Residents cheer as Tinubu lands in Kano

A large crowd Saturday evening thronged the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport to welcome the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, to Kano for his 12th colloquium.

Mr Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, arrived Kano at 5:24 p.m. and was welcomed by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

A large of his supporters had earlier arrived at the airport in a motorcade and broke into cheers on sighting the APC leader with shouts of ‘Shugaban Kasar Gobe’ (the next president).

One of the supporters, who simply identified himself as Haruna, said “Ahmed is our next president. He has done a lot for the party and his loyalty to Baba Buhari has been proven over time.

“I know he is not in Kano for campaign but for us its an opportunity to appreciate him and show him support,” Haruna said.

Another APC faithful, Ibrahim Dahiru, said: “Politically, Bola Tinubu is a northerner and a democratic who fought for the return of democracy in Nigeria. He has paid his political dues as a defender of President Buhari administration and deserves our support here in Kano.”

Premium Times correspondent, who witnessed the arrival of Mr Tinubu, saw hundreds of vehicles arriving in a motorcade at the airport.

Pedestrians were also caught in the excitement as they shouted “Sai Tinubu” and “Sai Ganduje” at the airport road as the motorcade moved to the Government House.

The Bola Tinubu Colloquium will hold on Monday virtually in Kano with President Muhammadu Buhari as chairperson of the occasion.

The colloquium seeks to discuss peace-building and national cohesion as tools for growth and prosperity in Africa.

The President of Liberia, George Weah, former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Koroma, and Vice President of ECOWAS Commission, Finda Koroma, have been confirmed as speakers at the event.

The 12th Colloquium is being held under the theme “Our Common Bond, Our Common Wealth.”

Other speakers at the colloquium are Dani Rodrick, Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy; Funmi Olonisakin, Professor of Security, Leadership & Development at King’s College, London; Amaka Anku, Practice Head, Africa Eurasia Group; Mohamed Yahya, Resident Representative in Nigeria, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and Charity Namsoh, Founder/CEO, HoP Africa.

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The speakers include policymakers, mediators, innovators, security experts, thought-leaders, academics and individuals in governance.

“Through its rich selection of speakers across different sectors, the colloquium seeks to bring relevant discussions and solutions towards national growth in Nigeria and Africa.

“The Bola Tinubu Colloquium is an avenue to bring to fore rich debate and intellectual discussions to project the future of Nigeria and Africa.”

According to the organisers, the colloquium is a platform for sharing knowledge, experience and information around socio-economic and governance issues.