\u2026Says: Confab Won’t Take Nigeria Anywhere<\/p>\n
\nBashir Othman Tofa, former presidential flag-bearer of the defunct
\nNational Republican Convention (NRC) and staunch member of the All
\nProgressive Congress in this interview with selected media men in Kano
\ncondemned President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan\u2019s style of leadership,
\ninsisting that the country is in dire need of change. He also spoke on how
\nAPC can come out better and stronger, among other sundry issues.
\nPointblanknews.com was there.
\nQ: Is it proper to assume that you are an active member of the All
\nProgressive Congress (APC)?<\/p>\n
A: I am active in the sense that I am a member of the party but not an
\nexecutive member but a party chieftain because of my age and experience
\nand comfortable to play the role of an elder statesman.<\/p>\n
Q: What is your assessment of the country\u2019s political situation?<\/p>\n
A: The political situation requires serious prayers, not just the
\npolitical situation but the country itself, so that we can have direction
\nto enable us scale the hurdles that are ahead of us, so as to be able to
\ndo what is right for the country and for the people and emerge successful.
\nThe bottom line is that we have numerous problems and we need to seriously
\nthink about these problems and find ways to succumb them and do the right
\nthing for the country, so I think that is the situation for now.<\/p>\n
Q: In your candid opinion, what measures do you think the country should
\nadopt, so as to conquer these numerous problems, so as to pilot the
\ncountry to another level of political and economic development?<\/p>\n
A: Well, you see the purpose of government is spread to a three open-fold;
\none is to harness the resources of the country in the best and most
\nefficient way and to use these resources to foster the development, as
\nwell as the peace and security of the people of the country and to ensure
\nthat the Rule of Law prevails. These are the cardinal duties of any
\nresponsible government, while it has three tiers, the Executive, the
\nLegislature and the Judiciary and each of the tiers have their roles in
\nthe government. So, when we say government, it doesn\u2019t just mean the
\nPresidency, as they are tied together, as it involves the Legislature, the
\nJudiciary and the Executive. Government as we are aware secures the
\nresources of the country, either through taxation or through exploration
\nof mineral resources or other engagements that it has to embark on.
\nHowever, making the laws is the responsibility of the National Assembly
\nand ensuring that the laws are complied with is the duty of the Judiciary,
\nso you see government is the unity of the three tiers. In that respect, we
\nhave a government and each tier of government plays its role. We have to
\nmake progress and all stakeholders have to play their roles in the best
\nway possible.<\/p>\n
Q: In your capacity as an elder statesman, kindly list your
\nrecommendations on the way forward?<\/p>\n
A: Well, the way forward from my perception is for us to first of all to
\nensure that we have a credible election in 2015 and to accept the outcome
\nof the election, as long as we unanimously agree that it is credible.
\nWhoever that will win the election needs to be supported and must also
\nensure that candidates from each of the political parties to the 2015
\nelections should field credible candidates, who would at the close of the
\nday do this country proud. We must avoid corrupt people and those who are
\nnot transparent or decent. This category of candidates must be avoided and
\nthe electorate must also elect the right candidates. Once, we have the
\nright candidates in place, then we can begin to steer the ship of state in
\nthe right direction, so that is the most important thing, so unless we
\nthat, we will never have the kind of government we are yearning for,
\ngovernment that will be corrupt-free, government that will regard each and
\nevery Nigerian as equal citizens and give him or her the opportunity to do
\nwhatever he or she would do to advance their lives in accordance with the
\nlaws of the land, as well as to advance the lives of their communities in
\nthe country in general. Once, we can have that, then we have done away
\nwith corruption, then can thumb our chest and say that we are on the right
\ntrack to real development that this country deserves.<\/p>\n
Q: As the 2015 general elections is fast approaching, do you subscribe to
\nthe emergence of a consensus candidate?<\/p>\n
A: Well, it depends on the party and what the party\u2019s constitution says,
\njust like consensus candidature is always good but it has to be a genuine
\nconsensus but if it cannot be a consensus to a minority group, that kind
\nof consensus will never be successful or see the light of the day because
\nit will definitely create factions within the party and once we have
\nfactions within the party that feels strongly that it has been wronged,
\nthen the success in the forthcoming elections would be questionable. So
\nconsensus here, if it will be genuine, if it is just, then we have
\nconsensus but the next line says where that kind of consensus cannot be
\nachieved in primary elections, where people cannot agree on a particular
\ncandidate, whereby the vast majority of those stakeholders cannot agree on
\na particular aspirant, then there must be primaries, so that has always
\nbeen the condition. In the APC, that is the condition. Consensus is
\npreferred but justice would be better done if primaries are conducted.<\/p>\n
Q: Presently, are you satisfied with President Goodluck Jonathan\u2019s style
\nof leadership?<\/p>\n
A: Nobody is satisfied with President Goodluck Jonathan\u2019s style of
\nleadership because it\u2019s not even a style. I cannot define his style of
\nleadership in terms of the appropriate definition of leadership. On more
\noccasions than not in my opinion, he is absent from leadership. He has
\nknowingly or unknowingly abandoned that part of his elected role to some
\nelements, who will never help him. He has people around him, who misadvise
\nhim and are doing the wrong thing and he doesn\u2019t seem to have control over
\nthem. For example, look at all these Ministers that have done wrong, it
\nhas taken him so long to be able to decide what to do with them. In some
\nother countries, who know what they are doing, even the President does not
\nneed to act because the Minister knows what to do, it\u2019s just to resign, so
\nlong as you have done something which has been exposed which is against
\nthe public interest, that Minister on his own knows that he does not need
\nto be told but just resign but in Nigeria that never happens. They stay
\nput and the President allows them to continue. Look at what happened with
\nthe Minister of Internal Affairs, Abba Moro and look at what is also
