06-14-2018, 09:23 AM
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Bar. Kabiru Tanimu Turaki
Bar. Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, a former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is a member Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He recently declared his intention to vie for the office of the President in the forthcoming 2019 elections. He spoke to CHIBUZOR EMEJOR on a wide range of issues such as Nigeria’s trajectory in democratic governance over the last 19 years, his blueprints for fixing Nigeria’s myriads of challenges, All Progressives Congress [APC] misrule in the last three years, among other topical issues. Excerpts:
How would you describe 19 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria?
Nigeria’s 19 years of uninterrupted civil rule is not only profound but significant to any lover of democracy. For me as a lawyer and civil rights activist, and having played significant role in the struggle for the freedom of Nigerian citizens at various levels, I will say that this is something that is heart-warming. It has afforded Nigerians the opportunity to play significant role in the choices of who govern their affairs at every level of governance in this country. It means that indeed that Nigerian politicians can govern if only they are given opportunity to make mistakes and correct those mistakes themselves. Human beings by their very nature are fallible. If people in government make few mistakes and then the military jumped at it, and stayed for a longer time that is unnecessary. They will give civilians the opportunity to come back again after sometime. If civilians come back, mistakes will still have to be made. When politicians have been given the opportunity by Nigerian military to come in and build structures and institutions, and grow democracy, though we had some teething problems, as it were, in the beginning, but I tell you that the quality of representation and governance from 1999 has been increasing in each election. So people initially were not convinced that the military was sincere, when they decided to hand-over in 1999. For me, I think, it is remarkable, awesome, heart-warming and astonishing. The only thing is all Nigerians need to work hard to ensure that this democracy that a lot of people made sacrifices, is not taking lightly.
As a politician, don’t you think that Nigerians are disappointed considering the achievements recorded during these years of democracy?
Achievements have nothing to do with whether one is a politician or not. Because when a leader gets elected, the whole country becomes his constituency. So where a party wins national election, in any country not only in Nigeria, they are expected to provide dividends of democracy. So the disappointment arising from the abysmal performance of All Progressives Congress (APC) is not something that affects politicians alone, it affects every Nigerian. Every Nigerian you talk to today, even on social media, they all seem at all times to be discontent and disappointed with the activities of APC. Some complained that they have been used and dumped. The discontent, disappointment is something that affects all Nigerians, irrespective of who they are, where they come from, they have consistently expressed disappointment with this government.
Specifically, how would you assess the present administration as it has marked its three years in office on May 29th? Some people said the administration has done well in the areas of improving the economy, waging war against corruption and providing security for the citizenry while others said it has performed woefully? What is your take?
I think these three issues you have raised are the campaign issues that were formulated by APC in 2015 election. They promised to improve the economy, fight corruption and provide security to protect lives and property of Nigerians. By the time they realised that the economy under PDP had done very well, they dropped that as an issue. But today, it has become an issue. It has become an issue because APC has performed very badly in the management of Nigerian economy. PDP handed over the economy that was rated as number one in Africa, the fastest growing economy in Africa. Nigeria alongside China, was the two most investors’ havens in the world. More investors were anxious to invest in Nigeria. Also investors who invested in the country were diversifying their investments. But today, they are looking for other places where their investments will be protected. Again, PDP tried to have the middle class. PDP had given young persons and women a lot of opportunities not only to get employed, but also to establish their business ventures. They have given opportunity to become what they want to be. We had been able to, through a well –organised management of the economy to make Nigerians who initially never believed in Nigeria, to begin to come back to Nigeria to work and assist in the development of Nigeria. They also brought their hard-earned money and invested into the country. These things don’t happen now. When you talk about insecurity, in 2015, APC was more concerned with the issue of the insurgency in the North East. I am talking about the three frontline states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa. PDP was able to ensure that there was security for elections conducted in 774 local government areas in Nigeria. We did it. So, we were on the verge of bringing to a total end the issue of insurgency in the North East. What we have today is that APC government has failed to conclude what PDP had started. There was a lot of reversal. Every day, we hear of killings