…. Jonathan Doesn’t Deserve Commendation
Hajiya Najatu Mohammed is an outspoken politician from Kano.She is also a very close political associate of Nigeria’s President elect,General Muhammadu Buhari.In this interview with Danlami Nmodu,publisher/editor in chief ,Newsdiaryonline in Abuja she disagrees with those who have been commending President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat to General Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.She equally ,shockingly describes Mallam Nuhu Ribadu ,former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission who recently contested and lost the gubernatorial elections in Adamawa on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP under controversial circumstances as an opportunist who should not be brought back to lead the battle against corruption.She speaks on the political impasse in Taraba state and implores General TY Danjuma to come out and speak out to save democracy in the embattled state.Hajiya Naja, as she is fondly called, says those who believe Buhari will actually forget people who siphoned Nigeria’s money in the past are mistaken.If Buhari fails to do what his supporters expect him to do, he will lose them, she asserts . Excerpts:
Q:In the end,the the 2015 elections are over and Nigerians are witnessing peace rather that the war many people feared …
A: ….Funny enough , at the tail end of his presidency he(President Goodluck Jonathan) decided to tackle insecurity.Insecurity has been the biggest challenge for the people of this country .Apart from corruption, it’s insecurity.In fact the insecurity that we have had was due to the corruption because people were making money out of the lives of people.So the president decided that he had to postpone the elections in order to rectify the so called security challenges.Hundreds of thousands had been killed,millions had been displaced,millions had been orphaned…The last 6 years, hed didn’t deem it fit to rectify the wrong.Terrorism had becom a multi-billion naira industry.People were benefitting from it from the military to the people at the presidency.So one is not surprised that initially, the PDP was not even preparing for elections.But because of the pressure they had gotten from the international community in particular and a lot of Nigerians in general, they had to now begin to prepare for elections event though they were not ready.He’d wanted to continue to impose the state of emergency because so long as they had state of emergency, you cannot conduct elections.So the heroic act of people like (House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu )Tambuwal denied him the state of emergency rule that he had been imposing on the country.
Q:How did Tambuwal stop that?
A:Yes they did because if they hadn’t jumped over the fence, they wanted to use the Deputy Speaker to make sure that Tambuwal was impeached because he was a stumbling block and impose a state of emergency for the next 6 months.
Q:You thought that was the reason why?
A:No.I don’t thought .That was it(laughter)It is not that I think.That was it.That was what happened really.Otherwise,why will they stop Tambuwal and members of the House of Representatives from going in.And they were asking for an extension of the state of emergency anyway!So they got their robots at the national assembly to do what they wanted them to do .But due to the heroic act by Tambuwal and his colleagues we have an election and a credible election.Thanks to so many people.
Q:A credible election and like your party will say change has come to Nigeria.Eventually we have a president elect,General Muhammadu Buhari.But one interesting thing was that even before Buhari was declared as the winner, president Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat and that that has earned him some commendation from local and international community.
A:No no,I don’t think (so).All those people commending him,I don’t think they know what they are doing.I think it’s irresponsible in the first place to commend a person for doing what he is supposed to do.Has he got a choice?He has no choice.There was so much pressure.We have to give special Thanks to the Americans and the British.They have done a great job for us.
Q:How do you mean?
A:Yes.Beacuse on several occasions they had warned him against (further)postponing the elections.They had warned the government against manipulating the presidential elections.They had warned the government against harming Jega or removing Jega at that point in time.
Q:Was there any plan to actually harm Jega?
A:Of course there was.As you could see what was done by Orubebe.Orubebe did not only go to the venue alone.He went in with five ….trucks full of SSS men,police,thugs.They wanted to scuttle the elections.They wanted to make it inconclusive.They wanted to kidnap Jega and destroy the whole thing.But thank God, the Americans were there.The American Ambassador was there.They must have been warned and Jega was intelligent enough to be calm
Q;But how could the security men at the international Conference Centre have allowed thugs in?
A:Because they are part and parcel of it.Because he went in with a whole truck full of policemen.Who gave him the policemen?He went with a whole truck full of SS (men).He went with a whole truck full of thugs from the Niger Delta.So it’s not as if he(Orubebe) went there alone.He went there looking for an excuse to scuttle everything.But you see,when you are mad and you behave irresponsibly,and people just sit and watch you,you have no choice.He had no choice.Even though the government later dissociated themselves from him.But that is what happens when your plan fails ,you’ll always dissociate yourself..
Q:But I still think that it will still be unfair not to commend Jonathan because if such a plan as elaborate as you have described been put in place and before the final result the president himself midway then stops them in their tracks by announcing this(concession)..