\nhappening now with the recruitment exercise in Immigration. It seems that
\nthe President is supporting them; they say he is a friend of this and a
\nfriend of that, who is so strategic, all these shows that either the
\nPresident is not aware or is absent of his responsibilities or that he is
\nirrelevant. That is the impression that the President gives to so many
\npeople not only in Nigeria but even abroad.<\/p>\n
Q: Now that the President has kick started the National confab, are you
\nconfident that the outcome will take Nigeria to another level of
\ndevelopment?<\/p>\n
A: It will not take Nigeria to anywhere, it will be discussions, they will
\ndiscuss and earn their N4 million per month and will write their report,
\nwhich would be jettisoned, just as so many other reports. As I was telling
\nsome body in an interview like this, what you would have done, which would
\neven be much better was just to appoint some 50 wise men and women into a
\ncommittee, retrieve all the previous reports and conferences that have
\nbeen held, let the wise men review and consolidate them into one single
\nreport and hand it over to the National Assembly, that would have been a
\nbetter thing to do, so that the National Assembly that have the
\nresponsibility to amend the constitution and make other laws will look at
\nthese consolidated or synchronized report and take action. This conference
\nhas no legal authority to do anything, no body elected them, they are only
\nnominated people, some of them are very good people but they have no
\nauthority as the only authority they have is from the President but not
\nfrom people like you and me which is to talk, once they talk, then the
\ntalk is compiled in paper, then we have lost N7 billion in binding the
\nreport would lying somewhere where nobody will remember it. But some
\npeople, like I heard that a former governor is suggesting that we should
\nbe given more time to do this work, that two more years should be
\nextended, so that the term of all the President and all the governors and
\nthe legislature should be extended by two years but this is even a
\ncriminal suggestion. It is criminal to suggest that the constitutional
\nprovision should be suspended by who, by what kind of law by what kind of
\nfiat would you suggest that a constitutional provision, which says that
\nthe President has only a four-year term. This is a criminal act that he
\nwas suggesting that the country should undertake, which it can\u2019t happen.
\nYou cannot alter the constitution to achieve that purpose, so you see
\nright from the beginning, some people are flying a kite, showing that they
\nare a hidden agenda to all these. If we not careful, these can cause
\nseriousness problem even to the democracy. People would not just accept
\nsome people to do whatever they like to do with this country. This country
\nis to big which have been existing together within 100 years and some
\npeople are attempting to destroy it. This cannot be acceptable, so anybody
\nwho is trying to introduce some sabotage amendment or action would be
\nresisted and not acceptable.<\/p>\n
Q: The lingering question of insurgency in some parts of the North has
\nbeen threatening the corporate existence and unity of the country. What do
\nyou think is the solution?<\/p>\n
A: As I earlier told you, the purpose of the government is to ensure the
\nsecurity of lives and property of its citizens and the incumbent
\ngovernment is not performing that role. So, it is not performing the
\nfunctions for which it was formed, so this is a very serious issue. It\u2019s
\nnot just insurgency as every section of this country has it\u2019s peculiar
\nproblem. Most part of the North, there is this problem of insurgency. In
\nsome places, it\u2019s the problem of kidnapping, while in some other places,
\nit\u2019s the problem of highway robbery and in some other places, it\u2019s the
\nproblem of resources, in some places, it is the problem of restlessness.
\nThere is no single part of the country that is grappling with one problem
\nor the other. Every section of the country has its own peculiar problem
\nand we have to seat as Nigerians and not look at other peoples problem but
\nlook at our problems collectively and say look we have all these problems
\nhere and there, how do we resolve them. Whatever happens to the North East
\nhappens to the entire country and whatever happens to the South East
\nhappens to us here, so we have to see ourselves as Nigerians. We should
\nnot insist that this is the problem of the North East or this is the
\nproblem of the South East but say that these are the problems that Nigeria
\nhave. Once we consider that is our collective problem, then we can
\ncollectively find sit down and see the best way to solve them but as long
\nas we insist that a particular problem is some other people\u2019s problem and
\nnot ours, then the problems cannot be amicably resolved. If you say that
\nit is Armed Forces that would resolve the problem, these Armed Forces are
\nnot from space, they are Nigerians. So how can you tell a military
\nCommander, who is from the South East, knowing that he would probably be
\nkilled in order to solve his problem. So, these problems are our problems
\nwherever they occur and we have to see them as such because that is what
\nmakes us Nigerians, not just Easterners or South Easterners or North
\nWesterners and so on.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you have confidence in the forthcoming elections to be conducted by
\nINEC and what is your advice for the conduct of a successful election?<\/p>\n
A: I have confidence in the Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega but
\nhe can only perform his duties if he is given the right equipment and
\nresources to do it. If he is denied or given the resources late, then he
\ncannot do the job. Also, if people are trying to sabotage him because they
\ndo not want him to do the right thing here and there, then we cannot have
\nit. So it\u2019s not just INEC alone, it is the government and the people that
\nhave to cooperate and support INEC to conduct the right and acceptable
\nelection but if we fail to support INEC and if the government fails to
\nsupport them, then how can they perform their function. Nobody can perform
\nhis functions satisfactorily, no matter his good intentions and experience
\nif he is not given the right tools and support to perform their role. So,
\nwe should not be having the impression that INEC cannot perform the job.
\nLet\u2019s give what they require and see whether they cannot perform its role
\nor not.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2026Says: Confab Won’t Take Nigeria Anywhere Bashir Othman Tofa, former presidential flag-bearer of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) and staunch member of the All Progressive Congress in this…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive","category-interviews"],"yoast_head":"\n