CABINET NOMINEES: Buhari’s problem ‘ll now start with cabinet list –Yerima, Arewa Youth Leader

Comrade Shettima Usman Yerima, the National President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), is a well known human rights activist and a pro-democ­racy crusader. In this interview with RAZAQ BAMIDELE in Lagos, the Kaduna State born youth leader took a critical look at the unfold­ing political events in the country and declared that President Muhammadu Buhari’s real war will start immediately he releases the list of the would be members of his cabinet. Excerpts:

Why has your group been silent on the state of the nation lately?

The situation in Nigeria now has diverted my group’s attention to a lot of challenges in some other parts of the country. We are now coordinat­ing some of our activities from the northern parts of the country. For instance, for some times now, I have been in Kaduna, my home state where I coordinate some of the challenges facing the country from that axis of the country. Being in Kaduna has made it easier for me to oversee our activities from there due to its proximity to the center of the challenges.

So, our silence, especially in the media has been due to new challenges on ground like the new government in place, insecurity palaver in the north-east, war against corruption and eco­nomic situation among other challenges.

Would you want to say something about the goings on in the country now?

I will not want to pre-empt the outcome of President Muhammadu Buhari’s actions on several issues now. But, I must confess that the situation in the country now is very bad because people’s expectations are very high and they feel very uncomfortable that things are not happening as quickly as expected. To be honest with you, the aspirations of Nigerians are yet to be met. I agree that it is too early to expect too much from the new government because the Aegean’s stable has to be cleared before any meaningful progress could be made.

And we cannot blame the people because going by their understanding, all the campaign promises are to be delivered immediately the government was inaugurated. And because of their limited understanding of politics and poli­ticking, they expect the government to hit the ground running without minding all the land mines planted in the path of the new govern­ment. And since after three months the govern­ment appears not to be stable and their aspiration of Nigeria becoming paradise on earth instantly has left the populace a bit confused, thoroughly disappointed and utterly uncomfortable.

To me, I understand that the new government met a lot of challenges in office and so, it is too early to assess them rightly. But let me tell you, the signs are very bad and ominous from all indi­cations. The yearnings of the people are yet to be met and the expectations of good things to hap­pen are seriously confusing now. But for me and my group, anywhere we think the government need our advice, we will offer and where we feel they need our support, we will be very glad to assist because Nigerians cannot afford to miss the point now. We cannot afford to fold our alms and allow this government to go astray. We can­not afford to watch and allow this government to fail because it is our collective responsibility to safeguard and protect this democracy and by ex­tension, the country. No matter how we look at it, the country is at the verge of collapse because the rate of suspicion is too high. So, we must ensure that this government succeeds. So, any time we feel this government should be criticize construc­tively to whip it back on track, we will do it to bring about what Nigerians are expecting from their government.

What then would you like to chip in as words of encouragement to the people and the government?

There are key issues that were topics of this government’s campaigns. Issues like the fight against corruption, the issue of insurgency and revamping the economy. Those were the three campaign key issues of the administration. And rightly, there are the major challenges facing the country.

Now, if you look at the issue of the economy, the situation is biting the populace harder than could be imagined. I don’t know government’s calculation. I don’t know how they are going to do it to cushion the effect of the economic hard­ship on the citizenry. Right now, it appears as if the country is at war. It is akin to war situation right now where people are like refugees in their own land. To feed and move around has become virtually impossible. The whole country is at standstill for now. Nigerians are right now facing the most difficult time of their life. That is one aspect of the matter which is the real testimony that the country’s economy is very bad.

The other one is the issue of the insurgency. The issue, as far as we, the activists with the ex­perience of insurgency in other countries in the world, are concerned, we know from the onset that it would not be a tea party routing the insur­gents overnight. It is not a monster that could be run out of time by December even with the gov­ernment’s commitment to do so. We have heard several such promises from the previous govern­ment, yet the monster keeps on rearing its ugly head. I don’t have problem with government’s deadline, but with our experience with insur­gency, I have reservation that the monster would cease to be by December. But there is no problem for the government to be willing. However, it is one thing to set a goal and it is another thing for the goal to be met. But with God, everything is possible.

Still on the insecurity, if you see the rate of kid­nappings going on in other part of the country, you will agree with me that the country is sick. If we think about the attack in Senegal and the attacks on Embassies abroad, we will come to the conclusion that we have to sit down and find a way out of this problem because we can pretend as if the country is not already on fire.

As it is now, the government should sit up and find a way of doing justice and equity to every­body in the country. Once the government’s ap­pointments are seen to be lopsided, then we are going to have a big problem on our hand. For now, there is suspicion in the land. Government must be seen to be all inclusive where everybody would be considered as partner in the project Ni­geria so that we can have a nation. Right now, we don’t have a nation.

Are you comfortable with the way President Buhari is handling the anti-corruption war?

On the issue of corruption, that is another ma­jor area where some of us feel very strongly de­spite the determination of an individual in person of President Muhammadu Buhari. Of course, I have no doubt about his integrity and he has zero tolerance for corruption just as he means well for this country. But we have problem with his main team. It is so unfortunate that he found himself in the midst of those people. And to wage an ef­fective war against corruption, he must be pre­pared to make some difficult sacrifices because there is no way the corrupt ones in the system will not fight back. There are instances of some people around him flying the flag of change but paradoxically, they are the most corrupt human beings on earth. And if Buhari is really serious about the fight against corruption, he has to start from the people around him. And that is when he will get more supports from the Nigerian people.

What are your expectations from the civil society group at this point in time?

What is expected from the civil society now that the country is in total confusion is for us to come together to salvage the country. They should remember that we have worked hard from time to fight the military to restore this democracy. Despite our sacrifices however, w should realize we have not go to where we want the country to be.

So, we should not relax yet and feel indif­ferent that what would be would be. This is the time to come together to speak with one voice to stand with the side of the President that is in charge of the country’s affairs, who means well for the country. We should realize he cannot do it alone without our support. It does not mean that until you are in government that you can support it. You can do so even while outside the govern­ment to survive. One day, Buhari will go and any one of us can emerge a leader. If you work today to make things right and make the system works and more functional, definitely when it becomes your turn, if you don’t benefit directly, somebody within your family would do. And then, the sys­tem would have been working fine.