‘We’re prepared to make life better for Nigerians’

Actually what we launched was what we called our draft roadmap to a new Nigeria. This is the first time in the history of politics in this country that a political party will arrive at a roadmap how it hopes to fix a nation through a scientific method or research, and by carrying the people along. We did not just sit down in one room and decided the contents of the roadmap; on the contrary, we first sent out a team to do a thorough study on Nigeria. What is their view about the government in Nigeria; what in their view is the most single important need of the people; what are the things they need from a government; what do they want from those representing them in government and many others. Now, after the painstaking research, the outcome was given back to us. We now analysed it, and from there we now know that the number one problem of Nigeria is unemployment; look at Nigeria, there is no job, there is insecurity, corruption, education, poverty is at its peak, etc. The question on the lips of many people is, what new things are you bringing on board or what are you going to do differently?  By that roadmap to a new Nigeria, we say when we come to power, we shall create job, fight corruption, we shall improve the welfare of all Nigerians, and return Nigeria to the path of a greater nation; that’s what the road map entails. And everything in that roadmap, every policy there must be tested –will it create job, will it cater to the needs and interest of every Nigerian? Whether we are talking about job creation, fighting corruption, healthcare, education, agriculture, housing, social welfare, peace and security- that is what the roadmap is all about, and that’s what APC has rolled out for Nigerians.

The truth of the matter is that if any party should be accused today of being behind the Boko Haram, it is the PDP and not APC. Why do I say so? Boko Haram has been on since 2002, it became a big issue in 2009 with the extrajudicial killing of Muhammed Yusuf. Now, we want to remind PDP that their former chairman, Bamanga Tukur, clearly said Boko Haram was fighting for justice; we want to remind PDP that the late NSA, Andrew Azazi, said PDP was responsible for Boko Haram. We want to remind PDP that even Mr. President said that his government had been infiltrated by Boko Haram. Therefore, there’s no other party encouraging Boko Haram but PDP. By the way, why is this government not able to arrest any APC member, if such a member is suspected to be either a member of, or is sponsoring Boko Haram? Clearly, our roadmap is sophisticated for the likes of our accusers, that they can’t even understand it; otherwise, it is not possible for anybody to have missed that in our roadmap. We voted a whole chapter to detail what we are going to do. Number one, we said under security, we shall institute a local police force that would address the special needs of each community, including community policing initiative that restores trust among local citizens; we are going to set up a serious crime squad that will be adequately trained and equipped to tackle insurgency, kidnapping and ethno-religious crises; we are going to make available comprehensive compensation plan for victims of ethno-religious crises, communal clashes and terrorism. We are also going to institute a national reconciliation and healing plan in the form of a truth and reconciliation commission so that we can get to the root of the crises. More importantly, we said in our roadmap that we cannot fight any insurgency without what we call community engagement and rehabilitation. Today, the entire North is so radicalised that you need a policy of de-radicalisation. All these people we are talking about today were those who had been extremely radicalised and are being pushed through such negative influence to go and kill people. And we said in our roadmap that nobody has ever defeated insurgency by using the military alone. We know today that the approach of the government to Boko Haram is bound to fail. They can only limit them from fighting in Abuja and a few other places, but they retreat to the interiors and target soft targets. As we speak, Nigeria does not even have counter terrorism policy. Don’t forget that our governors are the frontline governors in the affected areas, and innocent citizens are the direct victims of Boko Haram; they understand how critical the situation is.

Look, we say miracles don’t happen in the life of a nation; miracle can happen in the life of an individual. For a nation, you must prepare, take steps- this is what we have done through our roadmap to identify that the major problem of Nigeria today is job, job, and job. We have been able to identify through our research that one in four Nigerians is unemployed; that half of our youths are unemployed; we have 10 million children of school-going age out of school; we have half of our primary school leavers unable to read. So, what is our answer to this? We are introducing one meal a day for primary school pupils. We are going to have a scheme for quality education for all primary schools. As an incentive, anybody pursuing sciences, technology or mathematics will be entitled to scholarship at tertiary level, with special attention to education of women. We shall encourage people who are majoring in Education by giving them scholarships and stipends while doing their service.  To tackle unemployment, we would create 20,000 jobs in every state immediately, subject to the willingness of the people to subscribe or enroll in vocational training or technology.  Every year, we are going to have a guaranteed free medical care for our people; we will ban any expenditure on the part of government for anybody to go abroad to seek medical help, we will encourage our medical partners abroad to come and set up their practice here with good incentives.  We may not be the messiah, but I, tell you that we are prepared to make life better for every Nigerian.

On Tuesday, there was a protest in Rivers over an alleged inability of the state government to pay the six months’ salaries of 13,000 teachers. If education and job creation top your party’s priority list, why has an APC governor refused to pay his workers?

You see, I want you to get that story very well.  If you remember, the 13,000 teachers when they were at the point of getting their letters of appointment and proper accreditation was to be done for proper documentation purposes, the former commissioner of police dispersed them, and many were tear-gassed.  The state government does not say he will not pay, but that he cannot just begin to pay all manner of people.  You can’t start paying ghost teachers.  So, where is the record?  The man is saying, I will not pay unless proper documentation is done.  And I think he is very correct.

