Alhaji Sagir Muhammad, Wazirin Ringim, was an intelligence officer in the Nigerian Army. He was also a commissioner in Kano and Jigawa states as well as Chairman, Arewa Peoples Congress. He spoke with AbdulSalam Muhammad in his country home, Ringim, on some national issues.
It is not a matter of frustration; it is purely a matter of taking recess to look at the dire situation in the country to see where we are and where we are going and to see how much we are progressing or retrogressing, that is why I have decided to have recess.
What is your assessment of the polity?
Honestly, if you look inward, you will discover that instead of progressing, we are retrogressing
Honestly, if you look inward, you will discover that instead of progressing, we are retrogressing
How ?
For now, socio-economic indices are so damning that you continue to ask what the fundamental role of government is. Everywhere you go, you notice palpable evidence of frustration, everybody has been turned to a time-bomb and,any slight scratch, he will explode; you talk of unemployment, socio-political problems, lack of security, that’s why the situation is like this.
For now, socio-economic indices are so damning that you continue to ask what the fundamental role of government is. Everywhere you go, you notice palpable evidence of frustration, everybody has been turned to a time-bomb and,any slight scratch, he will explode; you talk of unemployment, socio-political problems, lack of security, that’s why the situation is like this.
Where do we place the blame?
Well, there are expectations in any given society from government and government has expectations from the citizenry, and everybody has to play his own part; but the problem is that there is failure of leadership in the country; that is why you have the citizenry feeling completely neglected and isolated as he is deprived of healthcare, good education, good roads, etc. Look at electricity, we keep on spending billions of naira, but nothing to show for it.
Well, there are expectations in any given society from government and government has expectations from the citizenry, and everybody has to play his own part; but the problem is that there is failure of leadership in the country; that is why you have the citizenry feeling completely neglected and isolated as he is deprived of healthcare, good education, good roads, etc. Look at electricity, we keep on spending billions of naira, but nothing to show for it.
There is inextricable inertia particularly in the management of electricity in this country. During Obasanjo’s time, N16billion was spent, during the late Yar’Adua tenure, huge sums were spent, and now we are spending money every day. Yet rather than remain where we were during Obasanjo regime, we have regressed. The result of those huge spending is epileptic power supply across the country. How can you say government programme is impacting on the people?
Can we still afford to have Jonathan in 2015?I cannot say whether he should come or not. If i say he should come, my voice alone cannot make it happen, and if I say no to his ambition, it is almost the same because the power lies with the people, it is up to them to decide whether he should return or not.
If I tell you yes, I won’t be fair to the people of the country, if I tell you no, I will still not be fair; in other words, I want Nigerians to decide. We are in a country of over 140 million people, my opinion does not not count in this regard.
But the elite decide who gets what.
No, it’s the masses.
But the elite decide who gets what.
No, it’s the masses.
Are you saying now that votes count in Nigeria?
Votes? If you are to judge from the rigmarole and from what we heard that happened during the just concluded Anambra election, I am sorry, in 2015, it is going to be anihilistic anarchy.
Votes? If you are to judge from the rigmarole and from what we heard that happened during the just concluded Anambra election, I am sorry, in 2015, it is going to be anihilistic anarchy.
What does that mean?
I am making some inferences that if we are to judge by what happened in Anambra, then 2015 is going to be total anarchy.
I am making some inferences that if we are to judge by what happened in Anambra, then 2015 is going to be total anarchy.
Why?
Because people like Asari Dokubo and Dr Junaid Muhammad are threatening bloodshed. We don’t want bloodshed, yet these people walk Nigerian streets as freemen. Honestly, this is not good for the state and her stability. If there are laws regarding inflammatory statements , and if there are laws on incitement to anarchy, and people are not punished, it means you are condoning lawlessness.
Are you satisfied with the way GEJ has handled the security situation in Nigeria?
I will insulate the president not because I like what he is doing, but my position is that the military has failed this nation. The top hierachy ought to have resigned long ago because Boko Haram keeps attacking military formations like we saw recently in Borno and Yobe states where you have the so-called trained professionals fighting insurgency. The military appears to have run out of ideas, this is an embarrassment to Nigerian.
