The internet has unearthed a video of the moment Bola Tinubu condemned former President Goodluck Jonathan for giving Chief Tony Anenih considered to be an old man by Tinubu to a government position.
This comes as many Nigerians continue to express concern about the age of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress.
In the now viral video clip, Tinubu is seen at a political meeting, mocking a former PDP administration for giving an appointment to an old man.
Though the APC chieftain did not directly mention Jonathan’s name or the appointee in his remark, he said: “The present President [Jonathan] is a very young man.
“But he has been appointing an 83-year-old man somewhere to be chairman, not just on the Board of Trustees but of a Port Authority where highly decisions, articulated, modern 21st-century information technology is needed, where a man cannot identify the keyboard of a computer.”
Amid the controversies surrounding his age, Tinubu clocked 70 in March 2022. This comes after many internet users saw previous profiles of the APC chieftain showing an older age.
READ: JUST IN ! Mix-Up with Tinubu’s Age and Date of Birth
Video of the moment Tinubu campaigned against old men in critical positions.
In 2012 former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Chief Tony Anenih as the board chairman of, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
At that time, Anenih was said to be 83. His appointment as the then NPA board chairman earned Jonathan some criticisms from political big wigs in the country, including some elder statesmen.
In a statement obtained by newsmen at the time, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) said Jonathan insulted Nigerians by appointing Chief Anenih NPA board chairman.
CNPP in the statement signed and released by its then spokesperson, Osita Okechukwu, said Anenih’s appointment was “an insult to Nigerians and endorsement of corruption.”
The statement reads further: “Whereas, President Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR, has the powers by the virtue of the powers conferred on him by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to delegate or appointment anybody to office; however we view the appointment of Chief Anthony Anenih to chair the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Ports Authority {NPA} as an insult to Nigerians and utter endorsement of corruption.”
CNPP further argued that the Ports Authority had been infested in “endemic corruption,” since the days of two PDP leaders- Bamanga Tukur and Bode George- as its head.
“Recently the House of Representatives accused the NPA of diverting N160 billion of revenue supposed to be remitted to the Federation Account, in accordance with Section 162 of the Constitution,” the CNPP said.
“For the endemic corruption in NPA, we are alarmed that President Jonathan instead of nominating a credible, transparent and maritime professional to clean the Augean Stable in the rotten Nigeria Port Authority; has wittingly insulted the intelligence of Nigerians by appointing Chief Anenih whose notoriety in public office is legendary,” Okechukwu said.
The Conference said Mr Anenih failed woefully as Minister of Works.