It is said in some quarters that the APC will face its serious test when they begin to share the “spoils of war” (whatever that means).  What’s your take on that?

The greatest test of APC we have passed, that was during the merger.  Many people, including some of our members, never believed we could even agree on a common name; or on a common logo, not to talk of the registration.  Many people predicted the death of APC within six months.  It is only those who do not understand the moving story of APC that will think nomination will tear APC apart.  No. Those who were present at the Abuja summit saw the discipline, organisation, egalitarianism and orderliness that were displayed.

Is APC fielding General Buhari as its presidential flag bearer in 2015?

What political party will get its candidate without convention?  I am asking you.  Is there any political party you know of that just come out to say this is our candidate without giving heed to its constitution and without a convention?  APC is not in a hurry. We will be transparent; we shall follow due process in getting our candidates for the elections.

What is the solution to the Boko Haram insurgency?

Number one, the Federal Government must work together with the state governments; like I told you, the real victims of Boko Haram are the ordinary poor folks in the affected areas. They are the ones that burry their children, they are the one whose economies are being destroyed. They are the ones who spend what is meant for development on security.  Now, if you say you want to fight insecurity you must carry them along.
For instance, if a governor from the state where Boko Haram is wreaking havoc tells his story, how he feels about it, he is not criticising government.  He is crying of frustration.  The Federal Government should not be defensive.  The Federal Government must know it cannot combat the Boko Haram alone without partnering with the governors.
Two, the Federal Government needs counter terrorism policy.  What they are doing all along is uncoordinated, chaotic and ad-hoc; you must have a well-defined policy on how to go about it. The Federal government should come down from its high horse and borrow a leaf from the late Yar’Adua. Despite the level of opposition and objections from top military brass who were mad that the militants of the Niger Delta had been killing their soldiers, Yar’Adua wanted a lasting solution to the militancy. Mr. President must de-ethnicise and de-politicise the issue of Boko Haram, which he is not doing now.  He must also understand that it is one thing to win the war, but you must also win the peace.  People are traumatised.  Today we have about 10,000 widows of Boko Haram crisis, 800 classrooms destroyed in Borno, too many children have not been going to school for one year. The situation is serious, but he doesn’t understand.  He must introduce a real marshal plan, and that is why the N2billion government earmarked for rehabilitation is grossly insufficient.  It is a joke.  And you must de-radicalise the message and music they hear.  Today, all they hear about is war, war and war.  We know what to do, but when we tell them they don’t do it.

Your party initially opposed the National conference and said you were not going to participate in it. It appears you have made a volte face. What is happening?

We said our political party would not participate in the national conference and we explained why. We said it is diversionary, it is meant to cover up corruption and that our own idea of national conference is not the one that will be ratified by the National Assembly but by a national referendum. We raised other issues also. Nothing has happened to change our position. That’s why we are not participating.
However, our governors are not governors of APC alone in their states.  Are they?  Why must we now impose our own view on everybody in their states?  We’re making a clear-cut distinction between partisanship and leadership, that as a political party, this is our view. We said, the people said they want to talk, how can we impose our own partisan view on them?  That’s why we allowed our governors to give the people the opportunity.

Wouldn’t the resolutions at the conference be binding, or would you say since you didn’t participate you’re not part of whatever decisions that would be arrived at?

Whatever is the decision will be ratified by the National Assembly.  So, if it becomes law, doesn’t that affect us?

So, your participation or otherwise is immaterial?
Our non-participation matters a lot.  It does.  Do you believe in every law in Nigeria today?  Does that make it not to exist?  Whatever may be the outcome of the conference, as long as it does not go through a national referendum, it is not the will of the people of Nigeria.
As long as the people did not say ‘We the people of Nigeria’, whatever the ratification by the National Assembly, it will be illegal.

Why are people very simplistic?  For example, if in your church, or if you are a pastor of a church and you have been preaching to a group of young men living a dangerous life.  They smoke, drink and engage in gambling which you preach against.  After sometime those boys decide to join you in church, are you going to throw them out; are they polluting your church?  Don’t forget that we have already had our constitution, a roadmap which everybody has to subscribe to.  In politics, a thousand friend is not enough, one enemy is too many.  What are they talking about?  Who have they pushed out from their own party?  Are they not poaching back their members in the House of Reps?  Why didn’t they say they are terminated?  Please it is not an issue at all.

What is your grouse over INEC?
All I said was that INEC must be free and fair to everybody.  That Mr. President is gallivanting all over Nigeria now campaigning, despite the supposedly existing ban on campaign, and if we also do the same thing INEC or PDP should not talk.

Your advice to politicians as we approach 2015?
My advice is that they must eschew violence, walk together to ensure that people’s votes count.  But my real advice is to the INEC and security agencies.  This is because you cannot rig an election without the security agents being involved.  They should be neutral and professional in their jobs.