National Chairman of New Progressive Movement, Mustapha Bala Getso, believes corruption in Nigeria derives from a warped constitution that creates room for all manners of undemocratic behaviours and, therefore, should be the first thing to restructure for Nigeria to attain meaningful socio-economic and political advancement. PATRICK ANDREW reports
What is the mission of your party and since it is progressive one would have thought you would simple blend with others rather than set up a new party?
Well, progressive is not just in word, so I will take my time to give you insight on how we came about a political party. Three years back, I was a leader of students union and had conducted a convention of NANS and from there we went into as an association.
But we noticed that a common association cannot help the country move forward. It had been said for long that youth and young children are the future of Nigeria but it is clear that since the return of democracy things have not been going on well with us as a country. We observed that Nigeria is not working, things are not moving. Since independence things have not been done well in the country.
In fact, countries that secured independence after Nigeria have progressed and developed while Nigeria lags behind. So as a group we looked at it at the level of our constituencies never as a national body, so we decided to start from home to see how we can help youths to aspire within their constituencies, in fact help them because you can only help yourself help before you can think of helping others.
We went round seven political parties one offered us N300,000 just for us to do their biddings, another forbade us voicing out our position that we should be hidden and that before election the people in power will call us to give us our share in return for our support.
Thirdly, another party that have godfathers behind the scene also wanted us to join them. Under this arrangement even the national chairman would just a front without having the final say in the party. So, at the end, we became frustrated and provoked and from our investigation we realised that existing parties have vested interests that will really not help the country progress. Even the party in power was a no-go zone to us because all people are looking at it, even others that we thought of adopting to advance our ideologies were no good either.
So in 2016 we thought why not just go ahead and register as a political party and we decided to apply with three different names with the prayer that whichever one was registered may it be for the good of Nigeria and if not may it not be registered. We never really thought of this NPM as the likely one to be registered.
So essentially it was passion for the country that is the force behind our coming together at our youthful age to see what we can do for Nigeria, we were unmindful of culture, tribe, religion and other things.
Unfortunately, what brought about conflicts and suspicion in Nigeria is resort to faith in politics. If I want to contest I will approach you and put my faith ahead of competence and that is why our system is not working. In fact most politicians don’t look at competence but religion and tribe, which are divisive elements.
What is the ideology of NPM?
Our ideology is youth’s active participation in the management of the country not politics. Politics is just a platform for activation of our innovative ideas, which our aging parents don’t have. We are not against them but the truth is age is against them, they don’t have the energy and mental strength and the resourcefulness abundant in youth.
For instance, I have travelled to Sokoto and back to Abuja same day something most of our aging parents can hardly do. I am 36 years old now and if you ask me to embark on similarly journey within a day some 10 to 15 years from now, like our present aging parents I may hardly be able to do so. Our country needs younger and more vibrant blood to run its affairs.
Sadly, what we have seen now is, for instance, I know of somebody now serving as a minister who was a minister 30 years ago and many others that had been involved in governance since in the 1970s and 80s. And you ask what ideas can they really offer?
Some of our governors were in active politics, held senior positions even before we were born or even started primary school yet they are still in active politics, dictating things and are even insisting on tenure elongation for themselves. What is the essence of giving birth and educating your children without giving them the chance to showcase their talents and take up positions of leadership? If you show them the way but lock them up inside your room how will they demonstrate their potentials? Unfortunately, that’s the situation with our country.
This takes one to some topical issues in the country such as the agitation for restructuring, what’s the position of your party?
Restructuring is very important in all sectors of our national life. In fact, according to our blueprint if we are elected into office we shall declare emergency in all sectors of our country, in fact the whole country will be in the state of emergency.
The reason is that core to the problems of Nigeria is corruption and it is not only at the highest level but in all fabrics of our national life. Everywhere in Nigeria are ghost workers, we know they are there. Recently, the excruciating wage bill of the members of the National Assembly was revealed, this mindboggling wages of our lawmakers is corruption because relatively fewer number of persons are earning a good chunk of our annual salary to the detriment of the larger society.
Some persons have their personal views on how the restructuring should be done. All political parties have what they call ‘rotation’ whereby political offices are rotated within and among the zones. This gives room for incompetence because rather than throw up the best often what one sees is individuals with the money but often lacking the competence to hold offices.
They are the ones that clamour for political offices thereby denying the visionary and competence persons but without the material resources to aspire, the chance to do so. This too is corruption. So selfish interest is at the core of the demand for restructuring, which is also corruption. Everyone, therefore, demands restructuring largely because of the corrupt system.
However, do you know where the problem actually lies? It is our constitution. It is the corrupt constitution that has given room for all sorts of attitude such that even the courts cannot prosecute clearly established cases of corruption be it financial, economic, and political or even religious corrupt acts. Our constitution has given corrupt elements legal backing to frustrate and continue to perpetrate their corrupt acts.
So, the first thing that really needs restructuring is the Nigerian constitution itself. The inadequacies of the constitution are further exposed by the fact that all bills passed by the state House of Assembly must be signed into law by the governor and the president at the centre. Now, if the governor is found wanting and is to be impeached how would the governor support moves to impeach himself legally? It is impossible.
Assuming a recommendation that does not quite agree with the aspiration, yearning and desires of the governor is made and forward to a governing board appointed by the governor will he not reach out to his appointees and ensure such recommendations do not see the light of the day? What gives the governor such over bearing power and influence? The constitution.
Even members of the House are often a stooge of the governor, attorneys are loyal to those that appointed them, who derives the powers from the same constitution to sack, often for flimsy political reasons. This imposes on all political appointees the need to be loyal to whoever appointed him or her instead of being loyal to the country.
Some zones have been agitating for participate interests peculiar to them…… (cuts in)
Zoning is just a political arrangement for the convenience of some political interests but does not really represent the yearnings of the people. Most often people are lumped together without considering their ethnic and socio-cultural and religious differences.
For instance, the zones consist of states, now if we are to restructure the zones say return to the old restructure tell me which state would want to lose its status and returned to old North, Midwest, South East and South West regions? So the request for the restructuring of the zones is not being objective because merging states in some sense is retrogressive.
This lingering agitation some think has more to do with the system of government that we operate than with competence or parochial interest?
It is constitutional. And we have to constantly return to it because the constitution makes provision for Federal Character whereby every segment of the country must be represented. Sadly, whichever way one looks at it, it is not based on competence. Offices are shared based on zoning and the Federal Character Principle which often negates competence. Yes, it makes it possible for some to have opportunity to participate in governance but often there are usually more competent persons in other zones than the zone given certain office at a particular time.
