Daily Independent (Lagos)
4 December 2008
interview
Major-General Ibrahim Haruna (rtd.) is the National Chairman of the Pan-Northern socio-cultural organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF).
Haruna who was recently in Jos with executive members of ACF to see Governor Jonah Jang, in this interview with Correspondent, ONOJA AUDU, spoke on the vision of the organisation to bring development to Northern part of Nigeria in league with the 19 Governors from there. The lawyer also talked about why Nigerians want to see development fast at their doorsteps, and the need for the President to employ a political-military push approach among other issues.
Excerpts:
Can you tell me about the mission of Arewa Consultative Forum to Jos?
Well, you know, we are a socio-cultural society, political in nature and our visit to Jos, the Plateau State capital, is not for politicking. We came to Jos to talk about Nigerian polity; in particular, Arewa socio-cultural development and disposition for now. And when we met Jang, we were able to talk and discuss over a range of issues regarding our economic development primarily, and the way forward in order to correct those issues we see that are affecting the practice of our democracy and re-assert what we all acknowledge are the malaise in our Nigerian nation and urge the leadership and followership, to be on the path of rectitude, righteousness, and love of the country; and the need for more patriotism than lip service.
How do you react to this claim that the northern part of this country has refused to grow along side the southern part in the area of development in the last 48; and what do you think is responsible for this and the way out?
Growth in the real sense of it is comparative, and it is not true that the North refuses to grow: we are all growing, but we are growing in certain different dimensions where growth has become stunted.
In the area of industrial growth, we have had factories and industries that were functioning with utilisation of installed capacity of about 30-40 per cent but, regrettably, now it has gone down to a bout 8 per cent because of no power supply; and the high cost of production cannot be passed to the customers and consumers alone while the raw materials needed could not be bought sufficiently cheap to produce at low cost so that the economy can be buoyant. We are talking about our growth that has been shelved, the redundancy in the industry and un- employment generally and in particular lack of employment opportunity for our graduates.
We are talking about whole load of problems and you are aware of the effect of the present America melt-down of the banking financial institutions had to be buoyed by discussion between government and the public. We have had this melting down before now, but government has been reforming and trying to make things work, but the stitches
has not worked and that is why we still have the problem of unemployment, low industrial utilisation of capacity installed, high investment that are not installed, gas turbines that has been bought in billions of naira not installed.
It is not just about generating growth, it is about sensible deployment of appropriated resources available to be used to make a difference because they have an impact resulting to investment benefits. We are talking about a lot of things to be done to encourage our new government on priorities in governance and disposition to using resources meaningfully in their bid to promote private and public participation.
From the Northern perspective, what is your position on the militancy in the Niger Delta and the justification of the creation of the ministry for Niger-Delta by the Federal Government?
There is no northern perspective of justifying the phenomenon of the Niger Delta. The situation there in the Niger Delta has become very apparent because of functions of government of neglect and lack of impact of development and unemployment generally which are not phenomenon from Niger Delta alone. It doesn't mean because they have become militant in Niger Delta and some elements of them have become criminal, doesn't mean there is no unemployment in the rest of Nigeria or there is no decaying infrastructure and so on.
So the Niger Delta phenomenon is a hydra-headed problem; we cannot talk about it purely as militancy for self- determination because many of it is pure criminality, But, of course, in the context of development, we are saying yes; the resources there could have been used to develop the place, but not developed and people are hiding behind something that exist all over Nigeria to say theirs is special because their own specialty is that the resources the nation currently depend on, in terms of national income, comes from gas and oil. So, it is really a crisis, but a crisis that has been made more intense because some people have seized the opportunity to criminalise the situation.
On the creation of Ministry of Niger Delta, I don't want to comment on that because I'm not competent to comment on that.
Are you optimistic that the current elected governors in the 19 northern states are competent to change the economic fortunes of the people?
