In this interview, a former Secretary General of Arewa Consultative Forum, Anthony Sani, counters the claims by the Northern Elders Forum that the group was instrumental to President Bola Tinubu’s victory at the 2023 presidential election. He said it was the All Progressive Congress northern governors that made Tinubu’s victory possible both at the primaries and the presidential elections. He also said that palliatives are never solutions to the myriad of challenges confronting the polity and the economy. Excerpts:
In response to economic hardship, the Lagos State government has increased civil servants salary by 20 percent and students’ bursaries by 12.5 percent. The government also gave palliatives to Lagos residents, among other goodies. What is your advice to other state governments, especially states in the North where you come from?
While I empathize with Nigerians on the hardship they go through due to the inflation occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the naira and external factors, and also understand the pressure on the governments by the citizens for the need of governments to lift the burdens on them as well as break the barriers on realising their rights, my suggestions have been that the efforts by governments should be geared towards improving the productivity of the economy for equal opportunities for every Nigerian, and not directed at consumption alone.
This is because palliatives, but productivity, are never solutions to the myriad of challenges confronting the polity and the economy. What governments should do is consciously direct efforts to make desires for productivity possible and then actual. If the governments are so concerned about the hardship from inflation, then one wonders the wisdom of the timing of removal of subsidy on electricity, considering the effects on cost of production by industries which prices would hike, leading to spiral inflation.
Recent comments by Northern Elders Forum that the North regretted voting for President Bola Tinubu in 2023 election, including the threat of not voting for the re-election of Tinubu in 2027, have come under attack, with some northern groups and individuals describing NEF as a paperweight in political mobilisation in the region. What is your reaction?
It is true that it was the North that made it possible for the emergence of President Bola Tinubu, considering he did not prevail in the Southern part of the country which voted for Mr. Peter Obi in the last elections, instead, just as it was the South West which made it possible for the emergence of President Buhari by helping him to meet the constitutional requirement for spread, since the North has only 19 and not 24 states.
But that does not mean it was the Northern Elders Forum which made the victory of Bola Tinubu in the North possible. It was the handwork of APC governors in the North who made the victory possible for Bola Tinubu in both the primaries and the general elections.
“The North has the right to complain of skewed political patronages by President Bola Tinubu against the North, especially when regard is paid to the fact that multiparty democracy is a matter of group interest, group goal, group cohesion, group coherence and group conspiracy”
It is believed that corruption running into billions of dollars under former President Muhammadu Buhari is hitting the economy badly under President Bola Tinubu. There are reports that some culprits have already been identified and negotiation for the refunds to the national treasury is ongoing. But there is this fear that political interference may compromise the efforts. What is your advice to President Tinubu on this?
Corruption has been the bane of socioeconomic development of Nigeria for over six decades, and each time there is change of government, it would pledge to fight the cankerworms. Unfortunately, the collapse of national ideals and moral values has not helped matters.
It is true that President Buhari had some shortcomings which included his failure to multiply his strength of character and honesty through his appointees which accounted for the corruption. But it is not correct to say the corruption was only from President Buhari’s regime. It has accumulated from independence to date. Just like Jesus Christ has said: “The poor would always be with you,” I dare say political interference would always be in multiparty democracy. All that is required is the strengthening of our institutions and political will as well as cultural renaissance needed for stigmatization of corruption.
Following the recent kidnapping and rescue of 137 school children in Kuriga town in Chikun Local Government area of Kaduna State, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has warned President Tinubu to stay away from what they called Northern trap to discredit him against the 2027 presidential election. What is your position on this?
Kidnapping did not start from the North but was exported from the South. It did not start from the regime of President Tinubu whose regime is less than one year old. It has been reported that over 1000 children have been kidnapped in the last ten years. And so, while Ohanaeze’s attempt to link the recent kidnap of 137 children in Kuriga to northern plans to discredit President Bola Tinubu may be understood, it is not acceptable for lack of sense and wisdom.
With President Bola Tinubu’s ascendance to office on May 29, 2023, there is a significant political change in Nigeria’s political history. It marked the full entry of the South West political region into the mainstream of Nigerian politics. Why won’t the North allow President Tinubu to have a second tenure of office in 2027 if he decides to run?
You always bring this issue of the north not willing to concede power to the southern part of Nigeria. You are not being fair to the North in your political view. You need to know that the North voted for Chief M K O Abiola against Bashir Tofa, who lost even in Kano. The elections were annulled by the military and not the North.
It was the North that made it possible for the emergence of President Obasanjo in 1999. And in 2023, it was APC governors from the North who caused the victory of Bola Tinubu in both APC primary and also in the general elections. The North has the right to complain of skewed political patronages by President Bola Tinubu against the North, especially when regard is paid to the fact that multiparty democracy is a matter of group interest, group goal, group cohesion, group coherence and group conspiracy.
But I think it is rather too early to draw any conclusion, considering that President Bola Tinubu is too savant and savvy not to know that good governance is not more than an art of balancing competing demands among constituent parts and among socioeconomic sectors.
President Tinubu has said that anyone who committed heinous crimes like kidnapping should be considered and treated as terrorists. But many Nigerians did not see this pronouncement as new because kidnappers were declared terrorists already by former President Buhari. How would you comment on this?
It is true that there is nothing exotic and quixotic in what the president said of kidnappers. We all know armed robbers, kidnappers, bandits; gunmen are terrorists because they use force to deprive innocent people of their possessions. Yet the president is not wrong by emphasizing that fact.
Most Nigerians are currently passing through hell because of the biting socio-economic hardship resulting from fuel subsidy removal and the latest removal of subsidy on electricity tariff. And there is this belief among some Nigerians that the naira is appreciating against the dollar. Is the naira actually appreciating when inflation continues to rise?
This is not the first time Nigerians are passing through hardship. We have passed through many circles of hardships, most of which were due to the fall in prices of oil. That is not a matter of hard work. We have even passed through circles of recession. Management of an economy is not a matter of ON and OFF like the TV. That is why the president is always on the TV asking for understanding.
I hope Nigerians would understand the fact that the inflation was caused by more than one factor. There was removal of subsidy on fuel, devaluation of the naira and reduced farming due to insecurity posed by activities of bandits, kidnappers, clashes between farmers and herders.
We need time for the appreciation of the naira to impact the economy. Precisely, the manufacturers need time to import raw materials and manufacture the goods.
We hear northern groups are meeting to present northern perspectives on the ongoing constitutional amendments. Would you say the problems of Nigeria have to do with the constitutions and forms of government?
I know as of fact that no constitution is perfect. As a result, there is room for improvement at all times. But I believe our challenges stem from the collapse of national ideals, moral values and inability to make a distinction between what is right and what is evil. Imagine how we desecrate the sacred inviolability of the individual and sanctity of life. The North believes our moral values and the way we do things account for our concerns in lackluster socioeconomic development.
For example, Nigeria has been restructured several times, be it geopolitical form of government or socioeconomic development. What is more, all the structure, form of government and economic model are working well in other climes. The North believes there is a need for a comprehensive cultural renaissance which can help rewire the politics, reengineer our sense of justice, make mercy smarter and hope strategically. All the same, northern groups are meeting to present what most northerners share for constitutional amendments.
