Chief Olabode George is a former deputy National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party. He is also a member of the party’s Board of Trustees. In this interview with AYO ESAN, he speaks on issues as they affect the nation. Excerpts:
As a retired General, how will you react to the spate of killings in the Northern parts of the country?
There are times you are quiet and there are times you talk. In the community where I was brought up, when things are not going on well, the elders speak. They should be able to find solutions to the challenges. I have lived a great deal of my life and I thank God that I am in my mid-70s. I have never seen things happening this way. I made a suggestions at that time on how things should be handled. This is not the time for partisan politics. This is a serious national security matter, and I suggested that the President and those in government must deliberately call for a meeting of stakeholders to find solutions to the problems. This is the way I see it, and it was the way things were handled when I was younger in the community where I grew. They should leave their personal ambitions behind and rise up for the corporate interests of our nation.
We should allow religious leaders, traditional rulers and prominent statesmen to look into the matter. We still have past presidents, prominent leaders who are still alive and can intervene in the matter. Things are not done this way. From my perception, God put the tribal limits there, and that is not by accident. Right now, as we head for the elections, my suggestion is that we should talk and proffer solutions. This is not the time to say I am in government; you are in the opposition. We should speak out; it is disheartening when you look at the way things are going.
There are three things in life that you don’t control: the day you were born, the tribe you will be born into, and the day you will exit this world. If you have that at the back of your mind, then you will love your neighbour as yourself. This is in the Lord’s commandment and I have been privileged: through politics, military and going round every corner of this country, I must say Nigeria is a blessed nation. Every section of the country has been endowed with one great resource or the other. But, today, we have raised the state of religious bigotry beyond comprehension. Let us fear God and remove this toga of greed, personalised ambition, and let the corporate resources be for the use of the people. That is why we must meet to resolved the problems. We should be able to talk about the real issue without fear or favour. No individual can solve the matter alone, it must be collectively addressed.
The founding fathers of the PDP established some procedures that were solid foundations, insisting on democratic tenets. I said it that the coalition some PDP members went into with the APC was a coalition of strange bed fellows. What has it turned out to be now?
What is your view on the ongoing national conversation on the clamour for generational shift of power from the elders to the youths?
Renewal and change is the lifeblood of all enduring societies. Nothing is static. Permanent progression is in the nurturing of new ideals and new vision.
Change is a natural phenomenon. But any change that will endure must follow a certain process for it to achieve a desirable outcome that is sustainable.
Let us not forget that politics and governance are like other sectors of life, where you require a reasonable level of relevant knowledge, skill, period of tutelage or mentorship, experience and track record to attain a leadership position. No young lecturer, however brilliant, will say he is taking over as vice chancellor of a university without meeting certain requirements as related to the standards of a university. It is wrong to think that anybody can take over any political position if he is not adequately prepared for it.
I support the ‘Not too young to run’ law recently assented to by President Muhammad Buhari. It is like what is referred to in the professional sectors as ‘catching them young’ and training them for stardom. But let me warn that training and mentorship are indispensable.
Politics and governance in civilized societies have thrown up young leaders in recent times, such as President Emmanuel Macron of France and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of Austria. But the toga of youthful embrace must not encourage rascality, mediocrity and disrespect for elders. The young leaders in Europe rose through the system over a period of time, and had distinguished themselves in previous political responsibilities entrusted upon them.
That is the way to go about it. What we need in this country is a deliberate and purposely built process of mentorship of the youths for responsibilities in politics and governance by our political parties. The youths must subject themselves to this process, patiently learning from the successes and failures, wisdom and mistakes of the experienced older political actors and functionaries.
A Yoruba adage says ‘Omode ri ogun, o npe lefo’ (A child sees a herb in the bush and calls it a vegetable for preparing soup because of the limitation of his knowledge). It is the elder who then explains that it is a herb for preparing a medication. The youths have a lot to learn from the elders, in order to avoid the mistakes of the past and be able to take the nation to the next level.
Humility is a priceless virtue. We must remember that the youths of today will become the elders of tomorrow, who will be expected to mentor the youths of their own generation. It is natural that they too will demand respect from the incoming generations.
In the journey of life, hard work, commitment to noble ideals and patience are important requirements for success in any endeavour. You must avoid the craze to cut corners or being used to do same. The consequence is always disastrous. Being focused, trusting in God and patiently working out your vision will, eventually, get you the prize.
The Peoples Democratic Party recently signed a memorandum of understanding with 38 other political parties, what does the party stand to gain from the coalition?
This nation must survive. I don’t want to be partisan now; I want to be factual. We want to have a government that will harness the resources of this country; that can manage the resources of this country for the betterment of our people. So, if you look back, even from 1960, have you ever heard of political parties with different ideologies? The parties ideologies are simply to the right, left, centre right and centre left. But, that is not our problem in Africa. Do you know where our problems lie…provision of basic necessities like basic education, good housing, employment for graduates, and those who are not graduates. We must be able to create investment in the country for sustainable economic activities, good agriculture etc. Today, we are number zero, with all our abundant resources. Whatever you need for your survival are here in Nigeria. Remove that toga of greed and selfishness and look at your land and tap into the resources. As you move from one area to another, God has endowed us with plenty.
