June 12: Buhari’s declaration to pacify Yorubas? I don’t think so! —Fasoranti, Afenifere leader

Chief Reuben Fasoranti is the leader of the pan Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere. In this interview by HAKEEM GBADAMOSI, he speaks on the recent declaration of June 12 by President Muhammadu Buhari, among other issues.

What do you think about the declaration of June 12 as the nation’s new Democracy Day and the award to be conferred on MKO Abiola by President Muhammadu Buhari?

I think it’s an honour well deserved, though belated and almost late.  In fact it ought to have come before now but whatever happens it is better late than never. It was a clear victory for Abiola and his party then and we all knew this because he won the election hands down. But unfortunately the result was withheld by the government of that time. There was an outcry; it was everywhere because a large section of the electorate supported him. He won the election all over the country even in the North and so many people felt he was robbed of his mandate and well deserved victory. He was sent to prison and lost his life there; that was not fair and it was an undue punishment.  Abiola was imprisoned because he won the presidential election and in the course of that lost his life; that’s very unfair. Although the recognition came late, it is well deserved.

Do you see any political undertone in this? Some have asserted that the gesture by the president was meant to pacify the South West especially considering the closeness of the general election.

I wouldn’t think so, though some people might think and see it as part of playing politics. But to me, it is an honour well deserved and better late than ever. To pacify the South West? I don’t think so; the president thinks this is the right time to do it and there should not be any attachment to it. It should not be seen as a calculated attempt to score political points. I think he just feels this is the time to do it though it’s overdue as I said earlier.

Many people have condemned the noise over the recognition, saying that it has no immediate economic relevance for the masses.

That’s one issue our president needs to address, because all these things cannot put food on the table of the common man. First of all, the present government should look inward and provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youths coming out of schools. You need to see them all around; they go around in droves and there are times I wonder what the consequences of this would be; it is like sitting on a time bomb that can explode at anytime. The government should buckle up and provide jobs for school leavers.

Again we have been crying over the issue of insecurity, kidnapping, armed robbery, killings across the country. The government should take decisive steps to make sure that lives and properties are safe. We do not have good roads and our economy too is nothing to write home about; nothing seems to be working. The economy is very bad. The government should look into this and make life comfortable for the people. Let the people have a sense of fulfilment. Apart from this, the government should be people-oriented. The economy is bad and getting worse, with policies that are impoverishing the people without any hope in sight. We are disappointed.

But I must add that I don’t know why the government decided not to declare a public holiday as attached to the declaration this year. Again, that’s the business of government and we can’t query it. They are now in power.

What’s your advice to President Buhari and other leaders in the country as they seek re-election?

President Buhari should listen to the yearnings of the people; there is so much injustice, so much corruption. He should stamp it out. There are so many sacred cows that should be slaughtered, otherwise people will continue to ridicule his government and won’t believe the government is serious enough. There are too many people involved in this even though I won’t mention names; people know these people. The President should sit up and be firm; even people in his government, his favorites should be dealt with and this will make people know he’s very decisive. He should stop being selective in fighting corruption; we all know but I am not going to mention names, some people that should be sent out packing are left moving about freely because they are members of this government or because they are his favourites. If he wants to fight corruption, he should be decisive. Other leaders should also sit down and look back, assess the situation, adjust wherever necessary and chart a way forward.

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Are you faulting his anti-corruption fight?

It is not good enough; he is fighting it with kid gloves. There have been many corrupt people within his cabinet since he was elected. As a nation, we have not started at all. When we read of great nations like the United States of America, China and others, education is given utmost priority and made available for all; that is when we tap talent and take good care of people who have to be saved from perdition. I know of some of my colleagues who had talents then but had no opportunity of going to school. When you look at them now, you will pity them; they are wretched. Education is really the bedrock and catalyst for national development everywhere in the world.

There are agitations from many quarters that the problems facing the nation are fundamental issues that can be solved through restructuring. What’s your view on this? 

Not exactly. What we are saying about restructuring is that each region should be able to cater to itself. It should have its own police, manage its own affairs. For instance, in Ondo State, we have ports. We should be able to control what comes in through the ports. Why should we wait till the Federal Government says something? The idea is that we should be able to manage our own internal affairs; that is what we refer to as restructuring. But things have gone awry. The Federal Government does not seem to have any sense of direction. There is no discipline in the nation, there is corruption all over the place; and nothing serious is being done about it.

Definitely, there would have been a different nation; they would have fought corruption to a standstill. At the moment, President Muhammadu Buhari is neither here nor there. There are so many corrupt people in his government, and he seems to have connived with them and this is not good enough for the image of the country. We expected him to be forthright, but he has some favourites: what we have now are some sacred cows within his own rank and file, which is very annoying. I don’t want to mention names.