First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has said her time serving in the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth National Assemblies remains one of the most memorable periods of her political career.

Mrs Tinubu made the remark penultimate Saturday during the flag-off ceremony for the distribution of farm inputs to farmers in Minna, Niger State. The event took place at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport.

Speaking at the gathering, the First Lady fondly recalled her years representing Lagos State in the Senate, describing the experience as “really, really good.”

She also acknowledged some of her former colleagues who are now members of the Federal Executive Council, including the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abdullahi Sabi; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Malagi; and the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Enoh.

“It is always a pleasure to see my former colleagues. That was when the Senate was really, really good,” she stated.

Although she did not directly compare past and present assemblies, political observers interpreted her comment as an indirect assessment of the current 10th National Assembly.

The remark reportedly generated mixed reactions among attendees at the event.

Reacting to the statement, a sociologist at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Dr Edmund Nwagbo, said the First Lady’s words appeared to draw a contrast between the previous Senate and the present one.

According to him, the current Senate has failed to effectively perform its oversight role, alleging that it too easily approves requests from the Executive arm of government.

He argued that the legislature is expected to serve as a check on executive power, adding that the present situation has raised concerns about the independence of the National Assembly.

Also commenting, the Executive Director of the Nigerian Open Society for Good Governance in Niger State, Mrs Maureen Mammam, said the First Lady was simply being truthful in her assessment.

She expressed concern over the state of Nigeria’s democracy, corruption, and insecurity, while criticising what she described as the prioritisation of personal interests by political leaders.

Mammam also faulted the handling of insecurity and claimed that many politicians currently in office are facing corruption-related allegations.

Meanwhile, Mrs Tinubu used the occasion to commend the Niger State Government for its agricultural initiatives, describing the state as an emerging leader in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

She said the distribution of farming inputs represented more than the beginning of another planting season, noting that it symbolised Nigeria’s determination to strengthen food production and modernise agriculture.

According to her, the initiative reflects a deliberate shift from subsistence farming to mechanised and commercially driven agriculture aimed at improving productivity and livelihoods.

In his remarks, Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago said the state had embraced mechanised farming to boost food security and agricultural output.

He disclosed that the programme included the deployment of 250 tractors with 75-horsepower engines, 50 harvesters, and the distribution of 150,000 bags of fertiliser, among other farming inputs.

Bago said the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agricultural and Food Security Programme and urged farmers to make proper use of the resources provided.

Also speaking at the event, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, said the proposed Sokoto-Badagry road project would feature about 200 mini dams to support irrigation and agricultural activities.

He added that many of the dams would be situated in Niger State because of the scale of the project within the state, encouraging farmers to take advantage of the initiative to improve food production and strengthen national food security.