By Musa Ilallah
Looking healthier and younger, President Muhammadu Buhari was at his best recently during an almost one hour Arise TV, a private television station special interview. It is his first television interview this year.
The interview which was from all indications recorded earlier, offered the opportunity to President Buhari, in his usual composure to meticulously respond to a number of burning issues in the polity questions ranging from economy, security, job creation, un employment and appointments among others.
Anchored by Arise TV’s owner, Nduka Obaigbena and ably assisted by seasoned journalists and former Media Aides to ex Presidents Umaru Yar’adua (late) and Goodluck Jonathan, Segun Adeniyi and Reuben Abati respectively, President Buhari in his usual disposition seized the opportunity to further defend actions he had taken in addressing various challenges staring the country in the face.
Firing his first shot at the Governors on securing their states and funding the LGCs, PMB in his boldness wondered why ‘some Governors should not sit back in their states after winning elections rather than expect people to do the jobs for them’. The ever blunt leader not minding who gets hurt by the truth added: “i demand you sit up and handle the worsening insecurity in your respective states.”
To the surprise of most well meaning Nigerians, some state governors can’t initiate home grown approaches to deal with the security challenges before rushing to the federal government for its support.
While advising the governors to revert to excellent and effective traditional ways of tackling insecurity in their states, he urged them to involve traditional institutions and community leaders at the state and local levels in their search to permanent solutions to the issues affecting their people.
The President recalled “two SW Governors came to me to say cattle rearers are destroying farms in their states, I asked them what happened to the grassroot security panels from Traditional Rulers to Local Governments who meet regularly to identify the root of their problems and identify crooks within their environment and apprehend the criminals. Who destroyed this system? Go back and fix it, give your people sense of belongings. I don’t like it when people campaigning to become Governors and people trusted them with their votes and after winning, they can’t perform. They’re trying to push responsibilities to others. ……..we have three tiers of Government, Federal, State and Local. We have killed the Local Government totally. We will send N300m as allocation to a Local Government, one Governor will ask the LG Chairman to sign that he collected N300m but he will give him N100m and the Chairman will keep quiet…..is that how we will continue???”. Can any leader be more blunt?
It is very sad that state governors have over the years emasculated LGCs by denying them statutory funds to run the third tier of government. The financial autonomy granted the LGAs courtesy of the Presidential Executive Order as contained in the country’s 1999 constitution has not made the governors to release LGCs funding wholesale. With this development, the LGC structure is basically non existent. LGCs as the third tier of governance have become the laughing stock of the country.
I strongly share in the thoughts of President Buhari that the Local Government is the base, foundation and cornerstone of development at the grassroot level.
Indeed this is the most important tier of government accessible to the common man and faster in providing service to the people.
As the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the country, PMB told Arise TV team that as part of his resolve and commitment to deal with the country’s security threat: “i ordered the country’s military and police to be ruthless with terrorists in the country and deal with them in the language they understand.”
In debunking criticisms that his appointments are lopsided in favour of the North, PMB stated that all appointments he makes are strictly based on merit and not based on ethnic or regional balance. He added: “I can not jettison seniority and merit for balance and federal character.”
Talking about the 2023 elections in the country, PMB was so confident that ‘APC will continue to rule Nigeria after my tenure. So, Abati, tell anyone who wants to be Nigeria’s President in 2023 to join the APC as APC has no other strategy to win elections apart from mobilizing people from bottom to top as seen in our party membership registration.’
When asked to speak about what will be his legacy after leaving office, PMB said “I will accept whatever verdict Nigerians pass on me. I hope they will be fair. However, I would go to my farm daily and keep myself busy”. A very modest and down to earth leader.
On agitations for the break up of the country especially those coming from IPOB, ESN and Odudua republic groups among others, President Buhari in his wisdom and as a very senior military officer who fought in the country’s civil war said: “Dividing Nigeria piecemeal is not any solution. It‘s a wrong signal to all investors. So each Republic will become a paradise? How do we share what United us? What we have done together within such a record time? I‘m surprised Nigerian elites watch these un informed lots to make criminal statements every day, we are all better off as Nigeria”.
Responding to a question on facing the challenges of unemployment in the country, President Buhari admitted that Nigeria’s quest to attract Foreign Direct Investments, FDI that will create more jobs, address unemployment and uplift millions of our people out of poverty hinges on secured environment which is a collective responsibility. Collective responsibility indeed to all Patriotic Nigerians.
Making reference to the tweet deleted by Twitter that it considered a breach to it’s norm, he said: “many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian civil war. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war will treat them in the language they understand.” one is tempted to ask: is this not a statement of fact?
Successes recorded by the PMB administration over the last 6 years and his style of governance have further confirmed to me and all well meaning Nigerians that PMB is a grand master of the game who is acknowledged both locally and internationally as an examplary selfless leader, a nationalist and a Patriot.
Another sensitive area that touches the lives of all APC members as 2023 approaches is the issue of zoning. Responding to a question on zoning, PMB said: “nobody has the power to decide his successor for the APC. Only members have that power to decide their fate”. This is without doubt a clear message to individuals who think they can single handedly decide for the members a zoning formula for the party.
It is clear that the current restructuring of the party from the ‘bottom to the top’ in the hands of its national caretaker committee led by it’s Chairman and Yobe state Governor, Mai Mala Buni will unambiguously lay the foundation for a successful zoning formula that will be a win-win for all members of the APC.
For me, the Arise TV interview and that with the NTA two days after by the President has further rekindled the trust and confidence Nigerians have on the leadership skills, wisdom, ability and capacity of PMB to deal with them and thus fully deliver on his campaign promises before exiting power on May 29, 2023.
ILALLAH WROTE IN FROM EMEKA ANYAOKU STREET, ABUJA
musahk123@,yahoo.com
