In this interview with ADELEKE ADESANYA, National President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Shetima Yerima, explains why the Northern youths may not support the presidential ambition of the National Leader of the ruling ALL Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in 2023. He also speaks on sundry issues affecting the nation. Excerpts:
Nigeria is seriously faced with security challenges, especially incessant attacks from bandits, Boko Haram and recently the rampant burning of police station in some South-Eastern states. What is your position on this?
Honestly, over and over, we will continue to see the same things until the government rises up to the occasion. They need to work side by side with community leaders, and at the same time equip state and local vigilantes and at the same time, increase the manpower of our security: the police, Army, Civil Defence, AirForce, Navy and other paramilitary agencies because we are already at war. Nowhere is safe in the country. Some are evil-minded people walking on the streets to disintegrate the country, and some out of frustration, lack of employment, joblessness, and idleness. Naturally, an idle person will always be thinking of crime. So, in that line, those are the things that come together at the same time and become a big blow to us as a nation. But to overcome this, the country must rise up to the occasion. We must agree that there are challenges. We must agree that we have problems. Hours of complaints, blaming government must be over. There is nothing to complain about anymore. There is nothing you want to say that has not been said before. I don’t think this is a time for complaints or criticising anyhow. We must begin to work side by side and if the government is having issue, they are not doing as expected; we must not leave everything in their hands. Let us all work in the best interest of the country to ensure we get it right because once there is no country, then there is nothing for you to complain about. We will only be running helter-skelter; so I am of the view that all hands must be on deck to save the country. The country is in dire need of support, statesmanship and anything that will bring about peace of the country.
Now that insecurity is a major problem facing the country, it is believed in some quarters that state policing is the way out. Do you agree with this?
It has widely been circulated to an extent because government is not even too far from the agitation and advocacy of state policing. I understand the former Inspector-General of Police came up with the idea of state policing and I understand that it has probably been agreed and I think effort is being put in place to address it. So, I have always been an advocate of state and community policing so that everybody will be part and parcel of state security.
The minister in charge of ICT was recently accused of having a tie with Boko Haram terrorists. How will you react to this?
I don’t know about this and once I don’t know about things, I don’t talk about it. Of course, we heard it. Reading that on social media does not give me any reason to take it seriously until it is proved. That I saw it online is not enough because I have been a victim of such thing where somebody will just come up with a story to indict people. So, I have been a victim of that; so I don’t run into conclusion based on oline reports because I have been a victim of that. America has not said anything about it; so I don’t see that as a serious issue.
Governors of the South East states have agreed to establish a security outfit codenamed Ebubeagu. Meanwhile, Southwest region is already having Amotekun security outfit. With these, people believe that Nigeria’s break up is imminent. What is your take on this?
I will not want to believe that there is any cause for panic for now. Yes, we clamoured for state policing, and the government, to an extent, made pronouncement. I could remember El-Rufai talked about that that one of their recommendation is state police, but for me, it has been done and it has to be, just that the north has not picked up on our own security outfit. I hope the Northern state governors will begin to think of that because that is what we are advocating for and I hope whoever that is forming the regional security outfit will do so with genuine reasons and good intent. They should not use it as a means of hunting other tribes or any religion that is not part of where it is coming from. I just hope they will be able to checkmate some of the excesses, but sincerely, we need it.
There are speculations that Arewa youths are not in support of the speculated presidential ambition of the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. How true is this?
Well, it’s a choice. But I can tell you that it is too early to talk about whether we support Tinubu or not because he has not even said he is contesting and I am not the type that put the cart before the horse. But we are waiting for the day he will declare that he is contesting, then he will know whether we want him or not. Meanwhile, one thing we cannot compromise on Tinubu is that never again will we allow any old politician to occupy the seat anymore. And I am sure he is above 50 years and we are looking at 50 years downward, so, automatically, going by our own analysis, he is already disqualified.
What if the major candidates are above 50 years?
We will field our candidate and of course we have our own candidates. We have so many younger elements that are aspiring; even within the governors, we have them, even within the National Assembly, we have them, who are also preparing to declare their interest. I know some of them personally that are below 50 years and they are ready to lead this country right.
The president recently went on and returned from a ” short rest” in UK inspite of the challenges facing the country. What is your take on this?
The president went on a medical trip which is allowed anyone able to do so. Though I am not holding briefs for him, I also believe that if something happens let’s us look at it clearly, despite my reservation for the President, I don’t think it is a big deal for someone to go on medical trip. If governors, ministers are going on medical trip, how much more the President himself. He is allowed to do that constitutionally. So, all we need to do now is to pray for him.
But he didn’t hand over power to the VP while going on trip his and people have reacted to this. What is your opinion?
It depends. If he was going to stay too long, probably he would have done that, but I don’t think it was necessary. Afterall, the previous heads of governments, all of them travelled without transmitting power. I wonder why people are making issues out of it. The offence of the Buhari government is that the president is a Northerner. When Obasanjo was there, we knew how many times he travelled. How many time did he transmit power to Atiku? Yaradua also came in and later Jonathan. How many time did he transmit power when he was travelling. Those are the things. We tend to forget things easily because of hatred for one person or a tribe. But in the interest of this democracy, it is better we put our differences aside and make this country work.