A:One,we have to understand who controls the SSS?Who is the Commander in chief?It’s the president.Who give command to the SS and the police?It’s Mr President.Is he so irresponsible as to tell Nigerians that he didn’t have the know?Is he so irresponsible as to tell Nigerians he has no control of the police and the SS?
Q:So who do you think we have to thank for his(Jonathan’s) decision?
A:No,no no.I first give my thanks to the Almighty God and to the Americans, they did a great job for us,even though they had to protect their interest in the country.But we still have to be very grateful to them.Iam particularly very grateful to them,quite honestly.
Q:Still on Jonathan,there must be something that he deserves commendation for?
A:No, I don’t think so.For me, he doesn’t deserve any commendation.Look, when it is your job.. As a mother ,nobody should commend me for feeding my children, for cooking for my children…It’s my responsibility to nature and nurture.It’s my responsibility.So I don’t’t need any commendation..So when you do your job,you don’t need any commendation.In any case he was forced into it.He was forced into it, if you didn’t forget even General Obasanjo warned him.He alerted the country that the president Jonathan is going the Gbabo way.Because if he had been able to do what he planned to do,one,give power first to the military.If he really was interested in handing over power amicably, he wouldn’t have solicited for the military to take over.He did that.Everybody knows that .
Q;He did that?
A:Yes he did.But there was nothing they could do.
Q:But it wasn’t open
A:It was so open and so obvious.Even the military officers know that they cannot take over because in the first place everybody below them is not with them.They ate alone and they died alone.The stole alone and they are dying alone.So they don’t have the support of the lower cadre of the military.So there was no way theu could have taken over power…And then I also remember,the governor of Jigawa in one of his outbursts, he was saying :is Jonathan mad as to hand over power to General Buhari even if Buhari wins?..
Q:You mean Lamido said this?
A:Lamido
2 Q:Sule Lamido?
A:Sule Lamido said that.So for God’s sake,who is fooling who? It’s not as if he handed over power because he wanted to.He was forced into it because there would have been crisis in the country which he wouldn’t have been able to handle….Gbagbo wa physically taken out of Cote d’ivoire by the French Marines because he lost an election and he didd’t want to go.Jonathan wanted to very much do that.But there was so much pressure on him especially from the international community that he had no choice but to quickly congratulate the general even before the elections were concluded.
Q;And if he had done that and saved lives
A:Which life?
Q:There would have been crisis after all
A:No,no no.He has killed so many people by his irresponsibility anyway.
Q:You mean his government?
A:..It doesn’t matter.Who is the head of government? He takes responsibility for his government.He is the president and the commander in chief of the the armed forces.I even remember at one point.he didn’t even know his responsibility as president,he said Iam not the Commander in chief.I mean for somebody who doesn’t even know his duties for God’s sake,if it wasn’t deliberate,how come they were able to stop this carnage(in the north east)in 6 weeks,something they could not do in six years.
Q:You mean the Boko Haram terror?
A:The Boko Haram terror,the bombings,churches were bombed.Mosques were bombed.Markets were bombed.The north east was virtually taken over.And all of a sudden,within 6 weeks,they were able to push them back.And all we hear now is that Shekau who had been killed twice or thrice by this same government is now on the run.I mean all of a sudden we have peace in our country.Everybody is so relieved that Jonathan is going.And the fear of Buhari has been the beginning of wisdom for them.They have no fear of God because they don’t nelieve in Him.But the beauty of God is that believe in him or not,He knows where you are and His will shall always be done.However,they are afraid of going to prison.Why are they afraid of going to prison?What have they done that they fear prison so much?Why do you fear prison if you are not guilty.
Q:In any case, Buhari has assured them that Jonathan has nothing to fear.
A:No ,no no.Let me tell you..I don’t think that was what he meant,quite honestly.
Q:But that was what he said.
A:Well probably ,that is what he said.That is the text.But I don’t want to believe that that is what he means.As he has said about a week ago that people who have siphoned,who had bled this country will pay for it.He said it about a week ago.In one of my radio programmes,I had a call in programme in the northern states,particularly in the north west.And two people called in at different radio stations to beg me to tell General Buhari, which I have also conveyed to him:they said please tell the General that he said he has made a demarcation,that a line has been drawn.So one of them said,tell the General that if he has drawn a line meaning that that which is past is past,he will look ahead.Tell the General, then he should bring out all our prisoners,all the criminals that are in various prisons in this country should be freed because he has made a demarcation.And then another person asked me in a different radio station;he says Hajiya please tell General Buhari that it is our money not his money, and we have not forgiven.
