“My Senate days were the best” — Oluremi Tinubu shades current NASS

First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has disclosed that her time in the Senate’s Seventh, Eighth and Ninth National Assemblies was very good and memorable. Mrs. Tinubu, who described her sessions at the NASS where she served as a senator representing Lagos State as “really, really good,” spoke penultimate  Saturday in Minna, Niger State, during the flag-off ceremony for the distribution of farm inputs to farmers, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport. At the event, the First Lady, acknowledged several former colleagues now serving in the Federal Executive Council, including the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abdullahi Sabi; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Malagi; and the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Enoh Although Mrs. Tinubu, who served in the Senate from 2015 to 2023, did not elaborate on her comment, not a few political analysts told Arewa PUNCH that it was a subtle comparison with the current 10th National Assembly. Our correspondent further reports that the situation generated mixed reactions among attendees at the event. “It is always a pleasure to see my former colleagues. That was when the Senate was really, really good,” she stressed. Commenting  on the First Lady’s remark about her time in the Nigerian senate with specific reference to her period, a doctor of sociology at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Dr Edmund Nwagbo observed that the Mrs Tinubu’s  comment was like a comparison between that period and the current 10th Assembly. Nwagbo explained, “The First Lady’s comment on her time in the upper legislative chamber is very powerful and buried with a lot of meanings. Nigerians should not just see it as prasing the then Senate  it is actually a comparison between the 7th, 8th, and 9th Senate and the current Senate. “First, she was trying to say that the present Senate is nothing compared to the Senate then. To a large extent, I agree with her. What we have presently is a mockery of democracy.  The Senate is supposed to be a check on the Executive, but what do  we call a Senate  today where every request sent by the Executive gets express passage? It is nothing short of a rubber stamp Senate,” he said. Also, the Executive Director of Nigerian Open Society for Good Governance, Niger State chapter, Mrs Maureen Mammam, clarified that the First Lady was simply honest in her assertion. She said the country’s democracy has nosedived and hijacked by persons who pretend to be leaders but are mere sea pirates. “Nigerian democracy has nosedived. We now have politicians who put self-interest first before this country or the people’s advancement. This explains why the youths are fleeing this country and not looking back. “The level of corruption is enough to drive anybody crazy. Look at insecurity, and the government is patting the terrorists on the back by reintegration and rehabilitating them. The Senate of this 10th assembly is the worst. • Kalu never endorsed Otti for second term — Abia APC • FG begins repayment of power sector debts, says Transcorp CEO • Edo Speaker apologises to constituency over re-election bid “Majority of the so-called distinguished are stained with corruption cases at the EFCC or ICPC. Where do we run to for help,” she lamented. Meanwhile, Mrs Tinubu later commended the Niger State Government for its strides in agricultural development, stressing that the state has emerged as a leading agricultural hub in Nigeria. “Today’s event is not just the commencement of another farming season; it is a bold statement that Nigeria is ready to feed herself. “It signals a deliberate transition from subsistence farming to modern, mechanised, and commercially viable agriculture. The distribution of inputs would empower farmers to increase productivity and improve livelihoods,” she pointed out. The Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago, in his remarks, disclosed that the state has embraced mechanised agriculture as part of efforts to enhance food security. He announced that the flag-off involved the  deployment of 250 tractors  of 75 horsepower each, 50 harvesters, and the distribution of 150,000 bags of fertiliser, among other inputs, to boost yields and reduce post-harvest losses. “We have made significant progress across the agricultural value chain since the launch of this initiative in March 2024 with Mr. President. “Niger State is now leading in agriculture, and we urge farmers to make judicious use of these inputs,” he said. Bago noted further that the state’s efforts align with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agricultural and Food Security Programme. Similarly, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, who attended the flag-off, said the proposed Sokoto-Badagry road project would include about 200 mini dams to support irrigation and boost agricultural productivity. He assured that a significant number of the dams would be located in Niger State due to the extent of the project within the state and urged farmers to take advantage of the initiative to enhance food production and contribute to national food security.