Ousmane Yara, a Guinean present serving in the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 as an ambassador, has offered clarifications on the friendly ties between Nigeria’s President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and ex-president of Guinea, Alpha Conde, as well as the circumstances surrounding the helicopter trip that has been the subject of conspiracy theories spun primarily by a disgraced self-described investigative journalist.
Yara told journalists in Abuja on Sunday that the video was recorded back in 2016 when Tinubu visited Guinea as a guest of then-President Conde to celebrate the country’s independence anniversary.
Similar to other high-profile guests that attended the event, Tinubu, himself (Yara), and Sanwo-Olu who had yet to emerge as Lagos governor at the time, made the trip from Guinean capital to Mamu in the Fula region to attend the celebration in the chopper.
He said: “Through one of Tinubu’s aides at that time, who is now a minister in the government of Nigeria, I facilitated a meeting between President Conde and Tinubu. President Conde was going for reelection, for the second term, in office then in 2015. He came to Nigeria to see Tinubu, who organised a dinner in his honour. At the dinner, Tinubu invited many Nigerian businessmen and others.”
“Tinubu spent only one day and travelled to London from there, but left the team he came with to continue engagement with Guinean officials on how to transform Guinea. The team and Guinean government officials worked for three days, and came up with an economic roadmap.”
“President Conde invited Tinubu to the independence anniversary. Since the official function at every independence anniversary was done in different regions, Tinubu was required to fly from the country’s capital, in a helicopter, to Mamu, where that year’s event was held. That was the video being circulated. At the independence anniversary celebration, President Conde gave Tinubu the honour and privilege of a president, in appreciation of what he did for him during his reelection bid and towards economic development of Guinea.”
Yara explained that to show his appreciation, Tinubu was given a ‘Special Envoy’ status by former President Conde. His claims were corroborated by the ex-president who, via a phone call, also spoke to journalists, describing Tinubu as a great pan-Africanist with a long history of promoting democracy and development across the continent.
Alpha Conde said, “Tinubu is the biggest pan-Africanist I have seen. Before I met Tinubu, I had noted his accomplishments, right from when he was governor. I see him as a ‘Lion of Africa’ because of his contributions towards the stability and development of Africa. He has always supported African presidents who were pan-Africanists in disposition and others.”
He also confirmed that he recognised Tinubu as ambassador extraordinaire (special envoy) of Guinea, while promising to speak in detail about the president-elect in due course.
“I am convinced that Tinubu’s leadership will be good for Nigeria. Nigeria is a country other West African nations look up to. I am happy for Tinubu. Anything he may require of me to make his government successful, in my personal capacity, I will willingly do. He helped us in Guinea and I will never forget that. Nigerians should pray for the success of Tinubu’s government because his leadership will be impactful,” he added.