Ahead of 2019 general elections, a House of Representatives aspirant, Hon. Fateema Mohammed, has given reasons why former Vice President Atiku Abubakar should be the next president of the country. Mohammed who contested under the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) during the last general elections for Ifako Ijaiye Federal Constituency, Lagos in this interview with CHRISTIAN AGADIBE reveals why Atiku is the best choice.
What is your assessment of the present administration in Nigeria?
I’m not the type who usually condemns the government of the day, but you would agree with me that there is gnashing of teeth and the poverty rate is alarming. Well about now, government doesn’t look doable or achievable to the common man. Nothing would improve until the Federal Government makes governance doable to the common man, where the common man can live above a dollar per day. If it cannot take people up to the ladder of development, then there is nothing moving forward within the government.
The present president is a very good man, but governance is beyond being good; governance is beyond being dictatorial. Governance in the era of democracy, is sitting down, rubbing minds, and making effective the electoral promises. It’s not about taking us for a ride in the first three years and in the remaining one year, you want to right all the wrongs.
I have seen that the youths in Nigeria are getting wiser, and I pray that we don’t get into a revolution because you can see steaming frustration on the faces of the youths.
What have you achieved so far with the Atiku Nation?
A lot of things; I’m sure if you have been following us, you would have noticed that we started first with a documentary talking about Nigerians’ endearment to Atiku and compelling him and urging him to come and help us. We just look at it that when everybody seemed silent a lot of people came out with their manifestos. We looked through the manifestoes, then I said this is what we wanted. We started the school storm because Atiku is a stickler for basic education, so it was time for us to storm the schools.
From what you said, what inspired you to be behind this movement?
For me, I looked at somebody who is fulfilled, somebody who has what it takes to change the face of governance of the country. You know what Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has been doing especially when he was the vice president; you saw what he did in the national economic policy and all of the policies that we are using today; do not forget that he set up the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), and all the things that are still working until tomorrow.
He put up an economic team that has been working since he was the vice president up till this moment. And every time a new government comes in place, he says; “this is my economic blueprint, use it and it would turn around the economy.”
Unfortunately, we have good people as presidents, even the current president is very good but most times, we have very horrible people around the president. For as long as Atiku’s economic blueprint does not promote them or make them the apple of his eyes, they just shred it, dump it and just throw it away. At the end of the day, we are back to square one.
The only reason I am passionate about Atiku is that he has been the one always saying; “take this, use it.” So if that one who is always saying take this and use it wants to come forth even if he doesn’t want to come forth, we will force him, push him; it is by fire or by force.
Were you basically handpicked to do this?
The Atiku Nation is an independent campaign group. It’s about passion; it’s about me saying that this is what I want to do. I’m a politician and I have been in politics since 1999. I have my track record of believing in people and following through. I am sure you knew of my experience when I was shot in 2015. So for me, it was just a passion and I said this is the person I believe in, so it is not about anyone handpicking me, it is about us coming together; people of like mind or like passion saying, “ this is what we want to do, and this is where we want to be.” It is an independent campaign group. And I am the Director General of this group in the entire 36 states, and of those in diaspora (UK, Canada, USA, Dubai, and in South Africa as well).
Is it being funded by Atiku?
No it’s not; it is funded by people of like passion. This is what we believe in; let’s come together and begin to clamour for this. We are change agents; we believe in change and we begin to put our resources together.
Does he recognize your organization?
He recognizes every other organization working for him. There are a lot of organizations working for him; he recognizes all of them and he appreciates all of them.
What made him to eye the top job?
Why he wanted to be president is that, first the elder brother of the late President Yar’Adua said some time: “oh! Abubakar, you are still young, you still have time” , then he was in his forties. That is why when you see a man of vision, they go with their vision. You get to some universities now, and you look at The Guinness Book of Records; you have people who are 75 years old as graduates, some people are 80 years old too. So it’s about the passion, the vision, and what you hold dear and you begin to run with it.
We took water bottles, school bags, we’ve done storm for over 5,000 kids. We have gone to Kano, we’ve gone to Adamawa, we’ve gone to Bauchi, and we’ve gone to Delta. We’re doing in Edo; we’ve done the first batch and we’re doing the second one. We’ve gone to Ondo, Abia, and Anambra. The responses have brought so much joy to me. In Kwara, the children were screaming Atiku, and it made me feel fulfilled as well. All you’re doing is that you’re imprinting him in the children’s mind. They would go back to their parents.
After the school storm, we would be having a friendly football match very soon. We also have our public lectures; we call it The Atiku Abubakar Leadership Lecture. We had the first one in the UK on October 29 this year, it was tagged;, The Youth and Women in the Drive for Restructuring. We are having another one in Dubai and as we inaugurate the chapter, we enlighten them.
Somebody has asked me why we are doing this in the diaspora. The diaspora is an integral part of this nation; it is a part that helps to build this nation. If the diaspora was not important, we will not have special adviser to the president on diaspora matters, because they have seen the diaspora as an integral part of this nation. That’s why we have to go to the diaspora to enlighten them, to change the belief that they have about this man, Atiku Abubakar.
We are going to have the food bank day which will be in commemoration of his birthday today. We would be giving food to those in the rural areas as we say a prayer for him that come 2019, God willing, he will be at the helms of affair. All of these are just to urge him to declare. Once he declares, everything falls into place and then we take up the proper job.
What challenges do you face especially with a seemingly early campaign?
We are not campaigning. I am a politician, I contested election for House of Representatives last year so I know what the electoral law says. There is no campaign yet. And there is no law that says that you cannot clamour for somebody to come. Atiku Abubakar has not come out to declare, but we believe in one man and one nation; that is what the Atiku Nation is about.
Which party were you in?
I was with PDP, I contested for House of Representatives, Ifako Ijaiye Federal Constituency. I was robbed of it; my name was removed from INEC after I won the primaries.
Did you seek redress?
At that point in time, I allowed our nascent democracy to be.
A lot of youths are clamouring for a fresh and young leader. Is Atiku not coming from the recycled pack of old leaders?
Between you and I, in this nascent democracy we have, is there a youth that can truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the elder and leaders to slug it out with them. Electioneering in Nigeria involves a lot of money, and 36 states is no joke. But Atiku Abubakar remains the only person who is going to pave the way for us the youths to take over. I am not looking at myself to say I don’t deserve to be a president someday. Of course right now, I have what it takes to rule the nation. The only person who can make me actualize this dream among the players on the field is Atiku Abubakar, because when you listen to him, when he is restructuring, then you will know that he is not the man who wants to have 40 ministers, 45 ministries. No, he believes in restructuring.
Will the people in diaspora vote?
Some people in diaspora have registered. They would come home and vote.
They cannot vote there, but we are clamouring for e-voting system.
Are you sensitizing them enough to come home and vote?
Yes, the first thing we’re doing is creating awareness and enlightening them. Do not forget that apart from coming home to vote, they have families here as well.