Former Minister of Petroleum, TAM DAVID-WEST, is, by all standards, an accomplished Nigerian. But he is currently unhappy because he feels Nigeria is being governed by bad leaders. In this interview, he tells Senior Correspondent, ISHAYA IBRAHIM, the way out
You are known to be against the emergency rule extension in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. Don’t you think the situation would have been worse without government applying the measure?
David WestGovernment can send troops to any part of the country for security purpose without declaring emergency rule. It is within the power of the President and Commander-in-Chief, after consultation with the service chiefs and Council of State, to send troops to any part of the country without declaring emergency rule. When (Olusegun) Obasanjo sent troops to Odi, did he declare emergency rule? Emergency rule was not declared there. If there is trouble anywhere and the Commander-in-Chief feels that it is beyond the control of the police, troops can be sent there without declaring emergency rule. When you declare emergency rule, you have already created a situation of anxiety and tension. As for emergency rule in the Northern states, it will not solve Boko Haram (menace). Emergency rule cannot solve it because the basic issues have not been addressed.
What do you mean by the basic issues not being addressed?
I don’t believe that the basic issue of Boko Haram is religion, because Boko Haram destroys churches and mosques. They even attack and kill emirs. The basic issue of Boko Haram is unemployment and frustration among the youths. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. If these boys are gainfully employed, there will be no Boko Haram. They are saying that most of them are educated. So the basic solution to Boko Haram is to tackle unemployment. When they are engaged, they won’t have time for violence. Emergency rule cannot be a solution.
You must have been following developments of the missing Chibok girls. Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo said no girl is missing; that the abduction was a trick to embarrass the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. Some Nigerians also hold that view. What do you make of that?
I don’t want to talk about Asari-Dokubo. Somebody told me that Asari-Dokubo abused me on Facebook. I’ve told you before; Asari-Dokubo is my cousin. He had stayed with me at Sankore Avenue in my house in Ibadan. He cannot deny it. I used to give Asari-Dokubo ‘pocket money’. Now he has made so much money without ever being employed for one hour. He was thrown out of the university two times. He was thrown out of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) and the University of Calabar (UNICAL). Asari-Dokubo has never worked one hour of earned salary. Where does he make his money? I don’t want to talk about him. If Asari-Dokubo is saying no girl is missing; that is nonsense. Patience Jonathan said no girl is missing, yet Jonathan is inviting the world to come and help look for them. Jonathan even said he knew where they are; that they are in the country. Jonathan appealed to America, France and United Kingdom for help, and yet they are saying the girls are not missing? Jonathan attended a meeting in Paris called by the President of France attended by all the West African countries. And all of them are looking for these girls. Anybody who said no girl is missing should be sent to psychiatric hospital. If one of the missing girls is their daughter or their relation, would they say that? What type of people are we? Can’t we have pity on other people?
The House of Representatives attempted to probe Diezani Alison-Madueke; all of a sudden, a court injunction prohibiting the probe surfaced…
The judge was annoyed. He said he never stopped it. It was bad reporting done by the press and the man who represented the House of Representatives. It was either their lack of understanding or ignorance that got the court stuck. But the court said it never stopped the House. The judge was very annoyed that they reported him badly.
But there is still confusion as to whether the probe will go on owing to court cases.
Jonathan cannot fight corruption. Forget about the missing N20 billion. He has a minster that has been proved to have used N10 billion to hire plane. Jonathan should have suspended her long ago and allowed transparent investigation of the matter. There should be public hearing. We are talking about N10 billion public funds. I never travelled with a hired plane when I was a minister. Even Buhari has a policy. Under Buhari, as a public officer, if you were travelling on a route covered by the Nigerian Airways, you must travel by Nigerian Airways. That is Buhari’s policy. Throughout my stay as minister, I was at Vienna, Geneva, OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries); I always travelled in public transport. She must be probed, and it has to be public probe. N10 billion is not a small amount of money.
But the president has said the House of Representatives is politicising the probe.
Is Jonathan the advocate of Diezani?
He appointed her. Maybe that was why he said that.
