Former Secretary-General of Afenifere and Chairman of the defunct Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference, Senator Femi Okurounmu, in this interview with Assistant Editor (South West), MUYIWA OLALEYE, explains how Yoruba leaders contributed to the marginalisation of the race.
The last presidential election?
It was okay. Let us thank God for a successful election. The election is a big lesson to all Nigerians to always have faith in anything they are doing. I am not saying that Muhammadu Buhari is the best candidate. In life, no condition is permanent. To my mind, President Goodluck Jonathan has tried his best in so many ways, especially in making the much-agitated confab to take place without rancour. I give credit to him. On the issue of insecurity, Boko Haram and the Chibok girls, he has also tried his best, because no man is perfect.
Assessing Yoruba outing at the confab
We succeeded in achieving most of the Yoruba objectives that we articulated. At least, we got 80 per cent of them.
It is important to note that not only was Bola Tinubu opposed to it (confab), his allies in the core Fulani North were opposed to it (also). Even at the conference, all the delegates from the core Fulani North were opposed to most of these reforms and most of the constitutional changes that we tried to articulate, which we succeeded in getting with the cooperation of other Nigerians, especially from the minority areas in the North and the South – because the Northern minorities also went with us.
All these were to properly restructure Nigeria and make everybody equal; in which there would be no ‘super Nigerian’ and ‘subordinate Nigerian’; in which there would be no master and there would be no slave; in which there would be no ruling class and follower class; in which some people would not consider themselves ‘born to rule’, with the feeling that they must rule forever. We were able to get all these things done at the confab. The Fulani North are the beneficiaries of the status quo – they benefit from the present constitution. The present constitution, as it is, was designed by a succession of military rulers who were from their area (North) and who crafted that constitution to favour that area. They don’t want any change from it. These are the people allying with Tinubu to stay on the other side; to say that they want change. I don’t know what change they want.
Lamentation over marginalisation of the Yoruba in distribution of political appointments
Jonathan has done quite a lot. Those who are claiming that Jonathan marginalised the Yoruba were the ones who marginalised the people.
I was one of those championing the cause of Yoruba marginalisation. We had to, regardless of who caused it. We must cry out when we are marginalised. We know who caused it. Only a little percentage can be put on Jonathan’s head. Eighty per cent of the blame over Yoruba marginalisation must be put on (Bola) Tinubu. The post of Speaker (of the House of Representatives) was given to the Yoruba and who turned it down? Who sold it away? It was given to (Aminu) Tambuwal for personal interests. If you are not at the source of sharing, you are bound to be marginalised. Tinubu deprived us the opportunity to be at the source of sharing, by the post of the Speaker that was given away. Since then, Jonathan has tried to make amends in many ways. There are appointments that are not so visible.
Afenifere position on contract for protection of oil pipelines in the South West that is tearing OPC apart
I cannot say I’m giving you the view of Afenifere, because Afenifere is no longer a whole integral body. There are many factions in Afenifere. Since 2003, there have been many splits in the body. It is difficult for anybody to say he is speaking for Afenifere. There is the Reuben Fasoranti faction; there is the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), and there is another faction that is coming together now. In fact, everybody is Afenifere these days. But no matter how scattered we are, we that are Afenifere know ourselves. So, I’m giving you my opinion as an Afenifere leader.
It started with the Niger Delta militants. There is this programme through which they are paid millions of naira monthly. And we also heard they were given contracts in billions of naira tax-payers’ money to keep them quiet. It is like buying peace. This is nothing but appeasing the people who are attacking the pipelines and destabilising the country. I think it is a bad policy. It is bad for the Niger Delta; it is bad for Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC). It is bad for any such group. It is not right for these ethnic militias to say they want contract to protect oil pipelines. Why do we have police and other security forces? If you make the job of ethnic militias to protect public infrastructure such as oil pipelines, then you will encourage other people to organise themselves and take up arms, so as to get a piece of the cake. It would compound the security situation of the country.
Pipeline contract linked to Frederick Fasehun and Gani Adams
I don’t want to echo what the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said about Fasehun. I’m neither an APC member nor a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member. At this age, I’m an elder statesman. So, if my view happens to coincide with anyone’s view, it is simply coincidental. I don’t know why President Jonathan would want to give Fasehun or OPC such a contract. But if the idea is to get Fasehun to work for Jonathan by resurrecting UPN to destabilise the South West, then Jonathan has misfired.
I think the idea of reviving UPN is one that is dead on arrival; that idea cannot fly. First of all, Fasehun was not a UPN leader. I was a member of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the UPN, working directly under and with Obafemi Awolowo. There are some other UPN leaders still alive today. It is only such people that can revive UPN with credibility. Among the UPN governors, at least, Lateef Jakande is still alive. I’m not aware he is involved in the effort to revive UPN.
When Fasehun came to meet me, I was lukewarm about his idea of reviving UPN. They had already made up their minds before they started talking to people like us. They just want people to come on board. I didn’t believe it. It can’t work because a lot of the UPN loyalists are now either in APC or the PDP. And these people are not going to leave their parties just because Fasehun, who was not even a leader of UPN, said they should come and revive UPN. It is an idea that is dead before it starts. Those who do not understand the South West and are giving some money for the purpose of reviving UPN are wasting their money. I’m not saying Fasehun is being funded for this purpose, but if he is being funded for this purpose, then it is money wasted.
UPN as a South West party led by Awolowo
That is a wrong impression. UPN was not a party for the South West. I was the coordinator of UPN in the old Gongola State, which later became Adamawa and Taraba states. I led the campaign for Awolowo there. There were five senators from each state, as opposed to three that we have now. Of the five senators in Gongola, UPN had two. We almost won the state. The whole of where we call Taraba today was UPN, 80 per cent of Adamawa was UPN. We won Kwara and Bendel states and won seats in Southern Kaduna and Plateau. How can anybody say UPN was South West party? It was not.
