Nasarawa: Impeachment threat, designed to overheat polity – PDP aspirant

Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed Agabi is a retired civil servant who hails from Lafia local government of Nasarawa state. In this interview with AHMED TUKUR, the PDP governorship aspirant speaks on his aspiration and alleged shortcomings of the APC-led administration

Decision to join the race
It is true that I am gunning for the governorship position and that is on the platform of my great party, the PDP. Of course, I have the conviction that I have a lot to offer as a governor, if or when elected, come 2015. There are so many areas that have not been touched in the state. Giving my experience in the service, I have a lot to contribute, especially in the areas of education, being an educationist. You can say that Nasarawa state is so much lagging behind in the area of education, there is no proper education both in the primary and secondary school level, not to talk of granting scholarships to indigenes of the state to study abroad.

So, the state is left with what individual parents can do, there is no much assistance from the government. We are coming in to make a difference in that area of education. Also in the aspect of health care delivery service, you can see that in all the 13 LGAs and the development areas that we have, health facility has been a problem, it is not sufficient for the masses.

Even agriculture which is one of the most fundamental sector of the state’s economy, because virtually everybody is an agrarian in the state, they need a boost so as to give them the impetus to farm.  Nasarawa state in the past, was one of the states feeding this country, but you can’t say that as at today. We  are now importing food stuffs into the state and this trend need to be corrected.

Also in the aspect of infrastructural development, we are not going to concentrate provision of infrastructure in  the state capital alone. As  equally important, the 13 LGAs, all of these areas are yearning from development. So, we should make a difference. This has not been done in the past, and that is why some of us who have the interest of the state at heart are now coming in to make a difference.

Nasarawa in the last three years
The state is being run by somebody who is not an administrator, somebody who is just commercially oriented and has only the interest of his estate at heart, but we are coming in to make a difference because we have the interest of our masses at heart.

Security challenges
Everyone  in this country knows that security is one of our greatest problems in Nasarawa state. This of course, is happening because of the perceived imbalance that we have in the state. People are not been  brought on board, people do not share the idea that government is there to  take care of their  interest.   In a situation where people feel  they don’t have a future, they will definitely resort to violence.  But when you give people the hope that this state belongs to everybody, and we should have everything to share in common, we will allow everybody to have information on his table, quite unlike what is happening at the moment. So everything that we are going to do will be laid on the table for everybody to see, so that together we will take decisions that will be for the benefit of the people.

State resources
The state resources are certainly been channelled to the wrong direction because we have somebody that is business oriented. There is need to give scholarship to the sons and daughters of everybody in the state, not looking at the interest of the top class people, but also that of the lower class group who do not have enough. You do not give more to those that have already, but rather ensure that those that don’t have are given the larger share. So with this, there will be some balancing of equation in the state.

Eggon people were said to be the most friendly tribe in the state, what suddenly went wrong?
To say that there is something wrong fundamentally will not be out of place. All  of us have Nasarawa state as the only state, all the Eggan people are resident in Nasarawa state like other tribes. They  also have their aspirations and the interest of the state at hear.  This will take me back to the issue of insecurity I have talked about,  the issue of unequal distribution of resources.   To  that extent, we are coming to make a difference in the area of resource distribution, resource allocation and quality in the distribution of power both within the state and outside, so that we can give everybody a sense of belonging and sense of equality.

Defection and  PDP’s chances in 2015
I have the conviction that both the PDP and non-PDP members have seen the difference between what had happened before and what is happening now. Majority  of people in Nasarawa state know whom Alhaji Agabi is, and they know that with the little resources God has given to me, I have been able to touch the lives of people.  So, by the time we come in and with the knowledge people have about me, they know that there will be a difference when I come in.  And  to that extent, they will make sure that PDP is not only voted into power but it is voted into power overwhelmingly both at the state and at the national levels.  I bet you, that will happen in 2015.

PDP’s strength in the state
I admit the fact that we have some difficulties and challenges, but with recent happenings, we have been able to put things in order.  Everybody  have been able to come in and make contributions to the party, and the leadership is now becoming more intact and cohesive than ever before. So, everybody is now looking at what can be done  to make a difference. There was of course challenge of leadership and this challenge of defection, people are going out of the PDP, but more people are coming in and this has shown that PDP is having a lead.

