The Convener, Arewa Think Tank, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu has said that President Bola Tinubu is succeeding in the war against corruption because the president has no political godfather that will remote control him and distract him from providing good governance to the people. Yakubu added that Tinubu’s emergence as the President of Nigeria was as a result of hard work, determination and the will of God, hence he is free to fight corruption and insecurity to a standstill.
In this interview with NOAH EBIJE in Kaduna, the Convener of Arewa Think Tank who is also a member of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) noted that at the rate President Tinubu is going about the affairs of the country, Nigerians will not be disappointed in the next few months, insisting that there will be no vacancy at the presidency in 2027.
How do you feel that Nigeria began the new year with embarrassing issues of corruption running into billions of naira, especially at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation?
There is nothing embarrassing about Nigeria starting the new year with issues and cases of corruption running into billions of naira, especially at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty alleviation. What could have been more embarrassing is that as these cases are being unveiled, the President shows a lukewarm attitude or has not taken action. But he has taken action about it. So there is nothing embarrassing about it. There are corruption cases all over the world; what matters is to take action against corruption. If the former President Muhammadu Buhari had taken action against corruption in the eight years of his administration, Nigeria would have been far ahead now. The last time this kind of action was being taken was during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government of eight years. Those who were found in corruption were dealt with during his tenure. If you remember, an elder like Chief Sunday Afolabi, who was very close to Obasanjo, I think he was a head boy during their secondary school days, he was not spared. So there is nothing like embarrassment. President Tinubu is taking the bull by the horn. And the actions he has taken so far are very impressive. We want to encourage him to do more of this, there should be no sacred cow. Whoever is caught should be dealt with. So far he has done very well. And we will continue to support him. And our prayers at Arewa Think Tank is to appeal to Nigerians to be patient with him. Let’s give him, like I continue to say, one year and one and half years to see what he will do. I learnt that he has cut local and international travel allowance by government officials by 60 per cent. This is encouraging. So we should continue to pray for him and encourage him. Where he has done well, we should say it because it is not easy managing a complex country like Nigeria. He has shown the will and capacity to do the job. So let’s continue to support him. I also want to use this medium to warn disgruntled politicians not to overheat the system with this corruption issues. They should allow the President to tackle it; he is taking charge. I can see some terrible comments on the social media which tend to overheat the system. We shouldn’t overheat the system. We shouldn’t overheat the polity. We should let the president to take charge. The opposition did not overheat the system when things went terribly bad in the last eight years. Let us allow President Tinubu to take charge and do the needful.
It appears that each time there is an issue of corruption in the country, some people tend to bring ethno-religious sentiments into it, trying to give a clean slate to the accused. How will you react to this?
From your question, you said each time there is issue of corruption, people tend to bring ethno-religious sentiments into it. This will not work with President Tinubu. I am not defending him, but I am defending some of the actions he has taken so far. If you see recently, he sacked the DG of BPE, Mr. Alexander Ayoola. From the name, you know he is from the South. Not only him, Tinubu also sacked Babatunde Irukera of the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC). He is also from the South-West. So we shouldn’t overheat the politics with unnecessary sentiments. And from the actions of President Tinubu so far, you cannot associate him with ethno-religious sentiments. He has been very blunt. He has been very decisive. We want to continue to encourage him to take decisive actions that will be for the benefit of the whole country.
Would you encourage Tinubu to probe the immediate past administration under Buhari?
With what is happening now and the actions Mr. President has taken so far, he is telling Nigerians and the whole world the stuff he is made of. And his actions are signs of good things to come. Tinubu is ready to take head-on anybody who wants to boast of a godfather somewhere or feels he or she is a sacred cow that cannot be touched. This is because Tinubu’s emergence as the President is divine. Nobody can lay claim he made Tinubu President. He campaigned and promised to tackle most of these issues, particularly the issue of corruption, revival of the economy and boosting of power and insecurity. So he has the backing of Nigerians. In fact, the actions he had taken in the last few weeks have overshot his ratings. His ratings have greatly improved among Nigerians. We encourage him to probe anybody found wanting from the past administration of President Buhari.
Insecurity especially kidnapping and killings are serious challenges facing every part of the country, and the North in particular. Do you think the federal government is doing enough to find lasting solutions to these challenges?
Insecurity and kidnapping and killings and so on are security challenges that Tinubu inherited from Buhari. And from the actions his service chiefs are taking now, there are some improvements, it is just that the thing is terribly bad and you cannot see results immediately. You can see the best they’re putting in, though we are not yet where we ought to be. Their best is not good enough, but there is room for improvement. If there is no improvement, I believe that Mr. President will take drastic action to get lasting solutions. Unlike what it used to be in the last eight years, I think the entire leadership of the country is talking and showing empathy whenever killings by terrorists take place in the country. The leaders talk tough and you could see in their talks that there are actions. So I am still pleading that we give President Tinubu some time to tackle the challenges. The challenges are going to be a thing of the past by God’s grace. I want to use this medium to suggest to the President that he should summon the meeting of retired service chiefs that had served this country, as well as retired military and security officers, including the police. He should have a one-day retreat and brainstorm with them and give them a matching order to see how we can solve these problems. I am sure if this done, we will start seeing improvement in the next three months.