either in Yobe, Adamawa or Taraba States. Worse still, the government keeps on telling lies that Boko Haram has been technically defeated. Then came other forms of insecurity that were not there in the past. The issue of banditry in Katsina State, Zamfara, Kaduna, was not in these states before now. The issue of conflicts between herdsmen and farmers which is happening in the North Central of this country, and some States like Adamawa, Taraba, thereby killing so many people and destroying a lot of property. This was unknown before. Then came the issue of kidnapping. It has become so notorious that nobody is safe anywhere. We are not safe in the house, in the streets, work places. It was no like that in the past. We now have the problem of restiveness in the Niger Delta, which PDP government through well-organised productive and positive programmes was able to calm the restiveness. We were able to address this issue through vocational training, educational training, and other people-orientated programmes. We have been able to make positive impacts on the lives of the people there. Apart from these, there are now house-breaking thefts, among others. As far as security issue is concerned, this government has performed below average. If they are sincere to themselves, they will know that they have performed below average. I don’t blame President Buhari for this. I rather blame those who work for him. They are not assisting him. When you win election and you bring people to work with you, it is expected that this people will be honest, transparent, add value to your government. What is happening today is that all the people Buhari has brought to assist him in this government are not helping him. At the end of the day, the buck still stops at his table. I sympathise with Buhari. This is the reason why Buhari should have done cabinet re-shuffle long time before now to inject new blood into his government. Members of his Federal Executive Council, Service Chiefs, and others working for him, have failed him. Ultimately, who is Nigerians going to hold responsible? It is the person that they gave mandate to. That is Mr. President.
When you look at his war against corruption, it is neither here or there. It is because this war against corruption is more like a witch-hunt of the members of the opposition parties. You steal money even with empirical evidence, you move to APC or you are a member of APC, you become a saint. People tried to persuade you to come to APC, and you refused, tomorrow, they will start to witch-hunt you. The person is tried on the pages of newspapers and you are vilified, demystified and labeled as a looter. All these things that APC is doing to the leaders of APC, Nigerians are watching. There will be judgment of posterity and Nigerians are not fools. Nigerians have started to realise that the fight against corruption is nothing but a witch-hunt of PDP leaders. Arrest anybody you could, convict them on the pages of newspapers, and this will not affect the fortunes of PDP as far as 2019 elections are concerned. Indeed, Nigerians are resolute in the fact that they know what APC is doing. Certainly, Nigerians are not deceived by this deceit that APC is doing in the name of fighting corruption. When PDP was in power, a lot of PDP functionaries who were found to have engaged in corruption, were not only investigated but arraigned in court. No single APC member from May 29th, 2015 to date has either been investigated or arraigned before the court. Is it how to fight war against corruption? The President had sworn to the Constitution that he was going to do justice to all the people. We will ask Nigerians to judge the performance of APC led government.
This brings us to your recent declaration to vie for the office of the President in the forthcoming 2019 elections. What do you intend to do differently if elected as the President of Nigeria?
Yes, when I went for consultation with my constituency in Kebbi State, I told reporters my intention. After my extensive consultations with my party men and constituency, I told them the call on me to aspire to become the president of Nigeria. After incisive, exhaustive and broad-wide consultations, the Party has supported that I should go into the race.
Now what I am going to do differently is that I am going to bring in a lot of dynamism in government, which is lacking in government now. I will bring in integrity and credibility in government. Because a lot of people will talk and they don’t mean what they say. The citizenry has lost confidence in government officials. When I come in, I am going to bring in a lot of knowledge and experience. This is necessary. Some of us have been there before; some of us are well experienced. We know what PDP government did that many Nigerians were happy with the government. We are going to do more. We made some mistakes because we are humans. They were honest mistakes we made. We are not ashamed that we made mistakes because we are human beings. Beyond this, the first thing any serious leader will do is to re-kindle the hope of Nigerians to believe in themselves as they believe in this federation called Nigeria. Nigerians are getting to a situation that they have lost hope in everything. We must re-kindle the hope to live together as a people. New rising faith and patriotism must be built. The first thing I will do is to ensure that there is security. Without security, farmers cannot cultivate their land. People cannot go to their offices or transact their businesses. Without security, investors will not invest in the country. That is why today, a lot of investors have left the shores of this country.
