Daily Independent (Lagos)
5 November 2008
interview
Yahaya Ndu is a member of the National Committee of the African Unification Front (AUF), a group which advocates the transformation of Africa into a federation, with a Pan African Parliament as the highest government overseeing key institutions, including a single currency. He has also been very prominent in the cause of reparation for Africa. In Nigeria, he is best known as the chairman of the African Renaissance Party (ARP), one of the radical political parties calling for a people's Constitution.
In this interview with SNR REPORTER, AUSTIN OBOH, he expresses his disenchantment with leaders of the opposition and the state of the nation.
Exerpts:
What would you say have been the major difficulties for small parties in the country?
The major difficulties facing so-called small parties in Nigeria are legion. I will name some of them.
1. The ruling party - which controls the machinery of government (the PDP) is anti-people, anti-Nigeria and has no respect whatsoever for the Constitution of Nigeria. As a result, the nation is run at the whims and caprices of the PDP. This means that there are no set rules for anything as can be seen in the conduct of the 2003 as well as the 2007 general elections.
2. The media in Nigeria - is generally as corrupt as the police. It is true that once in a while one comes in contact with a media correspondent with some conscience and some sense of patriotism, but this is clearly the exception and not the rule. As a result of this a party does not get reported if it does not give money to reporters.
3. Government-owned media such as NTA, FRCN, and VON - do not give any reasonable airtime to parties that are not in government at the various levels.
4. Elections - are only elections in name but selections in fact, as the whole world observed from the conduct of the 2007 elections.
5. The resources of the state - are used without let or hindrance, to further the goals and interests of ruling parties , whereas even constitutionally provided assistance to opposition parties are withheld. This is why since Yar'Adua came to power, INEC has not released even a kobo to opposition political parties.
6. The National Assembly - is not patriotic, as can be seen from the fact that it has done everything humanly possible to frustrate the African Reparation Bill sent to it since 2004, by the African Renaissance Party [ARP].
Are these difficulties the reasons your party does not have nation-wide following or make national impact yet?
Despite the difficulties, the African Renaissance Party has nationwide following, even more than the PDP. This can be seen if a free and fair election is organised in Nigeria. The ARP is such a pacesetter that you see it being imitated. The ARP was registered in 2002 by the INEC. And, as at the time it was registered, it was the only party in Nigeria with Africa to its name, but shortly after that, the African Democratic Congress [ADC] and the African Political System [APS] came on board. In fact, even the All Peoples Liberation Party (APLP) had to change its name to African Liberation Party (ALP).
INEC has claimed that some parties have been unable to keep its accounts very well. Has this affected funding of your party?
The claim by INEC regarding improper accounts keeping by political parties is stupid. The constitution requires INEC to publish audited accounts of political parties. Why has INEC never done so? When was INEC ever audited, and by the way, has Nigeria forgotten that some time in the past when a Director of Finance of INEC died, we saw two of his wives fighting over billions of naira in one of the man's accounts? So who is fooling who?
How would you assess the performance of electoral tribunals so far?
Justice delayed is justice denied. The mere fact that Matters arising from the April 2007 election are still before election tribunals, up till date says it all. Individuals and political parties that do not have millions to pay lawyers cannot even dream of approaching the so-called tribunals. So many of the supposed judgments of the tribunals conflict with one another. Tribunals refuse to even admit evidences that are matters of public knowledge.
What specifically would you recommend as proof against election rigging in Nigeria?
Your question is a very interesting one, and my answer is this:
There must be clear Voters Register. There was no real voters register for the 2003 election and none for the 2007 elections.
INEC must be dissolved and reconstituted in such a way that all political parties are represented in its running.
INEC must be funded from the consolidated revenue fund.
Finally, all state electoral commissions must be dissolved and reconstituted in such a way that all political parties in the state are represented fully.
What do you think is the best approach towards solving Nigeria's constitutional problems?
A Nigerian Peoples Conference. Since 1914, the people of Nigeria have never really had any tangible input into the constitution-making process of the country. All previous constitutions have been imposed. The British imposed the 1960 Constitution on us. We slammed the 1963 Republican Constitution on ourselves, in the sense that it was an elitist affair through and through.
The military slammed the 1979 Constitution on us. The 1995 Constitution was no different.
The 1999 Constitution of Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar was, by far, the worst ; for it remained a secret until made into law. Naturally, and as common sense dictates, a Nigerian Peoples Conference is imperative and inevitable. Right now, people who got into the National Assembly through a process that the whole world adjudged to be the worst in human history are even trying to remake a constitution for Nigeria. How imponderable!