The court has ordered the federal government to pay the former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele N100 million for violation of his human rights. What do you make of this ruling?
I think the court should be careful so that in adjudicating some of these cases they should temper justice with common sense in the sense that they should gauge the mood and feelings of the country. Although the cases are still in court, I don’t want to dwell too much on it, everybody knows, including the judges, but I don’t know if they didn’t feel the pains that Nigerians were going through when Emefiele was the CBN governor, particularly during the election as regards the redesigning of the naira. If some of them felt the pains that Nigerians felt, including the death of some Nigerians in the process of struggling to get their own money, I think the judges should be careful. Since the case is in court I don’t want to dwell too much on it. But I think judges should be extremely careful. The mood of the nation should be paramount in their minds because the judiciary has a very bad name now. So they need a lot of house cleaning to get their name back on good track.
There is tension and anxiety in the country over expected Supreme Court judgment on governorship elections. Do you foresee Supreme Court’s judgment favouring the masses, especially where they alleged election rigging?
Whether Supreme Court judgments will favour the masses is not the issue. What is the issue now is that the judiciary has the sacred duty of upholding its name and honour and doing the right thing. All eyes are on the judiciary now, the world is watching the judiciary now and I think what should be in their best interest is to do the right thing and to clean their name and uphold their honour. And I also want to advise that the cases are taking too long, it is getting to almost one year after the election and cases are still not being adjudicated. It is not fair, and it doesn’t help the process, it doesn’t help democracy at all. Some of the things we are planning to do when the amendment of the constitution comes, is to see that the National Assembly should amend the law in such a way that immediately elections are conducted, before candidates are sworn in, all election cases should be disposed of. This will help build trust, it will help sanitise our democracy and elections. Elections are not supposed to be conducted and won in the court. Elections are supposed to be won at the polls. So all eyes are on the judiciary. This is a golden opportunity for them to do the right thing. Not only doing the right thing, but redeeming their image because their image is really at a crossroads. I wish them well.
What is your reaction to some people accusing Tinubu of wielding the big stick over the actions he has taken so far on corrupt public officials?
President Tinubu’s action so far on corruption does not amount to killing the fly with the sledge hammer because those corrupt public officials that are facing EFCC for interrogation committed serious financial crimes. I remember that the President has repeated on many occasions that, and I quote, “I took an oath to serve this country and give my best at all times. Like I said in the past, no excuse for poor performance from any of my appointees will be good enough”
Tinubu had said it not once or twice that public officials who are not ready to offer meaningful service would be shown the way out of office. To show that it was not just an empty talk, the President made sure that all ministers were given their job targets and performance guidelines. I want to believe that the purpose of this was to have measurable benchmarks that would enable assessment of performance.
For President Tinubu it is either positive contribution to Nigeria or nothing at all, as he said in his new year message to the nation.
Earlier in the week, President Tinubu suspended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, from office. The suspension was to allow for a thorough investigation into allegations of financial impropriety against her. A few days earlier the President had directed the suspension of the National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Hajiya Halima Shehu. Her suspension was in response to alleged suspicious movement of cash from the National Social Investment Programme Agency NSIPA account into private purses. I believe their suspension was the rightful administrative practice to enable them clear their names and not obstruct investigations.
Unfortunately, these two women were not just ordinary public office holders. They are individuals who are very close to the President on account of their membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the prominent roles they played in his campaign.
Those who know the closeness the two ladies have with the President thought he would dilly-dally and not wield the big stick. In particular, some had placed bets that nothing could happen to Betta, who was a workaholic National Women Leader of the party during the campaign.
But for President Tinubu, political relationships and personal debts would have to give way where public interest and accountability are on the table. Someone else could sacrifice the commonwealth of Nigerians and disregard public outcry to save their associates, not President Tinubu that I know.
During his inauguration as the President on May 29, last year, President Tinubu vowed to put the interest of the public first. He had sworn to protect the national interest “without fear or favour; affection or ill will.” Living up to the wordings of the oath of office means there would be no sacred cows and no one too big or too small to face any necessary sanction. Mr. President had said this repeatedly.
Mark you, public interest is about trust. It is ensuring that the commonwealth of the citizens is not pilfered or mismanaged by those unto which it is entrusted. In this regard, President Tinubu has done well to set the example for his appointees. For him leadership is about service and sacrifice. That is his mantra and the code of conduct he would expect from all his appointees. No more, no less. And like I keep saying, let’s give him more times to perform or fail to perform before we begin to criticise him.
The G5 PDP governors headed by Nysom Wike said they will work for the re-election of President Tinubu in 2027. However, some Nigerians have accused them of seeking political relevance and recognition by this government. What is your thought about their stand?
The assertion by the G5 PDP governors led by the former governor of Rivers State, Nysom Wike who is now the FCT Minister is not about seeking political relevance when they said that they are going to work for President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. They have seen the handwriting on the wall, there is not going to be vacancy in the Villa by 2027 because by that time Tinubu must have worked so hard that Nigerians would have no alternative than to give him a second chance to continue with the good job he is doing. I can tell you this for free, I am not campaigning for Tinubu now but I can tell you that he is going to surprise Nigerians very positively. Apart from God, nobody has control over Tinubu from some of his actions we have seen now. He is going to set and write his name in gold in the Nigeria political history. Nigerians should continue to pray for him and support him.