Chief Sehinde Arogbofa is the immediate past General Secretary of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere. In this interview by HAKEEM GBADAMOSI, he speaks on a number of national issues, including next year’s elections, state of the economy and others. Excerpts:
Considering the continuing insecurity in the country, do you still see the 2023 general election holding?
In 2021, I said that unless there was security of life and property there were doubts as to whether the 2023 presidential election or any credible election whatsoever would succeed. In situations where voters would not be able to go out to vote, where people’s lives are not safe, and people would not be able to move round for campaigns because of kidnappers and hoodlums, I felt holding elections would be unhealthy and dangerous. The situation is not even becoming better. Insecurity is becoming worse and there are killings and kidnappings here and there. Farmers cannot go to their farms, even to bring food, let alone to prepare grounds for the planting season. In some areas kidnappers and bandits have walked in and taken people away. If security is improving the issue of Amotekun would not have risen. It was as a result of escalating insecurity that Amotekun and some other security outfits in like manner came into existence, nearly all over the country. We remember with fear the Kaduna train kidnapping saga. What about the Kuje prison break? Look at the Owo Church broad daylight massacre? They are all bad indicators. Honestly, unless the president can summon the right political will to deal with the situation, and such right signals can be picked by all concerned, the security officers inclusive, I can’t see Nigeria holding a free and successful election under the growing and unabating insecurity in the land.
Inflation in the country is second to none. You predicted recently that the President Buhari-led administration might not be able to find answer to dwindling economy of the country. Do you foresee any positive change?
A soldier, like the leopard, rarely changes his ways. General Buhari has his own style, his own belief and his own ways of life. He is not like General Babangida who made used of experts in his administration, brilliant people who gave him ideas while he in turn, found time to implement some of these ideas. The state of the health of each of them is also different. Buhari has neither the good health nor the political will. I am not sure General Buhari can do better than what he has been doing. He’s been there for over seven years and honestly, apart from the people he appointed and his advisers, talking and eulogising him, Nigerians haven’t got what they bargained for from him. His ability and capability in governance are limited. We were told he is frugal, and doesn’t like corruption, but again look at the other side. He is surrounded by corrupt people, and this can be used against him. He’s surrounded by people who won’t be able to tell him the truth. From the statistics and analysis available, it is said that Nigeria is more corrupt than when he took over. The economy is crashing. If the common man can’t have a good meal a day, not to talk of two, where do we go from there? If the common man can no longer go to his farm to prepare for the following season, or at the point of fruition, his crops are deliberately destroyed by herdsmen, how can the economy improve? Look at our major source of income, oil. The report we hear is that the place stinks with all manners of corruption. The raw materials are smuggled out while the refined products are brought back at higher prices for us to buy. Parents should normally feed their children, but we are told that billions of Naira go into feeding public school children. Why will the economy not go down? Only a few days ago we were told that tens of billions of Naira was spent in clearing bush somewhere in Abuja. Don’t forget that a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation was sent packing because he too spent millions of Naira in clearing bush to arrest grass cutter invasion. The president hasn’t got the strong will. He seems to have got to the peak and can no longer do much. He is even eager to leave office. The strong will is not there for him to change anything for better. So the economy, like any other critical sector, can’t be better.
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We have three major candidates from ethnic groups for the presidential race, what does this portend for Nigeria’s democracy, politics and the 2023 general election?
Looked at from that angle, that may not be the best. But there is a way of making for that, since their deputies have been chosen from other geo-political zones as a way of balancing up. But my fear is that there is no solid structure on ground for any of them to succeed. This is what I mean. We have been talking about restructuring of this country to have a true federal system as in America where, for example, a super state like California doesn’t pose any threat to a poorer state like Alaska, which still has its own laws, police and everything. In Nigeria, for a long time we have been talking of restructuring so that every state can have its own police to solve the insecurity issues for example. A federal police officer from Maiduguri for instance cannot know the nooks and corners of Ondo State, so the state police should exist side by side with the federal police. We are asking for restructuring so that every state will be able to use its resources, after paying an agreed tax to the Federal Government, to provide jobs, maintain roads, develop other infrastructures fund education and health and maintain peace. Unless we restructure this country so that every state can manage its own affairs like in America, whoever is coming to rule this country will have problems, unless such a person will develop the strong political will to turn things around. This is because the system is faulty. The 1999 constitution is a military invention, not a civilian constitution. Unless whoever gets there develops a mind of his own and is able to change the structure on ground, I have my fears.
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Some stakeholders have raised concerns over voters’ inducement during elections in the country. Don’t you think voters’ inducement may mar 2023 elections and the highest bidder might win?
Very many Nigerian voters have been reduced to a state of poverty and politicians are playing on that. In Nigeria, today, most hungry people cannot resist material temptation. But we have some new ideas springing up, some people have been saying that they will collect their money and will not vote for them. But I don’t know if this will play out since in the last presidential shadow elections highest bidders got highest votes. I don’t know what magic anybody is going to employ between now and then to completely eradicate it. The people are getting hungrier and poorer, and irrespective of any sanction, will still fall victim. Unfortunately, we haven’t got any positive record, to show that the youth whose voter population is daily increasing, can resist the allure of inducement.
University teachers (ASUU) have been on strike for over six months with no solution in sight as the lecturers and federal government have failed to agree. What is your reaction to this impasse?
A lot of accusations and counter-accusations have been traded. I don’t want to be drawn into them. I will prefer to think of the ways out. The ASUU has a good cause. It has not been talking about its personal interests but about decadence in the nation’s university education system. We are losing control in the management of our educational system. There are no adequate infrastructural facilities for our students, virtually no instructional facilities in their laboratories, especially in Medicine where most students study in abstract. If facilities are not there what kind of doctors are we producing? So what ASUU is saying is that, give us infrastructural facilities so that we can produce better materials to serve the society and make the society better. What they are asking for is better classrooms, healthy environment for learning so that the system can be better. These are what ASUU has been asking for. We learnt that the government has, as far back as 2009, not been able to implement decisions reached but using delay tactics. And we are inclined to believe because we are worried at how a good government can open its eyes and allow university teachers to be on strike for six months and students out of their classes for six months. There is indeed a problem. But for the Minister of Education to come out to reel out that no work no pay, and for, ASUU to retort that no pay, no service, who do you think is going to bear the brunt? Of course it is the students, their parents and the future of this country. If the issue of salary payment for the period under strike is the only thing blocking the agreement between the government and ASUU, I will want to plead with the government to have a rethink, bring ASUU back to table and negotiate how that backlog can be resolved. The government should behave like a good father and not employ the war-war approach. As to the poor salary structure ASUU complained of, I think it is time government looked at all its establishments and try to evolve a system where it pays employees according to the nature of work done for the society, the quality of work done, and the significance of what is done. ASUU deserves to be called back to the negotiation table and not intimidated as intimidation will not solve this problem. The federal government should realise that it has its own fault for not arresting the situation for well over six months. Let’s save our education industry.
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