His policies difficult to understand
Group Captain Salaudeen Adebola Latinwo (rtd) was the Military Administrator of Old Kwara State during President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime as Head of State in 1984/85. He was one of those that contributed to the success of Buhari’s regime then. In this interview with GILBERT EKEZIE, he spoke on the need for unity, love, peace and elimination of indiscipline in Nigeria.
What is your view on the state of the nation?
Well, having been watching the trend, I would say that there had been considerable progress in the area of security and what I will describe as the society’s clean up. As you know, Boko Haram activities have been seriously and heavily degraded. The armed forces, under the watch of Mr. President, have also performed remarkably and excellently well in the fight against the insurgents in the North East of the country. I think, what remains now is clear mop up of the affected areas and the settlement of the Internally Displaced People (IDP), and this final phase of the activities requires the support of Nigerians. Therefore, our people need to be extremely vigilant and report immediately to the police or military authorities all suspected activities in good time. But, I am worried as regards the economy. Food is expensive, transportation cost has tripled, and the exchange rate of naira is multiplying, thus making the cost of goods and services very high. Peace is very important. We could notice that there is no more unity, peace and love among Nigerians. The Federal Government should take advantage of the present condition of Nigerians and act positively. It is unfortunate that banks, financial regulators and tax authorities have failed, and decisions have been made against the middle and low-income citizens, while the wealthy are spared. Our courts have also failed, and Judges have too often acquiesced to the argument of the rich whose lawyers are well trained in honouring the letter of the law, while simultaneously, doing everything in their power to desecrate its spirit. The media on the other hand, may or may not be, but it is obvious that many news networks are cartoon parodies of their former selves. Individual billionaires appear to have taken up Newspaper ownership as a hobby, limiting coverage of important serious matters concerning the wealthy and the mighty. Serious investigative journalism lacks adequate funding. Most of all, the legal profession has failed. Democratic governance depends upon responsible individuals throughout the entire system who understand and exploit it. In Nigeria today, an average lawyer has become so deeply corrupt that it is imperative for major changes in the profession to take place. The corrupt officials do not work alone; they find allies and clients at major law firms in virtually every part of the country. The system has become so bad that lawyers can no longer be permitted to regulate one another. It simply does not work. Those able to pay the most can always find a lawyer to serve their ends, notwithstanding the status of the case. The collective impact of these failures had been a complete erosion of ethical standards ultimately leading to a novel system called capitalism, which is tantamount to economic slavery. There is signal that democracy’s check and balances have all failed and then the breakdown is systematic. So, severe instability could be just around the corner.
Where do you think the leadership got it wrong?
I expected Mr. President to start from what he knows to what he does not know. He should have started from the programmes he understands better and used the people he knew to execute them before bringing in other people. Now, it is neither here nor there. Most of his policies are very difficult to understand. For instance, if I say I made in Nigeria dress, food and other products, I should be able to wear made in Nigeria dress, eat Nigerian foods and use other products that are make in Nigeria. But if I ask Nigerians to patronize locally made products, while I use foreign made ones, it does not show a good example and it will not work. The Indian President did it by tearing the foreign clothes he was wearing openly and wore an Indian made clothes, and up till now, the Indians are known with their native attires. Murtala Mohammed did a similar thing during his time. So, one cannot hide under a political programme and start doing things he should not do. There should be transparent example in the present leadership. Whenever the leaders need to change the system, people will key in when they see the determination and courage. The change we are expecting must come from the top. We must heal the divides in our country, reform our criminal justice system from one end to the other and rebuild trust between law enforcement agents and the communities they serve. We must also defend all our rights: civil rights, human rights, voting rights, women rights, workers’ rights and rights of the people with disabilities. No one should back down from any challenge, rather we have to keep working to make things better even when the odds are long and opposition fierce. The lesson my mother passed on to me years back struck me every time I am faced with obvious challenges. She said ‘No one gets through life alone and without some iota of difficulty.’ We have to look out for one another and lift ourselves up. Do all the good we can for all the people we can in all ways, as much as we can. In order to drive real progress, we have to change our hearts, minds and the laws. To bring about social change, we require a strategy that is vertically and horizontally integrated. It must span from idea creation, to policy development, education, grassroots organisation, and lobbying and political action. Incidentally, Buhari had massive support and huge network of acceptability across the country, which enables him to match whatever checks his opponents had. And I am not sure the next president after him will be able to compete in that same way. I think the moneybags behind the party that lost, performed badly with their strategy, as more lives and communities are destroyed by the system that create vast amount of wealth for the few, but I do not think they are going to make the same mistake next time. The people were frequently left searching for answers with the right hand to the problems that they have created with the left hand. Whether their motives were virtuous or venal, in the course of a few decades, a handful of enormous rich individuals, at the expense of the state, had changed the course of the country’s politics. They created a formidable wealth defense movement, which had become a sizeable of what is called ‘The charitable industrial complex.’ So, the trend must change, and we all have different roles to play in the process.
What do you think President Buhari needs to do to salvage, revamp the economy and bring a lasting peace in Nigeria?
