Democracy: In 1999, we started as if we were going somewhere but we have since derailed – Idris

 

Abdulkadir Yelwa Idris is the senatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress for Adamawa South senatorial district in the 2027 general election. In this interview with journalist, he spoke on national issues, the ADC, lack of quality representation in his senatorial zone since the inception of democratic journey in 1999. He also said that his senatorial zone which comprises nine local government areas lack federal presence in infrastructural development. He further said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has failed Nigerians. BLESSING ADIMABUA brings the excerpts:

Why do you want to represent Adamawa South Senatorial Zone under the African Democratic Congress come 2027?

Very simple; because since the inception of the current Nigeria’s democratic dispensation in 1999, our representatives have failed to do what they are supposed to do. Then, after I retired as a public servant in 2023, I joined a friend who happens to be the chairman of Senate Committee on Public Accounts in the person of Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada. So, it was from there that I got to see and know what a senator can do for his constituency.

With what my principal did then for his constituency, I found out that we are lagging behind especially in the areas of youths suffering abject poverty, no youth skill acquisition programme, no women empowerment programme, and no efforts was made to attract infrastructural development. I can tell you that nothing is happening in the nine local government areas that made up the Adamawa South Senatorial Zone. So, with my experience in that arm of government working with a performing senator, I understood what a senator can do for his people to enhance development, growth and humanity at large especially among youths and women. It’s not because I am new into politics, I was born into a political family because my family was involved in the old NCNC era. So, that is why I have decided to come in now to see the difference I can make in the lives of our people through quality representation at the National Assembly.

However, our present senator has spent seven years with nothing to show for it, no single borehole, no youth empowerment programme, nothing at all after seven years.

With the calibers of candidates in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) and others in the race; what are your chances in the election?

First and foremost, you should know that politics is not about party, it is about the individual and the person you are. Then, what difference you have made to your people when you had the opportunity to assist them; so, whatever you do and wherever you are they will be with you. The little I have been able to do is enough to compete more than the present ones, not just about the party but the person. In fact, I am just waiting.

What will you do differently if elected?

Everything, right from youth empowerment programmes, employment, developing women skills, acquisition programme, provision of boreholes, healthcare centres and attraction of infrastructural development through dialogue with relevant authorities. Let me tell you something, my senatorial zone is the only senatorial zone in Adamawa State that doesn’t have any presence of federal institutions of any kind. No federal university, no teaching hospital, no federal medical centre, no federal college of education, no federal polytechnic and mind you we are the largest senatorial district in the country with nine local government areas, but no single federal presence in these nine councils.

We need a federal presence in my senatorial zone so that youths can be employed and to ease off sufferings in the area. Moreover, going to the National Assembly is not about your interest but about your people which involves contact, connection and you have to reach out to people so that something can work out for your people, not just going there to answer a senator with no bills and motion to show, nothing to show but to collect allowances and salary. That is not why I want to go there because I want to make a difference in the lives of my people. Let what I will do speak for itself in the first four years whereby my people will ask me to go back.

What do you consider as the general needs of your people?

You see, the general needs of my people and the senatorial zone is very simple. Number one, is the heavy numbers of students coming out of schools every year and those learning skills acquisition without the necessary support to take off after completing their apprenticeship and learning of the required skills. No financial support to start their own business and when you look at the job of a legislator which is to make laws and lobby for those projects you want it to come into your constituency or senatorial zone as the case maybe.

Politics in Nigeria is capital intensive. How prepared are you going into the contest?

Well, I am not ready for that kind of politics that is capital intensive because I have been telling people I will not be part of it. And if I call you for a meeting or ask you to go and do one or two things and you are expecting money, then we are not ready to serve our people yet or play decent politics, because if I will be spending my own money on all these frivolities it will not work out for the good of our people. We are supposed to come together and see that we can reach a destination then it is either I don’t contest at all or that is what gives a Nigerian the leverage once you are elected you recoup from what you have invested as your profit. No, I will not be part of it. But that is not what I am after.

