2011: What Nigerians need is credible leadership – Kangiwa

With 2011 elections drawing closer, there is this controversy over zoning, which seems to divide the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Some elements in the North are insisting that the presidency should remain in the North till 2015, while others are saying that President Goodluck Jonathan should be given the party’s ticket. What is your […]

With 2011 elections drawing closer, there is this controversy over zoning, which seems to divide the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Some elements in the North are insisting that the presidency should remain in the North till 2015, while others are saying that President Goodluck Jonathan should be given the party’s ticket. What is your position? 

This is a democracy where the will of the people is supreme. You are very familiar with the idea of zoning as well as the factors responsible for its adoption by the ruling party in 1999. It was a collective decision to zone power to the South, and South West in particular due to the political exigencies at that time. It was indeed done and one can say that the purpose it was meant to achieve has been achieved; which is assuaging the South West over the June 12 elections annulment, believed to be freely won by the late Chief MKO Abiola.

The zoning arrangement is not part of Nigerian constitution but a policy adopted by the party to accomplish an aim. That aim, as far as the party is concerned, has been achieved. The fact that it was adopted by the ruling party doesn’t make it a constitutional provision that must be adhered to even though the exigencies that necessitated it in the first place are not obtainable. That is my understanding of the situation. The essence of all this even at that time, was to protect the unity of the country so that the country can benefit from the dividends of democratic rule. 

What is of interest to the common man is to have a credible leadership in the country that could execute people-oriented projects, beneficial to him and the larger society. Where a leader comes from is not what matters. Once a leader is identified as the type that can deliver, and is a Nigerian, you can set aside any party zoning system.

What is important is for the leader to have the ability to deliver. We have elected people to positions of authority based on their religion and ethnicity. But nothing came out of it. Now, we want to go strictly on merit and the ability to deliver. We have seen that in President Jonathan and so it shall be. It is a good thing that he is gaining acceptance despite the fact that there are some people that see the Presidency as an extension of their places of worship. We are addressing that aspect squarely.

Are you saying that the idea of zoning has overstayed its use now?

The Nigerian constitution is supreme over PDP constitution. We cannot because of party interest deny any capable Nigerian the opportunity to govern. What we want is credible leadership. There must be a shift from “come and rule because you are from there” to “come and rule because you are capable”. That is what Nigerians want and that is what should be done. The money bag politics and the era of sponsoring incompetent people that will rig their ways to public offices is over. What we want is to get a credible leadership that will save this country. The late President Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan started a lot of people-oriented projects. Jonathan is now the president. He has a year ahead to prove his worth.

Part of the problem of governance in this country is lack of continuity. Another problem is the issue of religious and tribal differences. The ordinary people lived peacefully among themselves. But simple-minded people that have nothing to offer encourage all this differences just because they want to impose themselves into position of leadership. That is unacceptable. Nigeria belongs to all of us. Every Nigerian, from any part of the country, subject to the provisions of the constitution, is free to aspire to positions of leadership. President Jonathan is qualified to contest in 2011 and we shall vote for him.

Frankly, I don’t associate zoning to development or to greater extent to the improvement of the fortune of a particular group or region. I will give you a practical example. Like it or not, the North, for instance, has held power more than any other region in the country in the last 50 years of the country’s independence. Producing the presidents and heads of state of this country didn’t make the North the most developed region in the country. Or did it?

The North has ruled this country for more than 35 years without a commiserate development of the region. Other sections of the country that haven’t rule for that long are the most developed. The consequences of our firm grip on power can be seen from abject poverty, diseases, illiteracy, child-begging, and all other signs of underdevelopment. I am looking at the current situation from this perspective. It is my understanding that the common man on the streets of either the North or South is more concerned about who will provide food, security, education and health care services to him than anything else. I think the region is coming to terms with this reality.

From this perspective, I think that there is nothing wrong or immoral in giving President Goodluck Jonathan the party’s presidential ticket in the forthcoming elections. His antecedent is not a secret to anybody in the country. His loyalty and detribalised personality is equally well known. His capacity to handle crisis situation across the country is equally commendable. The recent Jos crisis broke when he was an acting president and his immediate response to the situation is a clear evidence of his ability to manage the affairs of this country.

I would like to see a situation where the job is given to whoever can do it better.  Tell me, if you take a Northerner and give him, what difference will it make to the impoverished Northerners? We are talking about someone that can make changes in the lives of Nigerians irrespective of sectional or religious affiliations.

 In fact, who knows? The North can even have a better deal by putting its act together, thereby eradicating poverty, ignorance and all manner of underdevelopment indices the region is now synonymous to. The South, if I may put it that way, is developed in virtually every facet of human endeavour in the last 50 years without holding power at the centre. Why can’t the North do that now? I think we can do it now. The South has done it and it worked in their favour. The North can equally achieve that with determination and willingness. That, I think, is better than insisting that we must hold on to power by hook or by crook.

 

 There is a sort of a cold war raging in Kebbi state between Senator Adamu Aliero and his successor Governor Usman Sa’idu Dakingari. And they are all members of the PDP. What is really happening?

It is unfortunate that such a thing is happening in the state, particularly at this material time when the energy and expertise of the conflicting parties is needed to move the state forward.  The two groups are all from Kebbi, they have no state than Kebbi. That is why I think the cold war is uncalled for. It doesn’t add value to their personalities nor increase the fortune of the state. I am therefore appealing to them, for the sake of peace and tranquillity, to sheath their swords and put hands on deck to move Kebbi State to greater heights. This is what our state deserves now not political bickering.