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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Former Secretary General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mr. Anthony Sani has said that zoning has become a hard nut to crack because of the lack of national consensus on the matter.
In this interview, Sani spoke on various issues and also x-rayed a communiqué issued by the Southern and Middle Belt leaders from a meeting they held in Abuja recently.
How do you see the management of the Electoral Law 2021/22 in our multiparty democracy?
I accept the tag that I am a friend of the government. But I am not comfortable with the apparent lack of harmony between the Executive and legislative arms of government.This is because it seems APC does not know its place in our multiparty democracy. I expect the party to know that Nigerians were clear in what they wanted by voting APC at Executive level and majority in the legislature in order to avoid filibustering posed by opposition.That is why the government is APC -controlled. But for the Electoral Amendment Bill and even the constitutional Amendment bill to be managed as if APC has no positions on the items under consideration has conveyed the avoidable impression that ACF itself does not know its place in the order of things.The party needs to know why the present regime is said to be APC government, and APC is accountable.
Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum held a meeting recently in Abuja on the state of the nation and issued a communiqué. Other regional groups like Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF (South South), Southern Kaduna People’s Union SOKAPU, among others were represented at the meeting. Why was Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) not part of that meeting?
I do not know why Arewa Consultative Forum did not participate in the meeting. But I guess ACF was not invited out of fear that it would not agree with some of their resolutions that are common place knowledge. I think the Southern platforms knew it was working from the answer which might not be agreeable to ACF, thus,there was no need to invite the Arewa Consultative Forum.
The meeting noted that the existing constitution and structure of Nigeria are grossly flawed, therefore, insists on the fundamental restructuring of the country, to reflect true federalism, enthrone equity, fairness and justice, before the 2023 General Elections. What is your reaction?
There is no perfect constitution anywhere in the world. All processes of nation building are work in progress. So, there can be no cavil with the significance of their calls or demands. But when they talk of true federalism,one does not know what that means,considering that no two federal systems are self same. All federal systems depend on circumstances of their emergence. For example, 13 American colonies came together and formed a confederation with a weak center. And after some 10 years or so, they realized the confederate arrangement could not hold America together as one United whole, hence the change to federalism where the national government is appropriately balanced by state level power.
And one they talk of equity, justice and fairness as condition for next general elections, it is because they are ignorant of the trite that order, justice,equity,liberty,common decency and prosperity for all are never natural order of things.These things are attained through ceaseless hard work by both leaders and the led. So, as groups which profess jaunty face of democracy values, they should know that whatever restructuring they want for the country should be done democratically.It is not for some unelected platforms to try to foist their preferences on the rest of the country.That is not how democracy works.
The meeting declared support for State Police, saying that it is a sine qua non in a federal system of government. What do you have to say to this?
The National Assembly has voted and rejected state police which the Southern platforms believe would cut the Gordian knot as far as insecurity across the nation is concerned. I want to believe the National Assembly knows the challenges are not lack of state police but lack of enough, adequately trained and equipped Nigerian Police personnel who are properly motivated to secure the nation. Also, given the high possibility of abuse of state police by state governors reminiscent of how they have abused State Electoral Commissions and killed democracy at local government levels as well as possibility of state police personnel becoming part of the problems instead of solution in those states that are diverse, the National Assembly has not considered state police as panacea of the challenges posed by insecurity. So,State police which suffers what the Nigerian police suffers cannot be the magic wand.
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As regards their submissions on capacity of government, it seems they are the ones whom Dr Henry Kissinger had in mind when he said many elites of the third world do not make the needed clear distinction between power of government and the claims made on behalf of the governments.They do not even know that being grouped among third world countries is never matter of choice but of capacity. You may wish to know that America is about 245 years in independence, yet it has challenges of insecurity caused by mass shooting. About 12,000 Americans died from mass shooting last year alone. With all its advancement, America is still struggling to control the influx of foreigners by contemplating to build wall along its borders. Nigeria is only 61 years old In Independence.
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders also demanded the harmonization and immediate implementation of the Reports of the 2014 National Conference and the 2018 APC Committee on True Federalism rather than the current Constitutional Amendment, which they believe is a drain on the resources of the country and do not address fundamental issues including fiscal federalism. Do you agree with them?
As groups which profess jaunty face of democratic values,they are too intelligent not to know that the 2014 confab was unelected. Also,Governor El-Rufai’s Committee on restructuring of Nigeria was unelected. And so,their recommendations cannot be binding on the democratic institutions saddled with responsibility of causing good governance to happen and preventing bad ones from happening.The best that can happen with the two reports is for the political parties to use agreeable recommendations as parts of their manifesto and use same to canvass for electoral mandate needed for execution. In the same way, the two reports can serve as resource materials to enrich the quality and volume of deliberations in the National Assembly for the good of our multiparty democracy.
These leaders called on all lovers of peace and equity in Nigeria, particularly the people of Southern Nigeria and Middle Belt region to reject any political party that fails to zone its presidential ticket to the South. Are you comfortable with this position?
I have said it over and over again that the absence of national consensus on politics of zoning and rotation that are binding on the political parties would make it hard for their resolutions about fielding only candidates from the South to find expression. No one is opposed to having a president from the South or any part of the country in 2023, for that matter, as long as it is done democratically, and not through some form of affirmative action that comes with threats and intimidation.
On the worsening state of insecurity in the country, the forum decries the continued kidnappings and killings of innocent citizens and wanton destruction of livelihoods across the country by terrorists and criminals, especially in the North West, North East and Middle Belt region. What is your reaction to that?
Most Nigerians are saddened by insecurity posed not only in the North but across the country through activities of insurgents, gun men, banditry, kidnapping, armed robberies, militant activism, ritual killings and cultism. Most of these killings are due to collapse of national ideals, moral values that come with inability to differentiate between what is right and what is evil.Our sacred core of inviolability of the individual is going down hill. And since no government can be effective amid moral decadence, it follows that government alone cannot bring about security. All Nigerians must come together and support the government through some form of cultural Renaissance.
The forum at the meeting demanded what they called, in national interest, the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu and a stop to any further persecution of Sunday Igboho, who is currently on a conditional release in Benin Republic. What do you have to say to this?
Both Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Ighoho are charged for felony. Some sections of Nigeria do not believe the duo have committed any treason. And so, in order to dispel any misconceptions and discourage bad behaviors,the law should take its course through fair trials.
Southern and Middle Belt leaders also warned that the Federal government’s alleged lukewarm attitude in tackling the security challenges in the country lends credence to impressions that this administration is using insecurity to foster certain political agenda. What is your take here?
Any group which alleges that the inability of the government to put an end to insecurity across the country is to further an agenda can as well say the inability to eradicate poverty is to further an agenda. People should be fair enough and remember that this government used stopping insecurity as its campaign mantra. It is therefore vociferous bunkum of any group to allege that the same government would promote insecurity to feather its nets.I do not agree.
