Nigerians Are Suffering, Leader Must Act – Olawepo-Hashim

In this interview with  ADEMU IDAKWO, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for 2027,  touches on the nation’s deepening economic hardship, the unending insurgency, and his views on the current administration’s performance.

 The PDP won the chairmanship seat in Gwagwalada in the recently concluded FCT Council Polls. Considering that the ruling party and the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) appeared to be the stronger contenders before the election, what factors could have contributed to the PDP’s unexpected victory?

 

PDP is a grassroots party in Abuja and everywhere across the country. PDP members love their party.

There is no polling unit in Nigeria where you will not find PDP members. The party is a household name in Abuja, and nothing anyone can do will stop that. Unlike APC, which does not exist in some parts of the country, PDP has a presence everywhere.

PDP was the founder of democracy in Nigeria, and people are not fools. They know which party has helped them and which one has brought poverty upon them.

Before 1999, people did not have access to a quality of life, and PDP improved their lives. Many people were able to afford telephones even in rural communities, but this was a luxury during previous military administrations before our party came on board.

People know what PDP has done for them and have always been ready to reciprocate.

Life used to be more affordable than it is now. The average rural person still loves the party, and that was the secret of our victory. Those opposing us are desperate for power and money.

They are flexible because of the questionable ways they made that money. They are afraid of being arrested or witch-hunted by law enforcement agencies. So, on that basis, they will do anything to retain power.

However, no amount of money can change the minds of average Nigerians who are determined to stand by the truth, especially those in rural communities, and that is what the PDP is enjoying. Our followership resides with the poor.

Look at the people defecting to the ruling party. Are they poor? No. They are governors, senators, and former officeholders who have something to protect. They want power. After serving as governors, they want to become senators or ministers. Some even want to be president.

They now move around without principles. Some of them lack political value and the tutelage we had. They see politics as a profession and cling to it.

We would have won many council chairmanship seats, but some of our candidates compromised and abandoned their tickets three days before the election.

It was strange, but we took it in stride. I suggested that we should still go to the election despite our candidate’s betrayal, especially in my own area council, Bwari. We had the numerical strength to win for the PDP despite our candidate’s resignation. I know that if we had gone ahead, it would have helped us greatly, because a similar thing happened in Kano State when someone stepped down for Ibrahim Shekarau to emerge as the ANPP governorship candidate just months before the poll, and he won.

However, it is gratifying that the party has made a good showing in the FCT elections. It is a good sign of PDP’s resurgence ahead of 2027.

It is not propaganda; the elections show that the PDP is still the most formidable opposition in Nigeria today.

 

Given the internal factions within the People’s Democratic Party, which group is currently claiming victory in the Abuja council elections?

Factionalisation is not new to Nigerian politics. It happened during the era of PRP, when we had the Aminu Kano faction and other groups operating within one party. These issues were eventually resolved democratically, and the same will happen again.

All these matters will be settled before March this year, and we will become one united body.

I have been talking to both factions and appealing to them to settle the matter out of court so we can present a united front. I am very optimistic that this reconciliation will happen very soon.

 

You are aspiring for the Presidency in 2027. What do you think you can do differently?

I can do a lot differently. Number one is security, which is the most important thing, particularly for the people of the north central region who have been held hostage by bandits. Though it may look remote to people from the South-South and South-West, the reality is that it happens every day. For example, 200 people were killed in Worro in Kwara State, and incidents like this are happening constantly. Just a few days after that, another 300 people were killed in Taraba State.

Right now, about 20 to 50 people are being killed every day in this country in places like Plateau, Kebbi, Benue, and many other areas, yet most of these cases go unreported. I have never seen this type of carnage in this country, not even during the civil war.

Are we talking about children, women, and even soldiers dying in active service due to insurgency attacks?

The government does not have a proper strategy for fighting. I have never heard of any occasion where they went after the terrorists, destroyed their camps, or made serious arrests. Instead, they sit and wait for the attackers to strike, and after that, they go for condolences or begin negotiating a ransom to get people released.

That is not a good strategy. I will fight terrorism if elected in 2027 by the special grace of God.

My strategies are not for the pages of newspapers or for public consumption, but I can assure you that the overall approach will shift from being reactive to becoming fundamentally defensive and proactive.

The present administration has a strategy problem and also a moral problem. Those fighting on the field are not being adequately incentivised.

