Chief, election is approaching but it
is like everything is under alarm, no need for control anymore in the land, how
do you see events in the country today?
Nigeria is a
country created by God, and the country was colonized by the British
Government, we got amalgamated in 1914, got our Independence in 1960 and became
a Republic in 1963. So what is happening, I would say, is a stage. When you
have a new child, from zero year to one year, 2, 3, 4…and up the ladder, it
passes through stages. And in the process of passing through those stages, there
are bound to be crisis, either physical crisis, sociological crisis, as the
case may be. So Nigeria was born in 1960 and it is passing through stages of
development. That is how I see what is happening in the country. We are passing
through stages of advanced development, just like America, Britain and all the
super powers.
In as much
as all is not well, but I see it as what we must go through to get to where we
are going. Don’t forget that the Israelites passed through stages before they
were liberated from Pharaoh to the Promise Land. And you know it took about 400
years. So certain things that are happening, we relate them to the Holy Bible,
if possible the Holy Quran, because these books work hand in hand, but in most
cases human beings out of personal or selfish interests misinterpret them. So
Nigeria is passing through a stage of transition in development, in
advancement, that is the way I look at it. And somebody must make mistake
somewhere, then somebody must be somewhere to correct it in order to move
forward. So we shall agree to agree and agree to disagree. That is the only
way, it is not a one way something, that is the only way we can move forward.
There is this allegation that thugs
loyal to APC are planning attacks on non-indigenes loyal to other parties, have
you heard or read about it?
Where? I am
not a Lagosian, but nobody has ever attacked me. My friends are not Lagosians
and nobody has ever attacked them. All our businesses are intact, nobody has
ever attacked them. You see, I don’t want to believe that. Irrespective of
party affiliation, I don’t want to believe that PDP will attack non-indigenes
in Lagos, that Labour will attack non-indigenes, that APC will attack
non-indigenes, no, I don’t believe that, but you see, in every society, there
are bound to be Judases, you have hoodlums who capitalize on every mass
movement to cause mayhem. So if such a thing is happening, I would say it is
hoodlum, in as much as I am not preempting the police investigation, but that
is my believe, but we have to wait the outcome of the police investigation
because I learnt that whatever that has happened in Lagos the police will
investigate it, and it is their work to investigate, I am not an investigator, I
am only a Nigerian, a public analyst so to say, and who feels through the press
I would contribute to nation-building, so the issue of attack on any political
party is neither here nor there, to me
it is dead on arrival.
Your take on suspension of APC rally
in Lagos, and its likely impact on the party faithful
You see, we
are passing the crisis stage so to say, it is proper that at some point in time
you pause a bit to x-ray the situation to know what is happening in order to
know where to make amend, and any responsible government is expected to do
that. That we are doing campaign in Lagos should not stop the governor from
governance. So what he did, as he is campaigning, he is still listening to the
yearnings of the people, so for me I congratulate Sanwo-Olu for saying, let
this power be now, let this campaign for power be now, let me go back and look
at it in line with the yearnings of the people, because it is God that gives
power, he didn’t pay God to put him there. Therefore, when God is talking
through the people, he is bound to listen and that is what he has done.
He appears
to be saying, Campaign hold on, let me go back to the drawing board and know
how to solve the problems of my people, people that depend on me, people that
look up to me as their governor. That shows that he has listening ear; that
shows that he will go far. And look at it, he went further to slash the BRT
fare and that of other transport channels in Lagos State, that shows that he
has ears on ground; that shows that the man is determined to make the poor
masses feel or have sense of belonging, that shows that he is sympathetic, and
I congratulate him. Whenever he sees that the situation has improved, he can
continue on his campaign and I believe it is a walkover for him. Come to think
of it there is no money, he is not even finding it easy to move, it is
affecting him too, that he is a governor doesn’t mean that he is rich, he is
only there as a coordinator of ideas and plans, he is there to harness, he is
not the richest man, he is not there because he is rich, he is there because
people trust him, he can manage our affairs, and that is why he has to look
back. So I congratulate him for taking that step, and I congratulate APC in
Lagos for doing that. I believe, God willing, he will return to that seat to
succeed himself by May 29, 2023.
Slashing of fare of all transport
channels in Lagos at this election time, do you think it is not politically
motivated?
Why? He
didn’t do it when there was no crisis, it is during this crisis that he did it.
So it has nothing to do with vote, but to ameliorate the sufferings of the
people within this time we have naira design and financial crises so that
people can move. What is going to give him vote is the work he has done in
Lagos, it has nothing to do with votes, as far as I am concerned. It is
governance, he feels the pulse of the people, feel their pains, because as a
government if you don’t feel the pain of your people, then you are dead on
arrival.
