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*Some of Buhari’s critics are mere alarmist struggling to remain relevant
Alhaji Jamiu Abiola is the son of the June 12, 1993 presidential election winner, late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale and Kudirat Abiola. Jamiu is the Author of four books: ‘Realistic Hopes, The Prisoner of Conscience, The President who never Ruled and The Stolen Presidency. In this interview, the multi-lingual Shettima Rasheed of Borno bared his mind on Nigeria’s 20 years of democracy and the recognition of June 12 as the nation’s democracy day among other issues.
Q. 20 years of democracy, what do you think needs to be changed?
To improve our democracy, we should continue to honour those who possess or possessed strong democratic ideals. I was delighted to hear that the Federal Government on June 10 would be putting my mother in the Nigerian Hall of Fame as the Heroine of Nigeria’s Democracy. Such actions will go a long way in strengthening our democracy and will let Nigerians realise that behind every heroic act lies a reward that will surely come even if it comes after your demise.
Q: How would you describe the fight for June 12?
The fight for June 12 was vicious in an unprecedented way. It was unexpected but what made matters worse was not just the callous way that both my parents were killed during their democratic struggle but the betrayals they suffered before and after their demise. The second part of the battle was to ensure that they were officially recognized. To this end, I wrote two books entitled: “The President Who Never Ruled” and “The Stolen Presidency” while my sister Hafsat Abiola set up the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy in order to promote democracy through the ideals my mother stood for.
Q: So is this the picture of democratic culture your parent sacrificed their lives for?
This is the picture of the democracy that my parents sacrificed their lives for because there is now a division of power between the judiciary, the legislative and executive parts of government. This division did not exist with the democratic dispensation that came into power in 1999. Then there was constant interference in the affairs of state governors whom in some cases were illegally removed from office by the then president. Even allocations were withheld then.
Q: From your estimation, do you think this administration has been able to address the lingering issue of job lost, high level of poverty and economic degradation?
Addressing multiple problems that emerged over a long period of time cannot take place overnight. This administration has surpassed my expectations because I know the decadent state of the Nigeria that it inherited. The country had collapsed and the possibility of a revival, in the short or long run, was well below average.
Despite these challenges and much lower than expected crude oil revenues, the President Muhammadu Buhari government was still able to provide bailouts to state governments and tackle poverty ferociously via schemes like N-Power where currently over half a million youths are employed from each local government not as labourers but as agricultural consultants, teachers and health personnel. The government is also tackling job losses by rolling out the most ambitious infrastructural development program in Nigeria’s history, focusing on railway systems and road networks which will further boost trade and transportation.
Q: What is your take on the state of insecurity that was described as a plan to Fulanise Nigeria by former President Olusegun Obasanjo?
The state of insecurity, dubbed by the former president as a plan to fulanise Nigeria, is actually a creation of the failed policies of his administration and those of some leaders before him. We must always remember that persistent corruption is what has created the poverty that has made Nigeria a haven for militants.
The Obasanjo administration, exporting crude at the cost of over 100 dollars following the Iraq war, failed to fulfill its promise to diversify the Nigerian economy. This would have provided jobs for the youths that have now embraced militancy. In those days that administration spoke of cassava and bitumen as products to supplement oil but none of these plans ever saw the light of day. President Buhari thus inherited a looted and battered economy that is still dependent on oil as a single largest source of income. This reality is the genesis of the current insurgency but with the social schemes and military plans in place the current government will soon defeat the insurgency.
Q: Do you agree with critics that President Buhari under-performed in his first tenure?
Critics stating that President Buhari has under-performed are doing so because they have failed to properly assess the state of the nation as of May 28, 2015. To me, some of them are mere alarmists who, in a desperate bid to remain relevant, have resorted to painting bogus doomsday scenarios existing only within the figment of their imaginations. Do you know, for example, that according to UN figures, there were around 3m rifles in Nigeria in the possession of non-state individuals at the time this administration came into power and that those weapons, in many cases, were even more sophisticated than the arms in the army’s possession? Without security there can be no development so the government had to deploy very scarce resources to equip our armed forces whose weapons had become obsolete. This was at a time that the Avengers caused a sharp drop in oil exports and, as a result, oil revenue. As this was ongoing, more capital was miraculously sourced and eventually used to bail out collapsing state governments and to provide badly needed infrastructure to a very rapidly rising population. Looking at these facts, and many others, it would be foolhardy for anyone to suggest that the Buhari/Osinbajo administration has underperformed.
