It is too late to break up Nigeria —Ambassador Kwande

Elder statesman, Yahaya Kwande, is a former Ambassador to Switzerland and also co-chairman of the Northern Elders Forum. He spoke to ISAAC SHOBAYO on the state of the nation and other topical issues.

 

What is your assessment of the state of the nation today?

We are on a high tension in the country today. The country is tensed. The only thing we should do is to go back to the drawing board.  I mean every one of us, not only the leaders, everyone should examine themselves. What is happening to our country is not the fault of one single human being. We might blame the leadership because it is their responsibility to organise people under their care, otherwise we are all to be blamed.

Another thing again is that everyone in Nigeria wants to be a millionaire, it is impossible and even those among us that God has blessed, we are blaming them for doing genuine businesses to be millionaires and those who are not in a position to do it are struggling by all means to reach the stage of being a millionaire. What is happening? I did mention in my last interview that we are losing sight of importance of individual that God has given us as gift that would have helped  the country. We seem to rely on blood relationship and friendship to promote one another and what is not given to you by God, whatever struggle you make, it will not work. Another thing again is the proliferation of religious centres in the country. There are many fake Immas and pastors who are not shaping their followers to be good citizens. To stabilise the country, we need to go back to the drawing board.

When the British arrived Nigeria for colonisation, they studied the country, the position it was and the people in it and they discovered that they couldn’t rule the country without incorporating the traditional leadership to achieve their objective of taking our wealth to their country. Now, we seem to think there’s a better way than the British way. Please, tell the people of Nigeria we have to go back to the drawing board. We are all involved and worried. We are not sleeping, people are not eating, even those who have food cannot eat because they are frightened. Everybody seems to think that he would not see tomorrow. If you think you cannot reach tomorrow, why are you thinking for next year? There’s no peace in our country any more.  Therefore, I am advising the leadership of the country that we need new orientations. We need to accept and appreciate individuals that are in the country. It is very important that the virtues of our ancestors should be re-examined so that we can pick those ones that would help this country.

 

But the question many have been asking is: how did the country get to this level?

We got to this terrible level because we are very greedy people, very unfortunate. We seem to value people by what they have and not what God has given them and what they can do for the country. The talents that could have been used for the benefit of our country are being wasted on mundane things. It can’t work that way. There’s no sincerity; honesty has been relegated to the background. Those elected are not keeping to their electoral promises. We need to re-examine ourselves as Nigerians and as a nation. So, many things are wrong with this nation.

 

The southern governors on Tuesday held a meeting and came out with a wide range of resolutions to address the myriad of problems confronting the nation. Some of their positions include the need for a national dialogue, ban of open grazing, restructuring among others. What is your opinion on this? Do you think all these can address the problems?

My question is what is wrong with the previous conferences we have had in the country. The previous governments spent a lot of funds to bring people of different backgrounds together to express their views on salient issues affecting the country. They were done with all sense of perfection. I participated in three conferences. In the preparation of agenda for the conference, we left an item that we think would be volatile, that is, the unity of this country because we thought it would break our conference. But every one of us later agreed that the country would be better being together. I couldn’t believe it because they way people talk in the newspapers and other media was like the end has come. But when they were allowed to discuss it in a conference that was established  by the Federal Government nobody in the conference  muted or promoted division, they were only expressing  their views on the value of this country. We need ourselves, it is a lie that a Hausa man will say he does not need an Igbo man or an Igbo man not needing a Yoruba man or Hausa man. Even though we talk about these three major tribes, they are not the only tribes in Nigeria. There are others. There are important individuals in Nigeria that if you follow them, they will turn to you. That is what is happening in other countries. The values of our ancestors are very important. We should respect each other and practice our religion with moderation. Proliferation is now what is happening, everyone is pointing accusing fingers. One finger is pointing at others and the remaining four fingers are pointing at you. Everybody is a thief, except you if you have an opportunity to talk. But that is not enough. So, that is my advice.

