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Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa, a former governor of Old Kaduna State, elected in 1979 on the platform of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), a party founded by late Mallam Aminu Kano, has described the political actors of today as a band of charlatans and thieves who seek public office for personal gain.
Musa, who spoke exclusively to BDSUNDAY, said that those masquerading as leaders were charlatans who did not understand the raison d’être of leadership.
“It is sad to talk about what Nigeria has become. We didn’t have it like this before. What we have now are charlatans, thieves and not leaders. That is why a lot of things are going wrong in the country. People kill others because of this same corruption; some people sponsor others for some selfish reasons, but everything boils down to corruption,” Musa said.
Comparing the Second Republic brand of politics with what is being played now, he said the difference is what exists between light and darkness. While describing political actors of yesteryear as saints, he said that majority of those in politics today are devils.
“The difference is clear. When we were in government, it was the time when saints were in politics, now it is the time of the devils. Today, they have introduced corruption in the system. The system is being corrupted. Everybody going into politics now is talking about money, not service. There is nothing like serving others, it is about self. So, the comparison is that of saint and devil. The quality of leadership is gone,” he stated further.
Decrying the elevation of money power and imposition of candidates in the nation’s politics, he said: “PRP is the only political party that has existed right from the Second Republic. It produced two governors and won 45 legislative positions at that time. But after 2003, it became very difficult for PRP to win any election in Nigeria. You know why? Because of the money power in politics.
“The introduction of money politics has destroyed the system. You know it is only a few parties that can muster huge sums of money that can participate actively in politics these days. There is too much emphasis on money. Even at local level of politics, they have introduced corruption. In some places, people are being asked to pay N2million to contest for chairmanship; whereas the minimum wage is very low. The money politics has ruined everything. Look at how difficult it is and we are talking about grassroots politics. There is also this imposition of candidates where unpopular persons are foisted on the people. These are the issues that have made it difficult for good people to take part in the political process.”
Assessing the performance of the current government from 2015, the octogenarian said it was a continuation of the corruption and poor leadership that has been entrenched since 1999.
“It is not better than those before it; it is an extension of the rot that has become part of the system. Nigeria has made no progress. Quality of leadership has drastically gone down. Quality of life of citizens has gone seriously bad. The security situation of the country has also worsened. In fact, every aspect of the nation’s life has collapsed. It appears there is no government in the country. Things have gone from bad to worse,” he noted.
Musa, who also described the Buhari administration as “disappointing; quite disappointing”, told BDSUNDAY that the administration “has made peace impossible.”
According to him, “Quality of leadership is very low and it brings about a situation where no one knows the next thing that can happen in Nigeria. What we are seeing now is quite disheartening.”
Describing as charlatan some politicians masquerading as leaders and some of those seeking the highest office in the land, the former presidential candidate said: “If you compare what happened in 1978 and what is happening now, you will agree with me that things have gone very badly. In the Second Republic when we had the likes of Aminu Kano, Zik and Awolowo, there was discipline and you could feel the presence of quality leadership. There was a sense of discipline.
“At that time, you could see presidential materials who were qualified in every sense of the word, so much that if you voted for any one of them, you would not say you made a mistake. This is because each of them was more than qualified to occupy the seat. But today, we are saddled with a president that lacks discipline and does not understand the burden of leadership and governance. Today, you see many people coming out that they want to contest for the post of president, and they have not the discipline and you see they do not possess what it takes to be0 leaders. This is the tragedy of Nigeria.”
He challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to take advantage of the provisions in the Constitution as the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria; Chief security officer of the country and controller of the resources of Nigeria, to better the lives of Nigerians.
“He must realise that he was elected for the good of every citizen of Nigeria, and so he must ensure that fairness and justice must come into play in all that he does. But we are not seeing that,” he said.
Urging the Nigerian electorate to make an informed choice in 2019 in terms of choosing credible leaders, Musa also tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on fair play.
“As the next election is coming, we must see how we can have a better leadership and how it is possible to keep these people away from coming back to power. Again, my advice to the INEC is to ensure that by all means there is credible election that will produce the choice of the people,” he said.
ZEBULON AGOMUO
