Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), spoke to journalists in Ilorin, recently, during which he addressed some national issues, including President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical vacations. UMAR BAYO ABDULWAHAB was there
As you just talked about issues aff ecting our community, local government election is also around the corner. What is your take on this? Th e agenda has already been set. It is just left for those coming in, to look very closely and study the agenda and ensure that they take out the best out of all the items on the agenda, and implement. What do I mean by that the agenda is set? Here in Kwara, thank God, we have a functional system.
Remember, I have been the National Secretary of the then ruling PDP, I have been the Chairman of the then PDP when the party was in power, and thank God with the cooperation of Nigerians and members of the then PDP. So, I am in the best position to tell you, which system, state or area in Nigeria is operating a system. Kwara is operating a valid, solid, very reliable and impeccable system and a kind of standard that people can learn from. And what do I mean by that? I have traversed the country when I was the Chairman of the then ruling party.
It is only Kwara that I have never set up or headed a committee to come and settle quarrel. Consensus Here we fi nd a system that is not only working but alive. Where people just sit down and do things in common, what the political circle called consensus. So, we go into elections well prepared, we go into elections knowing full well who we are going to vote for and go into election and we have already known that this is where all of us are going. It has never happened in any of the states. It is not a weakness but in politics, it is strength. Another state that actually has this kind of arrangement, I want to say very closely and with my experience, is Cross River State. What they have above us is hierarchy.
As you are sitting down, you know when you will be what in Cross River State. When you are a local government chairman this year in Cross River State, you know in the next four years, you will be a minister. Th at is their own arrangement, and that is what we called consensus. We have a similar thing here. Now that the local government election is coming, we know that system will throw up candidates for all the local governments. I therefore appeal to the stakeholders that this system, which I described as functional, should be allowed to operate.
It is the one that has been bringing peace and tranquility. And we know very sincerely that who is the overall chairman of this system, is the one and only indefatigable, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Th e media can do their mental and physical analyses or whatever and we know that, the system operates. How would you react to the calls that you should join 2019 governorship race because of your experience and exposure? It is part of the system. It is part of the answer that I gave then and now. Th ere is nothing wrong for such people to voice out their desire. In fact, such desire or clamour will help the system to be more coordinating, will help the system to take a very reliable decision. Th ere is nothing wrong about it. Yes, I can no longer hide. I was hiding and I was driving people away, asking people to keep quiet, that when the time comes, it will throw up whoever. But I can’t stop them.
And day by day, the demand was getting higher and higher. You will discover that it is a long time we have discovered together. Th is is part of the things I have been running away from my base, and I don’t know, when the system comes, it is a very sensitive, very sensitive to the wishes of the people and to the clamour and desires of the society. So, that’s why I said whatever people are saying, is good for the system and I cannot stop them even if I want to. I have attempted to, I cannot. So, as far I am concerned, it is desirable for the system. Agitation for restructuring of the country is louder. As an elder statesman, what really is your position about it? Personally, the call has been very ambiguous. Some people will call it restructuring, some people will call it devolution of powers and so on. I think Nigerians should sit down, look back at the various reports of all our conferences.
I was a participant of one of the conferences in 2005 when we had a political reform conference. We talked about devolution of powers and we recommended as appropriate in that report. I have a copy of that report as a participant. Th e one that came after in 2014, they copied from the one in 2005. Th e one that we did in 2005, we took and studied the one that took place in (Sani) Abacha’s time in 1995. So, all these reports, when you look at it, Nigerians are not saying anything new. But because some of my colleagues in this fi eld of politics, with due respect, just want to score a cheap point, they just decided to come up and said restructuring, devolution, and I want to say with due respect, that our representatives, both at the Senate and the House of Representatives, are very well focused and fully sighted, because the issue is a very sensitive one. We must defi ne what is restructuring. Devolution of Powers As I am concerned, even before I went into deep politics, I have been a supporter of devolution of powers. Th ere are certain functionalities, which the Federal Government is taking responsibility of, may be as laid down in our Constitution, that ought to be quickly looked into. Th e responsibility of teachers for example, the responsibility of building schools, the responsibility of ensuring that amenities like provision of water, ensuring that roads are passable in some areas, they shouldn’t be at the Federal. Th ey should devolve to the states and from the states to local governments, and as they devolve, they should be equally, fi nally and economically supported. I believe that when people have a say in the running of government and when people are elected into government and people can hold them accountable, most of these amenities will be well distributed. Not only well distributed, they will get to the right people at the right time. So, my opinion is that if you call it restructuring, defi ne it, if you call it, devolution, defi ne it. I am not opposing it. I have interacted with some Senators from diff erent parts of the country at diff erent time as to why is it they voted against restructuring, they all gave me common answer. Th e answer was that they need to consult more, because they need the expression “devolution” to be defi ned, so that their own Constituencies are not shortchanged. Before the arrival of President Muhammadu Buhari, from his medical trip, Pastor Enoch Adeboye of Redeemed Christian Church of God, visited him in London. What is you take on this? I don’t see the visit of Pastor Adeboye as being special. If at all, I would say that it is only proving one point wrong politically that Buhari is a religious bigot. So, if somebody of Pastor Adeboye’s calibre can take six hours fl ight to see President Buhari within 48 hours, Buhari is coming home, then it is speaking a diff erent thing about what some people are saying that Buhari is a religious bigot. May be he has now fi nally succumbed to the advice of not only his doctors but to the spiritual advice of Pastor Adeboye. So, I think the development is a very good one.