 

But can restructuring solve the problem at this level?

Restructuring can be obtained from the reports of the three conferences that were organised in Nigeria. We don’t need to sit and talk again. What is it that they left out when they were talking? It is just to prolong the crises in the country. The reports of the conferences are so rich that they can address most of the agitations and problems confronting this nation. Every part of Nigeria participated. What is restructuring? All these calls for restructuring to me are mere hypocrisies. We should go back to those reports. I don’t know why the government doesn’t want to open the reports. We say we are a federated country and if we are federated country and you are saying I am different and he is different. But I have agreed that we would work together because our coming together will be a source of strength. So, when are you going to change an Igbo man to be a Hausa man? When are you going to change a Hausa man to be a Yoruba man? We are busy promoting culture, I want to say variety is the spice of life and it is beautiful. We should not allow our differences to cause division rather it should be used to promote unity. All what we need is a better understanding to place this country where it actually belongs.

 

Some sections of the country are still clamouring for secession. Don’t you think people are tired of Nigeria?

Let me tell you, they are clamouring for secession because they want to frighten others, that is to let you do what you want. Who are those that want to secede?  It is a lie, even the eastern part of this country that is talking about secession and the Yoruba that have taken over are playing on the mentality of others. We are all one. It is too late for us to begin to take scissors to cut the country. How are you going to cut it? Half of my city in Jos is dominated by the Igbo and we are very happy because they are developing the city new buildings are springing up.

Is it wrong for your city to be developed? The Yoruba man is doing his own and the Hausa man is busy taking his produce down South. America is great today because of the component parts, French man, an African, an Indian.  Asians and many others are all embraced and are contributing their quota, that is why they are great. Nigeria is in that position in Africa looking forward to take-over because we have the potentialities. So, the idea of secession being mooted cannot help us. It is better to sit down and discuss the way out of our problems.

 

With the glaring insecurity in this country, National Assembly seems divided along party line to address the challenge. Don’t you think what Nigeria need is APC, PDP political brinkmanship over the insecurity?

They are discussing it at variance and according to the wishes of their political parties and probably manifestos of their parties. It is healthy and it is through the process that genuine and patriotic citizens of Nigeria will pick the better out of the two and promote it for the benefit of Nigeria, unless you want to have an autocracy and not a federation.

 

Have they been fair in discussing the burning issues in Nigeria?

It is those that sent them there that would be the judge. Judge the individual talking, judge the political party talking and you have the knife in your hands. When there’s a general election, you look at their contributions and discussions to see whether they deserve another chance. I don’t think it is any problem. That is why you send them there anyway.

 

Don’t you think the president needs to address the nation so that  people  can hear from him instead his spokespersons all the time?

It is the system of federal administration. It is the America system that we decided to take. I am not defending the system, but I think from time to time the president should speak to the citizens. Even with that, it is not only journalists that would sit with him and ask him questions, sometimes we don’t agree with some of your questions, but it is not possible for the president to speak with every single Nigerians.

 

How do you think governors in the North can tackle insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other issues associated with insecurity?

If there had been a good system of government, these problems would have been tackled a long time ago. But these governors should know that the responsibility of everybody in this area called the North is their responsibility. So, people are watching. They should play honesty for the benefit of the country, but not looking at the faces of leaders to get favour because that is what is happening now. This question of one man sitting down dictating is not enough. I am of the opinion that we go back to what we used to do before independence. All those methods of arresting insecurity then are not obsolete. They can still be applied, because I said it last week that a minister should be a minister with authority. All what was budgeted for him should be his responsibility. Limit should be put on each level of expenditure so that the country can move forward. But at the moment, everybody is carrying his calabash. Now we don’t see much of our leaders. They are always on the road, travelling up and down begging for resources. Also, people should work and not compete on individual level. They are not there to be rich. People know them before they got to power. They know their fathers and grandfathers. They know none of them is a businessman and today they are rich in their villages because they are in government. It is questionable.

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