Your take on the currency design and
the Supreme Court intervention.
How appropriate are they?
First of
all, let me remind you that at some point in time some pressmen came to this
office when this idea was muted. For me, so far it is done in line with fiscal
policy, there is no problem, let us do it in such a way that there will be no
crisis and people will not suffer. Absolutely okay, fine, currency redesign, it
happens once in a while in every country all over the world, this is not the
first, second, and this will not be the
last time. Countries at some point in time redesign their currencies to
checkmate certain things, it is a good policy. But then, the implementation is
not all that perfect. So we need an improved style of implementation so there
won’t be crisis, and that is why I want to congratulate the President and the
Council of States’ meeting to say, push out new notes or recirculate the old
ones, that shows there are elders in this country, because in Igbo land they
say okenye anaghi ano nu’lo eghu amuo
n’ogbu (an elder will not be in the house and the goat delivers in tethers.)
that is what they have done. The president in his own wisdom was fast enough to
call the meeting, this thing is giving problem, what do we do? That is the work
of the council of states where all the governors, former Chief Justice of
Nigeria, some ministers, former presidents and Head of States. They were
available to give wise counsels. I congratulate them for their timely
intervention.
Again I must
extol the virtues of the Supreme Court that made an order that these notes
should go pari-passu with the new ones until the determination of the
substantive case for which I congratulate the Federal Government, more
especially the minister of Justice; that is Malami, for coming out to say that
we must obey the court order.
Because the
news everywhere is that they don’t obey court order, and he made the statement
that the order must be obeyed. So it is a welcome development. And I want to
appeal to the CBN Governor, no matter the situation, he is my brother, let him
look inward, I won’t throw him away. Let him look inwards and make serious
amendment in this implementation strategies so that this country does not boil,
we have heard enough crisis, we have had enough disturbances in this country.
Do you think President Muhammadu
Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu are best of friends viewed against what is
happening in APC now?
You see when
people talk out of box they are bound to make mistakes. They are two parallel
individuals that were brought together by politics and a different political
party emerged. President Muhammadu Buhari by his training is not supposed to
talk too much, as a seasoned revered General in the army. You can’t take it away
from him, so he is trained to hold so many things in his chest, but you know, these
democracy and politics have made him to be talking even when he is not supposed
to talk as a soldier and people misunderstand him for that. Then Asiwaju Ahmed
Tinubu is a technocrat, and a businessman, an accountant for that matter, if I
am not mistaking. He is bound to talk, and two of them came together
politically. In as much as I have not discussed with any of them, either as a
group or as individual, but for someone to assume that they are not best of
friends, I think it is a misinterpretation of their relationship. And any
person moving with that notion is playing with fire as far as I am concerned. Look
at the primary we had, at no particular time did Buhari interfere, if you
listened to El Rufai’s interview on how they selected Tinubu, you can agree with me that the relationship
is very very cordial. But one thing is that Buhari doesn’t want to offend so many of his close friends,
those that came to him when he was in need, he wanted to have a level playing
ground, with any of them so that he can lie down and sleep, and that is what
exhibited at the Primary. And what I am saying now is being backed up by what
Governor El Rufai said in his interview when they were trying to select Buhar’s
successor. And I want to use this opportunity to congratulate El Rufai for
being bold enough to explain things to us, those of us out there. So the relationship
to me is very cordial, and robust. Buhari made it clear, campaign should not
pull you away from governance, you don’t expect Buhari to be everywhere,
otherwise why did he accept to be the chairman of the presidential campaign
council and the wife Aisha is the co-chairperson of the women wing? Okay look
at the outings they have had, on Tuesday they will be in Imo State, two of them
were in Nasarawa, they were in Kogi, they were in Katsina, and they were in
Sokoto, I was in Katsina, I was in Sokoto to witness what is going on, and you
see President Buhari making punchy statements, dropping bombshell to tell
Nigerians that his successor is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, what else do you
want him to do? Then Asiwaju on his part, is a political giant, he has the
will, he has the power, he has the capacity. He has the knowledge, all over him
is politics; his brain is politics, his speech is politics, his knows when to
cut his onions, and he is bold enough to speak his mind at any point in time.
That is what is playing out.
The election is days away, do you
think that the APC candidate has shown capacity to ascend the apex position in
the land?
The answer
is yes, and will continue to be yes, and will be yes even when he is sworn in.
