Wahab Shittu, lawyer, activist and lecturer, in this interview with MUYIWA OLALEYE, speaks on the Boko Haram insurgency, 2015 election among other national issues.
Assessing political situation in Nigeria
Generally, the political situation is becoming increasingly contentious and volatile because of elements of surprise and lot of challenges and lessons to learn from the political gladiators.
Refusing to surrender
We must realise as a country that the Boko Haram insurgency is no longer a national problem; it is an international problem. So, all hands must be on deck to stem the tide. Again, we should not see the Boko Haram issue as President Goodluck Jonathan’s problem. It is also neither a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) problem nor the All Progressives Congress (APC) problem. It is a collective problem, and to that extent, the members of the National Assembly were very patriotic across political party lines when the first request for the emergency rule was made because when there is a breach of peace in a place, it is a threat to peace everywhere.
But having granted such emergency in the first place, there should be the need for positive feedback. Why should we still be having rising wave of terrorism in the North East despite the emergency rule? Is it because the military personnel have been overwhelmed or enough troops are not being deployed? Is it because enough funds are not made available to the security forces to prosecute the war against the terrorists? Despite the emergency rule in the North East, insecurity is on the rise. Many people are daily being killed, while many others are maimed and rendered homeless. There is serious crisis in the country.
It, however, appears that the political elite are trivialising the problem; they are laying emphasis on February general elections, forgetting that they can only govern when there is a territory to govern. As a matter of fact, Nigeria appears to be on the death row because the quest for political power is most paramount across all party lines now. We must also realise that this is not the season of blame; we should realise that the blame is collective.
The insurgents have wronged the country and we must admit that we have wronged the insurgents at a particular point in time because there is no justification under national and international law for the police to extra-judicially kill the leader of the Boko Haram sect. It is also wrong for the Boko Haram to now wage war against the rest of innocent Nigerians. So, this is not the time to apportion blame to anybody; it is the time to collectively come together and address the scourge that is capable of destroying Nigeria.
On the president’s request for the state of emergency extension or not, I think the National Assembly members who had granted the previous extension cannot now be blamed for asking for a positive feedback on why we are having an upsurge in Boko Haram activities despite the emergency rule.
Nigeria’s president is perhaps the most powerful president in the world; he has the right to deploy troops in any part of the country especially if the sovereignty of the country is threatened. He can do that now under relevant constitution that there is an emergency rule. We also need to understand the wider implication of the state of emergency. Under the emergency rule, all the fundamentals of democratic tradition, such as respect for constitutionalism, respect for the rule of law, accountability and transparency as well as free and fair election are suspended.
State of emergency is a semi-military rule where the rights of the citizens can be trampled upon. In the name of emergency, movements of the people in the North East are restricted to certain hours but government forgets to realise that in the process of containing the movements of the people, those of the insurgents are not contained because they are not answerable to any law. Where law-abiding citizens are not allowed to move freely, insurgents move when it pleases them and in the process, they cause massive havoc; massive damage and killing. Despite the emergency, many territories are being conquered by the insurgents.
Solution to Boko Haram in the face of failure of emergency rule in some states
If emergency rule would be extended eventually, it has to be done through lobby, negotiation, assurances and re-assurances. I believe that the National Assembly members who are reluctant to grant the extension of the state of emergency are not less patriotic and it is high time Nigeria took holistic and non-partisan review of the situation because Boko Haram represents evil against the collective existence of Nigeria. If the government can deploy intervention fund to assist ailing banks, can’t that same government think of a massive intervention fund to assist the victims of Boko Haram, especially those that have lost their homes? The government can also temporarily relocate the people of the North East to safer places while it declares total war against the insurgency; Nigeria has the resources to do that. Government should also appraise the recent suggestion by the former military governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar, that retired military officers should be recalled to assist in prosecuting the anti-terrorism war. Nigeria needs their experience, initiative and exposure to overcome the Boko Haram war. Nigerians should find out whether funds requested for the purpose of executing the Boko Haram war were approved; they need to know whether funds approved were released; and funds released were utilised.
