Explosive interview with Buhari , the President elect , a must read ---set to probe ex-Governors , gives reasosns ''Why my cabinet will be small''
www.odogwublog.com reports that Maj
General Muhammadu Buhari rtd, says his government will go into action before we
are sworn-in and that the priorities of his government will be on security,
economy, unemployment, corruption while urging Nigerians to be ready to shun
indiscipline better than in 1983.
If statements from the president-elect,
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, are to be believed, the incoming
administration, to be inaugurated on May 29, will hit the ground running.
Buhari says he intends to put together a small cabinet that may go into action
even before the swearing-in. In a nutshell, he speaks on the shape of
things to come in this interview.
There
has been an influx of defectors from the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP,
to your party, APC, since after your victory at the polls. Many think the
development may destabilise the APC. How do you intend to manage the situation?
I
think this is a question meant for the party. I wish John Oyegun was here to
answer you because we have a system. Just because I am the presidential
candidate and the president-elect, I don’t think the system has allowed
me to usurp the power of the party executives. But, certainly, in a multi-party
democratic system, fundamentally, it is the number that matters for the people.
But for the party, what matters is the ability to manage the number so that the
majority will have its way and there will be justice. No matter what
happens to the PDP by May 29, I assure you or I assure them through you
that there will be justice in the APC.
A
new government, which you will head, will soon be inaugurated. Can you tell us
what criteria you will be using in selecting those who you will work with?
It
is a difficult time for Nigerians as you all know. I have said it in the past
that, in the last 16 years, Nigeria has never realised the amount of revenue it
received. The price of a barrel of crude oil rose to about 140 dollars and
then crashed to about 50 dollars. During the 16 years, we know what happened
to some big companies that employ a lot of Nigerians and give them training
facilities like the Nigeria Airways, Nigeria National Shipping Line.
Even
Nigeria Railway is managing to be on paper with some refurbished engines moving
from Lagos to Ibadan and a few other places. If you go to their stations all
over the country, you will realise that they are in a terrible shape. The
important thing in a country with a huge population of youths with more
than 60 percent of them under the age of 30 who are unemployed is that
you need these institutions to give jobs and training to them. It is very
disappointing that the PDP government virtually failed to use those resources
to grow the economy.
I
think the worst thing is the lack of accountability and the terrible budgetary
system. Imagine that over 90 percent of Nigerian budget is on recurrent. How
can you sustain development in a country like Nigeria with only about 10
percent of your income? Things just have to change. There must be more money
available for infrastructure, for investment in getting the factories back,
employment and getting goods and services for the population. I think the sins
of PDP will be coming out for several years to come.
Do
we expect a government of national unity?
Again,
you want me to encroach on the party’s main power. Even if I, as
president-elect, want to form a broad based government, I think that the
executive of the party will have some influence on that decision. So, for me to
maintain a good rapport with the leadership of the party, I want to keep your
question in abeyance until further notice.
The
2015 elections did not go without pockets of violence here and there. Does that
strike you in any way?
I
think there are less disruptions in the second leg of the general elections on
April 11 than we had during the presidential and National Assembly
elections. I hope it was as a result of the bandwagon effect because APC had
the upper hand during the first leg of elections. But what happened in
the South-South and the South-East cannot be compared to what happened on April
11.
What
I saw was that there was a few ballot snatching in some local government areas
of Bayelsa State and a few disruptions in Adamawa, but that is nothing near
what happened on March 28. I don’t think what happened on 11 is up to 25
percent of what happened on March 28? I think that after the
elections, both parties, APC and PDP, will perhaps make their representations
to INEC or the courts and then more details will emerge. Maybe we had less
infractions on April 11 because the turnout was much lower. Maybe the people
just wanted a president and once they got one, they just walked away. They are
Nigerians and there is nothing we can do, but to convince them that they have
to use this weapon which is the permanent voter cards (PVCs)
Reports
from Rivers and some states on April 11 indicated violence. How do you feel
about this?
I
think we should allow INEC to give its comprehensive report. Meanwhile, as you
mentioned in some of the states, especially in Rivers and Lagos, the two
parties slugged it out. I think we have to take our time and let us get as much
report as possible in accordance with the Electoral Act. I personally want to
be legal about this so that people will appreciate that we believe in a system.
What we need to do is to modify the system according to the law if we don’t
like it, and no one should come out and do to the system whatever he
likes. For what happened in Lagos, I think that for whatever political reason,
the PDP wanted to have Lagos by all means.
I
have a lot of respect for the governor of Rivers State for his courage. At a
certain time, the Commissioner of Police virtually hijacked the state and
the governor was virtually sentenced to the streets fighting thugs without law
enforcement agents while the Constitution makes it very clear that the governor
is the Chief Security Officer of the state.
So,
a lot of lawless acts of the PDP are on record and we intend to make the
PDP understand it and make sure that, according to the law, those who are
responsible for that are taken to the court and properly charged. We are in
this system because we believe in it and we want it to stabilize because it is
good for our country. If Nigerians have the confidence that their votes count,
then they will mind their business and I assure you that there will be
more security in the country.
