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The governor of
Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, recently visited Akure, the Ondo State
capital. He spoke on his ambition to become president of Nigeria and
his reservation against the zoning arrangement in the Peoples’
Democratic Party (PDP). Excerpts:

On the zoning arrangement of the PDP

You know that I am
not a PDP man. That is a PDP affair, and you can ask them what led to
that decision in 1999. Who goes first, who goes second, and who goes
third, and how would they want the rotation. As far as I and my party
are concerned, the issue of leadership is a matter of identifying the
right people with credibility. I have said a number of times that what
ordinary Nigerians look forward to is social justice. Whoever will come
and be fair to all, whoever will come and give Nigerians a sense of
belonging, for goodness sake, let it be, even if it is from the womb.
This has been my attitude.

This craze of ‘it
must be my man’, ‘it must be my village man’ is due to lack of mutual
trust among us. I always ask, even those who agitate, I challenge
anyone, count all the Heads of State and the presidents we’ve had in
this country, either military or civilians, go to their states or their
villages and ask their village man, how does his being the president
helped your village? Please, we must not allow the elites to lead us to
continuous mistrust. The more you overclaim it, the more you are
sending the message of mistrust. I am not denying the historical fact
of the way Nigeria evolved. All these are accident of history, we must
live above these. Since our constitution does not treat all of these,
we must strive to preach to Nigerians to look forward to credible
leadership.

Chances of the ANPP winning the presidential election next year

You see, even
though politics is a game of number, we know how they got these
numbers. They are not genuine numbers and, that apart, Nigerians have
discovered all these. The ordinary man on the street is watching, and
when you preach the correct thing to his ear, after all, we all believe
that it is only God that has the power of the mind of every other
person. It is he who decides what you accept and what you don’t accept,
what you believe in and what you do not believe.

Let me tell you the
Kano experience. When I came as the contestant under ANPP in Kano, the
same argument was on the ground. From 1999 to 2003, Kano was totally
PDP. Out of 40 legislators in the State Assembly, only five members
were ANPP. Out of 44 local government areas, ANPP had only six. In
fact, before the election, three defected to PDP. Of the five State
Assembly members, three defected to PDP. When I picked the ticket, the
then governor was dancing that there was no contest at all. He was
saying a frustrated teacher going to a non-existing party. People were
saying we were crazy, we had no money.

God answered my
prayers. We had nothing to show the people except our background. I was
a school principal for 13 years in six different premier secondary
schools in Kano. Our students, their parents knew what I did. When the
election came, people voted for what they thought was right and I
believe it was largely guided by Almighty God.

The only time I was
a bit shaken was the time I went to Abuja with a friend. In fact, we
had to get a loan of N50,000 for transport and accommodation. As I was
coming back, I saw a convoy of a Kaduna gubernatorial candidate going
with hundreds of vehicles. We had to leave the road to allow them go. I
told my friend, this is a gubernatorial candidate. This is your own
candidate under the tree, and it was few days to the election. I had
only one car. No house of my own. Yet, when the result came out, that
man was number four in the election of the state. I was number one. So,
do you think the same God that did it that time for Kano cannot do it
for the country?

Power of the electorate to change politics

The challenge is
you and I. We must change. I am not desperate at all. And I kept
reminding Nigerians, president is not only our problem. Look at the
legislature, 80% of the Senate and House of Representatives are PDP.
What are we gaining from them?

I have been telling
the cleric, the imams, the pastors, and so on, you allow people to
steal, and then they call you to pray for them. You are wasting your
time, because God is clean and takes nothing but the clean.

The earlier we
understand all these things the better for us. So as far as we are
concerned, it is not about how big or small your party is, but how
committed, honest, and credible you are. And as we are going about this
contest, we are convinced at the back of our minds that ultimately, it
is God that does it.

If we don’t have
money to be shared out, I will advise people not to be part of the
clique. My party cannot do it alone, we are already partnering with
others. We are discussing with all the other parties, all the
opposition parties are talking to themselves, liaising, forming a
coalition. Our hope is that we will get somewhere somehow, when the
opposition parties will now converge and fight the monster called PDP.
Interestingly, in PDP, not all of them are bad. Look at the new reform
forum that is fighting for fairness in PDP. I salute them, even though
I wouldn’t want PDP to win any elections again.

