Why Buhari Couldn’t Tackle Insecurity, Corruption – Former Minister Shittu

Former minister of communication, Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu, in this interview with CHIBUZO UKAIBE, recounts why the immediate-past administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari couldn’t do much in the fight against insecurity and corruption. Also, he says unless the current government takes certain proactive measures the security situation may not improve significantly. The senior lawyer and former lawmaker, also reflects on the performance of the judiciary and the National Assembly.

The security situation in Nigeria dominated international media after the U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about Christian genocide in the North, a claim that was seriously disputed by the federal government. What was your impression of that saga?

To start with, the U.S. president was misguided by some Christian fanatics to give the impression that Christians were the only victims of banditry and insecurity in Nigeria, which is far from the truth. So, he started from the wrong perception. But that notwithstanding, the truth is that Nigeria has been going through a lot of insecurity and because of it, a lot of people don’t look deep into it.

The causes of banditry and insecurity in Nigeria are two-fold. Number one is the fact that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, had warned us that, if you fail to take care of the children of the poor, when they grow up, they would not allow your own children to sleep with their two eyes closed. An untrained generation of children, who get old and discover that there’s nothing in life for them, that the whole situation is hopeless; they don’t have jobs, they don’t have family life, they don’t have anything, they cannot fit into society. Out of desperation, the next thing for them is to wage a war of attrition against society, an act of rebellion against society.

And that is exactly what has been happening, especially in the North. So the earlier we introduce free and compulsory education at all levels throughout the country, the better for us. If we refuse to do that, the next generation of children will also go into banditry and so forth. The other cause of this is the fact that in the midst of poverty, there are so many mineral resources hidden in the forest, that just by a little effort you become wealthy. So people who are enlightened about it recruit jobless people to give them cover-up and all of that. So these are the two problems that Nigeria has to solve. Now, the fact is that President Bola Tinubu is not the cause of these problems. He inherited them. It behooves him to do the best as the incumbent to bring a stop to all these problems.

I believe he, in consonance with the members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the police, is doing their best. They need support. They need encouragement. And I believe that, with time, we will solve the problem. We all, as a nation, have caused this problem by abandoning and neglecting the poor and the children of the poor. So we must do the best to ensure that we completely eradicate it and let us know the sane people who remain in society. If you have one million bandits and you eliminate one of them, there are no more one million.

We must ensure that we eradicate and eliminate those of them who are cancerous. Because, I mean, we can make an effort to reconcile and rehabilitate those who are available from banditry to turn them into new human beings or get them out of our system. So that is my impression and that is my advice to the government.

But concerns have been raised from several quarters about the quality of the current administration’s engagement with the terrorists and bandits and kidnappers

Is he (the president) the one visiting them or the state governors, who are substantially concerned in their various states? It is not the president who is engaging terrorists. It is the governors of these states where these issues occur substantially.

But it’s a national problem and the president has declared a state of emergency. So how come kidnappings are still ongoing, alongside some sort of negotiations for the release of abducted people?

It is not the president who is negotiating with anybody. If any governor feels the best approach is towards negotiation, for instance, Katsina State has done it. We only pray that a stop is put to it. If he succeeds, then it will meet the same goal as the president is aiming at through the declaration of emergency.

In the aftermath, what do you expect to see within the space of time? Do you have a sense of a timeline?

I expect an end to banditry in those states where they have successfully engaged bandits.

There’s a new minister in place and there’s a rejigging of the security architecture?

Obviously, I feel very satisfied about the appointment of the new minister because he is the right peg in the right hole. He has seen it all as the CDS. His approach has been very sympathetic to ending the insurgency. So now that he is minister, I believe he has the political will to use all methods to bring an end to it.

What’s important is not really the method, but the conclusion, finding a permanent solution to it. If he succeeds in achieving that, then congratulations to Nigeria.

Now, this takes us back to the administration in which we worked, the late President, Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. He contested and won on two key issues, security and corruption, and there was so much expectation. But from the benefit of hindsight, would you say that he met those two targets?

Well, with all sense of seriousness and honesty, he had a deficit of the requirements for meeting the goals. And I’m saying this with all due respect to him.

Number one, he was an introvert. Number two, he’s not an engaging person. Number three, he’s too trusting of his lieutenants. And number four, he’s too, you know, he leaves things to God, too fatalistic kind of, you know. So on corruption, I believe he didn’t succeed in what he did.