Extension of emergency rule and participation of residents in election
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not a security agency; its mandate is to conduct election and as such cannot guarantee the security of the voting process. What is most important now to the traumatised people of the North East is the security of their lives and property. Nigerians should begin to think of the common good rather than individual interest because there is a wide disconnect between the leadership and the followers.
We also need to ask whether the following the leaders are claiming to enjoy is induced by money, which I call cash-and-carry democracy; or induced by godfatherism, which I would call democracy by anointing or following that is induced by massive use of brute force, which I would call democracy of AK47. So, there is disconnect between the people who are forced to make choices not out of their conscience, but because of the reality of the moment like poverty, ignorance and diseases.
Invasion of National Assembly by the police and Nigeria’s democracy
Our government is indirectly endangering our democracy and I put the blame at the door step of the political elite who appear to lack sufficient political education. All Nigeria’s democratic institutions, including the police are not properly orientated to appreciate their responsibilities in democratic setting. The police are being funded by the tax-payers’ money; their allegiance should be to the Nigerian state. So, there is no way one can justify their invasion of the National Assembly. The action was a national shame and one single way of undermining democracy.
Nigerians and dividends of democracy, 15 years after
This can be blamed on several factors some of which can be attributed to the crisis of value; some can be attributed to the crisis of structure and some can be attributed to the crisis of leadership failure and corruption. Some can also be attributed to impunity among the political elite. Nigeria can only make progress when those entrusted with the position of responsibilities agree to follow the rule of law. In a situation where executive lawlessness thrives, people rule according to their whims and caprices. There is no progress that can be made under such an atmosphere.
Nigeria has a lot of potentials for the development of the country, but the potentials have not been fully maximised because of corruption and impunity. This reminds me of the report of the just concluded National Conference. The people are asking why the report is not implemented by the government. They are asking why the government organised a conference with the public fund and at the end of the day ignored the report of the conference.
Implementing recommendations of the National Conference and Nigeria’s greatness
I believe so because those who came together to make the recommendations are some of Nigeria’s best brains. But I nursed the fear from the beginning that the recommendations cannot be implemented in the absence of a legal framework. If someone wants to initiate such a conference, he or she needs a legal framework to show issues that would be discussed, how to proceed in the discussion and the method of dealing with the outcome, so that if someone decides not to implement the outcome, sanction or penalty could follow.
Nigeria in crisis because it has yet to fully practice federal system of government
I don’t want to express personal opinion on this, but given the diversity of Nigerian federation and the massive ideas and talents that abound in the country, I am positive that a kind of system that will be suitable for Nigeria can be fashioned out if these talents and ideas are galvanised.
Appraising PDP and APC in terms of ideology
I totally agree with the claim that there is no difference between them. First, all the political parties lack internal democracy. Democracy entails free choice where the people will freely elect their representatives. Second, the two political parties are guilty of imposition of candidates on the people. It also appears that there is no clear ideological difference between the two parties; they are not being driven by any ideological aspiration. That is why it is convenient for members to dump one party for the other without any of them feeling ashamed.
Between APC presidential running mate, Yemi Osinbajo, and the late Obafemi Awolowo
You will recall that the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo, was from Ikenne and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is also from Ikenne. From reliable sources, Awolowo family and Osinbajo family have a long-standing relationship borne out of mutual love and affection. As a matter of fact, the relationship was so close that at the time Osinbajo was born, one of the earlier callers was Awolowo. He actually carried Osinbajo in his arms and prayed for him at birth. One can see that Osinbajo from birth received the blessing of God, as well as the blessings of the late sage. The relationship is so strong that Osinbajo chose a grand-daughter of Awolowo as wife.
Apart from that, it seems Awolowo and Osinbajo shared a lot in common. Awolowo was a voice of courage, so also is Osinbajo. Awolowo was a voice of wisdom as well as Osinbajo. Awolowo was a voice of knowledge as Osinbajo. Awolowo was a mobiliser, so also is Osinbajo who assembled men of Nigerian Bar for reform while he was Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State. In summary, both Awolowo and Osinbajo were highly distinguished.