By Christy Anyanwu
Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed is a Nigerian economist, educationist and politician. He served as senator representing Kaduna North, from 2011 to 2012, and before that he was a member of the House of Representatives, from 2003 to 2007.
Baba Ahmed was born on July 7, 1969. He is running mate to the Labour Party’s candidate, Peter Obi, in the 2023 presidential election.
Baba Ahmed was outstanding as a member of the House of Representatives representing Zaria in 2003 for his outspoken criticism of the third term agenda of President Olusegun Obasanjo then, as well as corruption in the country.
After his legislative tour of duty, he returned to his Baze business group and founded Baze University, Abuja, in 2007.
Prior to working with Baze Research and Data Services Limited, and Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, he served for one year as a volunteer at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
He also had a stint with First Bank Nigeria Plc, from July 1997 to December 1998.
He was the managing director of Baze Research and Data Services, from July 1999 to January 2003.
Datti Baba-Ahmed was appointed the chairman of the board of trustees of the National Youth Service Corps Hope Alive Foundation in 2015. The Hope Alive Foundation works to ensure the financial well-being of NYSC members who have been disabled while serving in the military.
The urbane, suave and humble vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party spoke with Sunday Sun at his residence in Lagos.
With your impressive credentials, why did you agree to be Peter Obi’s vice presidential candidate in the 2023 election?
First of all, his lofty ideals, his credibility and his conviction to turn things around. He is senior to me in experience and, for God’s sake, he’s a Nigerian. His history, the way he rose through the ranks after university. In fact, while he was in the university, he was running two supermarkets. Working in the bank, he had money, he had businesses he controlled, and then he branched into bank ownership, directorship, owned a bank, he rose again to other financial institutions. Very comfortable as he was, he developed interest in the problems of his state and committed himself to solving those problems. He had the money to join the ruling party, but he refused. He had the contacts to join the ruling party, but he refused. He entered the opposition party, he defeated them, was in court for three years , got sworn in, he was the only one in the middle of wolves, so to say (forgive my language). They got him impeached. He went to court and came back. His tenure expired, he went to court again. So, he is a very consistent believer of what is right. Such a person, if you get him committed to fixing Nigeria, he will really achieve a lot. That is why I’m working with him. Again, he answered some questions and the fact that so many lies were told against him that were proven to be lies , I realized that there’s something special about this man. He answered a lot of questions that some can never answer, by telling me that Nigeria’s greatest physical asset is the vast rich fertile land in the North uncultivated yet.
Some people are of the opinion that he didn’t do much as governor in Anambra State, he’s stingy to a fault and might not be a good leader; what’s your take on that?
In the matter of scaling, prudence can easily be interpreted by others to being stingy. You do not owe anybody. People like Obi and myself believe in everyone being independent. That is our philosophy. In an egalitarian society, you depend less on handouts. In fact, it is derogatory to give cash out in an egalitarian society because something must be wrong for another person to be giving you. Gifts are different. So, you have to see it from our thinking, our background and our aspirations. Really, I wish everybody could just feed themselves and be content. This is not a perfect world, it is not a perfect country and whatever you give somebody makes him more dependent, you are not helping the person. He’s not stingy.
So, that is your perception?
No, no, you see, he is somebody who has a foundation, sends people to school without announcing it. He donates to causes, his church, hospitals and he helps people’s businesses. This is what we call help. Those who still dole out cash are the stingy ones, they don’t really help people. If I build your business, I have helped your career for a lifetime. If I help you with lunch; I help you to be lazy. That is it.
What do you say about a lot of people’s contention that Labour Party does not have structure?
We have structure. People are our structure. Those who are saying any other party has structure don’t understand what structure is. Those parties have money. People know they have the money and that money must be collected. Once APC and PDP do not have the money promised to be given, those people will not be there. The other smaller parties do not have the money to be given out, that’s why they don’t have anybody with them. Now, we are not doling out cash, yet we have people, we have candidates, over and above the aspirants. Even though we came into the party late, we had to struggle to get tickets in Labour Party . We have structure. APC has people assembled to collect the money they are spending, that is not structure. They don’t believe in APC. It is the same thing with PDP. That money just has to be collected. That is what they are in the place for, those are not structures.
Why is it taking Labour Party so long to come out with a manifesto?
Our manifesto is out. It took that long because there was undue interest by other parties in frustrating it and in changing the contents. They tried to interfere with our manifesto. We held on to it and we had to go through every full stop and comma, dot the I’s and crossing every T’s.
With so many problems in the country, what will Nigerians gain from your party if you win the election?
Immediately, we are going to stop the killings and start the healing. We will stop the stealing and start the keeping. We will stop the slide of the naira and start the gliding, and Nigerians will know that Nigeria belongs to them. Freedom, liberty, travel anywhere, anytime, live anywhere you want in Nigeria. We will minimize crime immediately, wipe out banditry and terror after minimizing crime. We will meet our OPEC quota, stop the stealing of the oil, earn our revenue from oil and decide what to do about the refineries. They will start producing immediately. All our sources of internal revenue will be maximized. We will cut the waste, fight corruption through all the channels, blocking them (we know what they are), unless if it is outright criminality, then we will serve justice. We will fight crime. Industries will start to prosper, especially if the naira is stable. We will extract commitments from ASUU, no strike for four years; there will be a written agreement. We will develop huge farmlands and infrastructure. Four banks will come up: Bank of Agriculture would be revamped, reorganized and recapitalized. Urban Development Bank, Bank of Industry and Bank of Infrastructure will come up too. We will stop the foreign exchange scam, redraw subsidy. We will decide what to do with infrastructure like power plants, dams, courts, highways, toll gates. New businesses will continue to come up, improvement of states, development of markets. Within the sub-region and the African region, there will be identification of markets, entrenchment of our interest in the World Trade Organization, gender sensitivity, girl child education, reduction of infant mortality, the list goes on and on.
