Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA), Alhaji Nasir Ibrahim Arab, has revealed intimate details of an age-long relationship between him and President Umaru Yar’Adua, dating back to the days they were kids in Kaduna. “He has been my close friend since our secondary school days, when we used to go everywhere together in Kaduna while on holidays,” Arab told Sunday Sun in an exclusive interview.

“He has always been upright, honest and sincere with himself and others. He has not changed at all and you cannot scare him or stop him from doing or saying what he believes is right. He is not a talkative but when he decides to talk, you can’t gag Yar’Adua,” Nasir said

The Kaduna-born former teacher- turned -bureaucrat, therefore, reassured Nigerians that in President Yar’adua, “we have got a person with all the qualities needed of a leader and patriot that can, and will, take this country to the Promised Land. This time around, we have the plane and the pilot in whom all we need do is confide, trust and spare him the time required while our destination is assured.”

Complementing The Sun Newspaper family, which he confirmed, “is widely read not only in this country but also across the globe”, the NASS Clerk, whose office is equivalent to Head of Service of the Federation, disclosed that since the 60s, he and Yar’Adua have been friends “although we went to different schools including universities after which he taught in Zaria while I taught in Kaduna until I was appointed a Commissioner and later I came here to join the federal service in 1991.”

Away from President Yar’adua, Nasiru Arab also discussed his childhood in Kaduna, his relationship with the leadership of the two chambers in the National Assembly, the financial scandals and administrative power-sharing as well as his choice of a monogamous family life-style.

Beginning his education with Islamic training and discipline, having come from the family of a popular Qur’anic scholar, Sheikh Ibrahim Arab, the junior Arab said: “I attended my primary school in Kaduna and then went to Teachers College in Sokoto (STC), then Advanced Teachers College , Kano and Bayero University, Kano. I started work as a classroom teacher in a primary school in Kaduna after my Grade II Teachers Training, and after the NCE; I joined the Kaduna State Ministry of Education as a secondary school teacher. I grew up in that profession to the level of Vice Principal, before being posted to the
Ministry of Education as a Public Relations Officer (PRO).

Sheikh Gumi facilitated my being appointed commissioner. It was in 1987, the then military governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar appointed me a Commissioner in his cabinet to take charge of the Ministry of Social Development, then Ministry of Information and later Ministry of Works and also back to Ministry of Social Development and Sports. I was in the cabinet of Dangiwa Umar when Katsina State was created, with Col. Sarki Muktar taking over from Umar, we continued till 1990. So, I served Kaduna State as Commissioner for four years.

What was your unique selling point that made Dangiwa appoint you Commissioner?
Well, you know appointment of Commissioners then was based on local government representation. The Commissioner representing Kaduna ( Saleh ) had died. To my surprise, I was called by Sheikh Abubakar Gumi who informed me that he had spoken with Dangiwa Umar and that he (governor) wanted to see me. When I went to see the governor, he told me that he had considered me for the appointment. From there, I joined the Federal Civil Service and I was posted to the National Assembly in 1991 as Deputy Clerk in the House of Representatives.

Growing up in Kaduna
I grew up in Doka District in the township of Kaduna and later, my father built a house in Tudu Wada, Kaduna. My relationship with friends and peers with whom I grew up from childhood was very pleasant and memorable. However, because Doka is a cosmopolitan society consisting of all ethnic and religious groups, the later life in Tudu Wada, which was overwhelmingly dominated by the Hausa community influenced me the more at a later stage, more so, we were very small when my father moved to Tudu Wada.

I did not attend class seven of my primary school because, as you know, whenever there was common entrance examination every year, the Head Teacher would select pupils from class six whom he believed could do the examination, and join them with class seven pupils, and I was lucky to be picked and to pass the exam for secondary school. Some of my mates graduated, some are teachers while some acquired professional skills at that time. It was easy to get to secondary school.
Some of those we went to secondary school together are here in Federal Ministries. One of them is Shehu Abba in the Presidency as Deputy Director, then Nuruddeen Qadir, an architect and close friend who is running his architecture company also here in Abuja .

Would you say you were stubborn or humble as a child?
I think by nature, I am the silent type and I think I inherited this from my father, he is very quiet and very, very humble. So we do what we had learned all from him; not me alone, all my brothers - when you meet them, they behave the same way. Both my parents influenced me, but I was more by my father because I was the first male child in the family so I was so much attached to him.

What's your job like at the National Assembly?
The job here is very challenging and exciting, as you now have to deal with various categories of people from different parts of the country, different shades of opinion, different socio-cultural, educational and political background. So, you find the job in the Federal Service more interesting and tend to learn a lot from the background of others and generally I enjoy the job. I also receive a lot of commendation from others. The trying time was when we started newly in the House of Representatives.

You know, there was a long period of military regime and when we now started the democratic process, as pioneer set to kick-off the National Assembly and the members were green horns in the sense that none of them was a parliamentarian before. And we that had to guide them and administer their affairs, we only attended courses and read from books, but no practical experience. But all the same, we were able to adjust quickly and then picked up very well.

