Chairman of the Northern Elders’ Council (NEC), Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, was once a Political Adviser to ex-President Shehu Shagari. He was also a delegate at the 2014 National Conference. In this chat, the elder statesman sets agenda for the new government, saying President Muhammadu Buhari needs to pay attention to the recommendations of the confab.
What is your view on the presidential election and the emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari as President?
Well, it is the decision of the Nigerian people that the candidate who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari won the election and President Goodluck Jonathan accepted the result. So, the matter is settled.
What are your expectations of the new government headed by Buhari?
My expectation is that they would fulfil their promise. They promised security for all Nigerians; promised to deal with Boko Haram insurgency; proactively fight and eliminate corruption from the society; resolve the challenge of epileptic power and create employment for the teeming population of unemployed Nigerians. There are other promises they promised to tackle. So, it is my expectation that Buhari and his party would fulfil these promises. I pray he succeeds in this effort.
How would you want Buhari to tackle the issue of corruption?
Well, there are a lot of pending cases which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had taken to court; I think it would be easier for him to start from that angle. Then, any corruption-related matter that is already with the EFCC should be expeditiously handled in the court. He needs to relate with the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the National Judicial Council (NJC) to plead with them to quickly handled corruption cases so that these delays that we are having; some cases lasting up to seven or eight years in court, would be brought to an end.
Once a corruption case is started, it should be carried to its logical conclusion so that some examples can be given. People continue to be corrupt because they have not seen anything happen to people who were previously charged to court on corruption-related matters. So the system has rather been giving people encouragement to go and engage in corrupt practices.
Such people know that there will be no expeditious handling of their matter in the courts. The delay in pronouncing judgement on corruption cases, particularly those concerning high profile individuals is really frustrating the fight against corruption. So, the judiciary has to be up and doing and for that to happen, it is necessary for the president to ensure that corruption cases are fast-tracked.
Some Nigerians have recommended the setting up of special courts or anti- corruption tribunals to handle these corruption cases so as to dispose of them expeditiously. Do you buy this idea?
I have no quarrel with that as long as it is not a military court or tribunal. If it is a judicial court to be headed by a qualified judge of a high court; lawyers will be allowed to defend their clients and it will be run in accordance with the rule of law, it is a good idea.
How would you want the new administration to tackle the challenge of insecurity?
I have no experience in security matters. Buhari is more experienced than myself in such matters; so I have no advice to offer him on the issue. I don’t have any experience in that field. It is wrong for somebody who has no experience to advise another person who has had experience on the issue on how to go about it.
Some northern leaders have asked Buhari to grant amnesty to Boko Haram as a way of resolving the challenge of insecurity, do you share their view?
Well, you know we had an experience like this before. There was dialogue and amnesty came about as a result of that dialogue between Niger-Delta militants and the Federal Government. I will support dialogue so that the government and the Boko Haram people will put forward their cases and in the process, differences will be eliminated to reach a common ground. Dialogue was used to resolve the insurgency in Northern Ireland where Britain and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) held talks. So, I support any measure that would lead to the termination of this Boko Haram menace in our country.
How would you want Buhari to approach the problem of unemployment in Nigeria?
It is a very important issue but I’m sure his election was sponsored by a political party. I’m sure the party must have done some homework. They must have had the unemployment figures at hand and they must have some ideas on how to reverse the trend. We are hoping to see the result of their efforts at stamping out unemployment in no distant future.
What is your advice to the new administration on what they should do with the report of the 2014 National Conference?
They should take up the report; if you remember, the outgone government had set up a committee on the report. It made recommendations by way of a white paper. I will recommend that Buhari should put that White Paper together with the Report. Go through both documents; see what is in them that is acceptable to him and send them to the National Assembly by way of a bill so that it will be enacted into law. Where it requires constitutional amendment, the process should be started for the Constitution to be amended to reflect the recommendations of the conference.
Would you be disappointed if Buhari and his party decide to jettison the confab report?
Exactly. The quality of the members of that conference and the quality of the recommendations that they made, some of which had never been made by anybody in Nigeria, is such that jettisoning it would be a disservice to this country. For instance, the conference recommended that five per cent of the national revenue be dedicated to the solid mineral resources sector. The essence is to ensure that there will be more sources of revenue for Nigeria. If that could be done, within a short period of time, we will no longer depend solely on petroleum resources but would have diversified our economy. There were so many other important recommendations made by that conference and I will really be disappointed if such a document is just thrown into the dustbin.
What other advice do you have for the new President?
He should try very hard to ensure that he becomes the President of all Nigerians. He should avoid a situation whereby his policies, actions and pronouncements would portray him as the President of one section of Nigeria. If he makes the mistake of running a sectional administration, it will not augur well for him and the country.
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