There’s so much propaganda; instead of campaigning, it is abuses, why is this so?
No, we are being abused. We never abuse anybody. Not a single one. Flashpoint is that, my humble self and Peter Obi never speak about anybody’s health condition despite all that is going on, and even the constitutional provisions. We have never abused anybody. However, there was a press conference I held on Thursday, in which I recounted the reckless utterances of many. I also told them that silence on our own part did not mean we are weak. I deconstructed them for the whole world to see, which I think was painful for them to swallow, and I concluded with the word that, do it again, say one, we will say four and we will have bitter things to say.
Many prospective voters don’t have PVCs and the election is close by; what is your stand on the situation?
I encourage them to hurriedly go and get their PVCs. Anybody who doesn’t have a PVC to vote is a problem to Nigeria, as well as a problem to himself. They have no right to talk, whatever happens.
Concerning ASUU and frequent strikes, since you have a university, if you become vice president, what would you do to move university education forward?
I will continue doing what I have been doing in my entire working career, especially in the university. I will make sure Nigeria’s public universities have the best of infrastructure. The remuneration of their staff will be deliverable, sustainable and the curriculum of international standard. The laws are respected. No corruption in academics at all. We will continue to raise the standard of education and skills. No skill without education and no education without discipline.
Recently, you opened a world-class hospital. As an economist, what prompted you to have a hospital?
It is the biggest private hospital in Africa and the best equipped so far. Baze University Teaching Hospital is the best so far in Africa. The university gave birth to it. We started teaching medicine in 2017. We got approval from the NUC to start medical science. In January 2020, we got approval from NUC for students to gain admission into medical science. We were given two years to have a teaching hospital. So, we got to work. Because we had the benefit of coming in late, we set out to be the best. We built it within two years. When you are borrowing banks’ money, you don’t have a lot of luxury to waste time.
You look suave, why politics for you, because politics is known as a dirty game in this sphere?
I have been advised not to be saying it, but by nature and by design I’m not a politician: I’m in politics out of necessity and that is why I’m doing it so well. It’s not a career to me, that’s why I maintain my principles and my scruples. Whatever you have, if the country is going down the drain, you are simply wasting your time, everything you have will be wasted. You can never ignore politics and concentrate on your business because when the country is dead, your business is dead. All of us don’t have a choice, including you, the press. Every Nigerian does not have a choice and there’s no such saying as I’m a politician anywhere; so long as you are a human being, you are a politician, unless you choose to ignore your destiny. Everyone is a politician. A mad man on the street is a politician who chooses not to be in politics. Those who do not have PVC or party card are all politicians who choose to ignore their rights. We don’t have a choice, you sit down and the criminals will lord over you.
Senator Baba-Ahmed, how popular are you in the North?
Don’t you think I will break modesty if I tell you that? (Pause) I’m very, very popular because of my activities in anti-corruption. I’m one of the most famous politicians in the North. I made only one statement against the arrest of a student, the very next day the case was withdrawn and he was released. I have impacted on so many lives in northern Nigeria, educationally and economically? We have less than 200 (private) companies in the North employing up to 200 people. My company employs over 1,000 people. The university, the hospital and the other university in Kano, over 1,000 people. I have two universities, by God’s grace, including Baba Ahmed University. My name is known all over the North and I’m famous with students and the young ones. I appear five times a day on CNN. My family has not stolen money. My relatives have not stolen money, we have not defrauded Nigeria. This is quite immodest, but it is politics and I have to blow my trumpet.
What is your advice to the electorate?
Do not practice the politics of religion and ethnicity. Promote fairness in Nigerian politics. It is only fair for power to shift this time. Nigeria belongs to all of us. God makes no mistake. God put us, in his infinite mercy, in this country called Nigeria for us to understand each other and live peacefully. Don’t throw this opportunity away. You can see the tickets, Labour, APC and PDP. You can see the names. Nigeria has never had it so good in terms of candidate’s profile. The difference is clear. Do justice to yourselves, fellow Nigerians, don’t throw this opportunity away. You may not have it again.
What was your experience as a Senator?
I’m the second to the youngest senator ever in Nigeria, and there were parents of my friends in the same Senate with me. Mostly, I was shy. There was a great deal of conspiracy against me and I think I was only able to, as they say, you live to fight another day. I was up against a very powerful clique. I unseated the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, who had been a two-term governor and a Senator for four years. I was deeply rooted in the affairs there and there was this agitation to get me out. And I’m very lucky to be here today.
Was it that you were stubborn in the Senate or what?
Just leave it that way (laughs). I’m very lucky to be here today.
In all these, what lessons have you learnt about life?
Life is real. Mostly, it is what you make of it. Just keep trying, promoting good, and suppressing the bad. Be kind to others, do what you believe is good.