What's your party's basic ideological offer, and how would it resolve Nigeria's ailing economy and political dilemma?
As the name goes, the African Renaissance Party is a party that fundamentally believes that we as a nation must be self-reliant. African Renaissance is about Africans learning to solve their own problems. Nigeria is one of the most richly-endowed nations on earth and we should have no reason to be complaining of anything at all. The people of Nigeria are about the most industrious on earth. This is why you find that anywhere you find them in the Diaspora, they are pacesetters. A Sudanese friend of mine once told a joke that when African nations were being created, that the Almighty was putting all imaginable resources in Nigeria and other African countries were complaining. But that they were told to wait and see what type of human beings will be put in Nigeria. Indeed, the human beings we have governing the nation are a special breed of people who should be studied in museums.
A deeper truth is that the system of government we operate as a people is programmed to fail. We must evolve a system of democracy suitable to our perculiarities as a people. As long as we keep borrowing from other nations, the system of government to operate, our problems will never end. In fact, even the name Nigeria needs to be changed. Nigeria was a name given to us by Lady Lugard and we have never sat down as a people to decide on what name to be called by. Gold Coast was changed to Ghana, and most countries on attainment of independence changed their names. What is wrong with the most populous black nation on earth? Why is it that 48 years after independence we are still preoccupied with the search for the ever-elusive unity? African Renaissance Party will Restore Our Dignity in every sense of the word, and teach us to look inwards for solutions, as our forefathers did.
Some say leadership is the trouble with Nigeria, others say it is corruption, while yet another group believes it is inappropriate political structure which is over-centralised and yet highly centrifugal (that is, dominated by sectional and ethical biases): what's your opinion?
The number one problem with Nigeria is its defective political structure. Nigeria claims to be a federation when it is operated as a tight unitary state. Unless, and until, we get the politics right, which must begin with a Nigerian Peoples Conference where the people of this country will freely work out a formula for amicable co-existence - forget it. Any economic reforms without first a political reform is doomed to fail. It is like trying to attract foreign investment in the Niger Delta without negotiating with the militants.
Where do you situate religion in the socio-political development of Nigeria ?
Let me start by saying that in Nigeria you find predominantly Christians without Christ and Muslims without Islam. Nigeria is a country where you find people who loot their nation only to turn around and invest the loot in a foreign country. Nigeria is a nation where the ruling party is ready to partner with people from all over the world, but not with fellow Nigerians of different political persuasions.
Religion to an average Nigerian is a play thing and the fear of God is grossly absent in governance and in business. The National Assembly, State Assemblies and the Executive arms of government are full of Christians and Muslims, but they are stealing the nation dry by the day. Why has the National Assembly refused to pass the Freedom of Information (FoI) Bill? And why is the Presidency swearing people to secrecy (oaths) in a supposed democracy? This is a nation of thieves, in need of a revolution.
Nine years of democratic rule: how well so far?
This is not nine years of democracy but nine years of civilian dictatorship. The first thing about any democracy is that there must be a democratic constitution in place. Today, the electorate has no part in electing the leaders. All those in authority in Nigeria today were put there by INEC, the state electoral commissions and the tribunals, not by the people. So how can we call it a democracy?
Has the PDP really been a major problem for Nigeria's democracy?
PDP members are parasites and demonic predators; if the party is not the major problem in Nigeria, then what is?
Would you elaborate on the way you think the PDP has been of negative influence in Nigeria? Given the same chance, would any other political party not use its advantages as the PDP has done?
The Unity Government that Yar'Adua is running presently is founded on lies and deceit. Both the ANPP and the PPA are in it today simply to avoid having their leaders rounded into jails. Before Yar'Adua came into power, we all know that both Orji Uzor Kalu and Yerima, former governors of Abia State and Zamfara State had serious cases to answer with the EFCC. Since Yar'Adua got into power and initiated the contraption called Unity Government, has anyone heard of any questions being asked the two effective leaders of the ANPP and the PPA?
