Leave Jonathan alone –Senator Kadiri

Senator Alex Kadiri has served the nation in different capacities. He retired as Director General, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and served Kogi State as Commissioner for Wealth and Works. He represented Kogi East Senatorial zone between 1999 and 2003 and was pioneer chairman, Senators’ Forum.
Kadiri, who hails from Dekina Local Government Area of the state, was also a director, National Universities Commission.
In this interview with NKECHI CHIMA–ONYELE, the technocrat and politician advised Nigerians not to expect much from the constitution review and noted that the call for sovereign conference is an aberration as it is not the panacea for the country’s problems. Excerpts:

What should Nigerians expect from the constitutional review?

I
remember years back when National Assembly attempted to review the constitution, there was so much anxiety about it, but immediately former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s third term project died, Nigerians forgot about the constitutional amendment. This time round, Nigerians participated in the exercise hoping that states will be created but when the creation of more states was removed from the agenda, people lost interest in the exercise. Personally, I do not expect much from the review. So, Nigerians should not expect much from that.

Will the new constitution end the clamour for Sovereign National Conference?
I don’t believe there should be need for a sovereign national conference, since we already have people we elected to serve us at the National Assembly and the state assemblies. The problems we are facing in the country are that the majority of people claiming to be elected were not actually elected. Most of them indeed rigged their ways to office.
If they were our right candidates, why should we still be looking for other people? So, I don’t believe that a sovereign national conference is the solution to our problems. We must find a forum where Nigerians will be given opportunity to air their views on matters affecting this country.  And we cannot have two sovereigns, because there is sovereign already in place. If you convey a sovereign national conference in what we have on ground, what will be the deliberation of that conference? In fact, the dilemma of the same people calling for this conference is not far from them, because they are indirectly saying that the people who are there cannot represent them.
But, the fact remains that they are there. So, we cannot have two sovereigns. The solution to our problem is not sovereign national conference but creating opportunities for people to elect their leaders. If the right people were elected, there is no way we will be clamouring for a sovereign national conference.
For instance, I am one of those who felt that we missed an opportunity after the war, because the Igbos were pushed to the wall during the war. Though they caused the problem, which also made them to be very innovative.  They were involved in different trades during the war like running cars with palm wine, among others. They should have maintained their ground in the economy of this country, but they lost the opportunity after the war. I believe they would have turned Nigeria into Japan with the kind of weight they pulled during the war. If Nigeria had gathered them in a place to continue what they were doing inside Biafra, the constructions and rehabilitations work they carried out during the war, which we could have incorporated. Nigeria would have been a better place for all.

But the late Odumegwu Ojukwu did his best for the Igbo race, yet Igbo were not given opportunity in government?`
Ojukwu tried his best for the Igbos. I remember my meeting with the warlord in Kaduna during our party convention at All Peoples Party(APP). Ojukwu, Olusola Saraki and I were chatting in a car that actually conveyed us from Kaduna to Abuja in the night under different circumstances until we arrived NICON. That was my close encounter with him and we talked so much about our country on that journey. Although I don’t know what actually happened in 1966, the late Ojukwu died a nationalist with good intentions.
I remember how Ojo Maduekwe talked on potentials of all the Igbos, who came out of the war for the development of this country, but Olusegun Obasanjo shouted him down at the Federal Executive Council meeting. And nobody was able to question his authority to enable them to carry out his line of action. Another opportunity presented itself at the Federal Executive Council meeting where a member of the council raised this issue, but the paramount ruler then didn’t want to hear about it. We don’t listen to good advisers. This has been a problem in the country.

And do you think Igbo would ever embrace that opportunity of being heard in this country?
Igbos have lost that opportunity though they are well known for their great wealth of knowledge and hard work, which put them in the league of the richest nationalities in the country. You can imagine an Igbo man prepared to spend over N2 billion to run election as a gubernatorial candidate. This was the same person who devised to run a car on palm oil. So, this country may need a shocker again not necessarily a civil war to propel us in that direction, which I am talking about. Because with the way Nigeria is being governed, there is no way we can make progress? It is rare to have a progressive country with the level Nigeria is operating.

