Government’s policies have added to the sufferings of the people of the north – Shuwa

Mohammed Shuwa, a security expert, and former governorship candidate of Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2023 governorship election in Adamawa State and coordinator of the mass movement Adamawa-first, in this interview spoke on a number of issues: INIOBONG IWOK brings the excerpts:

What is your take on the state of the nation?

Firstly, you see what is happening is not about who is in position of authority but what are your plan and what does the constitution say about the president or the governor; number one is protection of life and property, and two is the welfare of the citizens of the country because this are the two cardinal principles of leadership. The question is, have these come to play in this present dispensation? One, the government has removed subsidy because the President said subsidy was a scam but what are your plan to cushion the effect of subsidy removal on the people? The answer is, nothing. He moved ahead to increase tariff on the power sector which has a serious effect on the people. And number three, he increased the tuition fees of tertiary institutions in the country, and now he has increased the tariff on communications through the network suppliers like the MTN and others. So, this is more of policies that bring a lot of suffering on the poor masses of this country. In fact, let me tell you, nobody expected this from this government. Barely two years now, the government policies are too harsh and biting for the citizens of this country, and only those in government can cope with the suffering going on in the country; therefore, as far as I am concerned, and as far as the people at the grassroots are concerned, this government is bringing a lot of suffering to their lives on daily basis. It is too hard to bear. One thing I know about governance is if you bring any policy that is not people-oriented, lack popularity and support the best thing to do is to reverse it to avoid too hardship for the people and so for me this government is neither here nor there as far as the welfare and security of the citizens are concerned. And coming back to our northern brother’s well I don’t want to talk on regional leadership but I want to be very fair because definitely the northerners they suffer more than any other region because of the failure of their leadership. It is not about Tinubu government because they always elect leadership that lacks resources and seriousness of leadership because they don’t know why they are there; they have commercialised politics and taken politics as a business and they don’t know why they are there. They are thinking on what to get not about leadership for the people, not about bringing justices and fairness. And they are not thinking about developing the north and look at the Almajiris menace all over the north.

It did not start today because it is the failure of leadership across board in the north. And number two, the government policy has added to the sufferings of the people of the north because they lack leadership with focus, vision and they lack leadership that will take away the plight of the people and so you cannot blame the problem in the north on president Tinubu because look at what happened during Buhari regime. it is a continuous process and it is only president Yar A’dua I can say that tried to discuss the issue of the north. And also, former president Goodluck Jonathan tried but the problem with him was that he built the Almajiri schools where there is no Almajiri.

So, as far as I am concerned, the issue is getting the right leadership with the right person which we do not have today. So, the present government policy has affected all nooks and crannies of this country and what made the north to cry the most is because they are the ones that voted for this government more, especially the north west because out of the eight million votes, they gave President Tinubu five million-plus votes; so, they have the right to call this government to order.

Look at the insecurity in the North West. They have the right to cry and complain. So, as far as I am concerned, it is not the north or south that are crying, everybody is crying for goodness sake, even in Lagos there was a hunger protest. And so, hunger has no boundary and knows no religion and so it is not about the north or the south but where we have problem with this government is that they selected those people that do not have the idea of what the plight of their people is. Look at the performance of the ministers from the north; when they were governors, what did they do to advise the government on the problems facing the north?

They do not know anything, not to talk of advising the government.

So, you agree with the former SGF and Ahmed El-Rufai the former governor of Kaduna State that President Tinubu will suffer the same fate Goodluck Jonathan suffered in 2015 from the north?

Definitely. You know, it is not only Tinubu but whoever engages himself in a wrong policy that will bring hardship to the masses, the masses have no option than to see to the downfall of that government and agitate for change. Look, let me tell you, it is not only Tinubu but whoever that engages in unpopular policies against the people will suffer the same fate. It is not about El- Rufai or Babachir Lawal but about Nigerians because business is not going as it is supposed to; a lot of businessmen are going out of business because of lack of capital because of the bad policy of the government. And too, the minimum wage they gave where is the effect on the people because they gave it with the right hand and collected it back with the left hand because it is better they didn’t increase the minimum wage and the economy as it were before. The policy of this government is the enemy of this government and the enemy of this government will remove this government from power.

There is a clarion call by Adamawa State people to your humble self to run for the governorship seat again come 2027. What is your reaction to that?

