Former governor of Sokoto State and Senator representing Sokoto South Senatorial District, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal in this interview with newsmen in Sokoto at the eve of his 60 birthday reassured that the ADC is concerned about the future of Nigeria. He also spoke on why some governor’s are defecting to the ruling APC amongst other national issues.
ANKELI EMMANUEL captures the interview
Distinguished Senator sir. At 60, you have seen Nigeria of yesterday and today. What is your expectation of Nigeria of the future?
Well, let me begin by thanking Almighty God for not only sparing my life to see today, which is the eve of my 60th year anniversary, but for all of the accomplishments in these years and still being in good healt. I also want to thank God for the special blessings of all the people that I have met, known and are around thus far.
I frankly believe that Nigeria is a great country. It is a country whose potentials have been spoken about over the years. However, the nation is still not yet where it ought to be. There is work in progress.
But looking back from the time
I got to maturity of understanding my environment till today, I will say that some achievements have been recorded,
but not as expected, and there is a lot of work to be done,
and much of it rests on the shoulders of the leaders of the country and indeed, the states.
So I still believe that Nigeria is a great country and it can be taken there. At the moment, what we desire is yearning for selfless leadership that is focused on its development and concern for its people. So the future of Nigeria is really very great.
There is always this saying that the youths are the future of tomorrow, and in the Nigerian scenario, does the leaders of today believe in that ideology?
Well, the youths are capable of creating chances for themselves. Let them speak for themselves. And also ask if the leaders of today are doing things that is actually in conformity with this long standing expression of the youths becoming leaders of tomorrow?
Leaders are to invest in the education of our youths. They should invest in their health care and in their future. And that was exactly the focus of my administration when I was the governor of Sokoto State.
And of course, you can see what happened during my adminstration. We believed in promoting youths and some of them are doing very well in their respective leadership positions today.
So, I believe that as leaders, we need to do more to make the youth leaders of tomorrow. I am speaking for myself, and particularly in my years, I believe in nurturing and growing leaders, particularly those behind and that’s why you see around me a good number of youths and young leaders emerging.
Therefore, as a leader I believe that we need to do more on identifying those youths, molding good quality in them and mentoring them for leadership positions
Most Nigerians respect you for the harmony you created during your reign as the Speaker of 7th National Assembly.
Today, Nigeria seems to be at cross road with disunity and hatred displayed for each other like never before, what’s your view on this?
Yes, the unity of Nigeria has always been a challange. This is a country with diverse cultures, languages, ethnicity and religion. There is no such a country like Nigeria in the world. So those differences might be there.
If I may recall, during our forbearer, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, was popularly qouted to have said, “we must not bury our differences but to understand and appreciate them and try to address those concerns.’ So my appeal to leaders of today is that they should carry everybody and region along in unity and equity especially when you have an amalgam like Nigeria.
But what we have seen in leaders of today, especially in this very administration is a clear case of ethnic chivunism. And I have no apology to say that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is tilting more towards empowering the Southwest. Not even the southern Nigeria that he claims to be representing when it comes to issue of rotational presidency.
I mean, the facts are very clear. And even in the southwest, if you ask them, they will tell you is all about his Lagos cacoons and not even the entire southwest.
So there is a lot of widerning under this current administration. So, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu really needs to refocus his vision and programs on Nigeria so that these fault lines may be address and the gap maybe reduced.
Should Nigerians still expect that unifying spirit and leadership prowess you domonstrated as the 7th NASS Speaker from you again now that you are a Senator?
Well, that’s why we are still where we are, beginning again as some of our leaders used to say. (BE) Begin Again. And that is what we are doing in the coalition. Trying to really work together as Nigerians and bring everybody that is concerned about the unity, progress and development as well the the future of this country on board.
And that is what I see coming out of what we are doing as a coalition.
Though, what we are doing is not completely new as it’s not a new political order but all of us coming together trying to rebuild new political confidence around all of us as political leaders and the citizenries of this great country so that the connection may remain between leaders and the rest members of Nigerian society.
Do you see the new coalition ADC capable of unseating the incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come 2027?
By the grace of God. You can see clearly. All the signs are there. That is why they panicking, intimidating and harrasing governor’s to join their political party?
This is what they started right from cases were in Supreme Court. We were aware that the Presidency was involved in midwifing the processes whereby every governor was returned, even where there were clear cases of injustice and miscarriage of justice.
All the governors who had cases at the Supreme Court, it was clearly negotiated, and then, the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made them to continue and that is why they feel morally obliged by that political ‘I Owe You” between the President and those governors’ because that was the deal for them to join his party.
That’s not democracy. That is politics. And when governors are defecting the way they are defecting, you should know what was the reason.
I defected as a sitting governor, but I didn’t defect to the the President Muhammadu Buhari’s ruling political party despite being a governor from the north west.
Out of my conviction that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was drailing, I left and joined the opposition in an attempt to reestablish clear, proper democratic efforts and democratic governorance in Nigeria.
So, when I see governors running away from political parties simply because they want to go and align with the center and belong to the center because they believe that they are going to write the wrongs for them. Then that is bullshit.
Nobody is going to write any results this time around Nobody, and I repeat nobody because we are ready and prepared to go through an election process that must be free and fair, and any attempt to write any result will be resisted lawfully and constitutionally.
Most of your political associates and suppoters in Sokoto and beyond are eagerly waiting to know your stand on the coalition ADC?
The ADC is still a work in progress. And I have never hidden myself. I have been involved in it from day one. Right from its formation to clearing the bushes I have been involved.
And then it will culminate into what it is supposed to be at the end of the day. Very soon, we will make our position known to everybody. We will make deeper consultations with our stakeholders here and take a final position.
But certainly, we are not going to partake in further destruction of this country.