I am trying to change the trajectory so that we can have the kind of politics I woke up to see my parents doing. My father was secretary of NPC when he was twenty-two years old; it was not about money. My eyes were open when they were doing NPN. So, I knew how they play politics and it was not about money, but it is your capacity and ability to galvanise and cultivate the people for yourself and for them to understand why you are doing what you are doing. And once they believe in you, you find out that they will bring out their money to do certain things for you. Even now, I have seen it because when I started going around, I saw the love they have for me and their own contribution for the race from ward levels; so, that is the type of politics that I am playing, not the type of politics of going around playing with money. I will do a collective politics with my people to enhance my senatorial development because we are lagging behind in every aspect of federal presence.

The African Democratic Congress is split into different factions; which faction of the party do you belong to?

Laughter! You have entered a very critical angle and you see when I decided to contest because I am based in Abuja, I decided to go to the National Secretariate and I went to David Mark’s office, the one in Wuse 2 that was where I bought my form initially, but what will interest you is when we went for screening they gave us a date but they will tell us that they don’t know the venue and they will say those contesting for National Assembly seats should go to their state capitals. I went back to Yola and the office that is supposed to be their office was locked. So, I felt something is wrong and I decided to find out what is wrong and I found out in Adamawa State they have two factions of ADC, one is called Legacy and the other one is called Transition. The Legacy is the original ADC because they have been in existence for a long time without any problem.

Is it the one under the leadership of Mohammed Shuwa?

Yes. Mohammed Shuwa is the most senior stakeholder there. While the one under Transition is the one where the former Vice President with Ibrahim Sadiq Dasin, who happens to be the chairman. In further investigations, I found out that the Transition aspect of the ADC went to do their congresses which the court did not sanction because there is a pending case in the court.

The higher officers of ADC asked their people to do the congress with the belief that nothing will happen but the court nullified the congress. What happened was that instead of the Transition to align with the Legacy because their tenure has not expired, they went on with their Transition aspect and the Transition does not have an office because they operate from a hotel. It took me time to find out the truth of the whole issue and I went to Mohammed Shuwa who has been in ADC for too long to find out what is the problem and he took me down memory lane as to what happened to Nafiu Gombe and how they went to court and how David Mark came into being. So, I found out that as far as I am concerned, the side I went to is a 419 from what I heard. If somebody has not resigned and you went to fake his resignation he stands to say that he is the leader of the party and with that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said don’t collect from either sides. The judgement that is coming will determine who is going where but from the look of things we are keeping our fingers crossed.

What is your take on Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999?

Well, my take is that we started as if we were going somewhere but we derailed because there is no democracy in Nigeria, we are operating a civilian rule.

How?

You can see by yourself that all the political parties in Nigeria are civilian type of government where party chairman cannot take decisions except the leader called governors or the president for the ruling party gives order. Is that democracy?

How can a president nominated by a party through party members become the leader of the party? The chairman of the party supposed to be the leader of party. I remember during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo regime, he overrides the decision of the party chairman where meetings of the party are held at the Aso Rock Villa which has continued till now. The late Shagari was just a card-carrying member of NPN, he doesn’t interfere with Akinloye party decision because he is independent in the running of the party and that is how a political party supposed to be. But when somebody begins to think he’s the leader of the party because he controls the party with people’s money that is very bad for democracy and as far as I am concerned there is no Democracy in this country.

Can you give us an overview performance of the current government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the last three years?

Whatever I say or talk about this government they will see it as somebody from the opposition but let us look at it from this perspective. First and foremost, what I don’t understand is the direction of this government. Let me tell you, I am a qualified registered Quantity Surveyor and a registered Chartered Management Consultant. So, with my pre degree and as somebody who worked at the Federal Service and retired at directorate level at least, I should know what governance is all about. The first thing is the way we run our budget, whereby you see three budgets running concurrently, it is abnormal. It has never happened anywhere in the world. It is very unfortunate that our National Assembly members is giving room for this type of thing to happen.