So, what are the chances of the Igbos in 2015?
I do not see any feature in any political party where an Igbo man will be a presidential candidate in 2015, because of the configuration of the party now. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has its candidate in power, which is President Goodluck Jonathan. And the other dominant party is All Progressives Congress (APC) while Buhari is there struggling to be the candidate. And the only Igbo man in APC is Governor Rochas Okorocha, Senator Annie Okonkwo or Chris Ngige and I can’t see any of them being president in 2015. APGA is a party restricted to Anambra State while Labour Party is restricted to Ondo State. So, I don’t know on which party platform an Igbo man will run an election in 2015.

Our democracy seems costly, how do we cut the cost of running it?
I read about people praising their governors for road constructions and providing roads, and building schools for 10 villages in their states. Those are not actually dividends of democracy, because he will also walk through that road or drive on it.
In fact, the most benevolent dictator will also provide hospitals and schools. Dividends of democracy are good governance, provision of social amenities are the responsibility of every government. A good leader will govern his people the right way. Nigeria needs fundamental change in the way we do things.
We should tackle issues affecting us, rather than talk about issues that are meaningless. You can imagine some Nigerians asking for a northerner as a leader, saying it is not the turn of minority. I don’t believe it is the solution. After all, we have had northern leaders over 15 years. What were their achievements? What we should strive for is a good president, regardless of where he comes from, a competent and reliable leader. President Goodluck Jonathan is a minority man like me. So, I am happy a minority man is in power, but he should be given the chance to operate as a good leader. I don’t believe in criticisms but actions. I have seen some remarkable achievements in the power sector, there is tremendous improvement in power supply in Abuja and we are hoping it would improve better. Though, it is not a problem that will be solved one day.
So, we need time to put the country into shape. No doubt, he is working for the progress of this nation because we forget in a hurry what the country was 10 years ago, when Nigerians were hiding their passports not to be identified as Nigerians. So, he is doing the best and should be encouraged. A man I respect so much, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, former Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria who categorically said, “now that APC and PDP are registered, all the candidates of the political parties must be northerners”. It is an outlandish statement to make in public. I don’t know who told us that it is only from the North that we can have a good leader for our country. For God’s sake, we should preach the issue of good governance and pray we have someone to preside over this country. I have two witnesses for President Goodluck Jonathan apart from Yar’Adua who was the first graduate elected as president of Nigeria; Jonathan is the second university graduate and the first to hold PhD.  I wouldn’t support the notion where majority will stampede a minority man like me out of office.
Knowing he was voted into office by Nigerians who want him to lead them. We must be cautious of what we do or say.

Do you support the single term tenure?
No! Let’s stick to four years tenure, which in the system you can have second tenure.

Don’t you think the end of PDP has come with the coming of APC?
The coming of the APC is a very welcome development with my close friends as executive members of the party. In fact, Jega, the INEC chairman has done Nigeria proud for registering APC. It is good for Nigeria to have two celebrated dominant national parties like in the United Kingdom and America where they also have small parties. So, it is not a bad idea to have APC in the Nigerian politics, while other parties take the queue. It gives politicians opportunity to move from one strong party to the other if you don’t like the happening in your party. This indeed, allows you to pursue your political ambition without bitterness. Now, PDP will be on toes. We should expect APC as a determined rivalry that could wrestle power from PDP. With this thought on our minds, PDP works harder to strengthen the party and all those things that affected the party will be abolished, because of the fear of members migrating from the party. So, they will be tied to choosing credible leaders not corrupt leaders with dubious characters.
So, we must ensure a stable party and also make sure that the judiciary and the police carry out their duties effectively as well as EFCC because there is a lot of compromise going on in the system.
We cannot continue to run this country this way, therefore, PDP should remove cottonwood on its face to see there is danger ahead and make amends for continuity.

Would you support Jonathan if he declares for second term?
He is the incumbent president, so if he decides to go for second term, I will gladly support him because it is his right and since he is still in office, he has greatest chances of winning the election.  The President has a party and his party has over 28 governors. So, it is the activities of all the governors or local governments’ chairpersons that cumulate in the acceptance or rejection of the president.
So, if they are doing well in their respective zones, then the president is ruling the nation properly. Jonathan is not an independent person; he belongs to a party and the party controls majority of the states.