My optimism is that before you can make progress, you must identify the state of affairs and my optimism is that they are operating in a climate that needs change, a political climate that need change, a social climate that abhor corruption and engender objectivity in development. If they don't change the climate where they have set goals and set objectives and determination to achieve those goals, then I'm afraid we are going back to square one, because you can make plans, appropriate money and the money can go for anything and be used any how and doesn't have to produce results and the issue becomes dormant and you will discover that people will start complaining about the way they are being managed and the way government generally is run. Our optimism is that we are prepared to make them changed and they themselves must be prepared to change.
How far do you intend to take your current campaign of good governance and accountability in the affected states of the North?
We have been going round the whole northern states and chairmen of traditional institutions who are leaders of traditional rulers of each of the affected states of the North. Our meeting with the governors depends on the time available to them at their convenience.
What is your comment on the current democratic practice in Nigeria?
The practice of democracy is left to the political parties because they are the contestants on the field and, of course, democracy is stalled by the process of installing a government that secured electoral majority. Democracy, I know, presupposes there should be a governing party and opposing party and retinue of host of others. We are familiar with the fact that our democracy is yearning for development and we accept some of the weaknesses and we know that the electorates are not properly registered while the electoral process does not give one opportunity to get the correct election results leading to a kind of do or die syndrome and a lot of others.
Our concern is delivery of governance and ensuring that the beneficiaries who should have the hope of better lives are given feed to justify what President Obama said to the people of America during the recently held US election: "Yes we can." Yes we can, if we do the right thing and discuss on a democratic basis of expression of free will and free choice etc.
What kind of relation do you have with Middle-belt Forum and Northern Union?
Our relationship with Middle-belt Forum, Northern Union, Arewa Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industry and Agriculture are all positions on the basis that in a democracy, there is freedom of expression and association on the basis of some common interest. The ACF relate with all these associations. At least, there is one common denominator: that is, we are all ****Arewa people and are all working for ***Arewa populace, and we are all working for **Arewa in Nigeria, not in isolation.
Every Arewa man, notwithstanding what association he belongs to - whether it is religious or political, geo-political or economic - makes an input and all individuals are considered members of the ACF by virtue of their citizenships or what we call state of origin. There is no difference dealing with either Middle- belt or Northern Union. We co-operate, as the case may be, as we don't make any distinction either with political parties. We don't associate with political parties as such but all their members are free to be members of ACF. In fact, the keyword there is Arewa Consultative Forum. We consult all groups of interest in order to promote a kind of consensus of interest and, of course, to strengthen our understanding of moral and ethical rights or wrongs and to ensure that they can be enforced.
What is the position of the ACF on review of the Constitution that is about to be carried out by the National Assembly?
The initiative as regards to constitutional amendment rest with the legislative houses; the general public and the executives may make recommendations while the Judiciary, their pronouncement on constitutional issues, as far as it goes to the supreme court, becomes constitutional position.
As at now you know the initiative has been taken by the National Assembly to initiate some amendments to the Constitution. And, in that case, we are all participants, not just Arewa Consultative Forum, but every citizen have a right to make input either at public hearing or memorandum.
Until they come out with framework or modalities they want to pursue, we know that at the end of the day, there will be a draft bill that must pass through the National Assembly and must pass through all the states' House of Assemblies as stated by the present constitution. So, it is a long and uphill task process. So we take it: as they come, we deal with it.
If you happen to meet with President Yar'Adua face to face any day, what will you tell him concerning the state of affairs in this country?
I will greet him. And you know, he is dealing with the state matters as they come before him. He has created Ministry of Niger Delta, constituted committees for resolving power emergency and he is handling the matter of unbundling power holding company of Nigeria, unbundling NNPC and gas companies. He is working to put life and blood into his seven-point agenda for Nigeria and, perhaps, he has gotten the right idea that needs to be quipped up because Nigerians are very often in a hurry and anything that has to do with go-slow, they don't understand.
I will tell him: well done, Mr President. You are on the right part trying to re-sharpen our economy and politics. But Nigerians are very much in hurry, maybe, he should give them a little political- military push.
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