But
when people feel that they are abandoned, then they will resist. I think that
by nature, human beings are rebels especially in Nigeria. You must try and
placate them, convince them and show them that their rights are respected or
you will not have peace. On what we hear about the money that changed hands, it
would have been impossible for APC to win anything in this country because we
don’t have the treasury in our pocket. There was no amount of money that could
convince Nigerians this time around.
A
lot of them took the money and did exactly what their conscience wanted them to
do, while some even returned the money. Somehow, Rivers and Lagos were
seen as strategic to the PDP. Otherwise, how could APC have a marginal
100,000 votes over APC in Lagos which is virtually the capital of the APC in
the South- West? A lot of things will come out, but we want to do it
basically on facts which can be verified and quantified.
To
some extent, the general elections are seen by many to be credible. Will
you try to retain the INEC Chairman to build on the successes recorded even
though he said he wouldn’t accept another term of office?
I
think Prof. Jega knows exactly what to do. He has already said that he is not
going to accept a renewal of his tenure in June. I believe that he has learnt
enough and will submit a comprehensive hand over notes some of which he seems
to have written. At the last National Council of States meeting, he submitted a
document of INEC activities right from the 2011 general elections to date with
attachment showing the personnel trained, acquisition of election materials,
the distributions, security, among others, and I don’t think that such that report
can be faulted.
In
fact, INEC was forced to accept the six weeks extension by the Office of the
National Security Adviser. Luckily, those six weeks were accommodated within
the constitutional time limit within which election must hold. The law says election
must hold 30 days before 29th of May. So, INEC did not have much
trouble to agreeing to the six weeks extension. As people say, it has come to
pass.
For
many years, Nigerians have been clamouring that something be done to punish
those involved in election rigging. The Uwais Committee recommended a special
court to try electoral offenders, but government has refused to implement that
recommendation. Will your government set up a special court to try electoral
offenders?
No
matter how you the media try, you will not catch me undermining the authority
of the party. I will look for understanding and cooperation from the National
Assembly when a change of the Constitution or the Electoral Act is necessary.
So for me to make up my mind here and later try to lobby is out of it because,
some of them, if they are very hard, they will give me a tough time.
I
will say that I haven’t read the Uwais Report, but l have read a few extracts
from news papers. l think it is a good thing and we will encourage it. But we
need to get a comprehensive report from the field. The running battle in
Rivers, South-East and South-South, especially by Governor Amaechi, Rochas
Okorocha and governor of Edo state with INEC officials and law enforcement
agencies and the army is remarkable and I think it has to be totally
exposed so that Nigerians will know which of the law enforcement agencies and
at what levels is undermining the Constitution of Nigeria because the
Electoral Act is derived from the Constitution of the country so that, in
future, those who are in position will know that they are not above the law. I
think that is what will bring more stability into the system. In view of that,
I will try and work with the National Assembly to make sure that we do
something about it.
There
are speculations that looting of public treasury is ongoing in the land. What
do you intend to do to check this problem?
I
will like to work within the system because we believe in it. I have just told
you about three governors and the battle they have with law enforcement agents
in their states. We discussed and I advised them to try and document
these things so that they can be taken before the court and we will make sure
that we register the cooperation of the court so that people who work against the
law are prosecuted, especially those who have lost their immunity because this
is the best way to stabilize the system.
People
must not benefit from being lawless. You can’t be in a position by virtue of
the Constitution, subvert the Constitution and continue to enjoy the privileges
offered by the Constitution. I don’t think that will be acceptable by the APC.
So, whether you are in the opposition or government, you have to behave
yourself. I think that is the way we can make progress.
APC
preaches transparency and accountability. But a lot of people with apparent
questionable characters are moving into the APC. Don’t you think they will also
pollute the APC?
For
those that are coming into the APC, I have no fear because we have our party
structure. The fact that you were a party Chairman or you were a minister
before you joined the APC, we appreciate the fact that you remain relevant in
your immediate locality. But when it comes to the centre, there is
equality in the way the government will handle you.
If
we win majority of members of the National Assembly and House of Assembly in
the states, it means that it is with the agreement of their constituencies that
the Federal Government has the power that it has. If the Federal Government is
insisting on accountability and being responsible, even if they go back to
their constituencies, there is nothing they can do about the decision of the
government. We are banking on that. I will give you an example of my state,
Katsina.
In
2011, the CPC won all the senatorial seats and 13 out of the 15 House of
Representatives seats but lost the governorship. Who did the election? Did
people from space come to do the election? That is the bad thing about lack of
cohesion in a party. Leadership at all levels must work in concert. Otherwise,
what Katsina State suffered, any state or the centre can suffer same. Those who
were chief executives from local government, to states will be encouraged to
work together.
So,
those that are coming in, I hope they will accept that they are coming to join
those who succeeded and they should cooperate with them. They can’t come and
say that because they were once ministers under PDP, they will join APC and
become ministers the following month or so. I don’t think that it will be
acceptable even by their constituencies.
