By Daniel Kanu
Hon. Rotimi Makinde is the former House of Representatives member for Ife Federal Constituency, Osun State and former deputy chairman, Human Rights Committee in the 7th Assembly.
In this encounter with Sunday Sun, the former lawmaker and member of the Osun State Judicial Service Commission speaks on why the nation is still grappling with security challenges, depressing economy, among others.
Also, Makinde gave reasons Nigeria must ignore the opposition PDP in the 2023 elections while making a case for a Nigerian President of Southwest extraction in the coming elections, among others. Excerpt:
Most Nigerians seem to be dissatisfied with the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership in the country, perhaps looking at the security challenge, the economy and hike in prices of goods, among other issues. Do you think that the government, your party, is on track?
Well, there is no way we can talk about today without making reference about the past. You will agree with me that things were so messy when the APC took over and yet all efforts are being made by the present government to put the nation back on track, and then coupled with series of challenges which also preclude the worst challenge as regards COVID-19 and co. You will also agree with me that Nigeria is not operating an isolated economy, meaning that what is happening in other countries is equally happening in Nigeria. So, back to your question, I want to believe that things are not so worst and that the government will not deliberately want to kill the economy as they are working seriously on it. I quite agree that a lot still is available for them to do. And no one has ever done it all, I want to believe we (APC) have economic sense, security sense and all that is needed to fix Nigeria and that the present government is working within their limited power, within their limited resources and they will stop at nothing to give their best. Of course, remember we need time too and patience, but the most important thing is that the government is working hard to put things right. And most of them were things that have been destroyed by the previous government. Again remember these things are not about miracle and I can tell you in my own opinion that things could have been worse if we have not been privileged to rescue power from the government of the past (PDP).
The opposition party (PDP) said they are leaving no stone unturned to kick out the APC from power in 2023…?
(Cuts in) Well, you cannot underrate anybody or any party, but Nigerians should come of age to know that going forward is better than going backward. When they had all the time to do the wonder they are now promising what did they do? When the PDP had the whole time, the whole power in this country to rescue, to plan and look forward, when our crude was selling at above $100 per barrel, what have they done? What did they do? What did they do to secure our country? Is it not the same government that had budget for stealing of oil? When they will make budget and assume that certain barrel of crude oil will be stolen on daily basis, they were making budget for it, they had the Army, they had the Navy and yet they were making budget that average of 400,000 barrel of oil will be stolen on daily basis. I think that was recklessness in action and Nigerians should better not be reminded of the gory days of the PDP.
Some political analysts are of the view that there is the need for a Third Force to take out your party (APC) from power. You think this call will amount to nothing in real political action?
I think the aggrieved ones in PDP and those who have lost hope in APC will be fanning such fire. There is no party that is 100 per cent orderly, that has no crisis, no matter how minor. Remember this is a contestation of power so there will always be disagreement. Whatever it is, requires plenty of sacrifices, courage to turn a party into a very strong one. This is my position about the APC, PDP has their own crisis, those who are so touched or unhappy are the same we witness in the APC. Will you recommend that they should now form and become a voice? I think we don’t need that. We should put all efforts together to move this country forward and as you know Nigerians are the architect of their problem, we have the power to go and not look at it even from the party point of view, but from individual point of view. You check individual pedigree and sit down and assess and make comparism between the opponents. You must know of what difference is between the person that has jumped from the APC or the PDP and become re-branded, not much difference, but individuals are different and there are indices for you to know who is good. There are indices for people to know who is in politics by call; there are indices for people to know who is a commercial politician. When you find somebody jumping ship and jumping from one party to the other you should know and conclude that the person has no principle. But when you find somebody who is ready to withstand the storm, make some sacrifices and never to hide knowledge about how to move this country forward. So, that is the situation and at this moment, I am not a nonentity, I know what is good for the country and it is for this common good that I honestly support the person of Asiwaju for president. We should discard these people running from pillar to post to seek for relevance they have nothing to offer. Those positioning for the Third Force that you are talking about, just check their records and it will give you an insight of who they are. You have to look at people’s antecedents. That is why I am part of the SWAGA group (South West Agenda for Asiwaju). He (Tinubu) is not the type running from pillar to post; he is focused on a political ideology. It is the pedigree of Asiwaju that attracted me to SWAGA and I am one of the foundation members. We are working for him conscientiously having sat down to study his person and commitment to the Nigerian project. We see that what the country needs now is such a man who has what it takes to be the president of this country and turn things around for the general good. His international exposure, his education, the social inclination and what else? What is in money that he has not seen or gotten? I am of the opinion that he will do better.
But the Southeast is strongly making case for a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction for equity, justice and fairness, also part of the reason is that the Southwest has had a fair deal and that it will be overkill for another Southwest to be president in 2023?
Well, I am a Nigerian and I believe and I have been exposed to know what the constitution says and the zoning or whatever is a convenience arrangement not recognised by our constitution and I am also liberated enough to know that politics is a game of number. I am not speaking because I am a Yoruba man, but I want to tell you that at this particular material time of this country we need those who are liberal, who believe in the entity called Nigeria and who have unbiased heart towards one another, who will be ready to champion the cause of this country and not so sentimental thinking of where he comes from. And for now, believe me without sounding immodest the Yoruba think better themselves as a Nigerian compared to many. Look, nobody can be called the president of this nation at this moment without having control of your own base. You cannot become the president at this critical time without having certain overwhelming qualities and this includes being popular at home and away (outside your shores). Nobody can become president in Nigeria without having assurance that at least two of these three states I will mention to you Lagos, Rivers and Kano, you can have its grip. Asiwaju for the purpose of today started long ago and he has all the structures on the ground, he has been investing on people and they are massive. For me, I believe that what we may have missed in Awolowo, and missed in MKO Abiola and not enjoyed during Obasanjo we did not miss it in Asiwaju Tinubu and that is what SWAGA stands for. The need for the Yoruba to confront this likely tussle in unity, that is all. We recognise that people from other zones will also show strength I will be unfair to even God if I say the Igbo are not qualified, but let them bring out their best. Of course, you know that politics is not served ala carte as they say in politics. For us in Yoruba, we should say no to divide and rule where people will be calculating and making arrangement for their convenience. The Igbo are rightly qualified no doubt, but they should work on their minus. I will love to see unity in Igbo land. I will like to see the Igbo playing politics across regions, consulting, negotiating and all that. As long as we still follow this 1979 constitution that says majority carry the vote, then if care is not taken the North will continue to rule over us.
Some commentators, stakeholders as well as elder statesmen say without restructuring the country there is nothing much any president or leader from any other region can do?
I have an answer to that and the answer is that what Nigeria simply needs is just one good leader. As far as I am concerned, we have not been privileged to have one good leader who thinks across ethnic or religious boundary. A leader who thinks of the youths in Lagos same as he thinks of youths in Kaduna, Kano or Imo as one. A person who is passionate about the welfare of the people. Look from my experience we have three tiers of government, Executive, Legislative and the Judiciary. Only one person makes an executive, just one person. We have lots of organs of the judiciary, several people make up the legislative arm of government, but just one person is what we call the executive. And when we are lucky to have one “responsible” in quote with the right attitude to govern it makes a difference as a leader. One executive is ruling a whole state, he appoints, he hires and fires any commissioner at anytime. One person makes the presidency. If he is so aggrieved he can even sack his V.P and all his ministers in a fiat. All he needs is to ask his press secretary to go and announce the position of the new cabinet. Nobody will query him; there is too much power that resides in the executive. So, if we are lucky to have one good executive, I refuse to believe that any system or structure can make nonsense of him.