Imrana Wada Nas is the son of the late former Minister of Special Duties in the Sani Abacha military government, Alhaji Wada Nas, who unofficially assumed the title of Abacha’s ‘Chief Propagandist’ because of the manner he fought the opposition, especially National Democratic Coalition(NADECO). Imrana Nas, a youth activist, speaks with our Northern Bureau Chief, MUHAMMAD SABIU, on the role his father played during the NADECO days and the rumour that former President Olusegun Obasanjo knew about his father’s death, among others. Excerpts.
YOUR father, the late Wada Nas, was a renowned politician and he is still remembered for the role he played to checkmate the activities of NADECO and Afenifere led by the late Pa Abraham Adesanya. Do you think what your father did was right?
Yes, absolutely right. Let me tell you categorically, if we didn’t have people like him, NADECO would have grounded Abacha’s government. Then, if we had five northerners like him, you wouldn’t have heard of NADECO. But then, he must be commended for the simple fact that he single-handedly fought them. Whenever they planned to carry out an activity, my father was already aware. In fact, he checkmated them right from day one. Nigerians and even the members of NADECO wondered how he was getting his information.
This was the type of father I had, fearless and bold.
So, his opposition to NADECO was justifiable because the coalition wanted to bring down the government of the late Sani Abacha and my father saw that as an attack on the Northern region. Anything that would ridicule the region, my father would not support that. I believe if he were to be alive, he would have joined the likes of Professor Ango Abdullahi in fighting President Muhammadu Buhari over his total neglect of the region.
My father was somebody who slept and always thought about how the region would prosper. So, interestingly, the likes of Ango Abdullahi are missing him. At any given opportunity, they would always lament over his death.
Do you also miss him?
Honestly speaking, I am missing him a lot. I know even the North is missing him. He believed in the region. He used to tell us that yes, we are Nigerians, but everyone knows his father’s house. Sometimes, he would give an example with a political rally. He would tell us that thousands of people would attend a rally but at the end of the day, you would see people coming out of the venue one by one until there was nobody and you ask yourself where are all these people going? Of course, everyone is going to his father’s house. That’s the story of Nigeria for you, he would say.
So, he believed Northern Nigeria was his home. He had no other place to go in case of invasion. So, his message to us was don’t think of what you will get but how you are going to help the people around you. What are you going to contribute to your community? What are you going to do for your generation?
So, I believe if people are thinking along this line, we will not have all these problems we are having today. That was why he so much cherished the ideals of the late Aminu Kano and Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardaunan Sokoto. He would tell us that the duo believed so much in the progress of the Northern Nigeria. If you look at it, that was how Nigeria started: each region developing at its pace. Unfortunately, some people in the North are sabotaging the efforts put together by these great leaders. I must take up this challenge and continue from where my father stopped.
Do you think you have what it takes to wear his shoes?
Obviously, I want to continue from where he stopped. I know his shoes were bigger than me, but then the legacy he left behind should be sustained for the benefits of the region and the country. His message should be heard not buried. This I intend to do. I know I am a fearless person like him. So I believe that whatever happened to one’s life is ordained to happen. We don’t own our lives. So, I think in this regard I am prepared to meet any future challenge that might cross my path.
There was this rumour about your father’s death being linked to a former president…
This rumour was doing the rounds at that time he died and some people wanted us to take up the matter officially. But we resisted any attempt to drag us into unnecessary thing. So, we vehemently disagreed with the propagandists of this rumour that he was killed. Nobody killed him. He died when it was decreed by Allah that he would die. So, as Muslims, we believe that he’s time was up and he didn’t add a second to his life.
Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari called Nigerians youths a lazy bunch of people. Do you agree with him?
Honestly speaking, we are not happy with the statement credited to the president. But then that was his personal opinion. We can’t question him. But let’s see what will happen in 2019.
Are the youth going to revolt against the president in 2019?
Obviously, the youth will revolt and that’s the only way we will show our anger against the president in 2019. We will prove to him that we are giving our mandate to someone who respects us. We will prove to him that we will give our mandate to someone who will create jobs and give us education so that we can improve our lives and be of benefit to our immediate community. He will then know what he had done to himself.
But some are saying we don’t have an alternative and so Buhari should continue in 2019?
That is not true. There are capable people around who can do better than him if given the chance. These people are better educated and better informed. Some of these people are even teachers in our schools and institutions. For example, Ibrahim Shekarau is one Nigerian I believe can do better than him. We have the former Governor of Zamfara, Senator Ahmed Sani Yarima and we have Dr Usman Bugaje. All of them can do better than him. First, they are all educated; they have the vision, and they listen to the yearnings and aspirations of their people and, above all, they are ready to die for their people. But he (Buhari) is not ready to die for anybody, but his belief always is that people are ready to die for him.
These people you mentioned are credible Nigerians, but if you look at it, they are afraid to come out and declare their interest. Why is this so?
You are right. But not all of them. For instance, Shekarau has over the years made his intention known and he was even a presidential candidate at one time. Yarima too had expressed his intention around 2006 and 2007. So, even now Shekarau has not said he is not contesting. He has been moving around meeting with people all over the place. Yarima has not come out. Bugaje too has not said anything. Maybe the duo (Bugaje and Yarima) are waiting for the right time. I am sure with time, many of these credible Nigerians will come out.
But what about the likes of Aminu Tambuwal, Atiku Abubakar, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Rabiu Kwankwaso. What can you say about their ambition?
I can give a nod to Atiku because of his antecedents. If given the chance, he will do better than Buhari. But somebody like Dankwambo and Tambuwal, I can’t say much about them. I think if you want to measure their performances, you have to travel to their respective states to do so. Kwankwaso too can do better than Buhari.
There is this cry also for the old politicians to give way to the young ones. Do you think the youths are ready to take over the mantle of leadership from these old politicians?
Which of the youth? I don’t see the possibility because Nigerians youths are not united and we are not ready to take power from these old politicians. Take, for instance, there’s this young Nigerian who wanted to be president and he contacted me saying it is important we meet. But do you know anytime I call his line he will tell me he is coming. But he never did. I later discovered, he found comfort in talking on Facebook and Instagram. Again, if you and I are approached to go to our respective wards and become ward secretary or public relations officer (PRO), we will think it is a demotion. You will even quarrel with the person who told to go and be secretary in your ward.
But then, if we refused to go, somebody who didn’t even know how to write his name would be asked to be your secretary. And during election if you ask for his vote, he will only consider the man who facilitated his position. The second problem is our youths are not financially buoyant to wrestle power from the older politicians. Again, are the youth interested in politics? Are they politically inclined? So, should any of the youth decide to contest, where would he start from? In Nigeria today, you start from the ward, and if you go to your ward to make your declaration, it is your people that will start calling you all sorts of names .They will say, you are not serious or that you should go and contest the House of Assembly seat. That’s the problem we are facing today. So, there is the need to educate the people. This is our time. Is it when you are 60 or 70 years that you will become somebody? Even the governorship seat now, old men still want to occupy it. Look at my state, Katsina for example, Masari is almost the same age as President Buhari and today he is the governor. Go to Kano, Ganduje, another old man, is occupying the position of a governor.
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