Abdulrahman Sade is a political activist and youth leader. In this interview with AWAAL GATA, he gives his views on the ‘State of the Nation’ and former Vice-President Atiku Abukakar’s strategies to run for president in 2019, among other issues
What is your thought on the present state of Nigeria’s economy
I sympathise a lot with the people on the lower rung of the socio-economic ladder. And their complaint of hunger like never before is justified now.
Economic experts are saying that there is recession in the country, and that is evident with the high cost of the prices of commodities. The most pitiable aspect of the whole thing is that there is very little money in circulation for the people to be able to solve their basic needs. If enough money was in circulation, it would have been a different ballgame. As a result of the recession, many businesses and companies have packed up because they cannot afford to run their operations; the few ones that are still operating, have sacked many of their workers. Many Nigerians are now on the streets – hungry and disgruntled; no food and no hope. If it were in another clime, violence would have erupted in the country, especially with the fact that many people were reported dead by the terrible situation of things in the country. Did you watch the video of a boy that was lynched last week in Lagos, for stealing garri? I read somewhere that the police said the incident never happened; I pray to Allah that’s true. As a nation we don’t need to look far away on the situation of things, it is a developing reflection of what we are and who we are as a people.
What do you think is the cause of the recession
I am not an expert in economics, so I can’t exactly say this is the cause of the recession; but we have been told that downward spiral on the international price of oil is partly a cause. Another cause, as far as Nigeria is concerned, is the drop in the amount of oil we produced on daily basis as a result of the pipelines vandalism going on in the Niger Delta. Also, some economists and policy analysts, think the economic policies of the present administration is a contributing factor, but the government is saying that if the previous administrations had saved for a time like this, things would have been different. One cannot pinpoint a single cause of the poor state of the economy in the country. My opinion here is that the government should take another look at its policies, if possible adjust and set targets, to ensure that the ordinary Nigerian is saved from hunger and poverty. Tangible palliative should also be quickly unveiled to cushion these effects.
How would you assess the present administration; do you think the government is getting other things right
The anti-corruption drive is quite commendable. It has brought a sought of sanity into our national consciousness, as things are not ‘business as usual’ anymore. However, the government needs to go about it in tandem with the stipulations of the law. There are cries in some quarters that some laws are broken in the present corruption campaign. Secondly, in view of the way insecurity has reigned in the country between 2010 and 2015. The security situation has tremendously improved, all thanks to the efforts and commitments of this administration. However, in recent weeks, there are a few reports of insurgents regaining grounds and toppling our army in certain battles and it is widely believed that many soldiers were killed and many more missing. This needs to be addressed as soon possible. We can’t go back to those scary days again.
Before President Muhammad Buhari emerged as APC’s candidate for the 2015 presidential election, you supported and campaigned for Atiku
I believe the former Vice president has the wherewithal and know-how to make Nigeria better for the ordinary man on the street. His antecedents and thoughts are veritable testimonies and clearly delineates that Atiku understands all problems hindering our progress; and he has trained, learned and consulted widely on the way out. Revolutionary leaders in countries like China, India, Malaysia, and other developing countries are all getting things right now. We should do the same.
But he has some corruption allegations labelled against him in the past. Gov el-Rufai made such claim a few days ago; won’t you put that into the scheme of things
To me, it is an unfair and wrong perception. Anybody that is saying that Atiku is corrupt is merely alleging. His former boss, Obasanjo, brought corruption allegations against him while they were in office and the courts dismissed every of the charges against him. If you say he is corrupt, the onus of proving it is on you; if you can’t prove it, your allegations are baseless and at such null and void.
We are no longer in the dark legal years when laws were compromised and people were being unjustly convicted. Nobody has proved this baseless allegation against Atiku, therefore nobody has the right to say Atiku is corrupt. Coming to what Nasir el-Rufai said, I think it was out of political exigencies, and that is why Nigerians did not make much fuss about it.
The two people served in the same administration and it is understandable if such feuds emerged from both parties. Nobody, but only the two of them know the truth about this unwarranted personal attacks. However, no matter how you see it, Atiku deserves the commendations based on his services to humanity and his selfless sacrifices for Nigeria. He is one of the top employers of labour in the country. He has been contributing immeasurably to education, because he thinks education is key to the development of any nation. His philanthropic service is matchless across the country; he has made sure that there are no almajirai in his state, some of them were taken from the street and sponsored to the best of schools and most of them are fully employed graduates now. What he does with his wealth is remarkable, and if other politicians will do the same, this country will not be the way it is. For instance, the menace of almajirai is well entrenched in the north; if big men in every state in North are using their money to take them off the street like Atiku did in Adamawa, the menace would have been curbed significantly.
Atiku has been advocating devolution of power, are you also an advocate too
Yes. The current structure isn’t working. For years we are using the same pattern with very little or no results at all, hence it will be apt if we devolve power by restructuring.
Some people believe Atiku is advocating this because he has been unable to win the presidential election on the current structure and thinks he stands a better chance with such regional structure. How true is that
That is far from the truth. But, sincerely, I don’t know what his intentions are. All I know is that we need to restructure this country so that we can attain the development that has eluded us. Any well- meaning individual tired of our current situation, which is by every standard poor and degrading, will advocate for power to be devolved. If you ask me, that is exactly what Atiku is doing.