I will insulate the president not because I like what he is doing, but my position is that the military has failed this nation. The top hierachy ought to have resigned long ago because Boko Haram keeps attacking military formations like we saw recently in Borno and Yobe states where you have the so-called trained professionals fighting insurgency. The military appears to have run out of ideas, this is an embarrassment to Nigerian.
The president is giving all the necessary finances and support to fight insurgency, yet the strategy, the deployment of logistics, the morale of the troops is zero and there are so many factors that affect the morale. It is left to the COAS and other service chiefs to sit down and conduct military appreciation and look at how best to tackle the security problem in the North-east.
From the body language of northern politicians, it seems the North is jittery over National Dialogue?
Jittery over what ? Afterall, Obasanjo convoked a similar dialogue, the North participated , various dialogues have taken place in this country and the North participated. The only problem now is the timing of the dialogue and what it is intended to achieve is counter productive.
Jittery over what ? Afterall, Obasanjo convoked a similar dialogue, the North participated , various dialogues have taken place in this country and the North participated. The only problem now is the timing of the dialogue and what it is intended to achieve is counter productive.
What does Jonathan intend to achieve?
Well, he knows, i don’t know.
Well, he knows, i don’t know.
Do you subscribe to the idea that the National Dialogue is a subtle move to elongate GEJ’s tenure through constitutional means?
I don’t think so; if that’s what he has in mind, that is not my own thinking. My fear is that there is tension in the land; probably it’s a way of diverting the attention of the people so that he can have a reprieve. The bottom line is that the National Dialogue will achieve nothing. It does not have constitutional backing because the president does not make laws. Like what happened to the OBJ dialogue, he submitted it to the National Assembly and they killed it.
I don’t think so; if that’s what he has in mind, that is not my own thinking. My fear is that there is tension in the land; probably it’s a way of diverting the attention of the people so that he can have a reprieve. The bottom line is that the National Dialogue will achieve nothing. It does not have constitutional backing because the president does not make laws. Like what happened to the OBJ dialogue, he submitted it to the National Assembly and they killed it.
The National Assembly has never been so polarized as it is now, so whatever is going to be the product of the National Dialogue will pass through the same route and I doubt whether it will see the light of day. The National Dialogue is all about resource control, the process will only take us back to confederation. The National Dialogue is certainly going to be a waste of time.
The Deputy Senate President was quoted recently as canvassing for a single tenure of six years.
Do you think he was speaking for himself?
No, Ike Ekweremadu was not only speaking the mind of Mr. President , what he has done is jumping the gun; he has successfully pre-empted what he is going to submit to the National Assembly as Chairman of Constitution Amendment Committee. So he has wittingly leaked out a major part of what is contained in the constitutional amendment to give to the National Assembly.
No, Ike Ekweremadu was not only speaking the mind of Mr. President , what he has done is jumping the gun; he has successfully pre-empted what he is going to submit to the National Assembly as Chairman of Constitution Amendment Committee. So he has wittingly leaked out a major part of what is contained in the constitutional amendment to give to the National Assembly.
Is it a hopeless situation?
Well, like we killed elongation tenure of Obasanjo, so shall we kill this one too because there is more opposition now in the National Assembly than even during the tenure of Obasanjo. PDP is fragmented and the situation is that there is too much nepotism.
Well, like we killed elongation tenure of Obasanjo, so shall we kill this one too because there is more opposition now in the National Assembly than even during the tenure of Obasanjo. PDP is fragmented and the situation is that there is too much nepotism.
One particular tribe is dominating the country structures. Is it the ministries or the NNPC or aviation?
Most of these parastatals are peopled and controlled by a particular ethnic group forgetting the fact that the country is for everybody. There has to be fairness, there has to be justice and that should be the fundamental principle that guides state policy. Unfortunately the ministry of finance is dominated by a particular tribe, appointment is hijacked by a particular tribe, it is unfortunate, the Federal Government is held in proxy for a particular tribe.
Does Jonathan stand to win a second term in office?
I am a Muslim, I don’t believe in forecast, it is against my religion.
I am a Muslim, I don’t believe in forecast, it is against my religion.
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