…Says, component parts can develop at own paces
Shehu Sani is a former senator, author, playwright, human rights activist and Chairman, Hand-in-Hand, Africa. He spoke to Akani Alaka on the 2020 budget, the war against Boko Haram, Chibok girls and the call for restructuring of Nigeria, among other issues.
The President recently presented the 2020 budget proposal to the National Assembly. Looking at the document, how optimistic are you that it will improve the lot of Nigerians when it is eventually passed?
As far as I am concerned, I just see this budget as any other budget that has been presented to the National Assembly. But the elements today are that we are going to borrow more. Also, there has been cut in education and health. The unfortunate thing is that Nigerians are going to be taxed more. And that I believe is going to spell doom and hardship for ordinary Nigerians.
Are you optimistic that the National Assembly can finish work on the budget proposal and deliver it to the president before December, as the lawmakers promised, given your experience as a former senator?
First of all is that whatever time the budget is presented, what is important is that the National Assembly must do a thorough job, go through the proposal and do the necessary surgical procedure on it. If we don’t do that, we will simply be stamping whatever the executive has brought.
During our time, the executive arm of government more or less encouraged the heads of agencies, departments and parastatals to disrespect the National Assembly.
READ ALSO: http://Gowon@85: Salute to a unique Nigerian hero – Lawan
And this culture is still there – whenever the legislators go to do oversight functions, the impression is that they have come for money and when they are invited, they feel that they were invited to be blackmailed or intimidated to part with money.
This has been the culture. But the worst of all things is that if we created a condition in which the head of parastatals felt that the National Assembly is not necessary because they can get everything they want, then, what is the essence of having oversight functions of the National Assembly?
So, as far as I am concerned, I believe that the National Assembly should do a thorough job; it is not an agency or parastatal of the executive.
And I think at the end of the day, it is the funding of the budget that matters. You can present the budget in January; if there are no funds to fund it, you are going nowhere.
We must tell ourselves the truth. The government has, for a very long time, lived a lie. Heads of parastatals will be coming out on the pages of newspapers, making claims of generating hundreds of billions of naira and when it comes to issue of remittance, you don’t see anything.
Look at what some of these agencies have said they have generated and look at the situation in which we have found ourselves. Even to pay minimum wage, it is becoming a problem.
They said they have to retrench workers. So, what becomes of all those figures that we have been told?
With the way the leadership of the 9th National Assembly emerged, many people believe that the lawmakers may just turn out to be rubber stamps of the executive. Do you share this fear, especially with the way the National Assembly has conducted itself so far?
I don’t want to comment on that.
Just recently, the Bring Back Our Girls and other groups marked 2000 days of abduction of Chibok girls. You have been involved in efforts to end Boko Haram and rescue of Chibok girls in the past. Do you really think we can get the girls that are still in the custody of the insurgents back?
Well, I believe that if the negotiation process is continued with the right people, using the right channels, we can still get these girls back.
These girls are in the captivity of these insurgents and I believe the government should intensify efforts and be more serious about efforts to rescue them.
I think the problem is not the contact with the right people; the government knows it. I think where there has been a hitch is agreeing with the conditions being given by the insurgents.
I think these are the issues on the ground and I believe it is important that the group should continue to mount pressure on the government to negotiate.
My own concern is that if the Chibok girls were children of the rich or powerful people, they would have been out of captivity by this time because our approach to hostages is still along class lines.
Just recently, David Cameron, a former UK Prime Minister, who was in power when the girls were abducted claimed that the UK offerred to help Nigeria to rescue the girls not too long after the abduction took place. But he said the offer was rejected by former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was in power then. As somebody, who was also involved in some of the efforts to rescue the girls as a senator, are you aware of any such offer from the UK government?
I am not aware of it. But my own understanding is that anybody, who is a human being with humanity in his heart should consider these children, as his own and should invest every effort to see them free.
READ ALSO: http://Police arraign Lagos socialite for perjury
And, why did the UK not come out publicly to tell people at that time that “we have offered him help and he refused”?
They can still go ahead and offer the help now since the girls are still in captivity; there is nothing wrong with that.
You were involved in efforts to stop the Boko Haram crisis before it escalated to what it is now. Now, the insurgents have linked up with the global terrorist community. With this development, do you really think we can win really fully win the war against Boko Haram?
It is possible to win the war against Boko Haram. First, there should be intensification of cooperation between Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Niger Republic – that Multinational Joint Task Force must be given the freedom to move anywhere; any part of the country where those groups are.
Secondly, we must continue to appreciate the use of technology in the fight against Boko Haram – deployment of drones is very important.
Thirdly, there is the need for us to see how we can address the problems of poverty and want in the north eastern part of Nigeria.
And I think of importance is the North East Development Commission; that’s a step in the right direction. And then, we should also work at supporting the deradicalisation – those that have denounced terror should be supported.
Are you concerned about the disputes between the Nigerian Army and some of the NGOs, working in the theatre of Boko Haram…
I think we should be concerned about what is happening to the NGOs. NGOs are sacrificing their lives; many of them have been brutalised and killed by insurgents.
It is unfair for NGOs to face attacks from both sides – from the side of insurgents and also side of the government.
There some bad eggs in the NGOs – those using the humanitarian situation to enrich themselves.
But generally, we should not stigimatise and criminalise NGOs for efforts they have been investing in delivering the needed services to the poor.
Recently, Nigeria celebrated its 59th year of Independence. How would you say the country has performed and are you also in support of the argument that the country will not move forward economically except it is restructured?
To me, this government does not appear to be serious in restructuring the polity beyond the campaign promises that they made. But we need to reset Nigeria for us to be on the right track.
Secondly, I think it is important that we realise that our 59 years was mostly wasted on corruption, crises and instability. We must appreciate that for two decades, we have been experiencing democratic rule, but you can see the level of violations of fundamental human rights, disrespect for rule of law and courts orders by the government of the day.
This has shown that we have not learnt our lessons. Elected governors are still behaving as if they are military sole administrators. Also, the resources that have accrued to this country, which are supposed to be used to improve the lives of our people have also been wasted by those in position of power for so many years.
We don’t need 36 states in Nigeria; we don’t need 36 Houses of Assembly and commissioners everywhere.
We need to reconfigure this country so that we better use our resources for development, rather than feeding structures that will not take us anywhere.
So, 59 years was a missed opportunity for us as a country, but we should also appreciate the fact that we still remain one, as a nation.
But if we want to progress and prosper, we must restructure Nigeria.
What kind of restructuring would you advocate for Nigeria?
First, we need to reduce the 36 states to six. Secondly, we need to empower the regions to be able to produce more and contribute to the national treasury.
Thirdly, we need to have a fair and equitable distribution of national resources to address the problems of poverty, want and destitution.
We also need a structure in which the component parts can develop at their own paces and also contribute more to the nation’s socio-economic and political advancement. That’s my own idea of restructuring.
Are you also in support of state police, especially in view of the multiple security challenges we are facing now?
I’m not in support of state police. Establishment of state police is not a solution to any problem because you are simply going to give the governors instruments of persecution; an instrument to arrest critics – journalists, bloggers, youth activists and even political opponents, try and convict them unnecessarily.
It is not going to address any security issue. Look at how they have mismanaged State Electoral Commissions and see how they have been intimidating judges and magistrates at the state level?
That is what they are going to do with the state police.
