Daily Independent (Lagos)
Njoku Pascal
8 July 2009
(Page 2 of 2)
What basic ideology do you consider worth embracing by political parties in the country?
Talking about political ideology, it is academic, but in any developing society, the basic requirements are three-fold and they are clearly spelt out in Nigerian Constitution. In other words, government is for the purpose of security, welfare and development of its citizens. If you like call it ideology.
It is when we are advanced in democratic governance and have gone beyond primordial sentiments that we can then talk about ideology, socialism, capitalism or communism. All these do not matter from the beginning. Just like a child grows up, the child's ideology is education so that he will be equipped against future challenges. As a developing nation, what we need is the basics. Let us have self- existence, security, welfare, health and education as well as infrastructure.
Some people opine that there can never be a virile political system and ideology-oriented government in an atmosphere of highly lopsided electoral process, your comment sir?
You see, the composition and inauguration of the Uwais Electoral Panel was a great move by Yar'Adua towards eliminating the snags bedeviling Nigeria 's quest for a credible electoral system. Unfortunately, with the Committee's submission of its findings and recommendations, the Presidency seems to be developing cold feet over the whole thing. Perhaps, those that advise President Yar'Adua must have told him not to water down some positions of the Uwais formula for fear that it might throw him out of power. Unfortunately, Yar'Adua seems to be following the bad advice, instead of making himself a great man they are reducing the him, to be a helpless man.
Some people believe that allowing the national judicial council to appoint INEC's boss amounts to dragging the judiciary into partisan politics, do you subscribe to that?
No, that is a selfish argument. Is it not Mr. President that appoints the Chief Justice of the Federation? Has the Chief Justice compromised standards because the President appointed him? If an INEC boss is appointed by a serving President, by extension he is partisan, and what we are saying is that in election, none of the parties should be a referee. INEC's boss is supposed to be an election umpire. This is a simple logic. For instance, if I want three terms as a president, and then I appointed INEC boss the first time, you think that person will not be kind enough to work towards my re-election to let me have the second and third terms? All we are saying is that the INEC boss should be a taskforce man, and should not be appointed by any of the parties who are contesting elective positions.
Yar'Adua has ruled for two years, what is your impression about his administration?
Yar'Adua is not a solution to Nigeria 's problems. He is handicapped, his health is bad and he did no make up his mind before taking up the job. The job was put on his lapse. Obasanjo did not weigh Yar'Adua's neck before he placed the burden of ruling Nigeria on his head. Nigeria is not an easy place to govern because we are only a country and not yet a nation. We have not socially integrated and the spirit of citizenship is not yet defined and not really practiced in the country.
People still have these sentiments of religion, ethnicity and all the rest of prejudices. In the face of these, I think the President has a tall order. But I would have thought that he would just do some few basic things well over the board that will really make him father of the country.
Like I said earlier, government is only for three purposes: Security, welfare and development. There is no need for any government if it works outside these there purposes. Yar'Adua could have taken one or two of these issues, and tackle them to a logical conclusion. Definitely, this would have been great. Or even, he should have concentrated in the fight against corruption, provision of infrastructure and even correct the ailing legal and electoral systems, which he is a beneficiary. He made a great speech during his inauguration by conceding to the fact that the election that ushered him into office was not all that good but that he would do something to correct the system.
So, here is an opportunity for Yar'Adua to be a great man, and to make Nigeria great. Even if it is only reforming the country's electoral system for the better, where citizens will choose their leaders through a free and fair election, and removing money in Nigeria politics, that Yar'Adua achieves in four years or more years as God would want him, then he must have imprinted his name in the country's hall of fame. In his fight against corruption, he is already compromised because of some of his colleagues (former governors) trooping to him. He is a human being, so there is every tendency that the EFCC cannot come out with anything tangible against some of the investigated and indicted former governors.
Honestly, Yar'Adua should do better than Obasanjo, and if he fails to do so, then it would have been a tragedy for Nigeria.
Back to the Uwais report, what do you think should be done?
Look, Yar'Adua appointed the Uwais Panel with no contribution or recommendation from anybody. He single handedly set up the committee with his people and charged them to do a good job, and they went and did just that. It is unfortunate that after submission of the report, the Presidency is trying to edit out some recommendations therein. The President's problem is with some of his advisers. They must have told him the recommendations that are good for him and those that are against him. The thinking is that some portions of the Uwais formula, if left to go untouched is capable of disenfranchising the President, and unfortunately he believes. This is why he has started watering down the report.
There is high wave of kidnapping and hostage taking in the country, what do you think is the cause, and who takes the blame?
People need jobs in this country. There is poverty in the land. I will continue to say it; there are only three reasons behind the formation of any government. A sincere and serious minded administration should well carter for the security, welfare and development of the citizenry. In various states of the Federation, government is not addressing its primary objective, which is security. There are times armed robbers will attack residential buildings and banking institutions for two or more hours without interception from security operatives. There is no government apparently in place that is addressing the security issue of our country. We don't have a government that really understands the purpose of government. The purpose of government in Nigeria is sharing of oil money, and the only business centre to siphon the national and state treasury is government office. So, if you are in, you join in the loot.
Until we get a leader that can fund the police and other security agencies; a leader that is interested in knowing or a governor that knows that every house in his state capital needs protection, we cannot get it right.
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