In a recent chat, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, Second Republic federal lawmaker, and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), spoke on the last general election, the crisis rocking the APC and the anti-corruption crusade of President Muhammadu Buhari amongst others.
Excerpts below...
You expressed strong optimism that your party, the APC would win the 2015 presidential election during the last interview I held with you. Today, the prediction has come to be. What gave you the confidence then against the backdrop of the fact that the APC was the opposition party at the time?
Thank God, I made an observation last year which you have now described as a prophecy and that observation had come to pass but honestly, I made that observation based on the mood of the people and the situation in the country. Goverce was at its lowest ebb. The party in power managed the administration of the country badly and the people wanted a change seriously. So, it was in the light of the situation of the country at that point in time that I made that prediction and it was a prayer to the Almighty Lord of the universe that it was necessary that we have a new government and a new person at the helms of affairs who would lead us out of the wood.
But this is two months into the administration of the APC-led government and many Nigerians are growing impatient with President Muhammadu Buhari for his inability to hit the ground running as nothing is virtually on ground to show that a government is in place. What is your take on this?
The PDP government had put the country into a big mess during the period of their governance therefore our people wanted an immediate change, a magical change which they know it is not possible but human beings will not stop to ask for good things. So I am not blaming the people, but let us look at the reality. The President is on the right cause. First thing, a President is like a store keeper. The president has been taking stock, looking at the balances of the various government agencies, making adjustments, here and there, removing the bad eggs and putting competent people into positions. Number 2, the president has been looking at people who will assist him in governance and he has assured the nation that he will only put in position credible and competent people and he had even gave a date by saying, by September, ministers will come on board. Therefore, the president is taking the steps that are necessary, that can be interpreted as good news to the people. Finally, only few days ago, the President put in place a committee that will look into how we are going to tackle corruption knowing that corruption is the most problematic disease, so to say in the system.
Still on corruption sir, only yesterday, some prominent Nigerians under the aegis of Peace Committee visited the President and concerns are being raised from various quarters that the visit was laced with ulterior motive to ask Buhari to soft pedal on his crusade to fight corruption. Do you see the President capitulating at a time like this and what becomes the outcome of his anti corruption crusade?
You see, I can say that the majority of Nigerians are committed to the elimination of corruption. That being the case, the fight against corruption is the fight for all of us. The President is only the number one soldier and so I don’t see the President changing his stand as long as Nigerians stand firmly in respect of elimination of corruption. Corruption is a two-way traffic: detection of corrupt practices. Those who are going to detect are the ordinary people of Nigeria in the civil service, in the private sector, in the political parties, in the churches and the mosques. When they see corruption, they should rise up and talk loudly. Let them write petitions and expose those who have looted the treasury and it is left for the agencies like the police, the EFCC and the ICPC to rise to the occasion and investigate. I read in the paper today and I don’t know how far it is true that a former police boss had been asked to refund N133m. I think the refund must have been the result of certain investigations and findings. But that is also a welcome news that we are taking steps to deter malpractices. So, I don’t see the President turning back. I also want to tell you that in the paper I read, a former Head of State, Abdusalami Abubakar made an observation that their mission was not to plead with the President not to probe anybody.
Your party, APC, shortly after winning the election was engulfed in deep crisis as witnessed in the June 9 National Assembly election. The situation has to a large extent, justified the claim in several quarters that APC is a party of strange bedfellows. Don’t you think so?
I laugh when people talk of strange bed fellows. Let us take the whole world as an example. Is the world not filled up with strange bed fellows? The Americans has a system that is different from the Russians. The Chinese has their own ways of life that is not in accord with those of others in Asia. We have all been living together for ages as a result of management. Even when you look at religion, some people are Christians, some are Moslems while some believe in ancient religion and you cannot put all of them together because they are strange bed fellows, but we have been managing to live together in the same city and the same environment, even in the same compound. We have succeeded as a result of management skills which God has given us and so, therefore, I congratulate our leaders in the APC for their management of differences in the party. We are human beings and part of the good thing in democracy is that you have the opportunity of expressing your opinion, not only expressing it and persuade people to accept it. But at the end of the day, it is the management skill that the leadership put into play that prevailed. People talk of strange bed fellows, but we are moving on; we were able to organize primaries, present people for elections and at the end, God gave us victory to run the affairs of this country. As at today, the problem in the House of Reps has been solved. The former Minority Leader, who did well for the party has somehow been compensated with the position of Majority Leader and most of our members in the House had accepted the position of the party and so, I congratulate them and so, I am confident that we are going to get to the promise land.
Lagos State is believed to be the bedrock of progressives in Nigeria but the outcome of this year’s election almost changed the tide as the PDP made a surprising incursion in the state at the end of which it lost narrowly to the APC in all the elections. Are we seeing the end of progressive politics in Lagos?
You see, the victory of our party in Lagos State is a victory for democracy good governance and victory for the progressives. The first time in the history of our country the President left his Olympian heights and descended to Lagos with all the resources of our country and with the so called federal might and they lost. Is that a not a victory for all of us in this country? Taking into consideration that all security apparatus were maneuvered to coerce the people of Lagos and all the destructive elements were also aided as you remember that hoodlums were parading the streets of Lagos, uprooting the flags of APC, beating our members and our leaders and in spite of all that, God being on our side. So as far as I am concerned, it is a big victory and in fact, those of us in Lagos State, we are still going to celebrate the victory in a big way.
There is an ongoing debate concerning the issue of probe of corrupt office holders. The PDP is saying that Buhari should extend the probe beyond the Jonathan government, alleging that the current method smirks of selective and witch hunting. What is your take on this?
I would say that position you have mentioned is being projected by mischief makers. I think that projection is wrong. Buhari is not even probing any government whatsoever. What Buhari is saying is that he is making attempt, laying foundation on the right part and definitely if you want to rehabilitate a system, definitely you make some tough decisions. If there are cracks, you definitely want to look into what causes the crack and possibly remove it. What the president is doing now is to look into our resources and to find the areas where some people have looted the treasury as being reported. Everyday people make accusation of things budgeted for and not purchased and the money that was budgeted had been diverted to other areas. So these are the normal governmental examination and as far as I am concerned, this has nothing to do with the administration of Obasanjo or Jonathan. A thief is a thief whether you stole yesterday or today, anyone who is alleged or found culpable of looting the treasury should refund it so that the outcome will serve as a deterrent to all of us so as to reduce our greed and our unnecessary desire for wealth and that is the light I want all of us to see it rather than seeing it in the light of probing Mr, A or not probing Mr. B