In a recent interview held in Lafia, the state capital, to mark his first anniversary in office, the governor said he was grateful to God for giving him a four-year mandate; a period he deems long enough for him to contribute his quota to the development of the state.
The governor, who was responding to a question on the speculation around the state that the people might not be ready to re-elect him in 2023, said he was ready to return to the US or Saudi Arabia to enjoy his life after his four-year mandate.
According to him, “one thing I have never been threatened about in life is my second term as governor. Let me tell you, in 1998, while working in the US, I felt I was bored. I took my early retirement package from an oil company, I went and set up our small company and we were running our business.
“I thought that was it. I never knew I was going to return to Nigeria as a whole, not to talk of coming to Nigeria to set up a company and become MD African Petroleum and later become GMD in Dangote company.
“That was even when I started enjoying life; not today.
“So I went through all these as extra to me in life; things I never thought would happen, but because God has blessed me that it will happen and it actually happened.
“Then out of the blues, from nowhere, I’m now a governor, and somebody is saying one term, and then I will cry, sleep and die? To hell with him!
One term, yes, it’s fine. That is how I look at it. One term is good enough.
Almighty Allah, I thank you very much for giving me one term.
“So it has never shaken me, it has never scared me, and it will never do. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.
“If I do one term, walahi talahi, walahi talahi, I will go and retire either in America or in Saudi Arabia and live my life peacefully. And I know that no EFCC will call me, because I am not stealing government’s money.