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Nonagenarian and elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, has expressed disappointment that the Nigeria of his dreams has yet to be realised.
“I regret that what we were expecting this country to become is not what we are having now. Be that as it may, nobody can change the situation. The only practical thing for anybody who wants to bring about some changes is to look at the future and the future that can make a difference,” he noted in an interview with Saturday Sun. He also explained why he threw his political weight behind the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over other major candidates, saying he wanted somebody with experience, not in the realm of theory, but in practice.
According to Yakasai, “Atiku has never been a head of government. He was Vice president and unfortunately, they didn’t get along with one another, he and his principal, and even his contributions were not given serious consideration by his principal. So, we cannot compare. Atiku has never been a head of government throughout the history of Nigeria.”
On why he is not supporting either of the duo of Obi and Kwankwso, Yakasai said they joined the presidential race after he had committed himself to supporting Tinubu. Amongst other issues, Yakasai explained his opposition to the establishment of state police in the country. He spoke with AIDOGHIE PAULINUS in Abuja
What can be done to remedy the insecurity in the country?
Well, we are just about two months to the new election. Whatever anybody can think of any solution to our national problems, he has to wait until the new government comes and then, you can offer your advice. So, what I have in my mind, I would rather save it for the arrival of the new government so that I can advise them. Whatever I say now, even if Buhari will take it, he doesn’t have the time, the opportunity to implement it. I would rather wait for the new administration.
What would you say about the hardship in the land, the controversial fuel subsidy issues and skyrocketing debts?
Don’t ask me questions about things that cannot be done at the moment. We can talk about issues for the new administration.
Let’s talk about politics. What are your thoughts about the candidates?
I have made my mind, my choice known. You know I have been supporting Tinubu. That is my final decision.
Are you satisfied with the campaigns so far?
I am satisfied with the campaigns so far because this is the first time since independence that we are now conducting campaign without violence all over the country. You don’t have any report of violence in Nigeria regarding the election.
But there have been cases, reports of violence…
Yes, we have that kind of situation even before the election. These are daily. You have them in America, you have them in England, and you have them everywhere.
Why did you choose Bola Ahmed Tinubu?
Well, you have your choice; I have mine. I have my reasons for that.
What are your reasons?
I want somebody with experience. Not in theory, but in practice.
Are you saying Atiku is not experienced?
Atiku has never been a head of government. He was Vice President and unfortunately, they didn’t get along with one another, he and his principal, and even his contributions were not given serious consideration by his principal. So, we cannot compare. Atiku has never been a head of government throughout the history of Nigeria.
How about Peter Obi and Kwankwaso who have been heads of government in their respective state?
Yes.
So, why are you not supporting them?
No, I have already committed myself by the time they came out. I have supported Tinubu for over a year now. Before I supported Tinubu, I made up my mind that I would not … that I would look for one person that soothes my thinking from the North and another person from the South. Out of the two, whoever comes to my house first. And I didn’t tell anybody. I kept it to my mind that whoever that came to seek my support was the person that would get my support. Tinubu is the only person, the first person that came to this house. Thank God that it was this house that he came to tell me that he was planning to contest and that he had marked my name to be among the people that he was going to inform of his intention and ask for their support. And there and then, I pledged my support to him and I will continue.
Kano is the state where the country gets the majority of votes from. With your support for Tinubu, how many votes are you assuring him in Kano?
I am not a fortune-teller. I can assure you that Tinubu will get the majority of votes in Kano, but how many, I am not a fortune-teller.
There are people who believe that power should stay in the North and here you are, supporting Tinubu. What is your take on this?
They are entitled to their opinion. Look, I have been an active member of our party, the NPN (defunct National Party of Nigeria), the first political party to suggest or to commit itself to rotation between the North and South. The NPN leaders thought of Nigeria as two plots. When the British brought Nigeria together, it took the British about ten years after conquering the South and the North. Northern protectorate, to bring them together, it took them time to think of all the consequences and eventually, they decided to bring the two together. Since they brought the two together, this is over a hundred years now. Yes, we had the experience of civil war, but we are not the first to experience civil war and we have been successfully done with it now – since the end of the civil war, nobody is talking about another war in Nigeria.
