Ousmane Yara, an ambassador for the African Union’s Agenda 2063, has explained how Bola Tinubu, the incoming president of Nigeria, became a citizen of Guinea.
It follows a viral video that went viral last week and showed Yara, Tinubu, and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in a government chopper from Guinea.
Yara’s comments also came after images of Tinubu’s Guinean passport went viral, indicating that he holds dual citizenship.
According to Yara, the video was made in 2016, and Tinubu was in Guinea at the time as a guest of former President Conde for the nation’s celebration of its independence.
Yara claims that he, Tinubu, and Sanwo-Olu, who wasn’t the governor at the time, flew by helicopter from the Guinean capital to Mamu in the Fula region of the nation to attend an anniversary celebration of the country’s independence.
When Conde was president, he allegedly moved the state celebration of the event from region to region every year.
Following his hosting of former President Conde in Lagos earlier that year, Yara disclosed that the President-elect made his first trip to Guinea in 2015.
In 2016, Tinubu attended Guinea’s independence anniversary for the second time as a guest of former President Conde, he continued.
Yara told Daily Sun: “I arranged a meeting between President Conde and Tinubu through one of Tinubu’s assistants at the time, who is now a minister in the Nigerian administration. In 2015, President Conde was running for reelection for a second term in office. He visited Tinubu in Nigeria, who had arranged a feast in his honor. Tinubu invited numerous Nigerian businesses and others to the dinner.
About a month before the vote for his second term, President Conde then extended an invitation to Tinubu to visit Guinea. In response to the invitation, Tinubu sent a group of businessmen and economists, who took the time to speak with Guinean government representatives on how the nation could better utilize its resources for growth and prosperity.
“Tinubu only stayed for one day before departing for London. However, he left the group he had brought in order to continue his discussions with Guinean leaders about how to improve Guinea. Over the course of three days, the team and representatives of the Guinean government developed an economic strategy.
Conde, who is presently living in exile in Turkey, reportedly expressed gratitude to Tinubu for supporting him in his bid for reelection by inviting Tinubu to the country’s Independence Day in 2016.
“President Conde invited Tinubu to the independence anniversary,” Yara continued. Since the formal celebration of each independence anniversary was held in a different region, Tinubu was compelled to take a helicopter from the nation’s capital to Mamu, where the event was held that year.
That was the video that was going around. In recognition of all Tinubu performed for him during his reelection campaign and for Guinea’s economic progress, President Conde bestowed upon him the honor and pleasure of the office of president at the country’s celebration of its independence.
Yara said that Tinubu was given the title of “Special Envoy” by President Conde as a gesture of gratitude.
Conde recognized Tinubu as a pan-Africanist and viewed him as a special ambassador, the speaker claimed.
