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…Gives conditions to support president in 2027
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Arewa Think Tank has said that the North does not need political power as long as it is enjoying peace, socio-economic power, infrastructural development and qualitative education under President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to the Convener of Arewa Think Tank, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, only very few Northerners will enjoy the benefits of democracy if a Northerner becomes president in 2027.
In this interview with Sunday Sun, Alhaji Yakubu said that this fear emanated from the fact that a presidency under a Northerner will be of no benefit to the people of the region, citing the eight years of former President Muhammadu Buhari, which he described as wasteful years to Northern Nigeria.
He also spoke on other national and international issues, claiming that the 264 Nigerians sent back from Saudi Arabia was the handiwork of those trying to sabotage President Tinubu’s administration. Excerpts:
How will you assess the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the just concluded off-season elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states?
My assessment of INEC performance in the just concluded off-season elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states, let me be honest and realistic with you, because some of our politicians are hypocrites. The performance of INEC in these three states for the off-season elections; they have done very well in our own assessment, because if you observe on the day of the election, all the candidates for the election gave kudos to INEC for the preparation. All of them cannot win at the same time, one person must win and others must lose. After giving kudos to INEC’s preparation and conduct, why will they turn around to say that the elections were rigged and so on. We must be very careful what we say and what we do. INEC has done very well. In our estimation, INEC has performed up to 65 to 70 per cent. Whatever anybody will say, agreed we are not where we ought to be, agreed INEC made some mistakes in the past, but this off-season elections and their conduct in these three states was an improvement on the previous elections. Not only INEC, the security agencies and the citizens that participated in the election have performed creditably well. These elections have very minimal violence compared to what it used to be. There was minimal violence and minimal snatching of ballot boxes. So, I think our politicians should start learning to be sportsmen in the contest of election. If not we will be going round in cycle all the time. If you don’t win election you will say you have been rigged out. If you look at the history of election in Nigeria, there is no election that was conducted that politicians would not say they were rigged out. What we should consider is the bench marks, the minimum standard. No election is perfect in the world. As we go on INEC is improving. There is still room for improvement. I want to use this opportunity to align our organisation with what former President Goodluck Jonathan said that the National Assembly should try and amend the Electoral Law to take off this off-season elections. It is costing so much and to include all election litigations to be concluded before swearing in any elected party.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari did untold damage to Nigeria’s economy and image around the world. What is your reaction to this?
We want to first of all salute the courage of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, for coming out to confirm facts that are in the domain of many Nigerians and what prominent Nigerians have said about Buhari’s eight years regime, particularly about corruption, nepotism and insecurity in that regime. It looked like Buhari’s fight against insecurity, revival of the economy were in the reverse. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Retired Colonel Umar Dangiwa, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke and many Nigerians, including myself, I told you in an interview that Buhari did not only mismanage our economy, he mismanaged our diversity too. Elder statesman like Hassan Kukah said the same thing. But what gladdens one’s heart now is the courage exhibited by Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser. If what we said in the past were not facts, what NSA said has sealed what we had said because he has credible and all information available to him. Now, what we want President Tinubu to do is to go after those that have looted our common patrimony if he wants to continue to enjoy the support and goodwill of Nigerians. Whichever way he is going to do it and get the money back, the laws are there to back it up. Nothing should be swept under the carpet. After all when Buhari came to power he went after those that were found guilty under President Jonathan’s regime. So, Tinubu should go after them so that he will continue to enjoy our support and goodwill. And we salute the courage of the NSA because it takes courage to state this kind of facts, they should also use the same courage to go after those found wanting.
Many Nigerians have expressed shock as Saudi Arabia few days ago cancelled visa on arrival for 264 Nigerians to the holy city. What is your comments on this?
Our position on this Saudi Arabia embarrassment, we call it embarrassment as we suspect a fifth columnists sabotaging Mr. President because this is the second time. Since President Tinubu came on board as the president of Nigeria, all his international visits were very successful, but towards the end of the trips this kind of embarrassment usually comes up. We advise the president to investigate deeper that there might be some fifth columnists around him sabotaging his efforts to see that he does not succeed. Look at the success he recorded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He has been marketing Nigeria successfully. After a successful trip or towards the end of each trip something embarrassing will come up. There are some people around him trying to sabotage his efforts. So, I think he should probe deeper to unravel them.
Is the fifth columnist within Nigeria or outside Nigeria?
This fifth columnists are within Nigeria, they are not in Saudi Arabia because if you see the kind of warm reception Saudi Arabia gave President Tinubu you wouldn’t say the fifth columnists are in Saudi Arabia. In some quarters, they said President Tinubu did not have one-on-one discussion with the crown Prince, Salman. But they told a different story. The picture showed that President Tinubu had a meeting with Prince Salman. So, Tinubu should probe deeper to ensure that the fifth columnists do not embarrass his government at any of his international visit again.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) went on strike recently even with the Federal Government threatening the Labour with contempt. What is your advice here to both parties?
