidarity with the people of Kaduna for cancelling his colloquium the day it was to take place.
“This gesture by Asiwaju is a show of powerful leadership, empathy and concern for the lives and property of Nigerians. It’s unprecedented in our history in Nigeria.
“The government and people of Kaduna State will never forget this gesture. We are very grateful to you for the service, sacrifice and commitment to the unity and that of our country.
“We appreciate your call for people to contribute to enable us to rehabilitate the victims of this tragedy.
“We are aware of your aspiration to be president of this country, we look forward to further engagement so that we can progress that aspiration.
“Nigeria is at a crossroads, a critical crossroads, and we must take very difficult decisions to get the right leaders that would take us out of the multiple quagmires that we are going through.”
Dateline Nigeria reports that Tinubu was accompanied on the visit by the former Governor of Borno State, Sen Kashim Shettima, former Senator representing Funtua Zone in Katsina State, Sen Abu Ibrahim, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, among others.
In receiving Tinubu also, Governor El-Rufai was joined by Senators Uba Sani (Kaduna Central) and Suleiman Abdu-Kwari (Kaduna North), Speaker Kaduna State House of Assembly Yusuf Zailani, among others.
