President Muhammadu Buhari recently spoke to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) where he appealed to Nigerians to help government fight insecurity by exposing criminal elements in their neighborhood. He also used the opportunity to unfold his socio-economic and political blueprint as he begins his 2nd term in office. BusinessDay State House Correspondent, TONY AILEMEN and INIOBONG IWOK, monitored the interview. Excerpts:
You took over the affairs of the country in 2015, promising to address the issues of security, economy and corruption. Looking back, what would you say you are most happy about?
I think it is the relief to the people of North East, especially, for degrading the Boko Haram. If you go to the North East, you will find out that they controlled up to 17 local governments in Borno State alone, before 2015, but they are no longer holding any local government now. They have resorted to holding some islands in the Lake Chad region, indoctrinating young people, especially girls, strapping them with explosives and sending them to soft targets such as mosques, markets and motor parks. So, really, in our first term, and in our tasks of securing the country, we have achieved some success. In the area of economy, we are very lucky, God heard our prayers the last rainy season was good, we made fertilizers and some other inputs available and we have virtually achieved food security.
Still on the last four years, what are those things that created frustrations for you as President?
Well, my worries were that we could not move faster in prosecution and punishment of looters of public funds. We have made some progress though. We recovered a number of fixed assets and money in banks in Europe and America. But under this system, you can’t be too much in a hurry. Even if you get information from whistleblowers, you have to get the police to go through the rigmarole of full investigations before prosecution. That has been my biggest frustration really.
What lessons would you say you have learnt so far, dealing with politicians and political office holders in the course of discharging your responsibilities as President?
Well, everybody is minding their responsibilities to their immediate constituencies. They continue to impress on their constituencies that they are doing well. But the frustration is that it is taking too long, by my own hope. I want to see that people are punished for the crimes they commit, especially those who have looted and frustrated the economic development of the country. This is because the resources
we have been getting as revenue, we ought to put into developing infrastructure, like roads, rails, power that will enable Nigerians improve their businesses. But when the infrastructure is lacking, there isn’t much we can achieve as a people.
In the build up to the 2019 general elections, the so-called Nigerian elite, as you normally to call them, campaigned vigorously against your re-election. Do you feel betrayed?
Well, l only know that the so-called Nigerian elite want to impress on the majority of Nigerians that they do dictate the terms to government at all levels, both the Central, States and the Local governments. That we understand very well. But don’t forget that l contested three times before l won the election the fourth time. In 2003, 2007 and 2011, l ended up at the Supreme Court. So, really, l understand Nigerian politics. But l found out that the elite are just for themselves, which was why l don’t worry myself about their threats and what they felt they could do. And I am happy, l proved myself right.
I hope they will appreciate what sacrifices Nigerians have been making to make them to continue enjoying the positions they have achieved, either materially or politically. Nigerians having trusted me, voted for me overwhelmingly. I visited all the states, including Abuja. The people who turned out to listen to me and welcome me were more than what anybody could buy, or forced to come and see me. I think that Nigerians really understand me and therefore, l am not surprised that they are backing me.
You never doubted your chances of winning the election and you won with 15.1million votes. What gave you so much confidence?
Well, again, l was confident because l know that Nigerians understand me. Don’t forget that l had earlier tried three times and it was only the fourth time that l won and there is no local government I have not visited in this country, not to talk of states. I had visited all the 774 local governments, between 2003 and 2011. Most of the time, l either go by road or l used boats, only very few places by air, because l was on my own.
It was said recently that the relationship between the Executive and the 8th National Assembly wasn’t the best. To what would you attribute their uncooperative attitude?
I think a culture was developed in the National Assembly that they should dictate the terms, which was wrong. It is the Executive who dictates the terms and place them before the Legislature, who should examine and agree or disagree with them. But when they go around assuming they are the government, then there is a problem. I spoke personally to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara. I asked them how they felt holding the country to ransom for seven months, without passing the budget. I said they were not hurting me, but hurting the country. So, really, in terms of patriotism, l rate them very, very low, indeed.
Have their actions in anyway affected the performance of your government?
Well, there is a Constitution and there are things that have to go through them. There was nothing l could do. To hold down the budget for seven months cannot be justified if you really bother about your country.
Mr. President, security is still a major challenge despite the fact that you had degraded the Boko Haram. Kidnapping for ransom is also an issue. How do you feel about this?
I feel very bad indeed. This is because there is a failure of neighborhood security, in the sense that those who are perpetrating these atrocities against communities against the states and the country, come from somewhere in Nigeria, they have neighbours. The traditional rulers and of course the Police are on the frontline. There are police in every major city in this country. And I think they were not given the rifles and uniforms to impress anybody, but to secure the people. I think the community leaders and the police have failed this country.
What assurances are you giving Nigerians as you move to the Next Level?
The assurance l am giving Nigerians is that, l will continue to do my best.
So, Mr. President, In the face of these security challenges, how will you rate the performance of the Service Chiefs and other Security agencies?
You see, all of my life in service, l had gone through all these things. I did virtually all the Staff and Command duties from Platoon of 36 or 40 people, to Divisions. I was the only officer in the Nigerian Army that commanded three out of the four Divisions then. These were the First Division in Lagos, the Second Division in Ibadan and the Third Division in Jos. I cannot say what happened to the security of the county after l left the Military, the way l left. But definitely, l did not know person to person amongst all the Service Chiefs, but l think l defended our records very well. When we have cases of emergency, l don’t think it is the time to start organising or disorganising the Military. You have to take your time to do it because, these are institutions that know that every Nigerian depends on a strong center. There are no State Police, Army, Air-force or Navy. So, those people know more than ordinary Nigerians that the center has to hold for them to have security, both materials and physical security. If they should allow the center to collapse, automatically, they are the ones leaving.