Our advice to NLC is that they should not mix politics with personal issue because they have weakened their position by letting Nigerians know that part of why they are going on strike was because of what happened to their leader in Imo. If we should go by what they are saying, there are other states that cannot pay N30,000. Why didn’t they go to those states and organise strike. So, next time they should be careful how they bring issues up that will prompt them to go on strike. One, it is a personal issue, trying to settle score with personal issue. This is not a national issue. If the NLC president has issue with his state governor, you go to the state and deal with him. He should have gone to campaign against the governor of the state so that he will not be re-elected. He shouldn’t hold over 200 million Nigerians to ransom against his personal problem with his governor. It is not a national issue. He is interfering unnecessarily. He shouldn’t mix politics with his personal issue with the governor. He should be careful, if not next time we will mobilise Nigerians against such strike. Most of the challenges we have now are not President Tinubu’s creation. Let’s give Tinubu time, at least one and half years and see if he cannot perform and then we go for his jugular. But it will be unfair now to create more challenges for Nigerians. You know what the country is losing everyday with this kind of strike and it is the common man that will suffer, not those that are in power. And Mr. President has agreed to pay and he has started paying N35,000 to federal civil servants. I would have expected NLC and TUC to fight for this kind of package in the 36 states. So the NLC has weakened it’s position by putting forward personal issue of the NLC president to go on strike. It has not given their strike any validity at all.
North is believed to be working hard and scheming to take back power in 2027. Is it justifiable to do this, putting into consideration the fact that it was the Northern region that gave President Bola Tinubu the majority votes in the last presidential election?
Arewa Think Tank’s position on this is that from experience and history, the last eight years that Buhari was in power, he did not change the fortunes of the North, the North did not benefit anything. I am sorry to say, each time a Northerner is at the helm of affairs, a few people around the president and in the corridors of power are the ones benefiting. Look at the eight years of Buhari, from Abuja to Kaduna, to Kano road, they have not been able to complete the roads in eight years. This was the highway that was done by former President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida in less than three years. We can’t see what Buhari did with all the money he borrowed. Our people are more improvised under his administration. It was during his tenure that Nigeria became the poverty capital of the world. Jonathan built Almajiri school during his regime. Buhari could not build one and he could not maintain the one that Jonathan built. So, it was very few Northerners and their families that were around Buhari that benefitted from him. North as a region and as the people did not benefit. Now we have a Southern president in Tinubu. He gave North the Minister of Education and Minister of State for Education, the Minister of Defence and the junior Minister in the defence, substantive Minister of Agriculture and the junior Minister of agriculture, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning. What North needs now is infrastructure, economic development, and qualitative education, not political power. Political power has not benefitted us. In the next eight years we don’t think North will think of political power. North should go for agricultural and economic development. And give quality education to our people. All indices of the North were at the lower ebbs during the last days of Buhari. We are happy that the Minister of Education is already making case for Almajiri Commission within just a few months in office. If you see the blueprint of the Minister of Agriculture, you will be amazed. Even though we are not where we ought to be, there is improvement in the area of insecurity. We can see some signs of improvement. There is a gentleman agreement between North and the South for the South to do eight years before going back to the North again.
Will North allow Tinubu to do eight years?
Of course, yes. Tell me how has North benefitted in the last eight years when North was in power, apart from kidnapping, killings and insurgency that Buhari left behind for us. How has the fortune of the North changed. For North to continue with political power is just for the benefit of very few people. We are telling the North not to seek political power in 2027. This is our position. And anybody who is not happy with our position should go and develop his own position. This is the fact. How has the fortunes of the North changed since independence, apart from the time of the late Premier of Northern region and the Second Republic. So, really we think North should stay out of power in 2027.
In the midst of this bad economy, brand new SUVs are being purchased for federal lawmakers. What is your reaction?
I think the lawmakers are not being sensitive to the mood of the nation. I strongly appeal to them to consider the mood of the nation. The present economic situation does not allow for frivolity, this kind of expenditure. They may incur the wrath of Nigerians because Nigerians are crying against it. They should listen to the people if truly they are representatives of the people.
What is your stand on Tinubu’s perceived nepotistic appointments of his Lagos/Yoruba people into his cabinet?
If you could remember, I was the first person from the North that granted an interview that no Northerner, and no Nigerian should accuse President Tinubu of nepotism. So far he has been fair and just to all regions in his appointments, especially that of the Service Chiefs. It has never been this balanced like he did. I think it is unfair and unjust for anybody to accuse President Tinubu of nepotism. It is not correct. His appointments has been fair and just. Even if Tinubu is doing nepotism, he is bringing the right people that know their jobs and who will get the jobs done. This is what we want. Provided Nigerians are getting results and are having food on their tables, they don’t care where you come from. Nigerians were crying over Buhari’s nepotism because they were not getting results. They were wrong pegs in wrong holes.
People are worried over the state of the naira, as well as socio-economic hardship in Nigeria. You may wish to comment on this?
This situation is not Tinubu’s creation. We should give him time to change the situation for the better. If after one and half years, we did not see positive changes, then we can start firing him. Do you want Tinubu to go and print naira or dollar? He can’t do that. So, we are appealing that Nigerians should give him more time. If after one and half years things did not improve, we know how to challenge him. There seems to be hope and light at the end of the tunnel with the few months he had spent in office. So, let’s give more time. I will be one of the first Nigerians to criticise him if things do not improve after one and half years in office. The challenges he met in office are not his creations. If they were his creations we will crucify him immediately, though he took over from his party; All Progressives Congress (APC). The reason some Nigerians did not vote for the ruling APC was not because they did not like Tinubu, but because of the failure of Buhari, his attitude to leadership. There is one thing Nigerians cannot take away from Tinubu, which is his capacity to assemble, get the right persons to get the jobs done. So, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.
