By Soni Daniel, Abuja
Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, former Presidential Adviser in the Second Republic, has remained an ardent commentator on socio-political issues in Nigeria and does not shy away when the occasion demands his voice. With the recent resurgence of agitation by Northern governors for a review of the resource control law, the elder statesman bared his mind on what is responsible for the development and takes on those who are already on the prowl for the 2015 election, describing them as diversionary elements out to distract the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan from focusing o the delivery of democracy dividends to Nigerians. Excerpts:
Why do you think the agitation for reopening of onshore/offshore law is coming back many years after the Supreme Court had put an end to the matter?
Well, the matter was never been laid to rest because what is being done about the issue is not what the Supreme Court ruled.
Sure? What did the Supreme Court decide then?
The decision of the court was that no state should own revenue from the continental shelf. The court stated clearly that no state has any claim to offshore oil. As far as the ruling of the Supreme Court is concerned, the onshore/offshore dichotomy still subsists.
But running away from implementing the verdict of the apex court, the then President, Obasanjo, opted for what he called ‘political solution’ by setting up a committee headed by Chief Tony Anenih to find a solution to the complaints by the oil-producing states that they had been shortchanged by the judgment.
Now, against the clear verdict of the court, they are now paying huge sums of money to oil-bearing states not minding whether they are onshore or offshore-producing. That is just the reason why some people are arguing that the Supreme Court verdict should be adhered to.
Don’t forget that somebody can go back to the Supreme Court tomorrow and ask it to make a pronouncement on whether its judgment has been carried out by the government or not.
Do you think it is possible for former President Obasanjo to anoint a candidate for the North again – as he did in 2007?
Look, let me tell you there is nothing like that.
Obasanjo or any other person cannot decide for the north.
*Alhaji Tanko Yakassa
If I may ask, who gave him that power? Under which section of the Constitution is he mandated to choose for the north or Nigeria who should be what and who should not? Although as a Nigerian he is entitled to his opinion, but he cannot act as if he has a supreme power from the Almighty God. It does not work that way. Obasanjo is not Almighty God and cannot even decide for PDP or any other party. He cannot even speak for the PDP. He can only speak for himself.
As a northerner, are you worried about the continued violence that is threatening the economy of the North?
I have made an analysis of the local government areas affected by the violence and I have found out that only 18 LGAs out of the total of 774 LGAs in Nigeria. That does not even constitute one percent of 774 LGAs in Nigeria. Therefore, you cannot draw any conclusion that the crisis has affected the economy of any region in Nigeria.
What is happening is that because of the violence, people who would have brought in their money to invest in Nigeria are afraid to do so. It does not affect a particular region but the whole of Nigeria. Therefore, it is the economy of Nigeria that is suffering from the crisis and not that of any particular region of the country.
In any case, the economy of the north is based on agriculture and livestock, and people are farming and cattle rearers are rearing their cattle. There is no large scale devastation of the farming activities of the areas. People are still benefiting from the livestock from the area and the farm produce from the areas.
Any objective assessor would agree that violence in the area is subsiding because there has been no reduction in the quantity of farm produce and livestock from the farming belts in the north to the areas of consumption in other parts of the country.
Whatever was being produced in the rural areas is still being produced and one cannot say that there is disruption of economic activities as a result of violence. What is happening in this country is that general investment has dropped as a result of insufficient power. Once that problem is solved, investments will begin to grow.
So, it is not peculiar to any part of this country.
What in your own opinion do you think the government should do to stem the tide of attacks in the north?
When there was crisis in the Niger Delta, Yar’Adua approached the issue through dialogue. As I read in the papers today, the government said it was engaging the Boko Haram people in dialogue via indirect way. It means that after that they can engage in direct talks.
An insurgent of this nature does not end at once. Do not forget the one in Britain lasted for close to several decades and it was finally resolved through dialogue. I have a strong belief that if it is true that the government is discussing with the sect, it means that the end is in sight.
Would you say there is something that excites you about the Jonathan Presidency?
Well, what I am really fascinated about the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is its commitment to the power rehabilitation programme, which is the bedrock of industrial development.
I am also happy that the President has appointed a high-powered committed headed by the Vice President to handle the programme. I can tell you from my personal experience that there has been an improvement in the generation and supply of electricity in recent times.
There was a time I used to spend so much on diesel in my own house but that has changed significantly. So, even though it has not brought about 24-hour power supply, one can say that there is a significant improvement in power supply in the country.
And I can tell you that if this sector alone can be improved, it would lead to mass production of goods and services and the generation of employment for Nigerians. When that happens, it will lead to a reduction in violent crimes – armed robberies, kidnapping, piracy and so on.
Do you support the agitation for state police?
Look, those who are calling for state police do not wish this country well. They have refused to learn from history. I will never support state police. I suffered untold hardship in the hands of local police in Kano. I was arrested 14 times by the local police. The introduction of state police will be the harbinger of the destruction of democracy in Nigeria.
The day you introduce state police will be the end of democracy in this country. If you go by what the governors are doing in their respective states in the name of State Independent Electoral Commission, then you can be sure that state police is a recipe for killing the country’s democracy.
You can see how in every state, the respective independent electoral commissions return the governor’s party almost 100 percent no matter how strong the other party candidates may be. You can imagine what would have happened in Plateau State for instance, if the state had a police of its own.
What do you make of the planned introduction of N5,000 currency by the Central Bank of Nigeria?
Well, I think it is a step in the right direction. It will go a long way to check insecurity and other forms of threats to Nigerians carrying large sums of money. The worrisome thing is that most of those who are criticizing the move do not know anything about finance and economics but they are making noise about it all the same. It was the same noise that was made during the introduction of N1000 bank notes.
Now common logic should tell you that the printing of N5000 bank notes will lead to a reduction in the quantity of money to be carried about by any individual. By so doing, the number of people who are being robbed would reduce because one can carry a million Naira about without being detected by robbers.
So, as far as I am concerned it is a step in the right direction, which Nigerians should support. It will not induce inflation and other forms of economic woes as being speculated by some uninformed persons. It would keep armed robbers at bay and make it more convenient for Nigerians to carry large sums of money to wherever they want.
Is it too early to talk about 2015?
To me, it is rather too early for any sane Nigerian to begin to talk about 2015 now. As far as I am concerned any talk about 2015 now is a clear diversion of attention of the government. I want Nigerians to rather focus attention on this government – both at the federal and state levels, to deliver on the promises they had made to the electorate last year. When the time comes the Nigerian people will decide who should rule them and where the person should come from.
But now it is time for development, to provide employment for the citizens and to improve infrastructure. Why are we in a terrible hurry? Why don’t we concentrate on power generation, improvement of agriculture and so on? These are the areas that will change the fortunes of the average Nigerian for the better and not where somebody comes from and all that.
Therefore, any discussion on 2015 Presidency for now is nothing but a great disservice to the nation and its people. We should desist from it.