Obviously, what we need today, more than ever before, is unity, peace, love and discipline. We need a society where there will be justice, equity and fairness. No one shall be discriminated against because of his or her tribe, religion, sex and ethnicity. The underprivileged and elderly must be respected and recognised in the society. On the whole, there must be respect for the dignity of man and the worth of its personality. The law is not only meant for the poor, it should also affect the wealthy in the society. Government has to make people believe that Nigerians are one and should share the positions and views of one another. The leadership must be tolerant, open and trustworthy. There is a lot of suspicion in the land. Let Nigerians have a sense of belonging. The President should try to pay surprise personal visits to each of the regions where certain elements have demonstrated through their actions that they are not very comfortable with his leadership. Let us not continue to play chest game or hold to our chest-closed cards with the future of our country. The arrangement has to be open, transparent, acceptable and reasonable. A new order must begin. Rebellions, be it in the South East, South South and the remnants of the resistance in the North East should be encouraged to lay down their arms and engage in real and truthful dialogue. If the President is for whatever reason, unable to pay such visits, he should invite identified members of the other side of the divide for unscheduled breakfast talks at Aso Rock. President Obama did similar thing on few occasions and he succeeded. So, if President Buhari does it in Nigeria, he will also succeed. Also, this is the time to re -launch the popular War Against Indiscipline of 1984 with slight modification to recognize human rights, the rule of law and democratic process. As a leader, it is easy to remember the times you excelled, the test you passed, and the things you have achieved. It is not as much fun to remember the time when you failed or even worse, failed miserably. Often though, it is those failures and not the wins that end up leading you to a successful future. It is not rocket science for you to engage your people, have dialogue with them, let them know that they exist and that they are part of what you are doing. In fact, we have never had it so bad. So, something urgent has to be done.
How do you think our society, political and economic activities could be properly organized by the present administration?
In the light of our views on the organisation of our society, political and economic activities, it is observed that one camp believes in the necessity and virtue s of government. People in this category tend to see governments in our country as essentially devoted to the common good -staffed by public servants in the sense of term. The other camp is characterized by suspicion of government. For people in this category, many of society’s problems can be blamed on an excess of government interference and regulations. Lack of development is the inevitable result of a collective approach, including planned economies and state run enterprises. Privatization and deregulation, in the view of this group, are key elements of the cure, for if left alone, they are convinced that the market will function to the greatest of all. The overwhelming belief that the market liberalization, privatization and structural adjustment imposed on developing countries in the 1990s have often helped catalyze Kleptocratic network, and may have actually exacerbated corruption, not reduced it.
At the check points, you would often see bored looking policemen using bomb detectors, walking up and down the side of your car, holding curious black gadgets like a gun, and instead of a muzzle, it has some kind of weird wand like antenna wagging from side to side; as the police men walk alongside you, they point the material towards the ground and possibly read the meter on the back of the device. Sadly though, the gadgets are utterly useless. The real purpose of detector was not to save lives, but to make money for the crooks that sold and bought them.
Would you say the fight against corruption by the present administration is yielding the desired result?
The fight against corruption comes with enormous difficulties because of the legal implications. Agreed that some substantial amount of money had been recovered and where feasible, the individual or group connected directly or indirectly have been named, it has been substantially difficult to arrest, prosecute and bring to justice, some of those already identified. Most of the amount involved could not be repatriated, probably as a result of the legal implications. However, I commend the efforts of the government in the exercise.
What do you think is the effect of inaccessibility of any government?
I believe that nothing is most damaging to the subject, prejudice and sinister to the government than inaccessibility and seclusion. Nothing impresses the hearts of the subject and functionaries more than ease of access to the leadership. When the leadership is easily approachable, it will be impossible for the officials to oppress one another. The government should not in any way conceal itself from the people and petitioners. For, when it does, the people are ruined, wrongdoers become powerful and the sins of that will be on the head of the leadership. What was pushing the people over the edge was not just poverty or misfortune in general, it was poverty in combination with acute injustice meted on them by the leadership that be.
Buhari’s administration, then in 1984/85 was known for its war against indiscipline, but presently, he seems not to be doing anything about it, what do you think?
War against indiscipline in the society is very important for Nigeria to be on the right track, and I have always made it the subject of my discussions. I am surprised that the President has not made any move towards that direction. We did it in the past and it took care of the political, social, and economic systems. Then, everyone was involved in the fight, and that was why we achieved the desired success. Obviously, it was under that premise that Mr. President got more public acceptance to become president.When you say War Against Indiscipline, it involves many things, including corruption itself. Therefore, he should focus on that, rather than concentrating on corruption alone. However, he should involve some of those he had already tested to help him in his government, in order to actualize his policies, thereafter, he could expand it to engage more hands, so that the burden of leadership will be easier for him.
Can you advise Nigerians on the way forward?
I believe there is no social gain without individual pain. We must carry on with the belief that whatever problem we face now, it will be solved. Undoubtedly, there is confusion in the land, but only when it is dark sufficiently enough, can we see the stars. Let us rise with greater determination to face the future and not be frightened by problems because if there are no problems, it means the society has come to a halt; if there is movement, there must be problem. So, we must face the challenges and head on. Let me state here that the society is made up of the past, present and the future. No one should keep silent in the face of injustice, inequity and socio economic subjugation. Running a country is teamwork and requires the contributions of all. Indeed, everyone has a role to play and we should all join hands, irrespective of party differences, religious affiliation, tribal and ethnic differences and team up with the government of the day in order to move the country forward.
The price of liberty is internal vigilance, and government cannot do this without the support of the civilian population. Fortunately, the Nigeria military remains a powerful symbol, comparing to other institutions in the country. It is seen adding some measure of values to the community. So, in a dark moment like this in Nigeria, we need calm and solidarity, as we realize we are facing a trying moment. Yes, there may not be any public glory in what the President is doing now, but somewhere, his name will be recorded and known to future generations. He is risking his life for a cause greater than himself, knowing that the success of his mission will make Nigeria safer and bring us closer to victory over those who wish us harm. As it is now, the public is less likely to see threat emerging from the man they feel they understand and trust because of shared value. And, if we re- orientate our mindset to search for the best and give the best to our country, we will be one of the greatest nations in the world.