The issue of the amendment of the constitution presently going on is not only an insult to the generality of the people of this country, but doomed to fail. People who rigged themselves into power are dangerously tinkering with the constitution of the nation. This people are indeed asking for trouble. They are consciously or unconsciously forcing the masses of this country to embark on a revolution. The so-called electoral reform process of the government was simply designed to hoodwink the world and pool wool over the eyes of Nigerians. To start with, the government lacks any moral platform to speak of Electoral Reforms being unholy beneficiaries of brazenly stolen mandates. Secondly, they have excluded 92 per cent of the political parties from the whole process, which is like attempting to shave the parties in their absence. Thirdly, the process is going on at a time all those who inaugurated the bodies are awaiting pronouncements of election tribunals in their own cases. As for transparency, what can be said about it for a government that is busy swearing its functionaries to oaths of secrecy, and whose National Assembly refuses to pass the Freedom of Information Bill designed to enhance transparency?
Would reduction of number, or merger, of political parties ensure credible opposition and reduce the negativities of the ruling PDP?
The truth about this issue of reduction or mergers of political parties in Nigeria is simply that the PDP haven robbed the parties, wants to kill the parties so that it can continue unchallenged. That is what the PDP chairman meant when he said that the PDP will rule Nigeria for 60 more years. It is like raping a young girl and murdering her as well to ensure that she cannot complain. First of all, where has what the PDP and their collaborators proposing ever been done in any democracy in the world?
The greatest problem facing the opposition in Nigeria is members of the opposition themselves. The PDP is useless but the opposition is even more useless. The opposition is generally quick to point out the faults of the PDP but experience has shown that given the opportunity, most members of the opposition would even do worse. Take the issue of the failed Obasanjo third term bid, for instance.
Whereas Alhaji Balarabe Musa, the chairman of Conference of Nigerian Political parties (CNPP) was one of the most vociferous critics of Obasanjo's third term bid, the same Balarabe Musa failed to accept the single term of six months as originally agreed at the inception of the CNPP, for the chairman. He is now serving the 13th term. The CNPP has become like Balarabe Musa's retirement benefit. Today, when we hear Balarabe Musa, we do not think of the People's Redemption Party (PRP) whose National Chairman he is, but of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, whose chairman for life he seeks to become. And this is one of the so-called champions of the opposition in Nigeria.
The culture of impunity exhibited by Balarabe Musa, as demonstrated in the current 13th term he is serving as CNPP chairman, has penetrated the opposition so much that the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Iwu, has found it convenient to engage his kinsman to set up what they call Union of Nigerian Political Parties. As if that was not enough, the same group has also set up what they call Union of West African Political Parties. The main job of the groups is to say that all that INEC under Iwu does is perfect and for that they are well taken care of. In 2002, African Renaissance Party circulated a proposal amongst most of the 30 political parties then existing for the formation of a Shadow Government composed of opposition political parties, non governmental organisations, and other interested citizens. At that time the same Balarabe Musa was CNPP Chairman and Barr. Maxi Okwu the CNPP secretary. The CNPP ignored the proposal. After the 2007 elections, Prof. Pat Utomi got interested in the Shadow Government matter and invited I and other Nigerians to a meeting that held at the Lagos Business School. One of those who also attended the meeting was Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu. At the meeting, I once again explained the details of the Shadow Government proposition. Utomi introduced Mr. Gbenga Sesan as a competent website designer for the project and I started working with Sesan for the actualisation of the project. In fact, it was my party that even put down the first cash for the acquisition of the domain name etc., but Utomi's desire to appropriate all the credits to himself has militated gravely against the success of the project. Today, the website is on and Utomi has even opened a bank account with the Diamond Bank for the project without informing me as well as many others. Please, refer to the website www.shadownigeria.org. So the truth is that the opposition is its worst enemy and merging the parties together can on its own not help matters.
The ARP was sometime in the past associated with Wole Soyinka. What is his precise relationship with the party now?
Prof. Wole Soyinka emerged as the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the African Renaissance Party at the last convention of the party which held at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos in December 2006.
Do you accept Soyinka's brand of confrontational political engagement with government?
I am not aware that Soyinka is confrontational or has a confrontational attitude. Soyinka points out where things are going wrong in the society and can always be found on the part of the just and diligent.
What is your assessment of 500 days of Yar'Adua's administration - in terms of political and economic achievements?
Five hundred days of Yar'Adua's administration has, in the main, been characterised by inactivity and deceit. The only area in which his administration has shown any energy has been in the consolidation of all votes stolen under Obasanjo in the name of by-elections. All social activities for which some input is normally expected from government have broken down. Unemployment has reached an all-time high. Insecurity has become the order of the day.
