By Agatha Emeadi
Ibrahim Hadejia is the Senator representing Jigawa North East at the 9th Assembly. He is at the top echelon of the Jigawa State government having walked on the corridors of power as a two-time deputy governor and very visible in the last 15 years.
He is a lawyer, administrator and seasoned politician with an eye for the governorship come 2023.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Sun, he x-rayed the security challenge in the country and the likely effect it will have on the 2023 elections, clamour for Igbo presidency, Osinbajo and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu saga, among others. Excerpts:
As a member of the ruling party, APC, how do you see the N100 million peg for the purchase of presidential form amidst fighting corruption?
When one is buying APC presidential form; you are buying a form from a party that is already in power, have a national structure, robust outreach and on INEC register; one might buy a form for N100 million and then spend significantly less than someone who buys his for N10 million to contest for the national office. Could you compare a plot of land for N10 million to a luxuriously tasteful furnished mansion to be sold at the same price? Presidential form is for serious minded people who are ready to contest and win election. Anyone who is serious enough to run for the presidency can either afford it or have the national appeal to be able to raise funds from far and wide. If the forms are very cheap, it will become too easily accessible and everybody will buy it will complicate the primary process. I do not think it is too expensive at that price.
N100 million for just presidential form?
If you are running for presidency in Nigeria and do your logistics calculations based on touring the 36 states at the very minimum, another tour for the six-geopolitical zones, look at a structure of the election day with several agents at over 100 polling units across the country ensuring people vote for you, canvassers in every ward wearing your cap campaigning for you; work out the number and see that N100 million will be a tiny percentage of the total sum. Except one is talking about people who just want to be called aspirants, who want their names to be included for negotiation later, but for a serious minded-person who wants to contest and win election, N100 million should not be a problem.
You were former deputy governor for almost 11 years, what were those things you did in Jigawa State that the electorate would look at and bring you back to office assuming you want to contest and become the governor?
Constitutionally, I served as a two-term deputy governor and left to contest for the Senate in 2019. Though it was a most rewarding experience, challenging in the sense that being a deputy in Nigeria, everything boils down to your relationship with your principal. A lot of people call deputy governors spare tyre, some wait for crisis to erupt, there have been cases where deputy governors are impeached. One goes in there with a full complement of the office, long convoy with sirens and then at the end of the day, you might feel a bit underutilized. In a situation where there are specific roles for deputy governors, it will help. Whatever the role is between the two, the deputy has something to contribute to the big office.
What have you observed from the different declarations from different political zones?
My take on the so many declarations is that this is the season for declarations. We have seen political gladiators that can hold on their own vying for various offices, some governors rooting for second term, some want to escalate their services to the national level, we have also seen a vice president who wants to succeed his principal, what is surprising is how everybody is dancing around the issue because of the electoral dynamics. I am yet to see a serious female presidential aspirant; we have seen a couple of young men who are representing the youths. Activities are happening so close to the electoral primaries. In most states, we are yet to see the emergence of aspirants because they are waiting for the guidelines.
Will you be contesting governorship of your state?
I have not really made up my mind because of the peculiar political system we have in Jigawa State. It has to be discussed at consensus level. We are waiting for that to happen then we sit down and discuss it. It will be pre-emptive on the part of anyone to make a declaration now.
If you finally make up your mind and probably win the election, what will be your primary focus, especially with the state of women?
Even as a senator, one of my three-cardinal principles is supporting women and girl-child education. My programmes in the last two years, everything is geared towards girl-child education, all my sponsorship projects are on primary and post primary schools exclusively for girls’ schools. We have a programme that secures schools and gives parents the encouragement to allow their girls be in school. We beefed up the security, provided solar power security around the schools, secured more hostels that are better positioned, constant security patrol within the schools in my zone. We also provided CCTV camera coverage for all the girl’s secondary schools. Again, we have a bicycle programme that provided 2,000 simple girls bicycles for students who walk through and fro a distance of three kilometers to their secondary schools daily. When we noticed the challenge was the distance, which enabled most parents to withdraw their wards from school; we introduced the bicycle system. There are also rewards for healthy academic competition, empowerment like deep freezers, solar light, motor-cycle for the parents to encourage the girls go to school. My focus has been on women, even if I become the governor, it will also be my primary responsibility.
Why bicycle in place of school bus and driver?
From experience, school bus and driver would be grounded within three-four months because no one would be responsible for the maintenance and drivers’ payment. In 2015, we inherited a rural ambulance programme, when we bought a station wagon to serve as a quick ambulance for the community, within seven months, it was all over 90 per cent of the services were dedicated to personal commercial and family use. But a bicycle is a ‘gift and forget programme’, the little personal maintenance would not break the bank. Again, bus would not traverse some of the places, they are foot and motorcycle paths.
What do you think about the declaration of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo against his political godfather, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu?
Honestly, I do not think there is any thing wrong with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s declaration to contest for the position of the presidency. We are talking about politics and not cultural things. I do not see any reason he cannot contest for the number one seat. If he has made the declaration before Tinubu, then this dynamic would have been different. People are saying Asiwaju has declared his ambition, Osinbajo should have stepped down for him. I don’t think that Asiwaju himself has taught he would come out unopposed. If you look at the two principals, both have been matured about the situation, there is no hard or negative feeling from any of them. At the end of the day, I can assure that even if its 50 aspirants, only one will emerge; then others would support whoever that emerged from the same political party.
What kind of president are we looking for?
I am hoping that we have someone who will tackle three-four agenda in the first two-three years of emergence. If we have a president who will pick his cabinet from a rich variety of professionals who will focus on economy and security situations first. If these two could be handled within two years, I believe others will pick up immediately.
What about the clarion call for presidency of Igbo extraction?
To be honest, I could not careless whether we have a presidency from Ghana or Ivory Coast if he can come and sort out the problems in the land. If we have a president of an Igbo extraction who cannot deliver, what will be the gain? Let our new detribalized leader focus on polity, tackle insecurity, unite the country and deliver on promises. If people have jobs, economy is driven, efforts are rewarded, create sectors that will absolve the younger generation, safety is assured, all these agitations would stop.
On insecurity in the land?
Security is the number one issue that needs to be solved. There is absolutely nothing that will happen in the country without handling the security situation. In fact, it is even threatening the 2023 election, which is the bedrock of democracy that gives every government its legitimacy. So, it has to be addressed. Security requires some level of focus, there is need to change the security architecture, pay a premium on intelligent gathering, acquire best and most sophisticated security surveillance equipment to tackle the situation and then move into a preventive phase instead of being defensive. The resources spent in the last seven years by this administration should have gotten it right though I am not a security expert.