Well yes, there are calls from every angle of the state for me to run for the government seat. It is true but what is before me now is to form a formidable force that will challenge the PDP and APC because it is not about removing the government in power but bringing the right person of proven integrity, capacity and experience; this is what we want. But if you remove the government in power for removing sake and you brought in somebody with no idea definitely it is going to be business as usual; so, what I am after now is to bring like-minds to form a formidable force and move to one direction, and what is the direction and the direction is Adamawa before me. Adamawa before my tribe, region and religion and Adamawa for all because you can be a Christian, a Muslim but you take Adamawa as your first home as far as you reside and do business in Adamawa state, give birth in the state and still claim a southern Igbo, No. I want you to be a southern Igbo and Adamawa Igbo. I want every tribe in Adamawa state to have equal right because if there is hunger, there is hunger for Igbo, Yoruba, Christian, Muslim or anybody for that matter. This is what is before me and until that formidable force is achieved then I will make my position known but for now what is before me is to see us having like-minds not based on party but a force to reckon with that will dismantle the PDP and the APC that will bring the right person who knows the definition of Adamawa state because Adamawa state has more than three hundred and something tribes and you must know them and be acceptable by all the groups in the cosmopolitan Adamawa state.

If you see the leaders in Adamawa first, it comprises people from the Christian and Muslim leaders, youths, women and all political parties but some people take our diversity as a problem but for me without living with an Igbo man I wouldn’t have known how they get married and how important kola is to an Igbo man. So, as far as I am concerned, we have to mingle with everyone and we are moving ahead and a lot of people are coming from PDP, APC and moving in the same direction with Adamawa first. And we will have a government for all not a government for the few.

There are voices against the creation of new Emirates and Chiefdoms in Adamawa state. What is your reaction?

You see, if you ask Mohammed Shuwa anything about this issue one thing I know and stand for is I am for the people of the grassroots; so, if people so wish that they want kingship or Emirship at their door step, in every tribe and family so be it and that is my humble submission; all I want is justice and fairness. And as far as I am concerned, I am always aligned with people-oriented projects which will reduce the plight of the people that is my submission on the creation of new emirates and chiefdoms. If our people want it, so be it because Mohammed Shuwa is immaterial. A leadership is all about caring for the plight of your people not about me even if it is against your wish and that is why my logo is my people, my people and my people. And if I decide to eat meat and my people want to eat fish, I have to force myself to eat fish with my people but when it comes to me Mohammed Shuwa as an individual, I decide how I go about my life but it is different when it comes to leadership you represent your people as their voice and aspiration. Leadership is about service to your people and everybody not about yourself; so, as far as I am concerned, I am always concerned about the plight of my people the masses and I am for the grassroots people.

PDP and APC are in the same vehicle of disarray and confusion and 2027 is fast approaching. How prepared is Adamawa First towards 2027?

We are well prepared for the battle ahead, and let me tell you something, the suffering is for all of us and those who worked for the PDP and APC thinking that they were going to be rewarded for campaigning for them and that the government will bring policies that will better the lives of the people but today the reverse is the case. Let me tell you something, it is not about us in the opposition camp but about those in the PDP and the APC because they are the ones at the forefront that will go and campaign against themselves on what they planted. We will just be waiting in our corner because they know how they tied the knot so they will know how to untie it and they will see us in the government house and at the presidency.

So, as far I am concerned Adamawa first is moving at the pace I never expected because those in APC are telling me Mohammed Shuwa just relax we know how we will do it and PDP is saying the same thing; so, Adamawa first is just the answer and we are moving in three different ways and number one we started at the strategic level and now we are moving at the tactical level and at that tactical level we will decide on which party to go because Adamawa first is not about a political party, it is about us identifying with our common problem and what is our common problem and our common problem is bad governance. And what brought about bad governance is the PDP and APC because it is the same group of people that are in PDP and APC because they have told me don’t come to us we are coming to you because we believe in you because ninety percent of people who contested on the platform other than the PDP and the APC have decamped to the PDP or APC, but look at me today I remain where I am because those places are not meant for me. Let me tell you something, if you plant on a barren land, you will harvest nothing because there will be no productivity. So, the PDP and APC are barren land and so you cannot expect me to plant a seed on a barren land and so Adamawa first is moving at a good pace and come 2027 we will bring a government that people will be proud of and that will be for the good of the people no matter where you come from.

Finally, what do have to tell Adamawa people about Adamawa first and Mohammed Shuwa?

I am calling on Adamawa state people to look at Adamawa first as an alternative for our redemption because we don’t talk about tribe or religion, we talk about the problem, the economic woos, the uncertainty the sufferings of Adamawa state first. Everybody should come on board and forget about being a Christian a Muslim. In fact, Adamawa first is home for all because come 2027 we will form a government that cares for all.