I am confident that if Yar'Adua were to be woken up from sleep and asked to mention his so-called seven-point agenda without referring to a paper, that he would not be able to recall it. The whole administration is a terrible sham. Where is the power he promised? Where are the roads? Everyone knows that the education sector has never been this bad. Yes, indeed, Nigerians were complaining under Obasanjo, but they are completely speechless under Yar'Adua.
Do you agree with President Yar'Adua's reading of the Niger Delta situation, which he regards as a nightmare, and the steps he has taken or proposed to take towards addressing the situation in that region?
Let me start by saying that on the 5th of April 2007, the African Renaissance Party organised a seminar at the Alfred Diette Spiff Centre, Moscow Road Port Harcourt, on the Theme: 'The Genesis of Resource Control Struggle in the Niger Delta - The King Jaja Legacy.'
The Federal Governments of Nigeria - from Independence period to the present day - have never really appreciated the genesis or root causes of the resource control struggle in the Niger Delta and, as a result, cannot proffer tangible and workable solutions to it. The fact that a person even hails from any part of the Niger Delta does not on its own mean that the person automatically becomes knowledgeable about the problems and solutions on the area; and this goes for any part of the world. Anyone desirous of acquainting him or herself with the matters pertaining to the resource control struggle in the Niger Delta must first realise that the genesis of that struggle is traceable to the intellectual and diplomatic battle between King Jaja of Opobo and the Niger Delta [1821-1891] and the imperial British Government which eventually led to the kidnap and murder of Jaja by the British. Solutions to the problem cannot be found within the unitary system of government presently operating in Nigeria, but within a true federal system of government that allows the good people of the Niger Delta freedom to manage their own affairs as free citizens of the world.
The PDP's government presently led by Yar'Adua is, in all sincerity, not interested in truth and really not interested in seeing to the emergence of a truly Federal Republic of Nigeria in the true sense of the word. And, as such, is averse to anything with the potential of providing permanent or enduring solutions. This can be seen from the crooked attempts the government is currently making to use legislators who emerged under the most incredible election in the history of Nigeria and in the memory of the world to rewrite Nigeria's Constitution. The overriding interest of Yar' Adua's government and the PDP is self-preservation.
What is the significance of the 'African' in African Renaissance Party? Does it reflect ARP's interest in a continental solution?
The significance of African in the name African Renaissance Party comes from the realisation that most problems that confront Nigeria as a nation are continental in nature, in the first instance. The Berlin Conferences of 1883-1885 which witnessed the partitioning of Africa is a mere indication of the conspiracy of the western world for the inhuman exploitation of Africa. As we can see today, there is still no African presence at the Security Council of the United Nations. Africa as a continent needs to reason and act together in the world of today, which is one of the reasons why the unification of the African continent is top on the Agenda of the African Renaissance Party. In fact, let me use this opportunity to inform you that on the first of October 2000, at the Cultural Centre, Abuja, where the ARP was launched, the party also flagged off a programme to secure the support of 100 million Africans (10 per cent of which must be Nigerians) for the unification of Africa.
Should Nigeria continue to play the 'Big Brother' role in Africa when it is obvious that it has been at the expense of her people?
Whether Nigeria plays the role of Big Brother in Africa or not, Nigeria will always remain a Big Brother in Africa, because God has made her so. By sheer size of her population, which is about a quarter of that of the whole of Africa and one fifth of that of all Black people on earth, no one can deny her God-given big brother status in Africa.
The leadership of Nigeria does not even believe in Nigeria, that is why in the National Assembly you still hear of Northern Senators Forum. The other day, a programme called Northern Economic Summit just held in Abuja. You find people who are ready to murder anyone who speaks of secession who are themselves not interested in Nigeria. What a paradox?
What are your observations regarding all the probes so far in the power sector? Are the Federal Government's projections in the sector so far achievable? And what are your recommendations?
We should stop deceiving ourselves in this country, if indeed, we even dream of making progress and catching up with the rest of the living world. Anyone who expects anything good like credible probe from this presently-constituted National Assembly is deceiving himself or herself. A National Assembly that refuses to pass the Freedom of Information Bill is not one to expect any credible probe report from, not to talk of a report that is likely to implicate even former heads of state. Ninety per cent of all members of the National Assembly were put there by former President Obasanjo in the sense that they did not win any elections. Besides, they are earning per month the equivalent of 200 per cent of the annual grants that opposition political parties are given. So, what kind of probe does any right thinking person expect from such a body of most unpatriotic elements.
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