This government has reversed all gains of democracy —Nyitse

Dr Tivlumun Nyitse is a journalist, retired permanent secretary in Benue State and currently a university lecturer speaks to JOHNSON BABAJIDE on 22 years of civil rule.

 

It will be 22 years of democracy and six years of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Have Nigerians got the good bargain they expected from democracy?

Nigerians are unfortunate because we thought we were going to make progress with the coming of APC in 2015, but it has been a reversal of growth and development both in physical structure, human capacity and in the polity, because certain issues that ought to be discussed are being politicised. The present administration is irascible and is averse to suggestions, very combative to public opinion.

 

I have not seen where public image minders are so combative and very insensitive to issues and government does not strive to explain situations, because as many times as people are complaining, you should continue to explain. You don’t insult and insist that government side must prevail. Otherwise, why do you call people names?

For instance, the issue of herders/farmers clashes, people are being killed and buried in their farms. There is no responsible government’s image makers that will resort to insulting people even if the people are wrong.

The last one is the comment by the Attorney-General of the Federation who said to insist on ranching is to prevent people from their right of movement and association, that no one can ask armed herders to leave the place they live. How does that correlate? It doesn’t. The freedom of movement and association is for human beings not animals. Even as human beings living and doing business in a particular place, you conform to the culture and rules of the place you live.

For instance, if you go to Ibadan to open a spare parts shop, you pay for the shop or if you want to buy land, you pay and buy land to build your own shop and you must live in accordance with the rules of the people. But in a situation where you carry your cattle to stray into people’s farms and eat up the crops and in some cases these herders will uproot yam or cassava and give it to their cows to eat and when the farmers come, they kill them and this is what you call freedom of association and movement. So, for me, APC government is a reversal of development. It is very unfortunate.

 

Has the APC government built on the little progress made by the party it took over from?

The APC, while coming to power, hinged its campaign on three grounds: economy, security and corruption and they have failed in all these.

The security of this country is worse than what they met on the ground. At the time they came to power, it was Boko Haram issue in the North-East that we were contending with and it was not as strong as what we have now. Aside that, everywhere in the country now, be it Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Imo, Benue, Ebonyi, the security issue there is worse and there are flash points all over the place and government is not doing anything to it.

Corruption under the current administration is worse. You can check it out. They only use the instrument of anti-graft to pursue their perceived enemies and embarrass them. You remove head of judiciary just because of frame-up charges, whereas the people in government are sitting under corruption and the president couldn’t do anything. How many past APC governors or top officials of the party have been tried? Are they saying they are all saints? This government is only paying lip service to corruption in the country.

They talked of economy, how much was exchange rate when APC came to power? It was around N160 per dollar, but now a dollar is being exchanged for N480 and probably, N600 for pound Sterling. Prices of all items in the market have doubled and nflation is in double digits.

The middle class in Nigeria has been completely eroded. It is either you are extremely rich or very poor. No young Nigerian can afford to buy a car except through corruption and this is because the cost is above their means. So, the government, in my own perception, has failed in all their  three campaign agenda.

 

With the country becoming more factionalised everyday, has the current government done enough to wedge the gap?

That is what I am saying. They have not done anything rather they are threatening everybody, abusing and intimidating everyone. So, the government is not interested in keeping the country together as far as I am concerned. This government, by its actions, has worked harder in getting Nigerians segregated than others who are outside the government.

For instance, in Benue State, I remember that they were saying that herders invaded and attacked people because people killed their cows and as a result they killed many people in one night. How many cows did the people kill? Not even one. What is happening in Benue is genocide and this government is encouraging it because they are not doing anything.

Even the army that is supposed to keep the peace is not keeping peace correctly in Benue.   You see somebody with a cutlass working in his farm, you arrest him; but you turn your eyes to other side to herders going about with AK-47. That is rubbish. People are in IDP camps, herders went and killed them, but the only thing Federal Government said is that if [the state government] had accepted those measures being put in place like cattle colony and grazing reserve, such a thing wouldn’t have happened. The FG cannot even condole with the families of those killed.

 

What are the solutions to the current sociopolitical, economic security challenges?

The government should listen to the people and do the needful. Government does not know it all. Do more consultation with the people, try to identify the problems, talk to the people and listen to them. You don’t talk or stop people’s agitations by insulting or suppressing them. Rather, it brings more uprising and agitation. Listen to the people and dialogue with them.

How many times has the Federal Government come to Benue State or other states of the federation and see what is happening there or listen to their complaints? That will show that it is serious. At the point of resolving the crisis, government must listen to the people and talk to the people, come down to the level of the citizens. That is how to solve problems. Otherwise, people will insist and the agitation will continue.

 

Some people are saying their sacrifice to enthrone of democracy is being rendered worthless by insecurity and bad governance in the past few years. What is your take on this?

Democracy is the only government where the people are involved. Whatever way you look at it, it is the best form of government. Just that the leaders in the country must realise that democracy is participatory, because it is government of the people by the people and for the people. So, leaders should know that meeting and dialogue with people are better ways of involving them.

Like in appointment, Nigeria is multi-ethnic in composition and so appointment should reflect everywhere. Everywhere  you go in this country, you have qualified people, best brains you can use be it in North-East, North-West, South-South, South-East, South-West and North-Central; there are qualified people. So you cannot come and cut people off. As long as you are elected, whether you get zero vote in a particular place, you are the president of everybody and you have to make your appointment to reflect every part of the country. We are one country. Everybody must be seen to be carried along; otherwise, there will continue to be agitations and crises everywhere. In a nutshell, democracy remains the best form of government. There is no substitute.

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