How Remi Tinubu Saved Me From Blackmail, Adeleke Recounts

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State on Tuesday recounted how Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu rescued him from blackmail in the 8th Senate.

Adeleke made the flashback while speaking during the welcoming ceremony for the First Lady and other state governors’ wives at the Government House in Oke-Fia, Osogbo, where the sod-turning event for The Alternative High School for Girls took place.

In his address, he applauded the First Lady for her support of his administration and commended her initiative to establish the project in Osun State, particularly in Osogbo.

He said: “Osun state was selected after a raffle draw for this initiative, I did not sleep, I was on the phone today because of some challenges that want to make you not come. The red carpet and things we put in place, rain messed them up, but it does not matter, we don’t give up and I am happy that you are here today.

“I want to welcome you to Osun State. You are a detribalise First Lady, I remember that she was my senior colleague at the 8th assembly, there was a time the media caught me sleeping in the Senate, so they wanted to blackmail me. I told them how tedious our job is in making bills and having several sleepless nights over Nigeria.

“We don’t sleep till 4 am most times. They (the media) were not listening to me, I almost fell for their blackmail. So, I ran to Mama (First Lady) when she was going to Lagos, I told her that I wanted to ask her something, I said, I was sleeping and the media came to me that they saw me sleeping and it seemed they wanted to collect something from me.

“She told me “Ma da won loun” (Don’t answer them), let them go and write whatever thing they want to write, tell them that you are a human being because they have done that to her before. I made use of what she told me.

“That helped me out from paying a lot of money. So anytime we have issues, we always go to her because of her wealth of experience.”