Leadership (Abuja)
Babangida Kakaki
25 July 2008
interview
With a sound military background on intelligence, Major A. A. Mohammed (rtd), a former chief security officer to President Ibrahim Babangida, highlights the dangers in establishing foreign military commands in the Niger Delta area. As a professional, he would want to stand and be counted among patriotic Nigerians that are against the establishment of these commands. Speaking to our man BABANGIDA KAKAKI, Major Mohammed also examines this and other critical issues of national importance. Excerpts:
As a former military major, recently the Yar'Adua administration has approved the establishment of United States Military Command in Africa and possibly to be stationed in our country. What is your view on this development?
I know the idea, which is in the pipeline, is not going to work. As far as I am concerned, it is a bureaucratic blunder for the Yar'adua administration to have consented to such a command. It is not going to achieve its aims, unless it is another form of imperialism which now the US wants to re-establish here, then we should not be told otherwise. It is another manoeuvre to get what they want out of this country and African nations as well. But if it is to train the Nigerian military not to establish a command, then it is a fine idea. But a command? Definitely, it is going to be a disaster to this country some day. If one goes back in history, US military were defeated in many expeditions around the world at various times – in Vietnam, in Somalia, now in Afghanistan and Iraq. They boxed themselves in there, and could not come out. It is another form of colonial-imperialist agenda to siphon our resources-oil, mineral resources, forest resources and the use of our soldiers to advance their selfish interests. We know they have continuous interest in our crude oil in the Niger Delta region of our country. And believe you me, it will boomerang some day. It will.
Top military brass and US officials are saying that AFRICOM will provide maximum security in the event of internal conflict among African nations, and safeguard it against terrorist's threats. Do you buy the argument?
No, it is not true. In fact, they should look where the so-called terrorists are. The word terrorism itself depends on how you look at it. If you invade a sovereign country for the simple reason that they have what you desperately want, I consider you a terrorist also. The question is, do we need them? Where could their locations be? Could it be in Liberia, in Somalia or in Nigeria here? So, to answer your question, US could not secure any country; because it lacks the capacity and intelligence as well as military will to secure its own country. There were so-called terrorist attacks in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995 by a deadly terrorist, Timothy McVeigh, the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing by Abu Halimma from Egypt, the World Trade Centre and Pentagon attacks on September 11. While recently, Senator Joe Liebermann has said there is going to be an attack on the US soil immediately after 2008 presidential polls, to in his words, test the will of the new President. Whatever this pronouncement means, and where did he get the information of the attack, no one knows. So what kind of security protection are they talking about? There is a popular saying in Hausa language that, Idan mutum ya ce zai ba ka riga, dubi ta wuyansa, meaning if someone says he will give you a shirt, you should look at the one he is putting on. It is not true. US cannot secure African continent, since it cannot secure it own country. So-called terrorist hit the US right inside its own soil. So, they have to protect their country first before they claim to secure another. And in terms of peace-keeping efforts and military intervention, it does not have any impressive feats to convince any right thinking persons that it could. But Nigeria has made a mark and remarkable achievements in peace keeping and conflict resolution in West Africa – in Congo, in Liberia , in Ivory Coast and now in Darfur , Sudan. So the argument of security provision does not hold water, and it will not.
The militant attacks in the Niger Delta region are a source of concern to the government and the nation, and it seems to defy solution with the call of President Yar'adua to international community to come to our aid. Do you agree that Yar'adua administration could not contain the crises?
When we talk of the on-going militancy in the Niger Delta, I see a lot of lapses in political and military hierarchy, because you cannot believe that these militants are growing more powerful daily. They killed about three soldiers and a civilian just some days ago. We have to look back - who formed them in the first instance, who funds them, where do they get their weapons? These are the issues. From their utterances, you can understand that those behind them are the so-called powerful political elites in the region, either former or present political office holders. They have a lot of questions to answer, but Federal Government neglects that. I know we have a very strong military capability to deal with them. The Federal Government must look inwards within the military hierarchy and those behind them. It is unbelievable that this powerful nation will be held to ransom. I do agree the region has been neglected in terms of social amenities and educational opportunities, and they are fighting a just cause, but in a wrong way and manner. Killing innocent civilians, kidnapping foreign expatriates and putting shame and disgrace to our nation, blowing pipelines and stuff like that. I believe it could be solved without even military intervention. But I want to ask one question, where are the children of their sponsors? They are schooling abroad most of them on the nation's expenses, if one cares to know. Recently, the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, offered to help in solving the militancy problem, but one of the elder statesmen in the region, Diette- Spiff, said no, they can solve their problem without foreign involvement.
But Yar'Adua has even called on the international community to fight oil bunkering on the high seas, by implication, soliciting help from foreign nations, because his government could not contain the militancy which late Sani Abacha had tamed during his five-year rule. How would you react to this?
