Claim I: “I never worked for the government before, I only guide the government. I was the governor of Lagos state and that was my first public life.”
Context:
Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Peoples Congress (APC), claimed in an interactive session with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) that he had never worked in government prior to his position as governor of Lagos state.
He stated this while responding to a question about how he plans to attract foreign investment into the country, in which he promised to get rid of bureaucratic bottle-necks that deter investors from investing. He continued by saying that he had never worked for the government before becoming governor and that serving as governor was his first experience in public life, and as such, he was not involved in such bureaucracy.
Verification
It is public knowledge that Bola Tinubu was well-known and had previously held political positions prior to his election as governor of Lagos State in 1999.
In 1993, Tinubu represented Lagos West constituency during the brief third republic, which was intended to be a transitional period from military to republican rule. It was initiated by Babangida but was halted by Sani Abacha.
As a founding member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), he was one of those who advocated that Sani Abacha’s military government step down in favour of Moshood Abiola, the winner of the June 12, 1994, election. Many of the agitators, including Tinubu, went into self-imposed exile as a result of the fierce opposition from Abacha’s government.
Verdict
Tinubu was in the “public eye” before assuming the governorship of Lagos State. The claim that he had no public life prior to becoming governor is false.
Claim II: “Nigeria does not produce anything to sell to other countries”
Context
Tinubu claimed that Nigeria does not produce anything that is sold to other countries; in his words, he said, “Tell me what are we producing and selling to other countries, not even slippers…”
“We eat the skin of our cows instead of turning them into beautiful bags and shoes,” he added.
Verification
Nigeria, according to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, is a leather supplier to European and Asian markets. Sheep and lamb leather are exported to Asia, whereas processed goat leather is mostly sent to Europe.
Muhammad Yakubu, Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST), reported in October 2022 that the value of leather exports and products was $800 million.
Aside from leather and crude oil, Nigeria exports a wide range of locally produced goods to other countries, ranging from agricultural products to manufactured goods.
This data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reflects that manufactured goods accounted for 25.71 percent of all exports in the third quarter of 2022, with a total value of N131.46 billion. The vast majority of these items were unwrought aluminum alloys.
A total of N84.20 billion worth of agricultural goods were exported.
Verdict
The claim that Nigeria does not produce anything to sell to other countries is false.