By Agatha Emeadi
Ademola Ogunnaike is former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Singapore. His job had taken him to numerous postings in several continents.
With that level of exposure, as the 2023 general elections draw near, Ogunnaike wondered why anyone would out of desperation said that ‘it is my turn, and I must be there.’
He, therefore, said that he does not want a leader who would want to lord it over the country for the citizens to keep living like a captured people.
In this interview with Sunday Sun, the former diplomat said that what he wants is rather a president who is ready to work, turn things around and have a hands-on on the affairs of the country.
You were Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Singapore, how was the experience like?
I was the Ambassador between 2008-2010, but before then, I was a career diplomat, a director in the minister’s office; Ministry of Foreign Affairs. My job took me to a couple of places like Sweden, Germany, Zambia, Poland, Turkey, Hungary. In fact, I can say I had been to all the continents in my postings.
Accusing fingers point at civil servants in high places as the most corrupt in the system, what do you think?
You can say it again. I never knew it could be this bad. Very bad situation we found ourselves in. Well, by the time I was in service, it was called service and the renumeration then was just okay for a staff to live through the month. Perhaps one is not looking for anything more than that, then there were opportunities to serve in Nigeria and foreign countries. Serving abroad exposes one to the best culture one can find anywhere. I said earlier that I have worked virtually through all the continents and it is quite an experience. So, in terms of corruption, we all wonder how we got here because it came like a new reality that needed to do something extra. We needed to find something under the table to survive. I will not put the blame on civil servants just like that; I don’t think it was intentional for them to be corrupt. I think the circumstances, environment and the kind of administrations particularly from the military regime brought in a new realization that gave survival a different kind of meaning; it goes beyond doing more of the regular thing, but more of under the table and test themselves above water. When I was in school, the first military coup happened during the completion of my secondary education, and those were the days of complete innocence. I was a day student who lived on the Island and my school, Methodist Boys High school on Broad Street was also on the Island. From home to school was a walk through for us; and one could transverse the entire Lagos day or night without anyone harassing you. The only concern could come from the parents who would be worried that you are not back for a particular period of time. For you as an adolescence, there was no cause for alarm because one could go from the farthest part of the Island, lagoon to Ikoyi walking freely; Lagos was not crowded. Therefore, coming from that state of virtual innocence to the period that the military took over, a couple of things started to change. The war broke, there were classmates who went to the war and could not complete their education, some were lucky to come back while some went with the war. At the end of the war, we thought life would be what it used to be, and we actually wanted it to end because the brotherhood was so strong that everyone wanted that war to end. In my school, we did not know anything about tribal sentiments, it was never an issue worth being discussed, we were students and that was it; we related well amongst ourselves, we never noticed children from rich homes, otherwise, we were just classmates and brothers in school. What we knew as students was to be properly dressed in school uniform, have your text and notebooks and that was it. That was the experience going to this new reality when people started deciding and twinkling with each other’s life, what one can do and cannot; if one had need to say no, things started changing from that point, when some felt that one cannot continue like this and felt they had the right to protests; even lecturers thought they had the right to protest.
What do you think that led to their protest?
Of course, something led to their protest. Issues led to their protest, especially unfulfilled promises led to it and it still goes on till today. The leadership thought they have acquired the power of those who were ruling before independence, it was like an ambition to take over and we are still living through that take over thing; it is my turn and I must be there and I wonder what desperation that means. It is not only to come and lord it over to others. We are living like a captured country where people feel it is turn-by-turn to rule over them.
What was the bilateral relationship between Singapore and Nigeria?
It was very cordial, but like in most states, they hardly take full advantage of our relationship; it is for the optics, not only in Singapore, but most of the places where we were represented. If it were not, we should have been learning from these places because that is why we are there; to take and gather experiences, practices and report them to our principals with the hope that they would take a few things from that reportage and change a few things in our own country too.
What personal thing could you be remembered for when you were an Ambassador?
During my time, I tried majorly to improve on Nigeria-Singapore relationship in the area of trade, we organized a few expos, tried to get Singaporean business people to be interested in Nigeria and they showed interest. Like I said, we hardly can follow through whatever initiative we took to benefit from it. Therefore, down the line, we will throw it out as not too important because there are some other things and that is why I say, we have virtually learnt nothing.
Being a former diplomat means you are also a stakeholder, could you assess the APC administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari in the last seven years?
It is not worth any discussion. Just leave that question out of this chat.
2023 is very uncertain; what kind of president do you think we should have next year?
I think we should have a president who is ready to work, change things and ready to have a hands-on on the affairs of this country. We have said it over and over again that truthfully, the potential are so many. One could see that we hardly can follow through, one would start something that might lead to prospects, sometime, down the line; everything fizzles out especially when the initiator is not there; that project would not work as conceived ab initio and that initiative fizzles out because somebody else has taken over with fresh idea and not because it will work. Leadership to me means somebody who knows what it means to be with Nigerians, that nationality is a great one. We only need to feel the pulse in other places where Nigerians are performing credibly, and one asks are these not the same people, why do they excel only when they step out of the shores of their country. We need someone with the passion that must translate the same kind of Nigerian performance outside this shores and transform it. When Nigerians in the Diaspora began to enjoy that level of confidence which their country can provide them, it would be a good place for all. If they are also given a genuine opportunity, not the deceptive type, because that has been the experience of many Nigerians; if we have a leadership who will make it a priority, not just for the Diaspora to come back, but for Nigeria to develop; but because Diaspora is interested., there are a lot of things that are needed for a country, when it is made workable, hospitable and peaceful, it is doable and I am looking forward to that kind of president. If we did not get that it is a waste of time.
How was growing up in your days compared to the level of decadence that is almost eating up the society now?
A lot have changed and we are all guilty. From the parents, children, schools, government even religious organizations, all must join hands together and make it work. There has been too much permissiveness. We got to a point where we want to be like the Europeans and Americans without their standards, and we missed it because it is difficult to build anything on nothing. Particularly in a situation where every parent has been turned into a hustler sort of all in an attempt to give better care to the children and we discover that we lose it. For these, the hustling reduces the time spent with the children.