We will look at the issue of critical infrastructure. Most of the infrastructure that PDP had built was not sustained by this administration. Infrastructure we have today is either decayed or is decaying. It is not functional enough to meet the needs of Nigerians. That is why we have challenges today. Roads that were constructed by PDP government, healthcare facilities have decayed. Go and look at their conditions. Look at our educational sector, and every sector, you will see a lot of problems. So for me, anybody who wants to be the president of Nigeria must be willing to start from a scratch. That is the level that APC government has taken us to. The level of injury and harm that APC has succeeded in inflicting on Nigerians is deep.
As a member of PDP Board of Trustees, do you envisage a situation that nPDP members will return back to PDP, in view of their present complaints of marginalisation and discrimination in the APC government?
I will not be surprised, if the members of the nPDP come back to PDP. These were members of PDP family. Times will arise as a result of small family disagreements that people may decide to go their separate ways. But family will always be family. This happened especially when members of the PDP who left to go into that contraption, they were first witch-hunted. They were used and dumped. Those who left, they were in government in PDP full of action, delivery of services, but they have found themselves in a place where there is chronic inaction, lack of service delivery. So, it is a situation that they are not used to. They will have to leave and get a place that will be conducive for them. APC certainly is not the same with PDP, you cannot compare the two. If you look at the level of in-fighting going on in APC, it is so disgusting. Never in the history of Nigeria and governance in the country, have we witnessed how people have been divided against themselves. Government that is supposed to have majority both in the legislature and executive, is still fighting itself. It has not completed any single project worthwhile for Nigerians to have invested their hope, support and time. Nothing! I can’t image how President’s advisers would allow him to travel all the way to other States just for him to commission a borehole. I can’t also imagine how President’s advisers and handlers would allow him to go to a state to commission wheelbarrows, called “amalanke” in Hausa language. That is why I am saying Buhari’s handlers are not helping him. Yes, he believes in them. They are not helping his government. They are only helping themselves. At the end of the day, the buck stops at his table. That is why majority of Nigerians are holding him responsible because the buck stops at his table.
https://independent.ng/anybody-who-succe...ch-turaki/
[url=https://independent.ng/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Bar.-Kabiru-Tanimu-Turaki.jpg]
Bar. Kabiru Tanimu TurakiBar. Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, a former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is a member Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He recently declared his intention to vie for the office of the President in the forthcoming 2019 elections. He spoke to CHIBUZOR EMEJOR on a wide range of issues such as Nigeria’s trajectory in democratic governance over the last 19 years, his blueprints for fixing Nigeria’s myriads of challenges, All Progressives Congress [APC] misrule in the last three years, among other topical issues. Excerpts:
How would you describe 19 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria?
Nigeria’s 19 years of uninterrupted civil rule is not only profound but significant to any lover of democracy. For me as a lawyer and civil rights activist, and having played significant role in the struggle for the freedom of Nigerian citizens at various levels, I will say that this is something that is heart-warming. It has afforded Nigerians the opportunity to play significant role in the choices of who govern their affairs at every level of governance in this country. It means that indeed that Nigerian politicians can govern if only they are given opportunity to make mistakes and correct those mistakes themselves. Human beings by their very nature are fallible. If people in government make few mistakes and then the military jumped at it, and stayed for a longer time that is unnecessary. They will give civilians the opportunity to come back again after sometime. If civilians come back, mistakes will still have to be made. When politicians have been given the opportunity by Nigerian military to come in and build structures and institutions, and grow democracy, though we had some teething problems, as it were, in the beginning, but I tell you that the quality of representation and governance from 1999 has been increasing in each election. So people initially were not convinced that the military was sincere, when they decided to hand-over in 1999. For me, I think, it is remarkable, awesome, heart-warming and astonishing. The only thing is all Nigerians need to work hard to ensure that this democracy that a lot of people made sacrifices, is not taking lightly.
As a politician, don’t you think that Nigerians are disappointed considering the achievements recorded during these years of democracy?