You
introduced War Against Indiscipline, WAI, as the military Head of State in 1984
to fight indiscipline. Years after, the cankerworm has remained? How do you
intend to handle this?
I
will mention how it came about. When we had our first Supreme Council meeting
and governors were appointed, in my office, it was only me and the late Tunde
Idiagbon, we discussed and agreed that the main problem of Nigeria was
indiscipline. If we could get majority of Nigerians to accept, which ever level
they were, we will make a lot of progress. I could recall that I advised that
we should go to the Ministry of Information because there were a lot of people
with first degree, masters and Ph.D who were sociologists and criminologists
just warming their seats.
They
should get together and come up with a programme that will last for years and
not just for six months and fizzle out. That was how we came about WAI. It was
very well thought out. It was a military system. In democracy, people want a
lot of freedom, but if they see the restraint in advanced democracies in Europe
and America, they will realise that discipline is forced on people. There are
things that, no matter how much you want to do them, you can’t do them.
I
think that we have suffered enough as a people and I think that people are more
prepared to behave properly now. About two years ago, I made some remarks in
Hausa and people felt, now, some senior civil servants who are Directors either
at the state or federal can’t educate four children because the level of
education has gone down so much. Those that can afford will rather send their
children to Ghana or Sudan and those who can afford it more send theirs to
America and Europe because the educational system in Nigeria has virtually
collapsed.
Therefore,
we feel that, by voting APC into power, Nigerians are placing confidence in us.
On security, economy, especially unemployment and corruption, I believe that
Nigerians will give us the understanding to make sure that we get our
priorities right. Education is going to be very important because when you
educate the people, you solve half of your problems because there is a level
that an educated person will not accept. But when people are sentenced to
illiteracy, when they are exposed to all manner of social vices such as
ethnicity and religion so that people don’t move forward, they are used to
fight themselves.
During
your campaigns you promised to declare your assets if elected. Now that you
have been elected, will you stick to your position?
I
made a statement which has not been correctly captured by the media. I said
that our generation, from the Murtala, made sure that those who had appointments
must declare their assets and this was later articulated in the Constitution.
It
is up to government to make sure that those who borrow money to build a house
and end up with another house somewhere else with 50 bedrooms and 20 living
rooms should explain to Nigerians how they got the money. I could recall that I
declared my assets three times. First was when I got my first political
appointment as governor of Borno State; secondly, when I was leaving government
to go to the United States War College. I declared my assets then because I was
closing my political chapter then technically. I could recall that Gen.
Jemibewon was the Adjutant General of the Nigerian Army then. I had to declare
my assets, deposit it there to be taken to court before I was allowed to
proceed to the United States for my course.
The
third one was when I became Head of State. From General Obasanjo down till now,
those of us who were in the Supreme Military Council, Council of State,
Executive Council and even those who were Permanent Secretaries, at the time we
got our appointment, the courts should be made to produce our declarations. So,
all the noise about people being rich and nobody is saying anything about it,
why can’t you prick the conscience of the existing government or are some of
you part of the cover up?
There
have been reports that you promised to end the Boko Haram insurgency within two
months, but your media team reacted saying you never said so. Can you now set
the record straight?
I
think I am too experienced in internal security to give two months deadline on
Boko Haram. I don’t think I would have made that mistake because I tried to
look at some of my experiences even when I was in uniform with the rebels from
Chad when I was GOC in Jos and with Maitatsine. So, for me to say that when I
come into office, I will get rid of Boko Haram in two months, I don’t think I
would have made that statement. I didn’t.
As
I have mentioned on several occasions, we that have, at one time or the other,
wore Nigeria military uniform felt terribly embarrassed that for six years, the
military couldn’t bring order to 14 out of 774 local governments in the country
after Burma, Zaire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Dafur where Nigerian military earned
respect internationally for their performance.
To
fail to secure 14 out of 774 local governments. I still can’t reconcile myself
with that disgrace. We will try and work with our neigbours such as Chad,
Cameroon and Niger who are fighting Boko Haram for us. Look at Chad helping
Nigeria or Niger, or Cameroon itself. This nation has been humiliated by the
PDP. God willing, with our experiences, we will quickly marshal support and we
are asking Boko Haram to pack and go.
Can
we know when your Transition Committee would be in place?
We
have started discussing about it. Personally, I will make sure that it is not
too big because if it is big, they will start thinking of how to influence the
choice of ministers either for themselves or those they want to be ministers.
But my idea is to get knowledgeable and experienced technocrats who are really
patriotic to study the handing over notes by ministries and make
recommendations.
I
want them to be completely detached people who are patriotic Nigerians, who are
knowledgable and experienced. If we get majority of politicians involved it
will lead to a lot of row and we may end up with inconclusive recommendations
which are not very helpful in our condition.
When
I get it ready and before it is published, I will show it to the leadership of
my party and the terms of reference as well as the time limit and the result of
their work, we will quickly study before the inauguration so that before we are
sworn-in, we get into action.
By
Levinus Nwabughiogu
Explosive interview with Buhari , the President elect , a must read ---set to probe ex-Governors , gives reasosns ''Why my cabinet will be small''
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