2023 Presidency: I refused to be stopped —Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has told Nigerians resident in the United States that despite all obstacles thrown on his way, he refused to be stopped from becoming the president of Nigeria.

Speaking in a Presidential Townhall Meeting with Nigerians in the Diaspora organized by the Chairman of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, on Wednesday night in New York, he affirmed that his presidential campaign was gruesome but his determination enabled him to emerge victorious.

According to him, many Nigerians outside the shores of the country can as well achieve the same feat.

While noting the abundant potential of Nigeria, Tinubu said: “Sincerely, we don’t have any reason to be poor. We are just poor in some leadership areas.

“That is what I harped on during my campaign. It was a very gruesome campaign but I won the election. If I hadn’t thrown myself into it with strong determination and resolve, I wouldn’t have won.

“There were so many hurdles on my way that would have stopped me. I refused to be stopped. Many of you here who are contesting elections can do the same.”

He appealed to the Nigerians in Diaspora to forget the frustrations with previous leaderships and return home to deploy their expertise, saying Nigeria is home for business opportunities saying: “We need you back home, Nigeria has arrived.”

He also urged Nigerians living in the United States to overcome setbacks by adopting a new mindset that would enable them to succeed in all of their endeavours.

Tinubu added: “I want to give you a measure that will resonate with you. I was once a Diasporan. What you have been through, I have been through it. A change of mindset is necessary.

“Take it this night that Nigeria is home for business opportunities.

“Also, anywhere you stay, there is always going to be an opportunity in it, and in everything you do, there is always going to be an opportunity if you know how to search and put your mind to it.”

However, the President said he was pleased with how Nigerians have remained exemplary in their conduct and how they had continued to do well in their country of residence.

He further said: “You are lucky to be among those who are celebrated for good manners and behaviour and are operating in an acceptable manner.

“I’m very proud of you; I have also been a beneficiary of inspiration, determination, commitment and perseverance and that is all you need to pull through.

“But, we need you back home, Nigeria has arrived; forget the frustration of the previous years’ leaderships.”

Tinubu, who commended the efforts on out-of-school children, the healthcare programme and the need to eradicate poverty, said Nigeria was a blessed country.

He also urged the Nigerians abroad to embrace one another, stressing that there should not be sentiments and discrimination among them.

Tinubu said: “You ought to embrace one another. No labelling, you should remove ethnic identities that tend to differentiate us.

“We are one single family, living in the same house but living in different rooms.”

Earlier, the Chairperson of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa introduced some Nigerians excelling in their chosen fields in in the U.S. to the president.

Some of the speakers expressed their delight in the leadership courage of the president and continued to support him in his efforts to reform Nigeria.

In his remarks, the first Nigerian-American elected into the United States Congress, Oye Owolewa, said 25 per cent of business owners in the U.S. were black but 1.7 per cent got federal contracts.

Owolewa, who represents Washington DC, said they have been supporting people to take advantage of such opportunities for their economic empowerment.

“Those are the opportunities to make investors biggest in New York.

“In my office, we do not just talk, we teach our people how to get contracts, we teach our people how to get grants,” he said.

A Nigerian-American, Olufunmilola Obe, an Inspector working in the New York Police Department (NYPD), briefed the president on her efforts to make Africa, especially Nigeria proud in her office.

Obe was the coordinator of an African Law Enforcement Organisation, an association within the NYPD, as Vice President and the first African ever to be promoted to the rank of an Inspector in the history of NYPD.

Also speaking, Zuriel Oduwole, an American education advocate and filmmaker said she remains proudly Nigerian.