MEMBERS of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP accusing the All Progressives Congress, APC of using factional chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to destabilise their party have been advised to leave APC out of their internal crisis and look elsewhere for the cause of their trouble.
Making the declaration in an interview with TUNDE THOMAS, a chieftain of the APC, Senator Joseph Waku said PDP is to blame for accepting Sheriff into its fold. Waku also spoke on other national issues including the recent calls for restructuring, renewed militancy in the Niger Delta, Amnesty Programme, Saraki/Ekweremadu’s trial for alleged forgery among others.
What is your reaction to the renewed calls for the restructuring of the country, especially the recent statements credited to the Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka that Nigeria’s sovereignty is negotiable?
I disagree with Soyinka totally.. My stand is that Nigeria’s sovereignty is not negotiable. These people that are calling for restructuring are not patriots. They are enemies of Nigeria. They are saboteurs.
These people are hypocrites. Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice- President who started the renewed calls for restructuring is a political prostitute. He is a hypocrite. He started this agitation for restructuring not out of patriotic love for Nigeria but to satisfy his political ambition. But before I come back to Atiku, let me state the reasons I declare that Nigeria’s sovereignty is not negotiable.
We have been staying together as one nation for more than 100 years since the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates under Lord Lugard. Then, as an independent country, Nigeria is now about 55 years old. What are we now talking about? Those calling for restructuring are indirectly calling for a break-up of the country or a return to the era of regionalism, but we have gone beyond those stages.
What we should be talking about now are those things that will unite us and preserve the bond that had existed over the years among the various groups.
The call for restructuring is unnecessary. Those who have grievances can channel their discontentment, and protests to the authorities through their elected representatives in the National Assembly.
Soyinka and Atiku who are leading this renewed call for restructuring are overheating the polity. They want to blackmail President Muhammadu Buhari – their calls lacks merit – they are making the call for selfish reasons but not for the love of Nigeria.
My advise to Buhari is that he should be firm and decisive with these people and groups making such unpatriotic calls, otherwise they would take him to be a weak leader.
You were saying something about the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar that …?
Cuts in … Yes. Atiku is a political prostitute. He is the one that started this renewed call for restructuring. Atiku is not a patriot. He should be put under security watch.
Why did I describe him as a hypocrite? The night before he started making the call for restructuring, he was at a dinner with the President, and he had all the opportunity to talk and expressed his mind to the President. But he didn’t do that.
It was after Atiku ate and dined with the President that he started his calls for restructuring. Is that not a stab in the back? Buhari should be careful with some of these fellows because Atiku and Soyinka and others in their group are inciting Nigerians against him. Atiku is just playing to the gallery. I think he should be put under security surveillance. He should be watched and monitored.
But what Atiku and Soyinka are saying is …?
Cuts in … What are they saying? What they are saying is what will divide this nation. Do you then call such people patriots or describe them as nation builders. These people want to scatter Nigeria, but God will not answer their prayers. Instead of talking about issues that will divide us, as elder statesmen, Atiku and Soyinka should be talking about issues that will strengthen us.
And for Atiku my advise for him is that he should realise that it is only God that gives power to whomsoever He wants to give it to.
Atiku should not because of his political ambition create problems for the government. He should watch his utterances. At his level, he should not be making statements capable of inciting Nigerians against this government.
To show you again that Atiku is a hypocrite and political prostitute, was he not a former vice president of Nigeria, why he didn’t use his position then to influence the restructuring of Nigeria? Why didn’t he call for restructuring when he was in government?
Buhari should not take some of these lightly, I sincerely believe that Atiku should be watched and monitored. The security agencies should put him under surveillance.
But some people still believe that it is by restructuring that the crises across the country, especially renewed militancy in the Niger Delta can stop, what is your position on this?
I have no problem with agitations. You can agitate and protest. But the moment you become violent in your agitations, you have become a criminal.
What those militants or what you call them in Niger-Delta are doing by sabotaging the oil pipelines amounts to criminality. The Niger- Delta Avengers or whatever you call them are criminals. They are also blackmailers.
Whatever grievances they have should have been channeled through their representatives to the authority. But taking up arms and resorting to violence is nothing but crime against the nation, and they should be punished for that.
But some people have suggested dialogue as a way out of the current crisis in Niger Delta?
Cuts in … I’m not against dialogue. I believe in dialogue also but where people resort to wanton destruction of properties or engage in economic sabotage, they have crossed the line, and I believe at that stage, definite action must be taken against them to serve as a deterrent.
What are Avengers crying about? Was their son and brother, Goodluck Jonathan not there for six years, did they make all the noise they are making now? Did they cause trouble? So, it is Buhari that has just spent a year in office that should solve their problems. These people are being sponsored to destabilise Buhari’s government. Buhari should be vigilant and be at alert, and watch out for saboteurs that want to derail his government.
But it is the belief of many that the Niger Delta region, which produces the oil resource, is suffering deprivation and lacking development …?
Cuts in … So who is to blame for that? Is it Buhari that is responsible for that? To me Niger Delta people have been very unreasonable. They should stop holding the entire nation to ransom – they should stop blackmailing the rest of the nation.
What else do they want the Federal Government to do for them? You have the Ministry of Niger-Delta Affairs, you have Niger-Delta Development Commission, and you also have 13 percent derivation being collected monthly by oil producing states.
The problem with the Niger- Delta is their leaders. The people there should ask their governors and leaders what they have done with the money that had accrued to the region over the years.