Q:And what was General’s reaction?
A:Well,I’m sure the General knows better because the General is where he is today because of the love of the Talakwa,the common Nigerians.It is the love they have for him and the confidence they have in him .
Q:Across the country because it was reflected in the result..
A: Exactly.So be that as it may,what Iam saying is this:if he fails to be what they expect him to be, then he will lose them.He will lose them.I keep telling people when you see somebody loved passionately by people,it’s because God loves him.
Q :You mean Buhari will lose his supporters if he fails to do what is proper?
A:Yes,he will lose his supporters and he will lose the love of God.There must be something special about Buhari that makes him so special to people.Iam a Muslim first and foremost.And I want to tell you what our prophet said about somebody that is so loved by the common man.If you are so loved by the common man,if so many people love you and trust you, it’s because the Almighty loves you and trusts you.Iam not talking about paying people to say they love you.No.General Buhari is penniless.He doesn’t give anybody anything.He is simply loved and most of the people that love him,I want to tell you are between the ages of 35 (and) downwards.They are the people that do not even know him (when he served earlier) as a president.But they simply love him and trust him.So he cannot afford to betray that trust and that love.Beacuse that is what makes him General Buhari.I have told him and he knows that.So General must not only block all the holes that are bleeding this country but he must also make sure that anybody who has been found wanting must pay for it.Return the money and pay for it.
Q:You have any ideas in specific terms in this regard,People like who,because he has said he would not probe the past?
A:No,no no.That’s no true.He just said it about a week ago,that anybody found wanting will be punished.They must return our money.Because like the Talakwas are saying,it is not his money so he can’t forgive it.There are over 150million Nigerians in this country .So do you go to each and everyone of them to say forgive?No we are not forgiving.Iam Not forgiving.I don’t know about you but Iam not.Every kobo must be brought back..Because, he can’t even govern because he is going to meet an empty treasury.There is nothing.They have stolen everything.
Q:Much as Iam not saying that there shouldn’t be justice,but don’t also forget that there has to be some kind of striking of balance between meeting the people’s needs, providing development and also probing the past because if he dissipates too much time on probing the past would it not be ..
A:It is not his responsibility to probe in the first place.You have the EFCC and you have the police.All he needs to do is give them the powers to do what they are supposed to do.The EFCC has been stifled by the people in government.So if you don’t have intervention on they will do a great job.It is not your responsibility.You have the EFCC,you have the courts.The courts must be made to do what they have to do without corruption.And the judges must be made to understand that they have no immunity.Judges have no immunity.If they are found to be corrupt, they should be dealt with like any other citizen.Alright?So what Iam saying is that ..when people are saying that he should not be dissipating his time fighting corruption..
Q:No ,no,no, he must fight corruption
A:He must fight corruption.How do you fight corruption?You have to seal up the holes that the money is being siphoned though.And those that have been found guilty must be punished.
Q:I read an article written by Dan Agbese amazingly saying Buhari should bring back Ribadu to fight corruption.
A:No no.I don’t think we need a Ribadu quite honestly, he was my hero until he became a real hypocrite.Maybe it’s all hypocrisy.He has lied to people for so long.Iam so terribly disappointed in Nuhu Ribadu.Not just because he sold his conscience to the PDP but because he has shown that he is just a lousy opportunist…
Q:Hajiya,Iam shocked to hear you say this
A:Yes, quite honestly,I have realized that from the Oputa Panel,he has just been an opportunist..I was thinking that Nuhu was a nationalist, a very honest person to the extent that he will not sell his conscience.But I see now, Nuhu is nothing more than an opportunist..I have learnt after Nuhu that I should not trust anybody with my flesh and blood ,I should give a little gap for failure.Quite honestly people were warning me then.
3 Q:Iam particularly shocked because I know you and your friendship with Nuhu and stuff like that.
A:Yes,I know…I believed in him.I believed in him after what he did in the EFCC.I believed in him quite honestly.Howeve rI have seen that as mere opportunism.And I knew then even when he was in the EFCC that he had to bend over backwards for Obasanjo.I excused him then because I thought that to survive,to be able to work ,you have to compromise because your principal can just do away with you any time he wants.I felt that at that time he did a great job.But I think a lot of it was propaganda.This is my conclusion now.
Q:So he is not the EFCC boss we need now?
A:No, no, no.I mean even Lamorde can do better.If you give Lamorde a free rein,Iam sure he will do better.He can do well.There are so many good people in the EFCC today that you can pick and make them work.If you give them the rein to work,they will work.
