Chief Cassidy Madueke, is secretary, Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) and public affairs analyst. In this interview with BODE OLAGOKE, he explains why President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical vacation is generating unprecedented reactions among other related issues
You are the secretary of Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) why do you think President Muhammadu Buhari’s health issue generated a lot of reactions among Nigerians?
Thank you very much, in the first place from the health issue of Mr. President is not supposed to generate any unpleasant reaction, it is only the opposition or those who are not in tandem with the good work he is doing that are generating the unpleasant reactions.
Look at Mr. President’s age, he is an old man, a man of 73 years still as strong as Mr. President, you should count him as one of the human beings God has blessed, because some of us in our early 30s, early 40s suffer some sicknesses more than even Mr. President, what do you expect a man of 73 years, he has gone through a lot of things in life, and he is saddled with the responsibility of leading Nigerians. That alone is enough to give even the healthiest person a headache. But President Buhari normally goes on medical vacation leave every year. A man of 73 years, you should not expect him to be as sound as a 20-year-old man.
So, when Mr. President officially transmitted power or wrote to the National Assembly intimating them of his vacation overseas which is a normal thing he does every year and every president including Obasanjo, Jonathan and other presidents do that, I don’t know why his own should be seen as a different thing. It is unfortunate and I bet you that no reasonable Nigerian anywhere in the world that will wish another person dead, so it’s unfortunate, it is not supposed to generate any issue.
What do you think has changed since president handed over power to the vice president?
Well, not much has changed, what I want to let you know in the first place is that there was no vacuum in governance. When Mr. President left there was no vacuum. He officially transmitted power to the vice president and if vice president can bring a new idea that is why he is the Vice President and the acting president. Mr. President knows he has the ability to do well that is why he officially transmitted power. A lot of good things have really come on board and I am sure that those things would have still come on board if President Buhari was to be around and I want to let you know that the acting president recognizes his responsibility to Nigerians and that is what he is doing.
I know he has the capacity to lead well and I want to let you know or you have to understand that most of the thing he is doing, he communicates to Mr President first for clearance. Both of them are putting heads together to do it, I want to let you know that, if Mr president were to be around, probably the good things that were achieved in his absence will still be achieved. So, it is a misinformation to say that because of the absence of Mr President, the Acting President is able to do what he is doing.
Fine and good, he is doing good, he has done a lot of things that convinced Nigerians that yes if power is handed over to him by God’s grace any time after Buharis tenure, he could do well and Mr. President in his wisdom was convinced that Osinbajo will have the capacity to fill in the gap in his absence. That is why in the first place, he chose him as his vice president, he officially transmitted power to him, while on vacation.
Are you not worried that Nigerians are beginning to complain about some people in the presidency they call cabal?
Well, in the issue of cabal in the presidency, it has always been a relative issue. The former president, you can agree with me that the late Minister of information during Yar’ Adua’s era described some people under Yar’Adua’s presidency as cabal. In fact, that was when the word Cabal became popular. During Jonathan, the issue of cabal also came up, during Obasanjo there was also issue of cabal so the issue of cabal in Buhari’s regime should not be a new thing, it has been there. The name might not be cabal but I want to let you know that if the cabal is not or the so-called cabal are calling and saying that they are not happy with Osinbajo.
The cabal is not a sizeable part of Nigeria. The most important thing is that whatsoever the acting president is doing if it is in line with Nigerians’ expectation, it has nothing to do with the cabal, that is what we should understand. We are not interested in the cabal, we are interested in good governance, we are interested in the change mantra to be achieved with the Buhari’s administration which is the same thing with Osibanjo administration for now in acting capacity to fill in the gap, so people are trying to use one thing or the other to spoil the polity and that is not what we are expecting. We need to things turned around, and it must be addressed with honesty and purpose.
What do you think the acting president has done differently that is responsible for the naira appreciating?
People started complaining about this economic hardship, because of the word recession. Let me go straight to your question on what the acting president is doing to see that things are better. I want to let you know that these policies that are being implemented now, are the policies of Buhari’s administration. The acting president is hundred percent part and parcel of the policies.
It is a good thing now that the economy is trying to bounce back but nobody can claim that it is the absence of President Buhari that is making the economy to come alive or it is the vice president who is making the economy to bounce back. What is making the economy to bounce back is the implementation of policies already laid down and it is an interesting thing to also know that the boost in agricultural products hugely contributed to slightly recovery of economy. It is possible to formulate a policy today and it will not yield fruits until when full implementation of those policies come on board.
The issue of TSA, there was a policy of TSA before this administration but unfortunately the last administration didn’t have the political will to implement it, knowing fully well that it is going to grossly affect the level of corruption which they were so much interested in, you understand me, so when the implementation of these policies are taking place, you find out that the economy will bounce back.
For instance, one of the cardinal reasons why the economy is bouncing back is that now Nigeria is having a balance of trade, a positive balance of trade in the last quarter of last year, Nigeria had a positive balance of trade, where the export of our goods and services exceeded the import, it is not magic, it is natural response, so the tendency that the economy will bounce back is there once the balance of trade is positive for Nigeria where export of goods outshines the imports.
You are one of the persons defending this government though people are complaining of hardship, hunger, unemployment. What do you tell people in your immediate community
Well, every now and then, I receive calls from my people asking me one question or the other. The question is what is this government doing to address the situation, and I always try to let them understand that President Buharis administration inherited damaged economy. I want you to understand for instance when people say economic hardship.
I am a financial analyst, a graduate in account and finance management. I am in position to tell you the reason why we are experiencing recession now. if I must defend this government, I must have cogent reasons why I must defend this government and I cannot stand up at my level and defend a government that is not honest, I am defending this government because the government is purposeful.
The man at the helm of affairs is known as Mr. Integrity, credibility, by that it will be in my interest, as a man I so much appreciate the value of truth, the truth there is and I want everybody to come and meet me on a debate that recession did not start under Buhari’s administration, it started under Jonathan, this administration inherited a damaged economy and I want to let you know that the damage done to this country was not done in one or two years, and it is going to take some time for it to get healed. I plead with Nigerians to continue to exercise patience and pray for the promised change to become a reality.