It is their leaders that are their enemies. The people should look for right leaders to lead them but not looters.
There is even this controversy over ownership of oil. Niger-Delta people should stop saying that oil belongs to them. Oil doesn’t belong to them. It belongs to Nigerians. It is an insult for people of the Niger-Delta to say that oil belongs to them. They should stop provoking the rest of us.
Oil resource has been there since creation, oil is a natural resource that belongs to all of us.
These people should also not forget that before the oil industry was developed, resources from other regions in the country had sustained the nation. Enough is enough. The Niger-Delta people should stop blackmailing other parts of the country. What they are doing is provocative, irritating and very annoying.
What is your view on the Amnesty Programme, should it be scrapped or retained because some people claim that the reduction of budget for the Programme was one of the reasons that triggered renewed militancy in Niger Delta?
The Amnesty Programme has a time frame, and I believe that the time has lapsed. But before then, thousands of the so-called militants who ordinarily are criminals have benefitted through training abroad and at home. They were generously paid in dollars and local currency. One thing is that if you put sweet in the mouth of a child, he will continue to ask for more because of the enjoyment he was getting from licking it.
The Amnesty Programme can’t continue forever. I believe some Niger-Delta people are even using it to siphon funds. They’ve seen the Amnesty Programme as another oil bloc or cash cow. Buhari should scrap the Amnesty Programme. One thing Buhari should realise is that the moment he start dancing to the tune of one group with its irrational demands, others will start springing up, and they will eventually create problem for him.
My advise to him is that where Buhari need to dangle carrot, let him dangle it, and where he need to use horsewhip let him use it. Where he needs to crush rebellion, he should not hesitate to do so, there is no way he can please everybody.
What is your position on views expressed by some Nigerians that the over-dependence on oil is what is causing problems for Nigeria today?
Absolutely, I agree. Oil made Nigerians to be lazy. Before this oil issue Nigeria was a diversified economy, with various regions in the country producing different agricultural products like cocoa in the West, rubber in the Mid-West, palm oil in the East while North was famous for Kano groundnut pyramids and cotton.
But when oil came we all went to sleep. We neglected all these farm products, which were then the mainstay of our economy, and we are paying dearly for it today.
The solution is for us to go back to basics. Let’s return to agriculture and exploitation of other mineral resources scattered across the country. It is risky to depend on a mono-product – for economic survival. Look at the situation in the country now, we are having economic challenges because price of crude oil has dropped. Diversification of the economy has become necessary.
On the lingering crisis in PDP over leadership tussle between Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi Committee, your party APC is being accused by some PDP leaders of sponsoring Sheriff to destabilize PDP, what is your take on that?
Those saying so are being unfair to APC. PDP should leave APC out of its problems. Of what use is Sheriff to APC? Don’t they (PDP) know Sheriff before welcoming him with open arms into their party?
Sheriff was a political liability and political baggage to us in APC. When he decamped to the PDP, it was like good riddance to bad rubbish. In fact, many members of APC openly jubilated when Sheriff left our party.
For PDP, nobody should shed tears for the party. The party got what it deserved. When Sheriff left APC, nobody missed him.
As for PDP, like I said, they should not grumble while it strives to find solution to Sheriff’s headache.
Why do I say nobody should pity PDP for the present situation? PDP is a party where the minority is always considered to be the majority.
Although Sheriff is in the minority as many members of the PDP including state governors, members of the party’s Board of Trustees, state chairmen of the party including members of the party in the National Assembly have all asked him to go, but the man has refused – Sheriff says he won’t quit, yet he is in the minority. That’s what PDP preached and Sheriff is living it out. PDP always believe that minority is the majority.
Have Nigerians forgotten popular 16 is greater than 19 saga? That was when PDP declared that 16 PDP states’ governors under Jonah Jang were greater and are the majority over other 19 state governors led by Rotimi Amaechi then when there was a crisis in the Governors Forum. Even the then PDP President, Goodluck Jonathan recognized the 16 state governors as being the majority over 19 other state governors under Amaechi. PDP is reaping what it sowed.
What is your view on the ongoing trial of Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu over alleged forgery?
When it comes to Saraki’s issue, I regard him as my political son. I’m for him all the time. What some people don’t know is that they are making Saraki very popular with all his travails. His political opponents are making him popular unknowingly.
I don’t see anything wrong with the way and manner he became the Senate President. He was democratically elected but not only that, Saraki has been a stabilising factor in the National Assembly. He has been over-liberal to the executive and I believe the executive needs him for the development of democracy and Nigeria.
For those who want to or are linking Buhari to Saraki’s travails, I completely disagree. Buhari has no personal problem with Saraki. The truth will eventually come out one day and Nigerians will know the role played by some self-styled political leaders who sat down in their mansion and from there, try to dictate the affairs of the country. Nigeria has gone beyond that stage. They should allow the President to continue doing his work. They should not distract him, and they should not create enemies for him or give him bad name while they are the ones operating from the background.
In my assessment, Buhari is doing well. Nigerians should continue to support him and his policies which are designed to turn the nation around. His War Against Corruption is also commendable. Although when you fight corruption, it will also fight back, and that’s why you have some of these crises all over the place. Some of those people that have been exposed and indicted for corruption are fighting back. They have our stolen money in their possession to fight back and they are the ones sponsoring some of these protests.
But Buhari should remain focused. He should not relent, he should sustain the War Against Corruption. We need to sanitise Nigeria.