He has campaigned more than any other presidential candidates, and that also
brings me to the issue of his health, which I warned people seriously. That was
what they did when Buhari was coming in, but Buhari is completing his eight
years; working majestically, very lanky, smooth, handsome man. Look at Asiwaju,
the day he came to Anambra, from Anambra he moved to Bayelsa, the same day. You
see him traversing the nook and cranny of this nation, talking, campaigning;
talking sense, making pronouncements, yesterday or so he proffered solution to
the CBN governor on how to handle the currency issue so that we don’t run into
crisis. So he has the knowledge, the experience, the capacity, to handle this
country, and I believe God will help him to achieve that. He may not be the
best but you assess somebody from what he has done before, people say why using
Lagos, yes, we must use Lagos because Lagos is mini Nigeria, if Lagos fails,
this country has failed, so if Tinubu was able to change the narrative in
Lagos, to build men in this country, across the six geopolitical zones, I mean,
what are we talking about? Jealousy will not stop that, backbiting, blackmail
will not stop that, it is only God can stop him. From what he has done in this
country, building human beings, whatever you are doing in the whole world, you
must build human beings, Asiwaju has built human beings, notable people, across
this country. Let him go there, let him go and perform. In the bible they say,
Zerubabel made the foundation he will complete, so Asiwaju made the foundation
of the democracy we are enjoying today, let him now go and cement it, and make
sure it is permanent, so that when he goes we can’t go back to military era.
On the issue of fuel crisis in
Nigeria which has climaxed under this administration, what do you think
government can do to ameliorate the sufferings of the masses?
I think in
1974 there was fuel crisis; fuel crisis has been coming and going, I am not
saying that it is good, but it has been coming and going, and this
administration is trying their best to make sure that it is solved, what we
need is patience, in as much as I condemn it in its entirety, but let’s give
government sometimes, I think something is already being done to ameliorate it.
Peter Obi and Atiku could be said to
be the major opposition to Tinubu as at now, what magic do you think Tinubu can
do to upstage these formidable two?
Well let me
first of all congratulate my dear brother, His Excellency Peter Gregory Obi,
his participation in this presidential race is a welcome development, he has done
well and he is doing well, that has led all the political contenders to be on
their toes, he is a great man, and I like him for that. But then, I think that
the battle is tough, it is a serious battle, and nobody; nobody should even
underrate him, from what is going on, nobody. If anybody makes the mistake of
underrating him, that person is playing with fire. Nobody should also underrate
the former Vice President, the Turaki of Adamawa, so the battle is tight, but
from all indications, the way I am seeing this thing, hearing from people that
are analyzing the campaign movement and all that, Tinubu has an edge, and I
think and believe he will win.
But I keep
warning that we must be on our toes, we must work harder, because the narrative
has changed, the tempo changed, the tempo is too high. Why are you talking
about Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, are you underrating Kwankwaso, what do you
think he is doing? He is a force to reckon with. So our party must step up very
well, which we are already doing, so many strategies are on ground, but let
nobody underrate each other.
Is your party also banking on power
of incumbency?
You see the
power of incumbency has nothing to do with election, because the power of
incumbency didn’t play out in 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari defeated
Jonathan. It is your good work. We are banking on infrastructure done by APC,
and the experience Tinubu is bringing to bear into the system, judging from his
record in Lagos which is a mini-Nigeria, infrastructure, IGR development. You
see, you can’t run away from human development, whatever you are doing try to
develop human beings, and he has been able to do that without tribal sentiment.
He has it above every other Nigerian now, in politics, including myself
talking, he doesn’t segregate, whether a Christian, a Moslem, Yoruba, Igbo,
Hausa, it doesn’t matter, so far as you are a human being in Nigerian and has
opportunity to meet with him, he will make you to be somebody, and those people
are still with him, so he has a lot of material around him to win this
election.
But like I
am saying he can’t just go and sit down, it is not done in politics, somebody
that is going for an examination must read, so what he is doing now is he is
reading harder to maintain his position as number one, to maintain his position
as a political colossus, as a human developer, as a free thinker, as a
juggernaut in politics, as jagaban; so this campaign is that he is reading, and
other people are campaigning also that means they are reading to make sure they
surpass him, so if he relax without reading because he has read before, they
will surpass him. So that is what he is doing, he is reading harder in order to
maintain that position.
Your message to Nigerians
My message
to Nigerians is, yes we are passing through hard time, God knows we are passing
through hard time, Christians and Moslems alike should be on their knees to
pray for free, fair and credible election, to pray for peaceful election, so
that all of us will be alive to witness the swearing in of a new president come
29th May, 2023, they should eschew violence, unnecessary blackmail,
hate speech, hatred, jealousy, and all those things that do not please God,
then above all make use of your PVC wisely so that you will express your
opinion through the polls.
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