Q: What are your expectations of President Buhari in his second term?
I expect President Buhari to keep honouring his promises to Nigerians because he is one of the few African leaders known to never break his promises. In line with his declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day, I also expect him to continue abiding by the principles of June 12 as he has done in his first administration, particularly as regards his resolve to crush poverty since my father’s campaign was entitled “Farewell to Poverty”. Already, this administration is feeding almost 10million pupils daily, transferring cash to the poorest households and providing loans to the poorest traders. I hope to see more of that in this next tenure. I also hope to continue to see a cordial working relationship between President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo because the vice-president has not only played a critical role in this administration’s accomplishments but over a span of decades he has proven himself to be a man of sound integrity and competence just like the president.
Q: What do you think set President Buhari apart from other Nigerian Presidents in 20 years of our democracy, which your father paved the way for?
What sets President Buhari apart from other former presidents is that he is determined to ensure that democracy touches the lives of the poorest in our society, regardless of their tribe or region. His N-Power program does not only target beneficiaries from each local government but it places particular emphasis on the youths within the 18 and 35 year age bracket, the most restless and volatile segment of any society. This is a welcome development because that is the only way that unrest will be reduced and that democracy will flourish. If democracy fails to take care of the many poor and continues to cater for the few rich as was done in the past, democracy will perish so our president is on the right track and thus deserves our collective support.
Q: Your father, late MKO Abiola, was known more for business and philanthropy do you foresee President Buhari’s second term bettering lives of Nigerians in these regards?
I agree but that was at the middle stage of his adult life, at the later stage he was known for sacrifice and patriotism. It is only through patriotism that leaders can make any desirable impact. President Buhari has demonstrated such rare patriotism by not only contesting for elections over and over again but by also never for once deciding to take the law into his own hands even when there was ample evidence that he had been cheated. This attitude and patriotic zeal will no doubt continue to help him formulate policies that would make more direct positive impact in the lives of Nigerians.
Q: Despite President Buhari’s kind gesture, do you foresee the emergence of next president of Nigeria from the South-West in 2023?
We are all Nigerians. The most important thing now is for us, in line with the ideals of Moshood and Kudirat Abiola, to build more bridges connecting all the regions of this country and not walls dividing them.
That should be our priority now and not where the next president of this country should come from.
Alhaji Jamiu Abiola is the son of the June 12, 1993 presidential election winner, late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale and Kudirat Abiola. Jamiu is the Author of four books: ‘Realistic Hopes, The Prisoner of Conscience, The President who never Ruled and The Stolen Presidency. In this interview, the multi-lingual Shettima Rasheed of Borno bared his mind on Nigeria’s 20 years of democracy and the recognition of June 12 as the nation’s democracy day among other issues.
Q. 20 years of democracy, what do you think needs to be changed?
To improve our democracy, we should continue to honour those who possess or possessed strong democratic ideals. I was delighted to hear that the Federal Government on June 10 would be putting my mother in the Nigerian Hall of Fame as the Heroine of Nigeria’s Democracy. Such actions will go a long way in strengthening our democracy and will let Nigerians realise that behind every heroic act lies a reward that will surely come even if it comes after your demise.
Q: How would you describe the fight for June 12?
The fight for June 12 was vicious in an unprecedented way. It was unexpected but what made matters worse was not just the callous way that both my parents were killed during their democratic struggle but the betrayals they suffered before and after their demise. The second part of the battle was to ensure that they were officially recognized. To this end, I wrote two books entitled: “The President Who Never Ruled” and “The Stolen Presidency” while my sister Hafsat Abiola set up the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy in order to promote democracy through the ideals my mother stood for.
Q: So is this the picture of democratic culture your parent sacrificed their lives for?
This is the picture of the democracy that my parents sacrificed their lives for because there is now a division of power between the judiciary, the legislative and executive parts of government. This division did not exist with the democratic dispensation that came into power in 1999. Then there was constant interference in the affairs of state governors whom in some cases were illegally removed from office by the then president. Even allocations were withheld then.
Q: From your estimation, do you think this administration has been able to address the lingering issue of job lost, high level of poverty and economic degradation?
Addressing multiple problems that emerged over a long period of time cannot take place overnight. This administration has surpassed my expectations because I know the decadent state of the Nigeria that it inherited. The country had collapsed and the possibility of a revival, in the short or long run, was well below average.
