‘I tweeted in anger,’ Bosun Tijani apologises to Senate, Nigerians

Bosun Tijani, one of President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees has apologised to Nigerians and the senate for some of his tweets which he said were made in error.

Tijani who appeared before the Senate for screening on Saturday, was confronted with some of his tweets which had been trending on social media since his nomination by President Tinubu.

Senator Abdulfatai Buhari representing Oyo North Senatorial District was the first to tackle Tijani on one of his tweet which was tagged unpatriotic.

“Nigeria is a bloody expensive tag,” Tijani wrote in the controversial tweet.

“On the 21st of July 2019, Dr Bosun tweeted against Nigeria that he does not appreciate the Nigerian passport and Nigeria as a nation,” Buhari said, asking him to clarify whether he still believes in Nigeria and the country’s passport.

Responding, Tijani who owned up to the tweets, said they were made out of “anger and patriotism” after his experiences at the Chinese Embassy as a result of being a Nigerian.

Senator Elisha Abbo also rose to speak in his defence, while Senator Olamilekan Adeola also urged his colleagues to overlook the tweets, apologising on Tijani’s behalf, asking the senators to look at what the nominee will add to the government.

While it looked like the matter was settling, Senate Minority Leader Simon Nwadkon read another tweet where Tijani called senators morons.

“Who conducted a security check on him when he was appointed? What sort of checks are done by @NGRSenate when they confirm appointees. And the media .. question for another day. Until we ask the right questions, these morons will continue to take us for granted,” he wrote on Twitter in 2021.

Tijani thereafter tendered an unreserved apology to the senators and Nigerians which was accepted by Senate President Godswill Akpabio after which he was allowed to take a bow and leave.