Dambazau: ‘Nigeria will win if right people are elected’

He described ‘the right people’ as “people who are competent and of high integrity; people who are focused and selfless; people who are courageous and loyal; people who respect human rights and appreciate the rule of law; people who would be transparent and are ready to be held accountable; people who understand the essence of […]

He described ‘the right people’ as “people who are competent and of high integrity; people who are focused and selfless; people who are courageous and loyal; people who respect human rights and appreciate the rule of law; people who would be transparent and are ready to be held accountable; people who understand the essence of human security; people who are ready to once more make Nigeria the giant of Africa; people who appreciate that without peace and security there will be no development; and above all, people who believe in Nigeria as a united, indivisible nation.” These are the kind of people that would guarantee Nigeria’s economic, political and social stability to put her on the path of sustained growth and development, he said.
Speaking at the 12th Daily Trust Dialogue at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Dambazau said the 2015 elections are likely to present serious challenges that could jeopardize national security interests unless plans are made to ensure hitch-free elections. He said while there are fears that the country will disintegrate as a result of these elections, there is also hope that the elections would provide the opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s unity and uphold her integrity.
General Dambazau posed a series of questions with regards to the 2015 elections. “Would they provide opportunities to elect good leaders that would clear the path for peaceful co-existence, security, and national development?  Would they be free, fair, all-inclusive and credible but also free from the type of post-elections violence we witnessed in 2011?  Would they lead to the long awaited consolidation of democracy in which good governance would be evident through accountability and transparency, and the respect for the rule of law and human rights?”
He also asked, “Would the 2015 elections bring about a radical change leading us to economic growth and political stability? Would they improve Nigeria’s corruption image in which the Transparency Corruption Index (TCI) depicts Nigeria as one of the most corrupt nations on earth? Would they improve Nigeria’s poor governance image as depicted by the 2013 Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG)? Or would the 2015 elections provide the opportunity to improve Nigeria’s status in the UN Human Development Index (HDI) from being among the low developed to highly developed countries in the world? To what extent would the outcome of 2015 elections significantly reduce the risks of terrorism to which Nigeria presently occupies the 4th most risk position (even ahead of Somalia) in the world according to the 2014 Global Terrorism Index or to turn things around in the world of cybercrime in which a computer crime and security survey ranked Nigeria as the most internet fraud country in Africa and the 3rd in the world?”
The former Army Chief said as we move towards the 2015 elections the political environment in Nigeria has been anything but stable, accompanied by high tension signaling warnings of impending political instability and violence added to the criminal violence resulting from such crimes as kidnapping, armed robbery, ritual murders, and rape. Over the past five years, he said, the nation has been struggling with the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast. “There is also the issue of recognition and ownership of Nigeria, and one may not be far from reality to assume that Nigeria is still struggling to be recognized as a nation by those who reside in her territory.” He listed groups with a separatist agenda to include Boko Haram, NDPVF, MASSOB, MEND and OPC “who believe that everyone should go his separate ways.” He said the 2015 elections represent just the peak or high point of this contest but there are many other factors that come to play in deciding the “how” to make Nigeria the winner.
The General regretted that “at no time in the history of this country did we find ourselves so divided along religious and ethnic lines than now.” Most politicians, he said, rely on the strength and efficacy of using religion and ethnicity as tools for political mobilization by taking advantage of the strong religious and ethnic sentiments among Nigerians. He said politicians have also introduced money as an additional tool for political mobilization. “People are ready to do anything for money, including selling their votes and killing political opponents.” He accused some politicians of using money to establish private armies, saying  “the last 15 years have witnessed the gradual militarization of politics which gave birth to, for example, the Borno ECOMOG now transformed to Boko Haram; all manners of armed “cultists” groups especially in Rivers; the Niger Delta militant groups such as NDPVF and MEND; the Yan K’alare of Gombe; Ombatse of Nasarawa; the Area Boys of Lagos; the Egbesu Boys in Niger Delta; Sara-Suka of Bauchi; Bakassi Boys of Cross River; Yan Daba of Kano; Kauraye of Katsina; etc.”
He said, “How do we conduct elections with integrity using the so-called “stomach infrastructure” by attracting votes with 5kg bags of rice? How do we ensure elections with integrity in a situation in which almost all the outgoing Governors, regardless of party affiliation, anoint their chosen successors prior to elections, thereby disregarding people’s choices? And those who still have the opportunity to seek re-election for another term are given automatic ticket, regardless of their performance, thereby not only blocking other contenders from exercising their rights to participate, but also denying people the right to choose their leaders?”