Impeachment threat
The issues is neither here nor there, because recent events in the state and the disposition of the of chief executive of the state go to confirm that he is more or less instigating his impeachment so that he can succeed in over heating the already heated polity.  So, to that extent, one would say that he is using hidden hands to make sure that he is threatened to be impeached, because he knows that APC in Nasarawa state does not in any way have a future. And definitely they are going to be thrown out of government in 2015. That fear is in him and so he is trying everything possible to make sure that he becomes a hero that he is not.
On alliance with the Alagos and the Eggons

I am a man for the people, I am someone whose influence cuts across all ethnic tribes in the state. I come from one of the minority tribes in the state, but the tribal issue is not what matters. What  matters essentially is what you have to contribute to the upliftment  of the state, what you can do to make a difference by making sure that you  bring everybody on board, whether majority or minority tribe, in making sure that you bring peace and tranquillity through equal distribution of resources  such  that everybody will become contented and happy with the government.

Aftermath of Nasarawa PDP primaries
I want to assure you that the PDP, unlike before, is more united and stronger and we are certainly going to come out stronger. The issue of rotation, it is certainly a PDP affair, and so, it is within the purview of the PDP that if one senatorial zone governs the state for a period of eight years successfully, the next candidate should come from another zone. PDP in Nasarawa South senatorial district where I come from, ruled for only four years, so we still need somebody to complete the remaining one term of four years and that is what informed my decision to run for the seat.

On the array of contestants, PDP, like I told you, is a united organisation. After  the primary elections, we will become stronger, because we all know that power belongs to God, whoever gets it at the end of the day, it is not going to be a dictation from any quarter, it is a PDP affair and whoever triumphs will be supported by all other party members.

Will you handover after four years?
If that is the decision of the party, after the four years I will gracefully handover to whoever will come-in. But of course, this will not be handed over to anybody on a platter of gold. From whichever zone the person will come from, he has to contest. No  zone will be given the mandate on a platter of gold.

On new PDP national chairman
Alhaji Ahmed Muazu is a disciplinarian, he is a very good tactician when it comes to politics, he has what it is and what it takes to bring the party together. He has started it, he is doing it successfully, and I am sure that at the end of the day, with the cooperation of all the members, he will definitely have his day. You can see that he is reaching out to all the people who opted out of the PDP and most of the people are today coming back. He has started on a very good note, he is doing well and I am sure that if he continues in this manner, PDP will become stronger. It is not easy, the biggest party in Africa to rule the biggest  black nation in Africa for 15 years.  We  are going to come-out more stronger. Having  crisis in a party is not applicable to PDP alone.  You can see what is happening in South Africa too, a lot of other opposition parties are coming-up.

Is the centenary celebration worth it?
For any country to stay together for a period of 100 years is certainly a great achievement. I agree that in the course of the 100 years, we have fought a war and today we are a united prosperous country, other countries, within and outside Africa are envious of the rate of our growth.  So, to me, it is a very great achievement. A lot have come our way. I do agree that we have a lot more to do to bring this country together in all respects.

 National confab
There are divergent views in the country about, not just resource allocation, but equality in terms of distribution of power. And Nigeria, as a country with many tribes, and so many traditions and languages, we should be able to come together and talk to ourselves on the best way we can move forward.

That is essentially what the conference is all about, you see, each time we talk about the three major tribes in this country, we mention the Hausas, Igbos and Yorubas. But outside these three, there are so many other tribes in this country, and we have to factor their interest into it.  We should take care of the minority tribes in this country, just as the majority are having their way, the majority should not be left out. So, the conference is essentially to consider the interest of everybody in this country.

We should not lose hope in what is happening in our country. Nigeria is a praying nation, and we should continue to pray, one day we will definitely have it right. I agree with you that this is an election year, those previous conferences are going to be reference points for this very conference.

Plan for the youths
I have always been an advocate of youth empowerment.  That is why I reach out to students in universities, Colleges of Education and even secondary schools. I give out scholarships every year. In all the tertiary institutions where we have Nasarawa state students, wherever they may be in this country, the least grant they get from me is N5,000 and the highest is N50, 000 per semester, depending on where the student is schooling. That is to show you that I have the interest of the youths at heart.