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By Sunday Ani
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Abba Gana
has said that Nigeria must urgently re-examine her politics to ensure the game is played devoid of rancour and bitterness. In this interview, the elder statesman spoke on various issues and urged political leaders to work towards bringing lasting peace, unity and prosperity to the country.
By next year, Nigeria would be holding another general election. There is tension in the land already as a result of that. As an elder statesman, what advice would you give to the political class ahead of 2023 poll?
Politics must be for all the people within a given jurisdiction and for capitalism to survive, it must have a human face and not tolerate poverty, hunger, mass unemployment and gross income inequality as inevitable as now obtains in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.
In Nigeria, our vision and aspiration should be that our politics and political leaders should/must bring peace, unity, security, happiness and lasting prosperity and development to all our diverse hardworking, obedient and patriotic citizens.
Again in Nigeria, we must urgently re-examine our politics. Our
politics should be without bitterness, hatred, anger, greed, injustice, unfairness and oppression and we must truly and sincerely be our brothers keepers as commanded by our Creator God, the Almighty and All-Knowing.
Our politics should also be with love for all citizens of Nigeria, tolerance for all and denial to none.
From your vantage position as an experienced politician, what are your recommendations on how we can get our politics right?
As part and parcel of getting our politics right, we must consciously and deliberately change our attitude to politics, government, religion, ethnicity, business, regionalism, work, culture and tradition etc. We retain the good aspect of our culture/tradition and continue with innovation and improvement.
Also, we urgently need very serious and sustained moral rearmament.
With social media breaking into all systems, cultures, traditions, our grand children will have ICT culture and tradition and even language.
No society of humans without ethical values, morals of behavior and character will inherit the earth because Satan or the devil will not allow them. Materialism will also cheer them along the wrong path. So let us start to develop good character, high values and morals as ethical system. India, China and Japan used science and technology to improve and develop their society but they retained their age old values, culture and tradition but here in Nigeria, we destroy our good cultures/traditions and import bad ones.
So we can have the best constitution and good restructuring, good laws and regulations and institutions but if we retain our bad habits and attitude to politics, government, religion, ethnicity, business etc., we can hardly make progress, bring prosperity, development, security, peace and unity to our people. So let us elect at all levels of government people of good character, high values and morals and proven competence and wisdom and with fear of God, our Creator and Sustainer. Show Your mercy on us Nigerians, ‘O God. Amin.
Finally, therefore for us Nigerian people to get our politics right is a task that must be done. This is because unless and until we as a people get our politics right, we cannot get all the other things we need/want right. So let all of us, Nigerians, pray to God the Almighty and All-Knowing, our Creator and Sustainer to help us, because He is merciful, to get our politics right in these our trying and difficult times.
The PDP is currently suffering from internal crisis ahead of the 2023 general election, what is the best way to achieve peace and unity which are key to how far the party would fare in the poll?
Reconciliation is necessary because it adds value and positive energy to any organization or our party, so our party, the great PDP becomes even greater.
Again, we must accept that nobody comes to the reconciliation talk and ends up with nothing at the end of the reconciliation.
Therefore, it’s given and accepted that a good and positive reconciliation is a process in which every side must gain something and lose something for the greater good of the organization, countries or individuals involved/concerned or even the whole world. In human affairs, because we human beings are not perfect, we are sometimes forced by circumstances to choose between two evils or nasty or difficult options. Here, men of knowledge and wisdom are consulted about which is the better alternative to accept or choose. Sometimes because of lack of wisdom or good and patriotic advice, leaders choose a cure or alternative which is much worse than the disease or the other or second alternative. Or a policy or process which cures the disease but the side effects kill the patient. The disease may not kill the patient but the side effects of the medicine can kill the patient. This is the reason why leaders and rulers must always seek and keep men of knowledge and wisdom& patriotism around them.
Finally, in all matters, the goodness of an action/policy/process is measured by the amount of happiness in the majority of the people it produces.
And unless the country is secure, all other things cannot be done. Security and welfare of the people are fundamental. It is contained in Chapter 2 of the constitution which talks about the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy. Section 14(B) states clearly that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. Once you secure and unite the country, there will be peace. When there is security, peace and unity, other things can be done with ease.
