From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja and Chukwudi Nweje

President Muhammadu Buhari has again rejected the call for state police as solution to the nation’s mounting security challenges.

The agitation has led to the setting up of regional security outfits by some state governments.  But despite the mounting pressure from several quarters, President Buhari said state police is not an option.

He challenged Nigerians to question why governors, who are in the forefront of the clamour for state police, have not given powers to local governments.

“State police is not an option. Find out the relationship between local governments and the governors. Are the third tier of government getting what they are supposed to get constitutionally? Are they getting it? Let the people in the local governments tell you the truth — the fight between local governments and the governor.”

He suggested a bigger role for traditional rulers in bringing peace to communities stating that the royal fathers know who is who in their localities.

“The role of traditional rulers must not be undermined, because in their areas they know who is who, even by families, not to even talk of individuals. So, we have to revert to that system for us to have effective security in the localities.”

•Kanu: I’ll not interfere with judiciary

He dismissed the option of a political solution for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). He insisted that his case is with the judiciary and that he would never interfere with the judicial processes.

In November 2021, South-East traditional and religious leaders had asked the president to grant amnesty to Kanu to deescalate tension in the zone.

Kanu was arrested abroad and returned to Nigeria after he jumped bail and fled the country in 2017. He is facing charges bordering on treasonable felony instituted against him in response to years of the campaign for the Republic of Biafra through IPOB.

Commenting on the trial of the IPOB leader during the interview, the president said: “I wouldn’t dare interfere with the judiciary. No. We cannot rule out possibility of political solution, but if he will behave himself all well and good. But you can’t go to a foreign country and keep on sending incorrect economic and security problem against your country and thinking that you will never have to account for what you have been doing. Let him account for what he has been doing.” 

Kanu is in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

A federal high court sitting in Abuja has adjourned his trial till January 19.

•My grouse with direct primaries

He said blamed lawmakers for attempting to restrict the choice of political parties by allowing only direst primary and vowed to sign the bill on if indirect primary and consensus are also made options.

“All I said (is that) there should be options. We must not insist that it has to be direct; it should be consensus and indirect. I want people to be given a choice. You can’t  give them one option, and you think that you are being democratic? Let them have  the three options of direct, indirect and consensus.

•I’m not interested in who succeeds me

President Buhari declined to speak on his successor, when asked if he had a preference and would want to mention names. He said: “No, I wouldn’t because he will be eliminated if I mention it.  I better keep it a secret. 2023 is not my problem. I am not interested in who succeeds me. I don’t have any favourite.”

•Herders, farmers clashes

He blamed herders, farmers clashes  on locals along grazing routes. He explained: “For example, there were two governors that came to see me about problems – Oyo State and one other state – because the herders were in their forests but the animals were going into the neighbouring farms, and eating the crops; I said, as far as I know, the farmers and herders have been co-existing in Nigeria for generations. Let them go and ask the local leadership what has gone wrong, why the break in communication between the local leadership and the herders.”

•We made successes in fight against banditry

On the issue of bandits in the North West, the president said the administration has already taken steps to deal with the bandits and criminals as well as treat them as terrorists.

“I think the only language they understand, we have discussed it thoroughly with the law enforcement agencies; the security chiefs, the Inspector General of Police – is to go after them; the terrorists. We labelled them terrorists, and we are going to deal with them as such.”

He, however, said there have been successes in the fight against banditry in the region.

“And I believe if you go to those constituencies in the North West and North Central in the last four weeks there are improvements in the security.”

•Power privatisation not done on merit

He decried the state of power in the country and noted that no country can develop without solid infrastructure.

“I am not happy with the state of power because no country can develop without infrastructure and infrastructure means road, rail and power.

“This government is working very hard on the road. Try to imagine what was happening between Lagos to Ibadan six months ago and what it is now.

“We are doing from Lagos to Kano the rail, road from here to Kaduna to Kano. So we have to get the infrastructure right and then Nigerians will mind their own business. But when the infrastructure is not there, the roads are not there, the rail is virtually killed, no power, what do we expect people to do?”

He said power is still epileptic because the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is 100 per cent government-owned and noted that his government inherited the Distribution Companies (DisCos).

He also lamented that owners of Discos bought them based on geo-political zones rather than merit.

“The people that own them, who are they? They are not electrical engineers, they don’t have money, it is just a political favour. We thought  that was unnecessary. To remove a system and reintroduce one is no joke.  Luckily we have the TCN and that is the transmission. If we can get our technology right, we will cut the cost on transmission and the likelihood of sabotaging the lines and so on.

“I told you now we have something. I’m sure you know, what it used  to be between Lagos and Ibadan alone not to talk about the rest of the country. But we’ve got the Chinese to have the rail, to do the roads. How can we turn that down? So the Chinese are welcome. Anybody that is prepared to come and help with our  infrastructure, I have told you the roads, the rail and power will be welcome.”

•Don’t expect automatic employment

On youths, Buhari said young Nigerian undergraduates should not expect automatic employment after graduation.

He challenges them to also look in the direction of agriculture.

“I wish when they go to school; when they work hard; when they earn their degree, they don’t do it thinking that government must give them jobs. You get educated because an educated person is certainly better than an uneducated person even in identifying personal problems. So, education is not meant just meant to hang on to government to give you jobs and then what the colonialists indoctrinated in us to believe – have a car, have a house; start work by 8am and close by 2pm.”

He  had just one word for the main opposition party: “PDP failure.”

•On legacy

Asked what legacy he would be leaving behind he answered: “My legacy is that I have tried for us to conduct ourselves with integrity. We have stopped stealing, misappropriation.”