Secondly, I will improve the economy. Since the APC came to power, it has bankrupted the economy. When President Goodluck Jonathan left office, Nigeria was the largest economy in Africa. Our 2014 GDP was $ 574 billion. Our per capita income was superb. A month ago, Nigeria’s GDP was about N230 billion. We are now the fourth or fifth biggest economy; we have fallen that far from the top.

Obasanjo left office about 20 years ago, and at that time, our GDP was around $ 268 billion.

The population at that time was about 120 million, compared to the 230 million we have now.

The Nigerian economy was greatly destroyed by the APC. I will return the economy to double-digit growth, which we previously achieved under the PDP.

I will pursue an economic plan to expand the country’s GDP to 4 trillion dollars in 8 years. We have the vision, the plan, and the institutional framework to roll the economy back in the right direction.

We will rebuild the manufacturing sector, rather than relying solely on the service-based economy, because the service economy has limitations in terms of employment.

We will revive moribund companies across the country to provide jobs for young people.

We will also create jobs through information technology to engage our teeming youths across the country. I will take them off the streets and make their lives more meaningful to them as leaders of tomorrow.

 

You are always too critical of the president, especially his policies. Was there ever a time when you tried to advise him on how best to run the country?

Let me tell you, we still worked together up until around 2018 or 2019. Even when I wanted to run for the presidency, we still talked. But once he decided to run for the presidency, he started avoiding me, and I stayed away. Before then, he used to say, “Hashim, I agree with you.” But when he made up his mind to run, we parted ways because he might have started listening to people who wanted him to do things their way.

He may have been advised to choose people who would listen to him or align with those he believed he could work with. It was not because he was ignorant of my economic perspective, because at some point, he told me he liked it.

He made his own choices, and now he has seen the consequences. He is the Commander-in-Chief, and he must take responsibility for his actions and their impacts on Nigerians.

Given your consistent criticism of the president’s policies, did you at any point try to advise him on what you felt would be a better approach to governing the nation?

Let me tell you clearly, we continued to talk up until around 2018, 2019, and even into 2020. Even when I wanted to run for the presidency, we still maintained communication, but when he finally decided to run for the presidency himself, he gradually started avoiding me, and at that point, I also stayed away. Before then, he used to say, “Hashim, I agree with you,” on many issues, but once he fully made up his mind to contest for the presidency, we naturally parted ways because he may have begun listening to certain people who wanted him to follow their own ideas and their own ways of doing things.

He may also have been advised to choose only those who would listen to him completely or to surround himself with people he believed he could work with easily. It was not because he was unaware of my economic perspective; at several points, he had told me personally that he liked my ideas and agreed with many of them.

But in the end, he made his own choices, and now he has seen the consequences. He is the Commander-in-Chief, and he must take full responsibility for his actions and for the overall impact they have had on Nigerians.

 

If he were to ask you to join him right now, would you say yes?

It is too late now. I cannot do that anymore because I have the capacity to run those policies myself when I become the president in 2027. I have the passion, commitment, and dedication to do the work, and that is exactly why I am running to be president. Mind you, I actually ran for president before him.

 

How do you plan to strengthen internal democracy within your party, considering that many political parties in Nigeria, including yours in 2015, have struggled with it?

PDP has no problem with internal democracy, despite all the crises presently bedevilling us. The party is still holding its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, and it is the only party doing so up till now. It is also the only party consistently conducting primaries, holding congresses, and organising competitive conventions.

It is still far more democratic than the APC and any other political party in the country. As I said earlier, I will unite the warring factions, and this is one of the key things that is going to be achieved very soon.

 

Nigerians seem disconnected from governance, and one of the repercussions of this is the recent voter apathy that greeted the just-concluded council polls. In your view, what can be done by the government to win back public confidence?

The government should work to improve the economy and to run a transparent system that gives people a voice. It should also create employment opportunities for the growing youth population and improve security, which is currently the most worrying issue.

And for the average Nigerian who is desirous of change, one thing too is that one doesn’t need to be in government to do the right thing.

There are certain things that cannot wait until one becomes president before they can be addressed. One of these is getting Nigerians involved in voter registration. If you refuse to get your voter card, then you are indirectly working against Nigeria and against yourself.

