Why North is against the single tenure proposal –Sani

[Mirror]

Mr. Anthony Sani is National Publicity Secretary of Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF. In this interview with Aza Msue, he explains why the North is opposed to the Senate's proposed single tenure for the president and governors in the ongoing constitution review, his stand on the pension fund scandal, management of the reports on petroleum subsidy, the late MKO Abiola and President Goodluck Jonathan's mid-term performance, among others. Excerpts:

Why is Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) opposed to the single six-year tenure proposed in the ongoing constitution review?

The opposition is based on principles that single tenure for every incumbent lacks incentives to motivate them for excellent performance, since all occupants are the same. As a result, the only incentive would be to pillage the public treasury. But in the multiple tenure, there is incentive of working hard in order to be re-elected. In a single tenure, there is nothing like that. Also, if the fear of the multiple tenure is that of rabble-rousing attendant to democracy, I don't see how such can reduce in a single tenure.

As regard the need to remove power of incumbency using the single tenure, I wish to say incumbents would still work for their parties anyway. In any case, why put the electorate through the purgatory of having to tolerate feckless incumbents for six years? But one way of reducing abuse of power of incumbency is to allow multiple tenure which should not be consecutive, like in Chile where no incumbent conducts an election in which he is a candidate.

What is your position on the choice of May 29 instead of June 12 as Democracy Day? Do you think the late MKO Abiola should be declared former president?

I look at them indifferently because true democracy based on liberty, justice, common decency and sanctity of elections, has nothing to do with dates but with our values and attitudes. In what ways will declaring Abiola ex-president enhance the growth of our democracy? I think the media are dwelling too much on former things, which is unhelpful, going by Isaiah 43:18.

Do you think the reasons for June 12 annulment will ever be known to Nigerians?

How would knowing the reasons help us in this country now? In the first place, we are unlikely to be under the watch of military regime again. We may not experience the same situation again. What is more, there have been reports that some factions of the then military establishment did not want to serve under MKO; and that such elements overwhelmed the helmsman who yielded and the elections were annulled. I think it is not wise to lay our hands on the plough and still be looking backward at the same time.

How does ACF plan to fix the economy of the North?

The responsibility of fixing the economy lies with the governments and the people, and not with ACF which does not have the means to do so, beyond suggestions on how best those with the mandate can go about it for performance.

Is the Democracy day worth the celebration?

Yes, I think Democracy Day is worth the celebration precisely because democracy has come with freedom and liberty to enable Nigerians make judicious use of their rights and elect our leaders by making votes to count. In a democracy, both the leaders and voters hold themselves responsible for performance of the government, since voters make decisions on Election Day. This is not a small value. That we are yet to reach the Promised Land is not to suggest that it is not worth celebrating.

The administration of President Goodluck Jonathan has given itself a pass mark for its efforts in the last two years. What is your impression?

There are areas the administration has tried and improved. For example, there have been improvements in supply of energy and power. Electricity supply has improved just as uninterrupted supply of petroleum products as well as in railways, since trains are plying some routes now. On the whole, if we are to go by the figures given about the macroeconomics, we would say the government has tried. To that extent one can say "well done". But real performance of government policies and actions are measured by how much they affect the standard of life of the people. This is to say, effects on unemployment figures, reduction of poverty level, in infant and mortality rates, in illiteracy and improvement in life expectancy. On the whole, socio-economic indices that include Misery Indices and Human Development Index should also be made public before a realistic appreciation of the effects of the Transformation Agenda can be ascertained. I want to say that good as figures on the macroeconomics may appear, there is a need for appropriate balancing between macroeconomics and microeconomics.

It may well be that the administration has tried in its campaigns against corruption. But the pension scandals and management of the reports on petroleum subsidy and reports by Ribadu Committee do not give cause for cheers. More distressing is the manner the judiciary delivers more of technical justice than substantive justice. There is need to reform the judiciary in favour of substantive justice. Democracy may differ in forms, but when it comes to its elements of liberty, justice and common decency, it does not differ. Those who are redefining the three elements of democracy can as well reinvent the wheel or redefine the truth. That is why we say fullfledged democracy with strong institutions is yet to take root, given the prevailing "strongman" or "big man" syndrome and ethnic nationalism that threaten to supplant party politics.

What then should be done?

There is the need to rewire the politics, reengineer our sense of justice. There is need to make mercy smarter and to make hope more strategic in the polity. The starting point is for the people to make judicious use of their democratic rights and make their votes count. It is only when leaders know that votes count that they would be accountable to the people.

What is your take on the controversy surrounding the ballot of the Nigerian Governors Forum?

The controversy demonstrates the wisdom of those who submit that democracy is yet to take root in Nigeria. If 36 governors cannot democratically elect their leader, then imagine the problem when 73 million Nigerian voters are to produce their leaders democratically. So I plead with the governors to appreciate their place in the order of things and together with Mr. President enthrone democratic ethos in the polity. This is because they are expected to act as both lodestars and bellwether.

What is the position of ACF on the state of emergency declared in parts of the North, considering the continuous opposition to it by the Northern Elders Forum?

For purpose of clarity, most members of the Northern Elders Forum are members of the ACF, but the two fora are not one and the same thing. That is why our positions on issues of national importance are not necessarily the same. Please note that ACF had earlier advised against the imposition of state of emergency on grounds that force and dialogue are not likely to be effective, if applied concurrently. But since the government told the nation that parts of the country were under effective political control by the sect, and the government needed emergency rule to reclaim them, ACF has since declared support for the emergency with proviso that dialogue and force would run concurrently, and the armed forces would keep within the rule of engagements in order to avoid undue collateral damage and civilian causalties.

It is, therefore, my considered view that both those opposed to dialogue and those opposed to state of emergency should please give the government a chance, since matter of national security is a collective responsibility of both the government and the governed, and certainly not by a divided people. This is one issue that must be confronted in unison across the country.

What is ACF's reaction to the mayhem caused by the Ombatse cults in Nasarawa State?

As far as ACF is concerned, there cannot be grievances that could justify the killings of those security agents. The dastardly act is therefore condemnable by all those who fear God and have core values of humanity. The incident should therefore be investigated and retribution inflicted on offenders. There should be no room for generalisation. We should stick to what we know and avoid encouraging people to use religion or ethnicity as shield when they perpetrate heinous crimes against humanity

National Mirror