Why?

They don’t pass the budget on time and they pass the budget on the second or third quarter of the following year as 2023 budget will rollover to 2024 and 2024 to 2025. No releases at all. The question is, which type of system is that. Secondly, the way and manner, we borrow money without it reflecting on the lives of people calls for serious concern to our monetary policy and system.

They have removed subsidy from petrol, electricity and agriculture, in fact in everything and the Nigerian Customs Service will tell you that they have made more than they budgeted for but yet the contracts awarded by the Federal Government are not funded, where is the money? And nobody is giving an answer and saying about the decay in your system.

Borrowing now has become a norm and borrowing in circles just like round tripping, borrowing one item name many times with a speedy approval from the National Assembly without a single debate. Very unfortunate to see things happening.

The opposition is not saying anything, everybody is standing still because if you say anything as chairman of a committee from the opposition they will remove you. So, I don’t know what is happening and as far as I concerned, this government has not done anything good to the people of this country. Insecurity has increased seriously and now our farmers cannot go to farm because if you bring the farm produce to the market you will not get back your money you used to farm because the cost of fertilizer has doubled. Our naira is floating and tell me any country in this world that will allow its currency to be floating anyhow. We are now importing because it’s cheaper, so, what is the meaning and essence of governance.

We cannot secure our people; no security for farmers and so, what is the essence of rating the administration. They have done nothing to address it. The forest is filled with criminals and bandits and you hear different stories about their operations and if you open the social media, you see criminals brandish money anyhow. The Armed Forces at the front of fighting bandits are suffering because of one reason or the other; because of lack of care and provision allowances for the soldiers. It started during late President Buhari time. The NNPC has become a lord to itself because nobody talks about our money that comes in there through the crude oil sales and other products that comes with it and where the money goes to.

The Federation Account has become like a personal account. Honestly, I don’t know what is happening and going on in this country. Let me tell you, we need a real change of attitude towards governance so that it can reflect on the lives of our people.

Are you saying that the current National Assembly is rubber stamp?

It is not my view because everybody is seeing it.

What will you do to change the face of the National Assembly, if you are elected as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2027?

We should learn to leave by the rules because while other countries are leaving by the rules of law. We should learn to leave by the rules and go by rules and constitution of the Senate, by the rules of the Constitution of the Federal of Nigeria

The essence of why I am going there is to bring heads together for national interest like what happened during Senator Ken. Nnamani and Senator Saraki era. I mean put national interest first.

You have spoken seriously about the danger of insecurity in the country. What do you think should be done to stop this problem?

My only advice is to equip our military men properly because they need allowances and logistics to function well. The military need serious and maximum support and we have to be committed in making sure that insecurity is defeated. Most importantly reduce unemployment by creating fir the teaming youths.

In 2027, Adamawa State is going to be focal point based on the calibre and quality of candidates vying for different positions from governorship down to the state House of Assembly. What is your view on Adamawa 2027?

It is a diverse view because you have to look at the party and the candidates involved.

I have known the candidate of the APC for more than 30 years up to the time he was the executive secretary of the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF), a quiet person and somebody who is an institution person because institution persons perform better because they are facilitated by the law, but he is the type politicians don’t like because he will not deep his hands into the treasury to share money. If you go to the other parties I don’t know them but my own party candidate Mohammed Shuwa is somebody who has a vast knowledge of governance because of his background of working with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and up to Murtala Nyako time as a special adviser on Security.

If given the opportunity he will do a very good job.

I think apart from these two I don’t know much about the other ones.

Finally, what is your message to Adamawa people and Nigerians as a whole as 2027 approaches?

My message to Nigerians as a whole is that we don’t have to be told on what we are supposed to do because cost of standard of living has increased beyond the average Nigerian, so we have to vote accordingly. So, my message for Nigerians is that Tinubu must go in 2027.