By Daniel Kanu
Revered tutorial and 2015 presidential candidate of the KOWA Social gathering, Prof Remi Sonaiyan on this unique chat with Sunday Solar speaks on Nigeria’s actuality, the failure of governance, 2023 problem and president Nigeria wants, safety problem and the necessity for a radical shift within the coming elections, amongst others. Excerpt:
We’ve got few days to formally kick-off the marketing campaign by all of the political events. Wanting on the political local weather, what do you see, do you’ve something to fret about in regards to the coming elections?
The factor is that I don’t wish to mission that I do know what is going to occur, I don’t. If some folks have a present of figuring out that one thing will occur earlier than it truly occurs, personally, I don’t have that reward. I gained’t be troubled of discerning the political improvement. I’ll relatively wait and see. What I selected to do relatively is to interact with folks and attempt to persuade all of us on the necessity to do issues proper. That’s my very own orientation, I don’t predict that that is how issues will go, that folks shall be violent or folks is not going to be violent. I spend my time saying, please allow us to be certain that we supply issues out correctly, that we conduct ourselves correctly as issues needs to be performed. That’s my very own common orientation, so I don’t have what some could name fears.
Is it that you just don’t have the concern of the safety problem negatively affecting the approaching election or just like the alarm that has simply been raised by the Coalition of United Political Events (CUPP) that the INEC server was hacked or has been tampered with amongst different points?
Then the treatment to such points is to not fear or have concern relatively it’s or needs to be taking issues up. That’s what I’m saying that we’re presupposed to do, if we’ve got data that sure issues are occurring that will endanger the election. What are our choices? Is it to fret and go and conceal ourselves in our houses, saying that me, I’m not going out oooh, I don’t know what is going to occur or to organise ourselves and go and problem INEC? That they need to please come and clarify to us on what is occurring. Has your server been hacked? Have you ever discovered who hacked it? We should enter a brand new period of consciousness as residents, so operating away, hiding our heads in our homes that there is likely to be violence and issues like; that’s not the way in which to go. How does that assist us as a rustic? How does it develop us? How does it give us the form of authorities that we wish? Individuals needs to be speaking in regards to the workplace of a citizen as the best workplace within the land. It’s in our energy to find out how issues shall be and it isn’t by operating away and hiding our heads.
The state of insecurity has continued unabated, it has remained constant and even getting worse by the day…?
(Minimize’s in) It exhibits it has not been correctly tackled the way in which it needs to be. If it has been tackled the way in which it needs to be there would have been noticeable enchancment, it will have improved and we shouldn’t be on this state of affairs anymore the place individuals are nonetheless being kidnapped, communities are being attacked and invaded and their blood wasted. We nonetheless have conditions the place you learn from the information that fifty individuals are killed right here, 50 folks kidnapped there and so on. So long as these issues proceed to occur and on the charge that they’re occurring, it’s proof that the federal government at each stage just isn’t getting hand, grip on the safety, they don’t seem to be doing it properly, it’s apparent. If in case you have the appropriate orientation and also you take care of a difficulty it’s essential to start to see outcomes, constructive outcomes. They are going to inform us and hold saying that insecurity is lowering within the land and all that, however on the similar time we hold getting all of the painful information of what’s occurring, the killings, folks being kidnapped, the banditry, the sacking, displacement of villages, cattle rustlings and so on? When issues like these atrocities nonetheless occur, you’ll be able to’t power Nigerians to consider that issues are getting higher when our expertise tells us the opposite.
Some critics are condemning the federal government over Nigeria’s dwindling economic system, however most instances the federal government spokespersons give excuse that the state of affairs is a world state of affairs…?
(Minimize’s in) Properly, they’re at all times globalising, even the safety situation too was globalised that we (Nigeria) will not be the one one. Sure we aren’t the one one, Russia is attacking Ukraine so Ukraine has plenty of safety and financial challenges, however definitely, that’s not the form of state of affairs that we’re in proper now and what we’re listening to, what we’re witnessing is that it’s unfettered corruption that has effects on us in Nigeria. How do you clarify the 1000’s of barrels of oil theft? What was the quantity that was circulated lately. In fact, so much are being stolen. How can such variety of barrels of oil depart the shores of Nigeria in a rustic that has the Navy, army, Airforce, Customs, Police? It’s ridiculous, how can that occur with out the connivance or safety compromise? We’re not speaking about a number of trailers escaping via the bush of our borders, however utilizing large ship to take the oil away and also you say the safety just isn’t conscious? A ship just isn’t a small canoe that you could be ignore, so allow them to not hold deceiving us, we aren’t fools and allow them to not hold making fools of us on the worldwide stage as properly. I recall that at The Area of interest lecture which I attended lately Mr Babatunde Fashola (Minister for Works) who was the Visitor Speaker stated we (Nigerians) needs to be cautious how we paint our nation, that we shouldn’t be saying issues which are disparaging about our nation, operating down our authorities and so on. No person is operating down the federal government relatively the federal government is doing job of operating down itself. No person must run down our authorities. If a authorities publicizes to the world, as an illustration, that that is the amount or barrel of oil that it’s presupposed to export after which we’re getting the information of the oil theft that we’re getting, and the amount we’re presupposed to export is being stolen, do you assume that the worldwide neighborhood will take such a authorities significantly? When our college ladies are kidnapped and so they keep seven, eight years within the bush and they don’t seem to be rescued, does anyone must run down such a authorities? We see what others are doing if their residents are kidnapped or no matter factor that occurs to them we see the extent to which they exit to rescue them. In our personal case the federal government will come out and say it’s an unlucky state of affairs and that’s the top of it. They vote in more cash to the army, to the police, to all the safety companies but it doesn’t imply that every one that cash ends in something constructive. So, no person must run down the federal government if you’re performing. In fact, everyone is aware of how authorities must carry out and you aren’t doing it and you’re saying they’re operating you (the federal government) down. What number of international locations on the earth have their universities on shutdown because of a strike for over seven months and they’re unable to resolve the matter? And what have we seen? Have we seen a concerted efforts to sincerely resolve this drawback on the highest stage? The President of South Africa (Ramaphosa) went to London for the Queens burial and the plan was that he’ll go from London to New York for the UNGA (United Nations Basic Meeting) assembly, however he went again to South Africa and by no means went straight to NY as a result of there was an influence problem, an emergency concerning energy in South Africa and he shouldn’t be seen that when you have a severe situation at residence you’re busy roaming the world. Our personal leaders would not have that form of sense of responsibility and dedication to responsibility. So we aren’t abusing them, we’re stating what we see, and the entire world is aware of how one can interpret that.
