Hon Bashir Idris Nadabo represented Funtua/… of Katsina State in the federal House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007, and in this interview the former lawmaker called for the disintegration of Nigeria. He also stated that it is only the north that has been keeping Nigeria together.
When you were in the house, the most prominent issue was the third term bit, how was is struck out by your session
Well, there was an attempt by Obsanjo to succeed himself unfortunately for him, he didn’t succeed because we made sure we stop him because at that time, we felt his performance were dismal, we were operating federalism, everybody should be given opportunity to come out and contest. People heard that monies were used and truly, monies exchange hands, there were about three sources where members who will support the third term go and collect their share. Minimum was fifty million naira.
Apart from monetary inducement, there were other things like land and the rest that were promised supporters. Unfortunates we that did not support the move were denied our return ticket while most who collected the monies are still into house today. The only state that took decisive action was Lagos state where Tinubu made it a point that all his members who rejected the third term bid will be given automatic ticket to come back to the house. But people like us were relegated to the background. Even when people like General Buhari gave us recommendation, the forces that be made sure we were not given a chance.
There has been calls by some Nigerians for a six year single term, now with the third term brouhaha, do you relate this calls with the third term attempt
The question of six year term is not the issue, but good governance. What we have now is good for the system but what we need is development. The issue was of six year single term is a hidden agenda for some people to succeed themselves again like what Obasanjo tried, but I am glad that both houses rejected.
Those who supported the third term bid are saying that, the legislature then should have looked at the bill critically because it contain other critical issues other than the third term bid, but instead it was all thrown out
I cannot remember now vividly but I know there was the issue of the on shore/off shore dichotomy law which I think should be revisited now….
Yes concerning the on shore/off shore dichotomy, was there really a sell out by the northern legislature.
I didn’t support the third term but for once Obasanjo tried to stop the passage of that bill. So I don’t know how it happen and the bill was passed. The law should have been passed only on shore, but off shore is not for everybody.it is not meant for the south/south, north or west. That is what should have been done. Nigeria is a federal nation and so things are supposed to be equal
What has been the effect of the on shore/off shore dichotomy law on the north?
Honestly speaking, the 13% derivation they get or let’s look at it this way. These people get 13% derivation, yet some of their elites steal their money and the people turn back to accused the government of not taking care of them. They have local government like other parts of the country, there is the NDDC, the ministry of the Niger/delta, and now the amnesty and yet they is still no development in the region.
And this issue of mineral deposit , whether oil or gold is not kept there by anybody, it was given to us by God, so why should somebody come out and call us northerners as parasite, that we have rule for years and yet we didn’t do anything, what are their people doing with the excess funds they receive? So there was a mistake made, and the day the bill was passed, they were more in numbers in the chambers than the north. We that say no were less than those that says ye. And politics is a game of number.
Early you said Nigeria is a federal nation, but is federalism working for us because some are of the opinion that we should return to regionalism
Before independence e we had regions that was after the amalgamation in 1914. Saudauna didn’t want the north to be given independence. His idea was that, the north was backward education and wanted the white people to train us for some years so we can catch up with the west. But his colleagues form the west refused and so Nigeria was given independence. If the British has known this was how the nation will be, they would have given each zone its independence separately. The north would have gotten its own another time and the story would have been different. That was the mistake that was made from the beginning.
The north wouldn’t have been having the problems it does now and even if there was one, we would have been able to resolve it because what is going on in Nigeria now is bad. The issue of ethnicity, religion and tribe has divided the nation and it is not good for this country. Federalism is working but it is just the laws that are not being followed. Take for example the issue of joint state and local government allocation, the LG is supposed to be having its money separate every month, but now it is being high jacked by the state governors and diverted. Every tier is supposed to operate separately and since the federal does not interfere with the affairs of the state, the state should also not interfere with the activated of LGC.