Despite these challenges and much lower than expected crude oil revenues, the President Muhammadu Buhari government was still able to provide bailouts to state governments and tackle poverty ferociously via schemes like N-Power where currently over half a million youths are employed from each local government not as labourers but as agricultural consultants, teachers and health personnel. The government is also tackling job losses by rolling out the most ambitious infrastructural development program in Nigeria’s history, focusing on railway systems and road networks which will further boost trade and transportation.
Q: What is your take on the state of insecurity that was described as a plan to Fulanise Nigeria by former President Olusegun Obasanjo?
The state of insecurity, dubbed by the former president as a plan to fulanise Nigeria, is actually a creation of the failed policies of his administration and those of some leaders before him. We must always remember that persistent corruption is what has created the poverty that has made Nigeria a haven for militants.
The Obasanjo administration, exporting crude at the cost of over 100 dollars following the Iraq war, failed to fulfill its promise to diversify the Nigerian economy. This would have provided jobs for the youths that have now embraced militancy. In those days that administration spoke of cassava and bitumen as products to supplement oil but none of these plans ever saw the light of day. President Buhari thus inherited a looted and battered economy that is still dependent on oil as a single largest source of income. This reality is the genesis of the current insurgency but with the social schemes and military plans in place the current government will soon defeat the insurgency.
Q: Do you agree with critics that President Buhari under-performed in his first tenure?
Critics stating that President Buhari has under-performed are doing so because they have failed to properly assess the state of the nation as of May 28, 2015. To me, some of them are mere alarmists who, in a desperate bid to remain relevant, have resorted to painting bogus doomsday scenarios existing only within the figment of their imaginations. Do you know, for example, that according to UN figures, there were around 3m rifles in Nigeria in the possession of non-state individuals at the time this administration came into power and that those weapons, in many cases, were even more sophisticated than the arms in the army’s possession? Without security there can be no development so the government had to deploy very scarce resources to equip our armed forces whose weapons had become obsolete. This was at a time that the Avengers caused a sharp drop in oil exports and, as a result, oil revenue. As this was ongoing, more capital was miraculously sourced and eventually used to bail out collapsing state governments and to provide badly needed infrastructure to a very rapidly rising population. Looking at these facts, and many others, it would be foolhardy for anyone to suggest that the Buhari/Osinbajo administration has underperformed.
Q: What are your expectations of President Buhari in his second term?
I expect President Buhari to keep honouring his promises to Nigerians because he is one of the few African leaders known to never break his promises. In line with his declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day, I also expect him to continue abiding by the principles of June 12 as he has done in his first administration, particularly as regards his resolve to crush poverty since my father’s campaign was entitled “Farewell to Poverty”. Already, this administration is feeding almost 10million pupils daily, transferring cash to the poorest households and providing loans to the poorest traders. I hope to see more of that in this next tenure. I also hope to continue to see a cordial working relationship between President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo because the vice-president has not only played a critical role in this administration’s accomplishments but over a span of decades he has proven himself to be a man of sound integrity and competence just like the president.
Q: What do you think set President Buhari apart from other Nigerian Presidents in 20 years of our democracy, which your father paved the way for?
What sets President Buhari apart from other former presidents is that he is determined to ensure that democracy touches the lives of the poorest in our society, regardless of their tribe or region. His N-Power program does not only target beneficiaries from each local government but it places particular emphasis on the youths within the 18 and 35 year age bracket, the most restless and volatile segment of any society. This is a welcome development because that is the only way that unrest will be reduced and that democracy will flourish. If democracy fails to take care of the many poor and continues to cater for the few rich as was done in the past, democracy will perish so our president is on the right track and thus deserves our collective support.
Q: Your father, late MKO Abiola, was known more for business and philanthropy do you foresee President Buhari’s second term bettering lives of Nigerians in these regards?
I agree but that was at the middle stage of his adult life, at the later stage he was known for sacrifice and patriotism. It is only through patriotism that leaders can make any desirable impact. President Buhari has demonstrated such rare patriotism by not only contesting for elections over and over again but by also never for once deciding to take the law into his own hands even when there was ample evidence that he had been cheated. This attitude and patriotic zeal will no doubt continue to help him formulate policies that would make more direct positive impact in the lives of Nigerians.
Q: Despite President Buhari’s kind gesture, do you foresee the emergence of next president of Nigeria from the South-West in 2023?
We are all Nigerians. The most important thing now is for us, in line with the ideals of Moshood and Kudirat Abiola, to build more bridges connecting all the regions of this country and not walls dividing them.
That should be our priority now and not where the next president of this country should come from.
(Vanguard)
