From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Former Secretary General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony Sani, has joined other Nigerians who are against the relocation of key departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos, saying that the move would rubbish the original plans of decongesting Lagos as the former capital of Nigeria.
In this interview with Sunday Sun, Sani also spoke on other national issues. Excerpts:
There are serious criticisms against the relocation of key departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). The Northern interest in particular is seriously against this relocation issue. What is your take on this?
That relocation of some departments of CBN from Abuja to Lagos has drawn the err of some northern leaders has more to do with the reasons given for the actions. You would recall the national capital was moved from Lagos to Abuja in order to decongest Lagos.To now say the current movements back to Lagos is to decongest Abuja runs across the grain of the very basis of relocation of the nation’s capital to Abuja.
The charge of marginalization of the North does not make much sense, especially when regard is paid to the fact of history that the North has governed this country more than the South.What is your reactions to this?
The South has been at advantage due to history, nearness to the ports and access to western education many decades before it reached the North. What is more, Northerners truly believe in one united big Nigeria. As a result, they regard governance as art of balancing competing demands among constituent parts and among socio-economic sectors.This is not the same with Southerners who believe power which distribute access to national resources should be turn by turn. When it is the turn of the South, the tendency is to skew development towards the South.
There is this allegation that all the members of Peace Committee set up by the Plateau State government are Christians. What can you say to this?
The constitution of only Christians as members of the peace committee in Plateau State cannot promote peaceful co-existence in the state precisely because Plateau State is among the states which are diverse by both ethnicity and religion. I, therefore, do not fault the observations by MURIC. And if MURIC is able to maintain this balanced stands for all faiths and in all circumstances, its contribution to peace building across the country would highly be appreciated.
How do you react to recent judgment by Supreme Court across the country?
The judgments favoured both the ruling party and the main opposition party. In fact, the number for the opposition party is even more. I hope and pray that such judgments would inspire more confidence in the judiciary, since such confidence in our democratic institutions is sine qua non for multi-party democracy.
Terrorism, kidnapping appears to be increasing by the day. What should government do to tame insecurity generally?
Nigerians expect President Bola Tinubu to prioritize his programmes in favour of taming insecurity in order to create environment for socio-economic development that includes farming. The regime can bring down prices and inflation by deregulation of the downstream sector. Full deregulation is about the only way fuel subsidy would be complete, considering we still import fuel with dollar and the naira is in state of flux. If Dangote refineries become operational and the downstream is fully deregulated, I believe prices and inflation will go down through some form of fair competition.
Some politicians have started scheming for 2027 general election in the country. Would you say it is too early since this current government has neither settled down nor has it started giving dividends of democracy to the people?
Those politicians scheming for 2027 have the right to do so in so far as they are not against the law of the land. Except that it is rather too early. What may be responsible for this early politics is the undue premium put on politics of identity which is supplanting the relevance of performance in the polity. I am, therefore, appealing to the aspirants to allow the people to come together and unleash their synergy against collective challenges until the next cycle of elections when they would be expected to go back to the field for campaigns.
North is believed to be working hard 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?
I am not aware of any plan by the North to take back power in 2027 by planning not to support a candidate from the South, especially when regard is paid to the fact that it was APC governors in the North who caused the prevailing of Mr Bola Tinubu during the last primaries leading to his victory in the elections. I, therefore, do not think President Bola Tinubu has grated the nerves of the North that would change its mind, given the fact that the regime is too young for any realistic assessment of its performance.
Many Nigerians actually believe that the Igbo from the Southeast deserve the Presidency in 2027 having been marginalised for many years over the presidency. Will you advise your Northern kinsmen to allow the Igbo have it?
I do not share the view that the Igbo have been marginalised, considering that the Igbo have occupied every elected and appointed positions in the Federal Government. Multi-party democracy is never an affirmative action, but a game of wits. If the Igbo wish to produce the president in 2027, then they must design a winning game plan and approach the rest of the country for support. In doing so, the Igbo must stop being bellicose and percussive in politics. This is because democracy is never a bull fight, but a contest of ideas and reasons.
What is your stand on the allegations in some quarters of Tinubu’s perceived nepotistic appointments of his Lagos/ Yoruba people into his cabinet?
There are two possible reasons informing the president’s alleged nepotism. Either he wants to live up the implications of politics of identity symbolized by rotation where failure of leadership has made people to believe the solution is for access to national resources to be turn by turn, or he wants to impel progress of the country by multiplying his strength through those he knows can help him deliver on the promise of his electoral mandate and make politics of identity irrelevant. Whichever one has informed his approach, only time would tell.
Would you say politics of religion has influenced the distribution of appointments by President Bola Tinubu?
I would rather say that religious politics has died in Nigeria. Politics of religion featured during the campaigns due to the Muslim-Muslim ticket and activities of leaders of Middle Belt Forum, as well as what Peter Obi and Lawal Babachir said. But the distribution of appointments by religion so far by the president has vindicated his claim that he does not intend to play religious politics. Benue State is the most Christian State in the North, which did not pander to politics of religion when it decided to vote President Bola Tinubu on 25/2/2023. As a result, the president has appointed SGF from Benue State as compensation and political statement of inclusiveness which the blind can see and the deaf can hear.
What is your view on the current state of the economy where inflation is on the rise on daily basis?
Many countries are going through high inflation rates that are becoming global due to climate change and the war in Ukraine. In Nigeria, the high inflation which is a natural concomitant of removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the naira is what people are complaining about. Happily enough President Bola Tinubu is aware of the hardship the policies have caused, hence his frequent plea on the TV that Nigerians should understand with him that removal of the fuel subsidy was not matter of choice. I have read reports that Fitch has rated the economy favourably. That is to say, the sacrifices being made by Nigerians may not be in vain. I have never seen a president of Nigeria personally pleading with Nigerians for understanding the way President Tinubu has been doing over the TV. I believe the president has located the courage of his conviction which enabled him to hit the ground running. We hope he would be consistent in his policies and avoid policy summersault that has been the bane of our socio-economic development. That is to say, inconsistent policies have been the bane of socio-economic development. All the regime needs at this trying time is support by Nigerians of its policies and programmes.
Most Nigerians are worried over the weakening state of the naira as well as economic hardship in the country. What’s your take on this?
It is natural for people to worry during difficult times. But hard times should bring about national grandeur, bring about purposeful leadership and the best of everyone, and not mere lamentations. If animals can hibernate in order to survive winter, and if shrubs can defoliate in order to survive drought, we with intellect should be able to overcome the hardship and adversity. Adversity which does not kill us would make us stronger.