The presidential candidates of all of the political events at the moment are identified to Nigerians or have been made public and you’ve got been in that place earlier than as a presidential candidate. How do you charge the candidates, have they got the capability to take this nation to the subsequent stage?
Personally, I’ve made my selection identified. It’s on twitter, on social media and I’ve expressed it to totally different folks. Contemplating the folks we’ve got, I’m placing my guess on Mr Peter Obi, I’m going with him. The difficulty is: I’m not going with him with the expectation of him being a messiah or one thing like that, no. What I’m on the lookout for proper now’s a person who will merely flip us away from this a part of destruction that we’ve got been following and switch the nation round in direction of the appropriate half.That’s what I’m on the lookout for by way of competence, by way of capability, by way of character. The opposite entrance runners, they’ve been a part of this outdated system which has not profited Nigeria. So, I can’t pitch my tent on their facet as a result of what we want now’s a brand new orientation. In fact, Mr. Obi has been a governor earlier than in Anambra, however we’re saying given the alternatives that we’ve got earlier than us he’s the one that’s more than likely to show issues round for Nigerians.
As one which has run for the best workplace within the land, the presidency, what do you see as the way in which ahead for Nigeria?
Management is so vital and that’s the reason this 2023 elections are crucial as a result of if folks method it with the identical sentiment of ethnicity and faith and so on, not desirous to rock the boat nothing will change. However we should take instance from issues that we see occurring all over the world. Many nation’s are starting to make radical selections, clear departure from what they’ve identified earlier than. It is because their survival depends upon it, so we don’t need individuals who will proceed the identical factor, enterprise as traditional. I consider {that a} good management, a pacesetter who is ready to encourage folks will make a distinction. In fact, the chief can’t do every part by himself or herself. All these noise about one chief, one particular person can’t do every part by themselves, however the chief can set the tone and encourage the folks by the issues that they are saying, by the issues that they do, and even by the instance of their private life. For example, all these flamboyant form of life-style of our leaders, large, large vehicles, large and big homes, dwelling as if they’re choosing cash from the bottom, lavishing it on private ceremonies, on frivolities, when you recognize that over 90 million of your inhabitants reside in poverty. How does that make sense to anyone? So we wish leaders who will select a easy life-style intentionally for the sake of the generality of the residents of this nation.
Don’t you assume that the presidential system of presidency that Nigeria is working towards is a giant minus, very costly amongst others. Some are suggesting the parliamentary system?
What I stated about wastefulness is affecting it, we’re operating a system that’s too costly and individuals are incomes salaries that don’t make sense like our legislators. They are saying that their wage is small however the allowances, what’s the that means of that? They’re stealing from us. I’ve spoken and written about this at totally different fora. Senegal, I feel in 2012 determined to scrap their Senate and so they scrapped it. Why, as a result of that they had floods of their nation and so they wanted cash to re-settle the individuals who have been affected by the flood, and to scrub up the areas and issues like that. They determined they weren’t going to borrow once more, however for us, we don’t thoughts borrowing, we hold borrowing and borrowing. We borrow for something and we aren’t seeing the outcomes of the borrowings. Senegal determined that they weren’t going to borrow, that they are going to look inside and see what they’ll do. They determined that their bicameral system was now not mandatory, that considered one of them ought to go, in order that they scrapped their Senate. That’s a part of the novel adjustments I’m speaking about that some international locations appear to be daring sufficient to make. However in Nigeria, we aren’t daring sufficient, we aren’t brave within the face of great challenges to make the form of radical shift that can change our state of affairs for the higher. Individuals have been speaking about restructuring, restructuring and restructuring, the present president (Buhari) promised to look into it, to look into the report of the 2014 Nationwide Convention, however what has he finished?
Do you assume that Nigerians have been adequately mobilised for 2023 elections ?
The residents are attempting to get mobilised, however I let you know as many others have equally noticed, poverty has been weaponized. Once you intentionally, and I say it advisedly, whenever you intentionally make your residents poor most of their vitality shall be spent combating poverty, on the lookout for meals to eat. Most Nigerians are spending all their vitality on the lookout for what to eat, on the lookout for meals, so all this situation on politics is secondary to them. They should to begin with be stored alive, that’s the situation.