If a head of state appoints a minister and the minister misbehaves and the head of state refuses to discipline the minister, and even defends the minister, it means the head of state is working hand-in-glove with the minister; he is an accomplice. He knows what is happening. Jonathan should mind what he does. Here is a public officer, a minister that has been accused, alleged to have spent N10 billion to hire private plane. He has no right to defend her. By defending her, you compromise yourself. If Jonathan defends her, he has not only compromised himself; it means he is also accused. Let the normal processes go on to show that she is innocent or guilty. If I were Jonathan, I would allow the House of Representatives to go on with the investigation and let her clear her name and Jonathan’s name. By all this rigmarole, he is compromising himself unnecessarily. Why should he compromise himself?
You have repeatedly said that former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), remains the best choice for Nigeria in 2015. Don’t you think he is too old to contest, given that he is already 71?
Buhari is very young. Anybody who says Buhari should not run because of his age is a stupid person. What age was Ronald Reagan when he ran for Presidency of America? What age was Nelson Mandela when he became President of South Africa? They are afraid of Buhari because he will stamp out corruption in this country. And I know that Buhari will turn Nigeria around in six months. Anybody who is talking about Buhari’s age is not only ignorant but stupid. Mandela was older than Buhari when he became President of South Africa. Age has nothing to do with this. Julius Caesar became the head of Rome at the age of 18. And my own grandfather, David West, was head of the David West family at the age of 18. What of Gowon? Gowon was Head of State when he was in his 30s. Diette Spiff was governor of Rivers State when he was in his 20s. What are we even saying? Jonathan is a young man. What has he done? They are afraid of Buhari because he will stamp out corruption in this country.
Apart from his age, there is also the argument that Buhari doesn’t have broad-based support, especially in the South East and South South. Will that not also affect him?
It will not affect him. If Buhari contests, he will win. Jonathan is president, but he became president not because of the vote of Ijaw people. The total vote Jonathan got from Ijaw area was only 24 per cent. So, Jonathan is in Aso Rock not because of the vote from his area; Jonathan is there because of the vote of other parts of the country. If Buhari decides to contest and if APC chooses him as its flag-bearer, Buhari will win that election.
Are you optimistic on this?
I am very optimistic, and not romantic, because of the facts. We have the facts about Buhari to analyse. In the 2011 election, did he lose? They rigged him out. They said Buhari is a serial loser. It is a lie. Buhari is a serial loser because he was serially rigged out. In any free and fair election, Buhari will beat Jonathan.
You know the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is a strong party with presence in every nook and cranny of Nigeria.
PDP is strong only in rigging. PDP will not win in any free and fair election in Nigeria. But anybody that wants to rig 2015 election does not love Nigeria. It cannot be business as usual.
Are you aware that your support for Buhari against Jonathan has drawn bad blood for you?
Let it draw bad blood for me. I have no animus for Jonathan. I have everything against his style of governance. All the people around him are deceiving him. They have created so many enemies for him. And he believes them. But my support for Buhari is spiritual. I don’t support Buhari because he is Buhari; just as I don’t support Jonathan because he is Ijaw. I support people that I know can do the job for Nigeria. Jonathan cannot match Buhari by one-tenth. Ten Jonathans are less than one Buhari. I know the man (Buhari). I know he can turn this country around in six months. Buhari is the only man in the political sphere that can fight corruption in Nigeria. Corrupt people are afraid of him. He is one of the ambiguities and contradictions of Nigeria. He said corruption is killing the country. Here is a man that even his enemies say is not corrupt. Yet they want to rig him out. The fear of General Buhari is the beginning of wisdom for corrupt Nigerians.
But the president said people mistake corruption for stealing; that stealing is not corruption. The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) chairman also corroborated that.
Anyone that says that stealing is not corruption should be arrested and jailed for life immediately because the person is an enemy of society. How can he say that stealing is not corruption? If you are not corrupt, would you steal? If you are upright, would you steal? So anyone who says there is a difference between stealing and corruption should be arrested and jailed for life immediately. I am surprised. How can somebody who says stealing is not corruption fight corruption?
What is your take on the ongoing national conference?
I have just watched to a live television programme from Abuja about the national conference, and they are talking about fuel subsidy. Their assignment is to talk about the restructuring of Nigeria. The national conference is not to talk about fuel subsidy. And all the delegates I listened to don’t even understand that there is no fuel subsidy. They said “remove fuel subsidy”. You cannot remove what does not exist. This has been established. Nigeria is the only country in the world that makes provision for fraud in the national budget. Every year, they provide billions of naira to pay for subsidy. And it is fraud because fuel subsidy does not exist.
So, national conference talking about fuel subsidy is a waste of time and money of the country. National conference is to talk about the restructuring of Nigeria.