There are those who also believe that considering what Nigerians have gone through during the Buhari government in terms of hardship, that the APC should not be voted into power again. How do you view your position?
I have never said APC should not be brought to power. But I was opposed to Buhari. My reason is that he ruled this country before. I was there when he came to power as a military head of state and I was there when he left. I didn’t see much of his achievements. At that time, he was alpha and omega.
Whatever he said was the law and yet, I know you are a young person, but you have lived under his rule before. Can you tell me one good thing that the rule of Buhari at that time brought to Nigeria that we are now enjoying?
Some Nigerians are not sure whether the country will have a free and fair election in 2023…
(Cuts in) Well, they promised.
Does that bother you?
No. It is a trial in error. We did it before; we will continue to do it until we perfect it. Other countries did the same thing. No country woke up one morning and started doing their thing the way they are doing it now. It is the process of development.
How do you see the issue of BVAS, the electronic transmission of result?
It is a trial. You can’t say something will not work. Until a trial is given, then the experience in that will give you an opportunity to make up your mind.
Any regrets about the state of the county now compared to your time?
I regret that what we were expecting this country to become is not what we are having now. Be that as it may, nobody can change the situation. The only practical thing for anybody who wants to bring about some changes is to look at the future and the future that can make a difference. In the new election, not just this one, in consequent ones too, where new leaders will be brought to power, send your ideas before they come to power in the hope that some of them will pick up the ideas and when they are in power, they will implement them.
Are there differences between what we are experiencing in the country now and the first and second republics? If there are, what are those differences?
We are making progress. You know in the first republic, even before independence, we had regions. There was no united leadership in Nigeria. We had four major regions actually – the North, the West, the East and the Mid-West. Now, they are all merged together as one Nigeria. But now, with the presidential system of government, we elect a president, one president for the whole country. Therefore, we are changing from one state to another and for the better in my opinion.
What are your thoughts about money politics, particularly vote-buying?
It is a phenomenon and one day, it will disappear. It happened in America, it happened in other countries. They fought it and eventually, they succeeded. We will fight it and we will succeed.
How soon?
No, no, no. It can’t be predicted. It depends on the effort that Nigerians will put in to do away with all these unfortunate tendencies.
How do you see the roles of governors in providing security for the country?
Governors have no hand in security matter. The security apparatuses are not under the control of the governors.
But we usually say they are the chief security officers of their respective states…
Yes, that is true, but they have no police of their own; they have no military of their own.
That brings to mind, the issue of state police. What is your take on it?
I have never supported state police.
Why?
It will bring about chaos in Nigeria. I experienced state police before. I think you were not born then. I know how local police will be manipulated by local powers and they will do their bidding.
What year are you talking about?
When they brought Nigeria together – after the amalgamation; they were created then and developed till today. But they started with native authority police in my area and eventually, Nigeria police and now, with Nigeria police, we don’t have native authority police, we don’t have local government police. But my experience with native authority police made me to believe that if you create local police, they will be manipulated by local politicians, particularly in a federation where states are empowered to conduct elections. You see, if states are conducting elections, and they are controlling security apparatus, you have no power to stop the governors controlling the states to use police. If you allow governors to conduct election and you give them security apparatus, you know as much as I do, you will find one or two or three or more governors who will use the security apparatus in the interest of their party, and not in the interest of democracy or the country and that will lead the country into the type of chaos that we experienced once before the advent of military rule in Nigeria.
Local government autonomy: How was it done in the second republic?
Local government in those days were under the control of traditional rulers who had their police, who had their prisons and they were supporting one political party, particularly in my area, against others.
And they will use the police, the court and other institutions under their control to oppress the opposition; to deny the opposition the right to practise politics free of any interference. In that way, there is no free and fair election. Where you return local government police, you have taken the country back to that situation whether you like it or not.
