'I Was Once A Security Guard' – President Tinubu

Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, has said that he was once security guard, adding that good education was one reason why he became the country’s president.

A statement released by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, Tinubu said this in an interaction with Nigerians on Thursday evening, September 7, 2023, in India.

Tinubu who is presently in India for the G-20 Summit advised Nigerian students in the Asian country to consider their education as a priority.

According to the statement, he said, “Good education brought me here and I am happy to stand before you here as the President of Nigeria. I started small. I was a security guard. I was a tutor in school. I was a brilliant student. I joined Deloitte and was trained by one of the biggest accounting firms in the world, because of my education.

“When I joined them, I asked them, do you have branches in Nigeria and they said, ‘we have a lot of clients that will take you, if you want to go home.’ That’s how I got to Exxon Mobil and was a very successful accountant, auditor-general, and treasurer, until I joined politics with a can-do attitude.

“You can also do it; do not be despondent in any way. Nigeria is ready to accommodate all. It does not matter which part of Nigeria you are from.”

The President urged Nigerians to use the country's rich variety to advance wealth and national development for the benefit of all citizens.

“We are here to present a new future to you. A future of a country that is so rich, endowed, and highly populated. Very dynamic, unique in its culture, tradition, and ethnicity. That is what will make our prosperity possible, if only we can make use of our diversity for prosperity,” he said