There are fears that the on –going crises in the PDP could effect the whole nation, what is your take on this
It is true, but the issue of national conference is important because there are lots of problem in the polity. There has never been a time in the history of Nigeria where these problems reached their climax like now. If anybody says these problem will not continue to appear in this country is wasting his time. These things, religion, ethnicity and tribalism will continue t be a part of us. I am a northerner and anytime I hear people describing us as parasite, that we don’t continue anything, I get annoyed. There was a time when we were in the house and went on oversight function, a colleague form the south-east called me aside and told me that we the north are fools. I wanted to get angry and he said, ‘God has bless the north with arable land, if chad had oil, Niger and Cameroun, it means the north has oil too. I am an Igbo man and were have the same culture with the south /south. If you will give these people the whole oil, they will not be able to manage it.
They will start fighting amount themselves’. Since then I started thinking, that, it will be better for us in Nigeria to go our separate ways. If separation will give us peace, then so be it. We will not be the first nation to do so and we won’t be the last. People who are sharing borders should sit down and talk about how they want to live with each or if they wan to be merged with other parts. A lot of our political elites are expressing fear of having a landlocked of pain, but if for example we separate and we don’t have a port or we don’t want to use their port, we can have an agreement with the government of Benin and we will be exporting our goods through them. A country like china can come in and give us loan to crate road that will lead to Benin, we can have a rail line so that we can bring our goods through Niger or Kebbi state. We will face some inconveniences from the beginning, but they won’t be insurmountable..
Are you advocating for a separation
Yes, I want us to separate and go our different ways. If we don’t, we will continue to play this politics of hatred, religion and ethnicity and it is not healthy for us because innocent are being killed for no reason
But are you not worried that this crises or the conference could lead to the state of anarchy
Anything is possible. History has shown that this kind of thing lead to serious problem. Change can come in different ways. It happen in Ghana during Rawlings. Our problem is that we don’t plan ahead. Our elites will not want the country to be separated because they have lots of retried generals and other big men who have business interest in other parts of the country. Some have oil wells in the south/south, shipment in the Lagos port and the rest.so they are protecting their interest but they need to look at the masses who are daily being killed and their properties destroyed through crises. We both know we have problems in this country and this national assembly cannot sit down and discuss these sort of problems. So we need another set of people that will be honest and open and proffer solution to our problems.
Coming back to the APC, since its registration by INEC, nobody has heard anything, what is happening
Honestly I am not part of the interim leadership, and because they have not started the registration, I am not yet a member. But a lot of people are tired of what is happening in the nation and the APC is working hard to ensure that it takes off on a sound ground. So the executive is working hard to ensure that it takes off from a sound background.
There have been calls for a power shift form the older politicians to the young ones, Buhari is a force in the party, so what will happen if he doesn’t contest
I cannot say who will represent the party because Buhari is not favoured by age, two, health wise, I have heard that he is having some health challenges, but not withstanding our people in the north are conscious of politics more than our counterpart.so if Buhari today comes out and say he will not contest and brings out somebody who he will go out with him and raise his hand, our people will vote the person..
Do you have such people in the north?
Yes we do, there is Aminu Tambuwal, EL-Rufai, Nuhu Ribadu and many other, but like for people like Tambulwa, I am afraid for him because the question is, when will he leave the house or the PDP? If he joins APC. He will meet a lot of people who are more qualified than him in terms of age, experience and exposure. One of my colleagues came and was selling the idea to me, and I gave him the same answer.so if I were Tambulwa, I WILL LIE LOW AND WATCH FOR NOW.
Should power be return to the north?
Yes, right from the time of independence we have been ruling this country and keeping it together as one nation. Look at what is happening now that another zone is ruling. I am not saying that other region should not aspire to rule, but the idea of zoning by the PDP has ruin the country. When northerners were in power, things were moving in the right direction. What did Obasanjo do and what has President Jonathan done since he came in? Can anybody point out one single thing he did?
Source: Leadership