Achievements have nothing to do with whether one is a politician or not. Because when a leader gets elected, the whole country becomes his constituency. So where a party wins national election, in any country not only in Nigeria, they are expected to provide dividends of democracy. So the disappointment arising from the abysmal performance of All Progressives Congress (APC) is not something that affects politicians alone, it affects every Nigerian. Every Nigerian you talk to today, even on social media, they all seem at all times to be discontent and disappointed with the activities of APC. Some complained that they have been used and dumped. The discontent, disappointment is something that affects all Nigerians, irrespective of who they are, where they come from, they have consistently expressed disappointment with this government.
Specifically, how would you assess the present administration as it has marked its three years in office on May 29th? Some people said the administration has done well in the areas of improving the economy, waging war against corruption and providing security for the citizenry while others said it has performed woefully? What is your take?
I think these three issues you have raised are the campaign issues that were formulated by APC in 2015 election. They promised to improve the economy, fight corruption and provide security to protect lives and property of Nigerians. By the time they realised that the economy under PDP had done very well, they dropped that as an issue. But today, it has become an issue. It has become an issue because APC has performed very badly in the management of Nigerian economy. PDP handed over the economy that was rated as number one in Africa, the fastest growing economy in Africa. Nigeria alongside China, was the two most investors’ havens in the world. More investors were anxious to invest in Nigeria. Also investors who invested in the country were diversifying their investments. But today, they are looking for other places where their investments will be protected. Again, PDP tried to have the middle class. PDP had given young persons and women a lot of opportunities not only to get employed, but also to establish their business ventures. They have given opportunity to become what they want to be. We had been able to, through a well –organised management of the economy to make Nigerians who initially never believed in Nigeria, to begin to come back to Nigeria to work and assist in the development of Nigeria. They also brought their hard-earned money and invested into the country. These things don’t happen now. When you talk about insecurity, in 2015, APC was more concerned with the issue of the insurgency in the North East. I am talking about the three frontline states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa. PDP was able to ensure that there was security for elections conducted in 774 local government areas in Nigeria. We did it. So, we were on the verge of bringing to a total end the issue of insurgency in the North East. What we have today is that APC government has failed to conclude what PDP had started. There was a lot of reversal. Every day, we hear of killings either in Yobe, Adamawa or Taraba States. Worse still, the government keeps on telling lies that Boko Haram has been technically defeated. Then came other forms of insecurity that were not there in the past. The issue of banditry in Katsina State, Zamfara, Kaduna, was not in these states before now. The issue of conflicts between herdsmen and farmers which is happening in the North Central of this country, and some States like Adamawa, Taraba, thereby killing so many people and destroying a lot of property. This was unknown before. Then came the issue of kidnapping. It has become so notorious that nobody is safe anywhere. We are not safe in the house, in the streets, work places. It was no like that in the past. We now have the problem of restiveness in the Niger Delta, which PDP government through well-organised productive and positive programmes was able to calm the restiveness. We were able to address this issue through vocational training, educational training, and other people-orientated programmes. We have been able to make positive impacts on the lives of the people there. Apart from these, there are now house-breaking thefts, among others. As far as security issue is concerned, this government has performed below average. If they are sincere to themselves, they will know that they have performed below average. I don’t blame President Buhari for this. I rather blame those who work for him. They are not assisting him. When you win election and you bring people to work with you, it is expected that this people will be honest, transparent, add value to your government. What is happening today is that all the people Buhari has brought to assist him in this government are not helping him. At the end of the day, the buck still stops at his table. I sympathise with Buhari. This is the reason why Buhari should have done cabinet re-shuffle long time before now to inject new blood into his government. Members of his Federal Executive Council, Service Chiefs, and others working for him, have failed him. Ultimately, who is Nigerians going to hold responsible? It is the person that they gave mandate to. That is Mr. President.
When you look at his war against corruption, it is neither here or there. It is because this war against corruption is more like a witch-hunt of the members of the opposition parties. You steal money even with empirical evidence, you move to APC or you are a member of APC, you become a saint. People tried to persuade you to come to APC, and you refused, tomorrow, they will start to witch-hunt you. The person is tried on the pages of newspapers and you are vilified, demystified and labeled as a looter. All these things that APC is doing to the leaders of APC, Nigerians are watching. There will be judgment of posterity and Nigerians are not fools. Nigerians have started to realise that the fight against corruption is nothing but a witch-hunt of PDP leaders. Arrest anybody you could, convict them on the pages of newspapers, and this will not affect the fortunes of PDP as far as 2019 elections are concerned. Indeed, Nigerians are resolute in the fact that they know what APC is doing. Certainly, Nigerians are not deceived by this deceit that APC is doing in the name of fighting corruption. When PDP was in power, a lot of PDP functionaries who were found to have engaged in corruption, were not only investigated but arraigned in court. No single APC member from May 29th, 2015 to date has either been investigated or arraigned before the court. Is it how to fight war against corruption? The President had sworn to the Constitution that he was going to do justice to all the people. We will ask Nigerians to judge the performance of APC led government.