People around him were taking advantage of his quiet and silent disposition to milk the country and they did that to a very great extent through corruption. Even on security, we had information about billions of dollars that were voted to buy a lot of equipment, to pay the soldiers on the ground, and all of that.

And there were hues and cries by soldiers on the ground that the allowances were not being paid as they should be. And I didn’t see any radical action from him. So it is with regret. But he’s dead now, we’d better forget him and concentrate on the government in place. Whatever has not been concluded by him, now we have a new government which has the task of decisively concluding on those targets.

As a senior lawyer, do you think the judiciary has helped the fight against insurgency enough by fast-tracking and concluding cases?

I am not aware of any incidents of prosecuting terrorists in which the judiciary has not acted decisively. Remember, the judiciary is not the prosecutor in any case. It is what the prosecutors bring before the judiciary that they act on. To the best of my knowledge and ability, I believe the Nigerian judiciary is doing its best in the circumstances that it finds itself in. When the police and the prosecution take action, the judiciary has always lived up to expectations. And I’m very proud of the Nigerian judiciary.

But there was an uproar recently even from lawmakers about a case in Abuja where a judge sentenced a terrorist to 20 years in prison instead of the life sentence or the death penalty?

Most of them are either ignorant or mischievous. When a judge makes his findings, it is based on the available information and the data available to him. If anybody is not satisfied, you simply go on appeal.

Instead of criticising the judge to try to intimidate the judiciary towards doing what you, who do not have all the facts, want to be done. So it is improper and unprofessional for anybody to criticise any judgment. If you are not satisfied, go on appeal. That’s why appeals are provided for. The law anticipates that it is possible that people may not be satisfied with an appeal at any level. You can always go forward to appeal to higher authorities. It’s as simple as that.

Let’s talk politics, the new party, the coalition party, ADC. Do you think they have any prospects? I know you belong to the APC, but do you think the coalition has any prospects?

I am a pathological APC person. But psychologically, I want to tolerate any opposition in a party that comes up. They are welcome. If they can prove their mettle, the field is there for them. There’s no big deal about politicians. More often than not, you find it is only people who are either disenchanted or distressed or have disappointments or hopelessness that go ahead to form other parties. If they succeed in making heavy weather, good luck to them.

Does the claim about an attempt to make Nigeria a one-party state bother you?

It’s a stupid talk, honestly. Is it the APC that is asking the PDP to get disorganized and start a war amongst themselves? I mean, anybody who is in the PDP and who believes that with the way things are going, it is possible not to have accredited leaders who could even sign nomination papers, they must leave and go to some other political platforms, which would be certain. So it’s just cheap talk about the drive towards a one-party state. Let people in other political parties stay. Nobody is sponsoring anybody out of their own political parties.

But the opposition leaders have been insistent that the APC is behind the chaos in their parties?

Who are the ones that are so cheap that they are being sponsored against their own political parties? Anybody worth his or her salt cannot be sponsored by any external force. Can anybody sponsor me for instance to leave the APC? It is not possible because I am a reasonable person, and I know my worth. So why must I leave?

How do you react to the concern that your party is becoming too big just like PDP in the past and might not be able to manage itself?

Whose fault is it?

You mean for your party to become too big and cannot manage itself?

Do you see any sign of instability within the APC?

But our recent history shows that PDP was also as big as APC today and began to unravel because it couldn’t handle its success?

It was corruption that killed the PDP. Corruption. To have corruption. People in that political party were simply very corrupt. They didn’t have good governance as a pivotal aim.

But isn’t it ironic that the same PDP members whom you accuse of being corrupt are now in APC?

I don’t know. I don’t have all the facts.

At one point, most former governors, who are now in your party, were all being investigated by the EFCC. In fact, some of them are still in court for corruption cases. Also we seen former ministers of your party being tried in court?

Well, you are a journalist. It is for the journalism profession to take up the matter. If you have all the information about anybody who has corrupt cases hanging over them.

But these are issues of public records?

It must be an ongoing case. It must be an ongoing fight, even for the journalists. Journalists are Nigerians too.

As these people who have pending corruption cases come into the APC, does it not bother you that they would taint the APC?

That is what I am saying. The challenge must be to the journalism professionals in Nigeria. They should take them up.