I am not speaking for Mr. President, but I don't believe he calls for international military assistance. As you know, the British and the Western world, spearheaded by United States of America, do have interest in our oil. They can as well offer to come in, in the name of assistance. Some weeks back, a vessel belonging to the US was seized by the militants. You think the Americans would just close their eyes? They might offer to assist to protect their oil interest, not to help the country, mind you.
Recently, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Odein Ajumugobia has began a campaign for removal of subsidy on petroleum products because it could not afford to continue to provide the subsidy to the tune of over 1.5 trillion naira annually. What is your reaction to this statement?
I believe no right thinking person will think of subsidy removal of petroleum products now in this country. If you look at what has happened during the past regime, you will realise that most of economic policies were World Bank and IMF-induced ones. If Mr President would be so blind to think removal of petroleum products subsidy will solve the nations problems, it is capital No! It is definitely going to magnify the socio-economic problems of vast millions of citizens. I know he would not like his name to go down the same way as that of his predecessor, Obasanjo, because in as much as how insensitive as Obasanjo' s administration were, it never thought of total removal of petroleum products subsidy in its 8 years. How can someone who believes and preaches the rule of law now create a problem where by his people will suffer the more, and consider his words and actions as a deception and mere hypocrisy? If one looks at how much is petroleum motor spirit (PMS) or automotive gas oil (AGO), you see, in Saudi Arabia , the PMS is sold at 36 Halalah, that is .36 of one Riyal. If you convert to naira, it is less than 11 naira per litre. And in Egypt , it is sold at 14 naira per litre, while Egypt is not near the 20 richest oil nations in the world. It has crude oil, but small quantity. It has to import both the crude and refined oil to meets its domestic demands. How can a Minister of Petroleum start the detrimental campaign of subsidy removal of petroleum products? He was talking about the subsidy costs the Federal Government 1.5 trillion naira per annum. But he did not tell the Nigerian citizens how much billions of dollars the government generates in the last 12 months in sales of crude oil. If you consider what the nation has in the so-called foreign reserve now, it is over 60 billion dollars, then what is 1.5 trillion naira, for God's sake? If government does not subsidise utilities and services to its citizens, then what is its essence and relevance? How can a government with credibility problem, that met multi-faceted problems - institutional corruption, with elusive security of lives and property afford to multiply and compound the poverty state and level of its people? Diesel is sold at almost 175 naira per litre today, in a nation which is the sixth richest oil nation in the world. Maybe the minister is unaware of the landing cost of this petroleum product, which is 53 naira 50 kobo per litre. The minister mentioned only few Nigerians who made fortunes as a result if this subsidy. Agreed, this happened because there are no checks and balances on their activities. He even called them opportunists. Fine, they are so, but who begged for their private jets to taxi them from one part of the country to another? Let the minister answer this question. Again, how much millions of naira did the 'opportunists' contribute to the presidential and gubernatorial campaigns of PDP in many states in 2007 polls? He should equally tell Nigerians. So how can you fight such people? And at the same time, the government gave them the license to import such refined products. Just Mr President work hard on our refineries. Put security agents all over. If one look at Venezuela – they have helicopters, well trained military men with modern equipments patrolling the pipelines all over the country. When we visited Warri recently, we spent about 4 days, there was no electricity. We lived on generator, in a nation where we have crude oil, but you can not have constant power supply. Then think about millions of Nigerians who can not afford generator, they live on candle, and the next thing you hear their houses are on fire. We live in a nation, we know the crooks, thieves but we dine and dance with them. It is very unfortunate.
Minister of Transport, Mrs Diezani Alison Maduekwe, has said the Federal Government could not engage in construction of new roads due to lack of funds….
Wait a minute….It is bullshit! Why? Don't we have the funds? Is Nigeria that poor? Let me give you a simple analysis. During one of the military regimes in the past, it dualised Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road, and also Ibadan-Lagos expressway was reconstructed when the price of crude oil was less than 22 dollars per barrel. In addition, if you look at the price of crude oil per barrel today, it is 131 dollars per barrel. And looking also at our foreign reserve, we have over 60 billion dollars. Then what could possibly have gone into the minister's mind to have claimed lack of adequate funds to construct new good roads?
What is the way out of this mess?
First, Yar'Adua should allow the security agencies to do their work, if really he agrees with the rule of law. Because it is only in this country, where someone who does not know anything about oil, but tomorrow he is a captain of the oil industry. They fly the best private jets, and you cannot talk about it. If security agencies are allowed free hand to do their work, honestly speaking, they can nail anybody that breaks the law. Let me give you a simple example why I am disturbed. A foreign company alleged that they gave a bribe to the tune of one billion naira to a former Minister of Aviation who is currently under investigation, but the Minister has gone on bail and moving on the streets of this nation. The next thing, you will find him in Washington DC or London or one of the Caribbean nations enjoying his ill-gotten wealth. If somebody is caught hands down, he should pay for it. That is the only magic to make this country work. Anything short of this is a waste of time and a deception.
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