The former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, says he will forever be grateful to former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu for the successes he achieved in his political career.

Mr Aregbesola stated this during a civic reception organised in his honour by Concerned Muslim Scholars and Clerics in South Western Nigeria on Sunday in Oyo town.

He said Messrs Buhari and Tinubu made the achievements that facilitated the grand reception in which people were praising him for today possible.

Mr Aregbesola said that Tinubu mentored him in Lagos State and facilitated his emergence as Governor of Osun State.

He said that the establishment of Nigeria Immigration Service Passport office, fire fighting office and Agro Ranger Office in Oyo town, which people praised him for, was done by Mr Buhari and executed through him as the Minister of Interior. 

“If any appreciation and gratitude could be given to me, I want to believe greater appreciation should be given to the two people I mentioned.

“Without their support, it would be pretty difficult for me to single-handedly achieve the height I am now and be able to render the service to the good people of Oyo,” Mr Aregbesola said.

He said that he was extremely grateful and honoured by the reception organised for him by the people of Oyo town and appreciated them for the reception.

Earlier, the host of the programme, Imam Daud Tijani, said the willingness to celebrate Mr Aregbesola’s indelible achievements as public office holder was due to his exemplified personality in all ramifications.

Mr Tijani said that Mr Aregbesola has remained loyal to the cause of humanity, infrastructure development and maximally using societal resources for the development of the people.

“He is vast in knowledge and has a way of relating with people inoffensively and this has earned him the loyalty and admiration of the masses and entire Yorubaland and the nation at large.

“He never compromised his integrity and faith in what he believed to be right.

“Aregbesola is so dear to the Muslims not only because he is a practising Muslim but because he consistently presents himself as a good ambassador of Islam through good deeds in and outside governance.

“The people of Oyoland will continue to show gratitude to Aregbesola for moving Oyoland to status of a town to a city with the establishment of significant federal establishments,” he said.

In his lecture, An Associate Professor Abass Alade, described Mr Aregbesola as a privileged and fortunate person based on various political positions he had occupied.

Mr Alade urged Mr Aregbesola to continue to be humble, be grateful to Allah, his parents and humanity.

He advised him to continue to be closer to Allah, identify with the masses and not relent in assisting the people.

In his contribution, the chairman of the occasion, Senator Mudasiru Husain, said Mr Aregbesola was a diligent, compassionate and an exemplary leader whose style must be emulated by all and sundry.

The Chairman of Oyo State Muslim community, Kunle Sanni, said Mr Aregbesola was a brave person who never got afraid of speaking the truth while in position of authority.

Mr Sanni said that Mr Aregbesola contributed his quota to the progress of Islam and humanity when he was Osun State Governor and Minister of Interior.

He called on Muslims, willing to go into politics to emulate the good character of Mr Aregbesola.

The Bashorun of Oyoland, Yusuf Akinade, applauded Aregbesola for his contribution to Yorubaland and the people of Oyo town, saying he left a blueprint which would forever be remembered.

Other speakers at the occasion, including Prof. Sarafadeen Kareem, lecturer, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, and Dr Mahmud Musa, Lecturer, Department of Arabic, University of Ilorin, commended Aregbesola for his contributions to the society.

The Oyomesi in Council (kingmakers), representatives of clerics from Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Kwara, Ondo and Lagos states attended the event.

(NAN)