By year 2040, the White people will no longer produce vehicles that run on petrol, so the petrol you depend on will no longer be relevant. This is the time they should start preparing for the rainy days. The technology will be based on electric-powered machines, and do we even have enough electricity to run our homes? So, talking about the coalition, ideologically, there are no difference. I remember when we were having a national convention, issues that we would have sat down together to address were allowed to get out of our hands. And some of our brothers and sisters decamped. I also remember this coalition that came up with the APC, when I told my people who decamped that they should remember that they were landlords in the PDP, and that they were merely in their coalition as tenants. I used the analogy that if your house, as a landlord, is leaking, would you abandon the house to become a tenant in another house? You definitely will make sure that you fixed the leakage, so as to remain in the house. The founding fathers of the PDP established some procedures that were solid foundations, insisting on democratic tenets. I said it that the coalition some PDP members went into with the APC was a coalition of strange bed fellows. What has it turned out to be now? They see themselves as CPC, ACN, ANPP and APGA. So, how can the centre hold? And because there are no ideological differences, people can easily move from one platform to another. I am a Lagosian, it is the Centre of Excellence and the largest income-generating state. This is because Lagos is very accommodating, because two heads are always better than one. The people of Lagos who converge here supported the growth, why can’t we replicate the same thing all over Nigeria.
Three APC governors and many lawmakers have returned to the PDP, what does it portend for the party in 2019?
Do you remember that prodigal son in the Bible? He told his father to give him his own part of the family inheritance. The father asked him to wait, but he insisted that his father give him his own share. They gave him the share and he headed out socialising everywhere and mismanaging the money. When he could no longer sustain himself, he went out there to fend for himself and got the worst job. He worked like a steward serving pigs, and even eating what should ordinarily go for the pigs. One day, he looked at his condition and decided to return to his father in submissive condition. This is a lesson for the party, and what do you call experience? It is something that you acquire over periods; it is not taught in the classrooms. That is to say, what an old man can see when sitting down, the young man cannot see it even when he climbed the roof top. I am so happy that these people have decided to return to the fold. And because we are not on the same ideological page, you jump from conservative position and you now say you are liberalist. They will say this man is a 419, not believing what you say because it is not so easy to jump from conservatism to liberalism. We must manage whatever we have in the interest of those that are there and those coming later, rather than heading out just because of minor challenges. God almighty will direct us as long as we are fair and just. If we succeed in doing that, we would have convinced Nigerians that this unnecessary imposition, illegal disposition and disregard for the constitution is something that should not be. You have to get your Personal Voter’s Card and once you get your ballot paper, you ask yourself, am I better off today now? If you are better of, vote the APC and, if you are not better of, vote the alternative. Every four years we renew the mandate, and that is the time you decide.
The PDP, as part of rebranding, is planning to change its name. What is wrong with the present name?
There is nothing wrong with the name PDP. The founding fathers laid down the policies, ensuring that every part of the country benefits from the arrangement. They decided that position must be rotated among the zones. That, on its own, will guarantee that you are not just an on-looker. Nigeria is not the first to adopt the model; the Swiss, the French and the Germans did the same thing. For me that question of changing name is not an issue. We will get over that.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo recently visited you, what is the relationship now?
He got me angry. They accused me and put me before the court and, honestly, it was not a joke. But, looking back, I am not angry because the experience I acquired in the process can never be acquired elsewhere. Baba and I are first and foremost in espirit de corp. I have been with him for long and, when I found myself on the other side, you simply take it that that is life. F or whatever, Baba is still a bundle of accomplishments, he is still an icon. So, for me, I am happy that we have gotten back together.
How do you see his recent romance with Afenifere leaders?
There is no permanent enemy; this is the time to bury those misgivings and differences. This is the time to come together for the sake of our country. I saw Baba Adebanjo and, when we interacted. Nation building requires a lot of patience. It is not a fast track dash. Generation upon generation will keep on building it. So, I saw the visit as a most welcome thing and most welcome development.
The Ekiti election has been concluded, how do you rate INEC’s performance and what is your advice as we look forward to Osun gubernatorial election next month?
You know I want to reserve my comment on the Ekiti election, because I don’t believe we lost it; I don’t believe it personally. We would go the the Tribunal and put our case before the jury and, at that time, the rest of the world would hear our own side of the story. I don’t want to give my own personal opinion; I don’t have one. I am just a leader. When the party has finished its own post-mortem analysis, they would bring a collective party position.
On Osun, party managers are doing what I said should have been a pre-primary exercise, and it’s now post-primary. But we should take all that as a lesson.