Q: don’t want to end this without going into what some of you would call feminist issue.We almost thought that we had had a a female governor, that is Mama Taraba,Senator Aisha Alhassan.But all of a sudden we were told the election was inconclusive.
A:Well it’s so sad that Taraba is nothing but a state that has been turned into a fight between two religions.Taraba is mainly made up of about 60 to 70 per cent Muslims.But no Muslim as far as I know has been able to take the rein of power in Taraba in spite of their number.And if don’t forget, there has been lots of wars between Muslims and Christians,between Jukuns and Tivs.The Jukun and Tiv problem has been there since time immemorial and most of them are not really Muslims,alright?So Taraba has this peculiarity of tribal and religious wars between its people.Bu you see,I have come to understand that it is just divide and rule…General TY Danjuma’s name has been mentioned over and over again.I don’t know why a great statesman like that will reduce himself to inter religious crisis as such.
Q:But I also suspect that people drop his name too.
A:It is possible.I want to believe that his name is being dropped because the TY (Danjuma) that I know ,the TY that has gone in defence of northern Nigeria,northern Muslims,I can’t really believe that he will be doing this in Taraba..
Q:Especially ,apparently, because he doesn’t come out to talk about it.
A:Quite honestly, he doesn’t .So Iam sure they use his name a lot.Even this time around, to be very fair to him,even though they have dropped his name a lot,they have used his name to make a lot of atrocities in the state.I want to believe that.However ,I think it is his responsibility as an elder statesman, as a General,somebody who fought and defended the north who in fact defended the north.. In fact, the northern leaders that were killed then (in the sixties ) were actually virtually all Muslims.He went in in defence of the north.He has always said Iam first a northerner and then a Christian.So I don’t see why he is not coming out to rectify the wrong.That is my problem with him.He should come out as an elder of that state to stand at the side of truth.He must come out as an elder,somebody that is revered by his people,he must come out and say no, enough is enough of this carnage
Q:That the people’s votes should count?
A:The peoples vote should count.They are all your children regardless of whether they are Muslims or Christians.This is my pain with him.I feel bad about that.So Aisha is not only a Muslim but she is also a woman.So it’s double jeopardy for her.I don’t think Nigeria at this time must allow this thins to happen.We must all raise our voice and say let the votes count.And then for the REC,the REC has been so irresponsible there are local government that there had been killings and killings and killings,but he did not annul the elections there….I think …if he must be seen not to have compromised, then the whole of Taraba elections should be annulled..
Q:Ahh,let me not forget ,if you are so pained about ,what about the situation in Rivers State?
A:Well, you understand the Rivers State (issue) is a different story altogether because I think, this Mama Carnage should go to the Hague
Q:(Gestures for her to take things easy )
A:No, no no no.I think she should go to the Hague.In fact her name has already been taken to the Hague by some human rights activists.
Q:You are talking of Mrs Jonathan?
A: Yes.The human rights activists that were in Rivers had recorded it and they were expecting that something should be done about Rivers elections .But the snag is that Jega Iam really not happy with him whem it comes to that (Rivers case)….However Iam made to understand now that he needs to have a recommendation by the REC before he can annul the election
Q:And the REC has not given such recommendation.
A:The REC will never.If (she) is part of the problem , then (she) cannot give this kind of recommendation.So, Iam thinking this is exactly what is happening in Taraba.The RECs if they compromised cannot obviously write a report against themselves.That is why Rivers was not annulled.
Q:So you are hopeful that APC can still do something through the courts(Tribunal) in Rivers?
A:Well I pray so,because I don’t think they will allow it to just be brushed under the carpet,I don’t expect them to do that.I expect them to sling it out in court.I also expect Aisha to sling it out in court because the way they are going, they have virtually given it to the PDP.
Q:I have heard of people who worry about Buhari’s age.What message do you haveto console them or something ?
A:Well,look let me tell you,if they think of Buhari’s age, they should have left Jonathan who is lot younger.I mean, so long as you are mentally sound, there should not be any problem because youth has nothing to do with it.You have some very,very irresponsible criminals that are very young.Most of the criminals that we have in this country today ,they are very young people. Also,from the governors to the national assembly ( members)and the president, they are very young people.So if age is anything to be taken cognizance of, then you should have left Jonathan.It’s not about age,it’s about his ability to do what he has to do at the time he needs to do it.
Q:And finally,your take on the quality of the governors we are having now:el Rufai, Tambuwal and all of that …
A:I think Iam very proud of them.I expect them to perform very well quite honestly and we will not take anything short of that.And they should be made to understand and be reminded that Nigerians are now a lot, lot wiser.If you don’t do well,they will take you out…