Are you satisfied with their performances? I understand that you have given them all that they really required?
I am used to very high standards. I told you I did all the Commands and so on, from 2nd Lieutenant to General. I am thinking of what happened between 1999 and 2014. I suspected a lot of things went wrong, including accountability and efficiency in all the enforcement agencies.
Mr. President, the last time you promised members of the working committee of your party that you are going to expand your cabinet. That is yet to happen. Are you likely to do so in your next level?
I have addressed members of the cabinet and said goodbye to them at least for the four years. I still haven’t discussed it with anybody, and you will not be the first person l will discuss it with.
What kind of Ministers are you likely to have in the next four years?
When l addressed the cabinet, l said l am very pleased we did not have any major scandal. This is a major achievement. And anybody who hasn’t gotten any evidence against any of my ministers should have to trust me and my sense of judgment about which of the ministers l will retain and which ones l will say goodbye to and very sincerely, too. I won’t go beyond that because, like l said, l have not discussed it with anybody yet.
So, sir, as you begin your second term in office, is there anything you hope to do differently?
I will try to make the police and the judiciary work more efficiently. The police are in the frontline, they are supposed to be in the frontline for law and order. The only thing closer to the people than the police, are the people within the neighborhood. In some communities, if people steal, they know from which family or which kind of criminals they have. This is what l expect Nigerians and the police to achieve- absolute community security. To know the criminals around them, so that they can deal with those who commit certain crimes and get them prosecuted.
I asked that question because some people have started speculating that you are likely to be more ruthless against those who do not mean well for the country, including criminal elements and economic saboteurs?
Well, it makes sense. We are making noise that people should bring their money to invest in our economy. Who will bring his or her hard earned money to invest when his General Manager or top officials will be abducted? So, all those screaming over lack of jobs and so on because we are not attracting capital investments should blame those who are not cooperating with law enforcement agencies to get the criminals amongst us out. The abductors and the ‘419ners’ live with them. They know who they are. They cannot continue to accommodate these criminals and blame government for not attracting investments into the country.
The government cannot build all the required factories, provide all the employment and produce all the goods and services needed by the country. What the government should do and is doing is to provide the security and convince the entrepreneurs, both local and foreign to come and invest, employ people and produce goods and services. What the ordinary Nigerians should do is to expose the criminal elements amongst us, including the kidnappers and the thieves
So, is it a confirmation that we are likely to see more of a General Buhari?
Well, I don’t know what you make of me, but … (cuts in)
They say you are going to be more ruthless…
Well, all those who call me Baba go slow, will see whether l am slow or fast.
What does that mean Sir?
It means that l will fast-forward the police and the judiciary to be hard. And where l discover that they are not hard, l will try and trace who is responsible for the slowness
from the Commanders and Divisional Police Officers DPOs, upward. The IGP alone cannot do everything. He has to depend of his Commissioners who will in turn depend on DPOs.
One of your praise singers from Kano State has declared that “Those who should run, should run” is it the time?
Well, it is up to them. If they stay they will have to behave themselves. It is either they behave themselves or better run
What is your message to Nigerians as you start the last lap of your administration and what do you expect from them?
My message to Nigerians is they should please expose the criminals in their neighborhood to help the government clear the country and attract foreign entrepreneurs to come and invest in the country, to create factories and employ people, to produce goods and services. This is what will move Nigeria forward. We cannot accommodate criminals in our neighborhood and start to blame government blindly; accusing government that nothing is being done.
You have been described differently by different people- man of integrity, man of honour, incorruptible, etc. Some simply say you are phenomenal in Nigeria’s political landscape. How will you describe yourself personally? Who is Muhammadu Buhari?
Well, l like to start by praising the teachers of my generation. I spent nine years in boarding school, three years in primary and six in secondary school. I think they do five years or four, now, I don’t know how many years. The teachers then were treating children and students like we were all children. If you do well as a student, they praise you in the classroom and at the assembly hall which held daily, six times a week. If you misbehave, you will be flogged in front of your class or at the assembly hall. So, the best out of you is brought out physically and academically. You had to do well to survive. I was a class monitor, a junior prefect, a senior prefect and l was a Head Boy. Without good teachers, l wouldn’t have been able to do them.
So, who is Muhammadu Buhari?
I was a lieutenant in the Army in Lagos, during the first coup of 15th January, 1966. If you read about Nigeria’s history, you read about coup and counter coup, the Civil war, coup and the counter coup. I was in all of them, including being in detention for three and one quarter years. So, l am fully qualified as a suffering Nigerian.
So, Nigerians will like to know if there is any secret behind the remarkable way and manner people show you love and trust consistently, since joining partisan politics in 2003?
I thank Nigerians for putting me under the microscope and seeing the way l came through. I was a governor, l was a Petroleum Minister for three and one quarter years, l was a Military Head of State before joining partisan politics.
I tried three times and ended up in the Supreme Court, three times, then l won 2015. In 2019, l won again. Really, for somebody who has been in the field for 20 years, I think if Nigerians show respect for me, l am grateful they are appreciating my efforts.
So, there is no secret about you?
There is no secret. The only thing is that l tried to survive. So, for those who are trying to survive, they have better continue to try harder. Eventually, they will succeed. It is a matter of trying harder and harder.
Recently, you got some people confused when you went to Saudi Arabia?
Confused about what?
They saw you running
Yes! Try and understand the performance of Hajj in Umrah. There is a certain place where you are expected to jug. This is what l was doing. I was trying to comply with the religious ways of doing it. I was begging God to lead me and make me succeed. I was doing it very hard.
They were wondering how a President could be running like that?
Who is a President before God? We are all equal and ordinary before God.
TONY AILEMEN and INIOBONG IWOK
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