Politics, religion most lucrative businesses in Nigeria — Opadokun

In this interview with WALE AKINSELURE, General Secretary, National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Mr Ayo Opadokun speaks on the Electoral Act Amendment bill, our political parties, consequences of not running a federal system and civilian rule.

 

The conversation about the Electoral Act Amendment bill is yet to end, what is your stance following the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari, to withhold his assent to the bill?

The issue of whether the President assents to the Electoral Act Amendment bill is a trivial matter as far as I am concerned. It is just a fallout of the centralised governance in Nigeria. Nigeria needs to return to a federal system of government because Nigeria is an heterogeneous country in terms of multiplicity of languages, religion, tradition, artefacts and folklores. The Nigerian state, whether voluntarily or involuntarily or people’s determination to rescue the country, there is no progress or development. We are an under-developing country.

My interest lies in restoring Nigeria to a federal system of government. Once that is done, all other things will fall into place. Anyone who loves Nigeria should be interested in persuading our current rulers, operators to return Nigeria to a federal system of government. That was the constitution on which we secured Nigeria’s independence. What the military has done to us was to hijack and hold Nigeria to ransom. They stunted our growth and development by their intervention on January 15, 1966 and we have not been out of the woods. Until we restore Nigeria to what Nigerians, our ethnic nationalities which constitute the building blocks negotiated in that Independence constitution, which was a federal constitution, we cannot make a headway.

 

The clamour for a federal system seems unending with little or no result. Isn’t this clamour becoming elusive?

The ethnic nationalities’ leaders have been clamouring for that, apart from what NADECO has done. South-East, South-South, South-West and the Middle Belt have braced up to the task over the years, and clamouring for it but the Nigerian state seems not to be ready. There can be no growth and development until we restore to that federal constitutional governance.

I am not just canvassing it; that has been the plan upon which NADECO was founded. The mission was for us to hold a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to discuss and resolve the national question, once and for all, for the greater interest, growth and development of the country. The fact that it has not been done is what everyone can see and that is why we are under developing. For example, we are spending between 80 and 85 percent of our total earnings on recurrent expenditure.

 

We have had the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lead the country, over the years, yet federal system has not been achieved…

Is there any difference between six and half a dozen? If you have been caught to have stolen something in PDP, what you need to do is to defect to the APC and temporarily, you are saved and the one you have stolen is covered.

 

What then should Nigerians look out for or do concerning the 2023 election?

My concern is to persuade the Nigerian people to work seriously for a restoration of the country to federal constitutional governance. That should be their devotion. The rat race towards 2023 is a misdirected adventure. Due to the fact that most of the politicians don’t have a second address, they play politics at all cost. Politics is now like religion. Politics and religion are the most lucrative businesses in Nigeria. For some people, they live on government from the cradle to the grave. Some people play politics and do not understand the reality of what they are doing which they call politicking. I am not too sure there is any political party in Nigeria. What they have is electoral contest platforms. Some of their leaders don’t understand what a political party is supposed to mean for members; what members should expect from the political party and what a political party should do in the formation of government and the role they should play after formation of government. You remember how dubious many of the characters in the PDP were with their so-called membership and so-called Board of Trustees. It was the banner upon which they could command anything to happen. Political parties have their functions; they are supposed to be the aggregation of people with similar views, opinions, perspectives of socioeconomic and political affairs of a country who are willing to sponsor candidates into office with a view to implementing those views and perspectives which they have presented to the people and were accepted before they were elected into office.

 

Are you saying these political parties are the bane of our problem?

People can only do that they know; they don’t have an idea. The military had done too much damage to the political activities in the country. The military put many of the core politicians in jail; some of them died in the process. And because it was a generalised punishment, many credible people refused to take part in politics any longer. The question one will ask is, in spite of the atrocities that the military have committed, have they been disbanded? Who taught the Army that they could play politics and could come back and hijack the political process? All the dubious statements they make when they do their declaration, on behalf of the Nigerian Army. Remember what the late Gen Sani Abacha said on December 31, 1993, where he discredited politicians that our hospitals had become mere consulting clinics. What is the state of the hospitals now? On January 15, 1966, when Kaduna Nzeogwu was forced to make statement before he surrendered to Aguiyi Ironsi, one of the reasons he said they seized power was to prevent so-called self-centered leaders from continuing in office. What is the percentage of the bribes they are taking now?

 

You mean little or nothing has changed when military rule is compared to our current democracy?

We don’t have democracy. What you have is a civilian government. What is democratic in what is happening today? People that have been in power for 21 years, what have they done? Is it the acts of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo that were democratic? The Supreme Court ruled that his government did not have right to withhold funds of local government areas of Lagos State but he didn’t release the money until he left office. Nothing has happened to him. What is democratic in that? Because Deprieye Alamaseigha, along with Victor Attah was clamouring for resource control, Alamaseigha was removed. And as soon as they released him, the EFCC was waiting in the wings to get the man arrested. Look at the number of governors he dethroned. He dethroned Governors Joshua Dariye and Ayo Fayose too. Even under the Buhari administration, there have been so many violations. It is in the APC manifesto that they will return Nigeria to a federal system of government. What have they done regarding that? Probably to hoodwink all of us, they set up the el-Rufai committee and have not done anything about that. What is democracy if the popular will is sidelined and abandoned?

 

Having been in forefront of the struggle without the desired result being achieved, are you not losing hope in your desired Nigeria?

I am hoping that the Nigerian people will stand up for their right. There is no country that can develop except people are willing, ready to bell the cat, amend the status quo, think outside the box. Democracy is not about tarring road, providing water. It is much more serious than that. With the amount of money that government has, there are certain fundamental things that should happen.

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