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By Christy Anyanwu
Chief Robert Clarke, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN) is not happy with the trend of affairs in the country.
The octogenarian, who will clock 84 in July , in this interview with Sunday Sun, shared his views about Nigeria’s polity and what he hopes will rescue the country from the doldrums. Excerpt:
Is there hope for Nigeria?
It depends on what you mean by hope.
I mean, would things still get better in this country, will the economy come back to shape?
The problem in Nigeria is the constitution we are running that allows a man to contest as a governor and after serving years years as a governor, he’s walking right straight into the prison. It’s not one, it’s not two, it’s not three, and it’s not four governors after their eight years terms they are walking into prison or going to court just because of the 1999 constitution. When you have a constitution that makes the head of that government the all be all, he’s the accounting officer, he’s the recruiting officer, then we need to change the constitution. Nigeria is too large a country where the illiteracy rate; let us be honest with ourselves, all the governors in the North, all of them for the past 20 years have been following their selfish interest. The same thing with the South, but the difference is that in the South the people are more enlightened and they are forcing their leaders to at least do something. So, there’s a meaningful development in the South, but the North has nothing. And today, the leaders are suffering and they will suffer because all those young boys who have no work to do, no school, no nothing, are now doing banditry and they are getting 10 times the money you want to pay them. How do you want them to leave banditry? They can never leave it. If you drive them from street A they will go to street B, but time can still help Nigeria. That is the only thing we have. We have been endowed by nature with things that if we concentrate and utilize upon, in 10 years’ time, Nigeria will be a different place, but the problem in the North will take another 20 years to solve because all their Almajiris and all those children none of them are going to school and they have a lucrative trade in banditry and do mo other work and it’s paying them, how do you want them to leave it? So, insecurity in Nigeria today has its roots in the bad governance of the county. The northern governors are now seeing, buying motorcycles for these young guys to transfer to other states zone to be riding motorcycles, thinking that will solve the problem. But these young boys, they see how their leaders are spending money. So, my own view is that, if you don’t change the system of governance things would not work. Firstly, allow the local government to be very authentic. This constitution even though as on paper made local government to be independent, but the system of party structure does not allow them to exist. In fact, they only exist in name. Ajegunle road, you find out that one top party man is controlling everything, no streets have been built, nothing being done by any local government more than just sharing money and it’s the constitution. They have executive chairman of local government which has 20 advisers. What sort of constitution is that? You can never make progress in Nigeria with this present constitution except we change it. Reduce the number of states; because the amount of money used in governance is almost 80 per cent of what we have. Now, we are not even earning any money. Two things are carrying Nigeria’s money, food importation and petrol subsidy. Those are the two major problems Nigeria has. Virtually, we import every food we eat and then petroleum subsidy. Those are the two things carrying our money and instead of the government tightening their belt and live according to their means they are now causing the naira to be devalued to allow more naira to flow into their hands and the exchange rate is suffering. It’s unfortunate. I believe that if we can restructure Nigeria to eight states and have eight presidents or governors, eight attorney generals instead of 36 attorney generals and we reduce the system of governance this country will still have a breathing space.
University students are at home since because of ASUU strike, it’s getting deepened, what should be the solution?
The ASSU strike has been going on now for almost 13 or 14 years. I remember during the Babangida regime, I had a niece who was studying law in university of Lagos. I had to remove her and sent her to England because of strike. I’m not saying that lecturers should not go on strike, but they should look at what is happening in the country. At this moment, the demands they are asking from government can government meet it? Even the government cannot meet his own liability. How much to come and be paying lecturer’s money they had negotiated with a previous government, 13 years ago, they want this government to pay, where is the money? Is it by continuing to strike? They should sit down, reflect . The children are suffering. A generation of Nigerian students are getting rotten at home just because some few lecturers say they want something. I don’t understand. My own view is that the government should ask them to go back to work, once their present salary is being met; their present needs are being met, what about other workers who have no fringe benefits. Who have no other benefits, so I believe the fault is with the lecturers and with ASSU people. My advice is that they should allow these young children to go back to school; they are creating a bad image of Nigeria. They know government cannot afford what they are asking for. To pay salaries government is borrowing money , to meet up its own expenses government is borrowing money, so my views is that the strike should be called off and allow the children to carry on with their career.
In 2023 what should the electorate look out for?
To be honest, if 2023 is going to present a leader among the present crop of leaders, to me it’s not going to give good news because I have looked at all the political parties, I have looked at all those who are seeking the presidential ticket as far as I, Robert Clark is concerned not one single of them has the background and criteria to rule this country because they are from the same stalk and they are going to go on with this 1999 constitution. An election that is being required of a candidate to deposit 25 million, 50 million to get this thing shows you there’s no good end in it. The whole system has been bastardized. I will pray that Nigeria’s constitution be reviewed, jettisoned so that independent candidates can come forward. Where the party controls the politics then individuals shouldn’t like party politics never go to the government. The Nigeria constitution 1999 does not permit independent candidates. The Electoral Act does not allow that too. To be a candidate, you must be sponsored by a political party; we should erase that from our laws and allow decent, honest people to come forward without party affiliation to contest for election. As far as I’m concerned, I hope and I do sincerely hope that 2023 is going to be a reality which I don’t think.
Talking about Electoral Act, how do you feel about it as amended?
Well, it’s a step forward better than what we had. But you know politicians, you can never trust them. They find a way to wriggle out of so many things . But let’s wait and see. It’s a good movement and I believe that if we follow the rules we will gain from it. That’s my view.
There’s no light, exchange rate is alarming, what do we do in all these?
The whole country is upside down. The greatest setback for Nigeria is the exchange rate. It’s a huge difference. N850 to £1. N500 plus to $1. It makes me mad. My son is going back to England to finish his education , just to give him pocket money of £1,000 for one term, I’m spending over N1 million to buy pounds. It makes no sense. It’s irritating, our salvation is not with these politicians. We need a jiggism, we need something to push us up, we need a change, we need a Third Force to change this country. Nigeria has all the potentials, but we don’t have the leaders. I pray God will give us the leaders.
From the look of things would zoning not make a difference in the polity?
Zoning or no zoning makes no sense to me. Zoning comes into play where we still think of tribes and (I don’t know what to say) in Great Britain, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, Gordon Brown, was a Scottish man, not that United Kingdom is so united. The English man still takes control of United Kingdom . But in Nigeria the policy of let the South produce, let the North produce in the polity reflects that we are living in the old age. Let the best man with the best credential emerge in the political terrain regardless of its state of origin. But because of the ways, we Nigerians have been behaving for the past 50 years, we allow tribalism, religion and other petty things to rule our life and, of course, we don’t have correct people to rule us. So, zoning as I’m concerned is an old idea that we should jettisoned.