So, that was a really trying time, and I must emphasize that we had to work hard because in addition to the position we found ourselves, we were also not fully equipped with working facilities then. Running the NASS is very complex, but I wasn’t tempted. Running the finances of the National Assembly I know is very complex and tempting, but we have laid down rules and regulations, which we follow, and I make myself strictly adherent to these laws. For instance, budgetary provisions meant for the Senate remains for the Senate and nobody touches it.

The same thing goes for the House. And then, of course the management budget is also under our care, and we follow the financial regulations. Yes, I am the accounting officer for the budgets of the two chambers, but we can’t spend anything without the prior approval of the presiding officers. So it is the presiding officers who give the go-ahead to spend money from their own budgets. But if there is any misapplication, I normally draw their attention to it so that they make the necessary amendment to make the approval viable.

So this is how we run the finance of the Assembly and I must say I don’t have much problem. The presiding officers have absolute control of their finance, but my responsibility is to advice and I don’t have any problem and if there is any, it is within them and they will sort it out there, that is between parties or among different shades of interest, but by the time it comes to the spending, they must have agreed. So I don’t participate in that one. My own is limited to controlling funds, not to allow expenditure without going through proper channels or regulations.

For purchasing of any item, we have the tenders board, which is responsible for awarding contracts to supply things for the Assembly and now, with the Procurement law, we are also strictly following the Procurement Act in awarding our contracts. The NASS Tenders Board is chaired by me but all the Directors are members, and then we have a body of principal officers comprising all the leaders in both chambers. So when a tender is beyond the National Assembly Tenders Board, which is a maximum of N50million, any amount in excess of N50million has to go to the body of principal officers either of the Senate or of the House.
Membership of that body are the principal officers of the chamber concerned, while the Directors and me will be only in attendance to guide them on the procedure.

There were cases of breach of contractual law with the late Chuba Okadigbo, Anyim Pius Anyim, Ibrahim Mantu and Patricia Etteh in the web. Did you turn your head away before those scandals happened?
The issue of breaching law, as it were, I think is not that the procedures are not followed per se, but when you work under certain pressure, sometimes you overlook certain aspects of the procedure, but all the same you try as much as possible to accommodate whatever pressure that would come from the leadership. In the case of Etteh contract, for example, so many things were exaggerated but all the same, we have been able to sort it out and it has been resolved amicably. The amount of the contract itself was publicized wrongly because there were so many considerations at that Tenders sitting but one item was singled out and people looked at it as the only item of the contract which was not correct. So many vehicles were to be purchased and then the House of the Deputy Speaker, the Speaker, furnishing and other segments were involved and in different memos.

So the only area of disagreement in the contract, I think, was the budgetary provision. But we hinged our argument on the fact that there were provisions made in the House of Reps budget for the maintenance of the complex and we felt that since the residences of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are an extension of this complex, we felt that we could as well use the money to make their houses habitable, and the pressure was on us to make sure that we finished fast, since they refused to stay in the hotel, they said they wanted to make savings. So they wanted us to hasten and make sure that their houses were made ready in time. That is what actually happened. But you find that in many parliaments around the world, the residences of the presiding officers are within the precinct of the parliament. In Mantu’s case, the house was rented by the Senate for him to stay, and that is what he did exactly.

But some Senators accused him of renting his own house?
But when we went through the records, there was nothing showing that the house belonged to him, because all the documents belonged to somebody else. There was an agent who rented the apartment to the National Assembly. What I don’t know is if he has purchased the house now.

What about the construction going on behind NASS complex?
The on-going construction is still being undertaken by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) because this extension is part of the two new wings of the complex, which had been carried out by FCT. It is still one contract, which is known as Phase III, and the two wings make part one while the on-going is part two of the Phase III. They are still erecting additional offices for the House of Reps members whose number is 360 but only 180 have so far been accommodated, while the rest are still managing here and there. Even Senators, only 84 have been accommodated with the remaining 25 still waiting, so the on-going structure is to complete the circle. They will also provide a standard library and re-configure the two chambers in the same contract.

Any idea of total contract sum?
No, only FCT can tell you that. Housing lawmakers is a necessary government’s responsibility. Personally speaking, I was not happy when the Apo Legislative Quarters were sold, because our development has not reached the level that anybody can come in, get accommodation easily and start lawmaking without government support. And newly elected lawmakers will continue to be elected at the end of every four years. Therefore, Apo Quarters was very ideal for the legislators, but unfortunately, the government then decided since it was monetizing everything, they should go the whole hog and monetize the lawmakers’ residence.

It is regrettable because even the current legislators when they came in, they started agitating that government should cancel the sale and reverse that decision, but is was too late because some or most of the former members who purchased these houses have sold them, some have transformed them to their taste and so on. And it was legally sold to them and reversing the matter will generate a lot of legal tussle. That must have explained why the government could not attempt doing so. But like I said, ideally, all legislators should have their accommodation ready and the structure should belong to the government, so that lawmakers will only use the houses as they remain working as lawmakers but when they die or miss their seat, they give way for others.