You have no right to complain. I also implore you, as a journalist, to join us in mobilising people of voting age to get their voter cards so they can change the government.

Avoiding voting is not the solution; going out to vote, staying there, and ensuring your vote is counted is what truly matters.

Those who buy votes or participate in electoral malpractices are less than 4 per cent of our voting population. Once people come out en masse to vote, it becomes extremely difficult for those elements to carry out their enterprises.

We need to encourage and pacify the people to come out and register for their voter cards in large numbers. That is a responsibility for all of us.

Secondly, people need to be secure so they can go about their normal businesses without fear. This again is something that cannot wait until one becomes president.

I am already talking with stakeholders on how best we

can support ourselves and work together to end this carnage.

How would you characterise the performance of the current administration at this stage?.

The GDP has fallen to levels we have never seen before. The current value of the naira is very ridiculous. From my economic modelling and measurements, the true value of the naira is N500 to N600, and everything after that on the rate is just a tax. People are manipulating the situation to suit their own advantage.

When I started talking about the real sector of the economy in October last year, the naira had already been devalued. They are adjusting it gradually. However, it shouldn’t be so because they are simply playing with the numbers and hiding the real issues.

They said we had a trade surplus last year, but you can’t have one while the economy is in this mess, with the currency still very low.

In all, the president failed in both the economy and security, which were supposed to be the major focus of every administration.

 

Going by your verdict on President Tinubu, could it be said that he failed because he lacks competent people around him?

He chooses the wrong policies, and the administration is very clannish, just like Buhari’s. They are picking boys and girls they can manipulate.

 

Looking beyond politics, what practical reforms do you think the present administration could adopt to improve the country’s direction?

Well, they have failed to acknowledge that my criticism is meant to benefit the economy, but I will not be deterred. I will continue to speak out so they can adjust to the present reality.

They know what needs to be done; the willpower to act is what is missing. I have spoken on many issues, and these matters are already in the public domain for them to review and act upon.

In 1966, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was more than twice that of Malaysia. Nigeria had $6.1 billion, while Malaysia had $1.3 billion. Even countries like Indonesia, with $5.8 billion, were trailing behind us.

Similarly, in 1976, Nigeria’s per capita income was four times higher than China’s. China had $1.6, while Nigeria stood at $5.65.

Now, all these countries have overtaken us. Is this not something to be concerned about?

 

What’s causing the country’s growth to fall so rapidly?

The quality of leadership has affected us. When we were doing better, we had leaders who were committed to national development, patriotic, and sincere.

You speak of the late Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the ceremonial President, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo, and others you can name.

These were men who sacrificed their comforts for the good of the country and its people. They were not driven by ethnicity, corruption, or other vices that you see today, which have weakened this country.

They were prepared. Today, unprepared people have taken over the leadership of our nation. The older generation was better educated, and, to your surprise, many of these individuals came from poor homes.

They acquired education through correspondence and became lawyers, journalists, and others you mentioned.

They were not after money but integrity, yet today professors are rigging elections for people with questionable characters, political thugs, and uneducated individuals.

Are these professors not members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)? What has the body done about its members engaging in these ignoble acts? Some were even caught red-handed and charged in court. The body has never condemned it.

We did not have this type of person among the leaders and forefathers of this country in the past.

The people who were poor in those days had more integrity than today’s middle class. We are not talking about poverty; integrity is what is largely lacking in modern Nigeria, and this decline continues to trouble many deeply concerned citizens today.

 

How do you assess the newly passed Electoral Act, particularly the National Assembly’s decision to include a manual backup clause for instances where electronic processes fail?

I wasn’t expecting anything good from them, because I know that without what they did, none of them would be able to return to that floor in 2027.

They only did it to buy their way back in, knowing that the people would never vote for them and that they could not win in a transparent election.

Just like the recent elections in Abuja, I know what we did to stop them from buying their way in at the Gwagwalada Area Council. They tried everything, especially the APC-PDP, who were fighting each other.

They  did everything possible to rig the election, but they failed because the people stood their ground

 

What exactly is APC- PDP, Is it a registered political party, the name sounds unfamiliar to someone hearing it for the first time, especially non-politicians?

Well, you can go and ask the Minister of FCT. I don’t have an answer to this.

Are you suggesting that he is the leader of that party?

Yes, he is. You can go and meet him so he can tell you what the party is about, because I’m not a member