A Ministerial nominee, Bosun Tijani, has apologized to the Nigerian Senate over ‘non-patriotic’ tweets he made in 2019.
The 46-year-old Information Technology expert from Ogun State appeared before the Senate for screening on Saturday.
After detailing his profile to the lawmakers, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari representing Oyo North Senatorial District, brought up a controversial tweet made by Tijani.
He said, “On the 21st of July 2019, Dr Bosun tweeted against Nigeria that he does not appreciate the Nigerian passport and Nigeria as a nation.”
The Senator went further to read the exact tweet, “Nigeria is a bloody expensive tag to have against your name. Leave patriotism for a minute- that tag is a bloody waste of energy. A second foreign passport isn’t sufficient to clean that sin.”
The lawmaker then asked the nominee to clarify whether he still believes in Nigeria and the country’s passport.
In response, Tijani said he is very passionate about Nigeria and is committed to the country’s development.
According to him, he tweeted as a result of a frustrating experience he had with the Chinese Embassy.
He stated, “I tweeted in anger. I’m very passionate about the development of Nigeria and my passion for Nigeria was what led me to tweet in anger.”
Senator Ishaku Abbo representing Adamawa North Senatorial District immediately rose to Tijani’s defense, saying that the nominee tweeted out of a mixture of frustration and love for Nigeria.
Also, Senator Solomon Adeola from Ogun West Senatorial District defended Tijani, saying his “youthful exuberance” and “shortcoming” should be forgiven.
Similarly, the Senate Minority Leader representing Plateau North Senatorial District, Simon Mwadkwon, read another “non-patriotic” by Tijani which was posted sometime in 2021.
The Senate Majority Leader representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Opeyemi Bamidele, also described Tijani as an “EndSARS protester.” Bamidele said his daughter also protested police brutality and extrajudicial killings in October 2020.
He said Tijani was trying to speak for his generation and should not be haunted by the tweet.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, accepted Tijani’s apology and told him to take a bow and leave.
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