As it is now, any new legislator will have to face the burden of looking for accommodation as he arrives Abuja, may be a new environment to him entirely, before he settles down and face the work his people sent him to do. But with a ready-made accommodation, he just moves in and starts the business. So, my suggestion is that, it will not be out of place if the government could look for another place and make it entirely and strictly Lawmakers’ Village, just like what obtains in most countries.

If the Federal Government is opposed to maintaining the houses permanently, it should just build the standard value for legislators and sell them to State Governments, so that, since we know the specific number of legislators from any state, their requirements will be made and their governments take over. If they are re-elected at the end of each tenure, they come and continue occupying the houses, if not they vacate them for the new lawmakers.

But Apo Quarters now cannot rightly be addressed as Legislators’ Quarters because over 80 percent of those who purchased the houses have not returned. So all the services we were rendering there are no longer our business now because FCDA has taken over the place. The place is just like normal quarters in Wuse, Garki or Gwarinpa and anybody is free to rent a house or buy in that place. But the security post, the Police station are still there because the FCT Command of the Nigeria Police is in charge but the National Assembly DPO is till maintaining the place, till when the Commissioner may up-grade the place to divisional Police Command, may be.

Status of Clerk of NASS?
The office of the Clerk of the National Assembly is not the same as that of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation because SGF is a political appointment, but it is equivalent to the Head of Civil Service of the Federation who is a civil servant like the Clerk.

What do you know about Yar’Adua?
Well, Mr. President happens to be a friend since our secondary days when we used to move together in Kaduna during holidays. He went to Government College, Keffi, and I went to Sokoto Teachers College, but any time we were on holidays we met in Kaduna because he was a classmate and close friend of my friend, so we moved together. He was upright just like he is upright; nothing has changed about the Yar’Adua I used to know since school days. He was honest, fearless and focused in all he did, and I think he still keeps those virtues.

That’s why I am not surprised of the very qualities he is displaying now. I think they are in-born qualities and we should thank God for having him at the helms of Nigeria’s affairs. With him, we have what Nigerians would soon be proud to called Nigerians anywhere in the world. This due process will be duly processed by him. The rule of law will be ruthlessly and rightly adhered to. So we all have to sit up and be careful in discharging our public responsibilities, while praying for his good health and long life. I must clarify here that Yar’Adua is not stiff or unyielding to good advice, instead, he would listen, understand but anything that is not straight he would not follow. If you come to him, you want this, you want that, then be straight and stand by what you say, don’t digress because it won’t help you for any favour from him.

Compare him with Obasanjo?
No, I can’t compare the two because I did not know or come so closely to Obasanjo like I did to Yar’Adua. But I think we are very lucky we have him (Yar’Adua). If people give him the cooperation, I am sure we'll go somewhere.

Is he Nigeria ’s messiah?
I think in the near future, you will not ask anybody this question again. Reality of his positive actions will be enough to convince you to start writing that he is the Nigeria's messiah.

What of his pending case at the Supreme Court?
The case is not a personal case. It is an election case and it was the party that put him there as a candidate, so whatever happens in the cause of the election, it’s not a personal case or an offence he committed. He has already won the first round and we are hoping the second round, which is final, will be a confirmation of the first one. (Laughter) that is my hope.

If they ask you to see Buhari privately what advice will you give him?
Well already, they have gone to the Supreme Court, which he has the right to, even though some people had advised him to withdraw. You see, listening to advice is useful. And in the interest of peace and cooperation, I think we should give peace a chance and let Yar’Adua continue.

Is that what you will tell Buhari?
Well, you can deduct from that (Laughter).

Where do you think Nigeria will be in the next four years?
I think if we give Mr. President the cooperation he needs and he deserves, Nigeria will be in an entirely different place in terms of positive development, forgetting the fact that earlier leaders had made similar promises but failed. Yar’Adua’s seven-point agenda is not a joke and he means business in that agenda. If you could remember during the recent PDP congress in Kaduna, there were intermittent power failures three times, which embarrassed Mr. President.

And when he stood up to speak he said: “This power failure is a challenge to me”. I am sure he meant what he said, because he told Nigerians that by next year we would have more than 50 percent of stabilized electricity. So, if nothing, I think that within the next two or three years the issue of power problem will be history. For goodness, that is the bedrock of any form of national development. What killed Nigeria’s industrialization is this power issue, because companies can never break even by generating power for their operations. So about 80 per cent of the industries in Nigeria have closed shop. Meanwhile what they have been producing are being imported at much lower cost and sold at cheaper prices. Go to Kano, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and even Lagos, it is a very sorry story for the industries we have.

How old are you?
I am 58 years old now, and I have two more years to go to retirement.

Tell us about your immediate family
I have one wife and three children, one is in the University.

Only one wife, why not more?
No, I have never married more than one and she has been the one and only. All my life, it’s been only her.

Madam is lucky then?
Well, yes! (Laughter)