This brings us to your recent declaration to vie for the office of the President in the forthcoming 2019 elections. What do you intend to do differently if elected as the President of Nigeria?
Yes, when I went for consultation with my constituency in Kebbi State, I told reporters my intention. After my extensive consultations with my party men and constituency, I told them the call on me to aspire to become the president of Nigeria. After incisive, exhaustive and broad-wide consultations, the Party has supported that I should go into the race.
Now what I am going to do differently is that I am going to bring in a lot of dynamism in government, which is lacking in government now. I will bring in integrity and credibility in government. Because a lot of people will talk and they don’t mean what they say. The citizenry has lost confidence in government officials. When I come in, I am going to bring in a lot of knowledge and experience. This is necessary. Some of us have been there before; some of us are well experienced. We know what PDP government did that many Nigerians were happy with the government. We are going to do more. We made some mistakes because we are humans. They were honest mistakes we made. We are not ashamed that we made mistakes because we are human beings. Beyond this, the first thing any serious leader will do is to re-kindle the hope of Nigerians to believe in themselves as they believe in this federation called Nigeria. Nigerians are getting to a situation that they have lost hope in everything. We must re-kindle the hope to live together as a people. New rising faith and patriotism must be built. The first thing I will do is to ensure that there is security. Without security, farmers cannot cultivate their land. People cannot go to their offices or transact their businesses. Without security, investors will not invest in the country. That is why today, a lot of investors have left the shores of this country.
We will look at the issue of critical infrastructure. Most of the infrastructure that PDP had built was not sustained by this administration. Infrastructure we have today is either decayed or is decaying. It is not functional enough to meet the needs of Nigerians. That is why we have challenges today. Roads that were constructed by PDP government, healthcare facilities have decayed. Go and look at their conditions. Look at our educational sector, and every sector, you will see a lot of problems. So for me, anybody who wants to be the president of Nigeria must be willing to start from a scratch. That is the level that APC government has taken us to. The level of injury and harm that APC has succeeded in inflicting on Nigerians is deep.
As a member of PDP Board of Trustees, do you envisage a situation that nPDP members will return back to PDP, in view of their present complaints of marginalisation and discrimination in the APC government?
I will not be surprised, if the members of the nPDP come back to PDP. These were members of PDP family. Times will arise as a result of small family disagreements that people may decide to go their separate ways. But family will always be family. This happened especially when members of the PDP who left to go into that contraption, they were first witch-hunted. They were used and dumped. Those who left, they were in government in PDP full of action, delivery of services, but they have found themselves in a place where there is chronic inaction, lack of service delivery. So, it is a situation that they are not used to. They will have to leave and get a place that will be conducive for them. APC certainly is not the same with PDP, you cannot compare the two. If you look at the level of in-fighting going on in APC, it is so disgusting. Never in the history of Nigeria and governance in the country, have we witnessed how people have been divided against themselves. Government that is supposed to have majority both in the legislature and executive, is still fighting itself. It has not completed any single project worthwhile for Nigerians to have invested their hope, support and time. Nothing! I can’t image how President’s advisers would allow him to travel all the way to other States just for him to commission a borehole. I can’t also imagine how President’s advisers and handlers would allow him to go to a state to commission wheelbarrows, called “amalanke” in Hausa language. That is why I am saying Buhari’s handlers are not helping him. Yes, he believes in them. They are not helping his government. They are only helping themselves. At the end of the day, the buck stops at his table. That is why majority of Nigerians are holding him responsible because the buck stops at his table.
https://independent.ng/anybody-who-succe...ch-turaki/