Views on Electoral Reform

The issue of
electoral reform, I am totally for it. In fact, I have been telling
people that my party was largely responsible for this reform, because
when the late president wrote to some parties to partner with him to
move Nigeria forward, we answered him positively and we gave six
conditions. One of them was, you must revisit the operation of INEC,
and you must revisit the process of election in Nigeria. It is on
record that one of the demands of ANPP as a condition to participate in
Umar Yar’Adua’s government was there must be a review of electoral
process. I can claim proudly that my party, ANPP, was part of the
ingredients that gave birth to Justice Uwais Panel on electoral reform
in Nigeria. What the Federal Government and National Assembly do with
it is a different matter. The nation is watching them, and we are
asking them to be fair and just. Mr. President is the President of
Nigeria, not President of the PDP.

The status of his campaign for president

My attitude to the
contest, people have been agitating, calling on me to present myself as
president and said I accept the call, but I cannot jump the gun. As I
told you, I am a loyal party man and until my party presents me, I will
not be a candidate.

So when the whistle is blown by my party and they bring out the
condition, I want to let you know that I will place myself in that
process. And once the party decides to give me the chance, I will fly
the flag of ANPP and I will ask all others to join us. I pray to God to
help and grant us success to be able to serve Nigeria better.

Security has been
beefed up in Akure metropolis to discourage some youth who plan to
invade the Deji of Akure’s palace, police sources said at the weekend.

The state police
command had alerted the public, last Thursday, that some ‘disgruntled
elements’ are planning to capitalise on the crisis between the Deji of
Akure, Oluwadare Adesina, and his estranged wife, Bolanle, to disturb
the peace.

But a top police
source in the state also explained that more security men were posted
around the palace to prevent Mr. Adesina from escaping arrest.

Sources said a
recent order which came in from police headquarters, Abuja, has
directed that the monarch be arrested and prosecuted for allegedly
beating up his wife in public. The officers are however, waiting to
receive detailed instructions about the modalities to use in carrying
this out.

Security
operatives, largely consisting of men of the mobile police force, were
seen in large numbers moving around the palace. A source hinted that
the heavy presence of police was a result of the full scale
investigation being carried out by the state police command for which
the state police commissioner, Magaji Nasarawa, had already received an
interim report. The spokesperson of the state command, Adeniran Aremu,
said Mr. Nasarawa had set up a high powered investigation into the
matter, with a view to getting to the root of the matter.

“The case was purely a criminal case, and not a domestic affair. as being claimed in some quarters,” Mr. Aremu said.

Last Sunday, Mr.
Adesina engaged himself in a public brawl with one of his wives,
Bolanle Adesina, in her private residence along Hospital Road, Akure.
The king had earlier sent the woman out of the palace, following a
disagreement with her.

Harsh decision

The ensuing
quarrel eventually degenerated into a full blown crisis as the youth in
the area damaged the Sport Utility Vehicle [SUV] brought to the scene
by the king, while his wife also suffered serious bodily harm.

The monarch has
largely refused to comment on the incident, although sources said he
blamed his actions on the woman, whom he accused of being unfaithful,
among other offences.

The state council
of Obas, under the chairmanship of the Olowo of Owo, Folagbade
Olateru-Olagbegi, suspended the monarch from further participating in
the council’s meetings till further notice.

Mr. Adesina however, said the decision of his colleagues was harsh, adding that they can not remove him as Deji of Akure.

With the electoral reform aspect of the
constitution review nearing conclusion, the Senate now wishes to begin
creating more states with its remaining year in office.

The Senate spokesman, Ayogu Eze,
disclosed the plan on Friday. He said the various requests for state
creation will be considered to prove that states can be created in a
democratic dispensation.

A test for democracy?

“As we come to the
conclusion of this first phase, we are already getting ready for the
next phase of the amendment of the constitution because there is a need
for us to prove that our democracy have come of age and that we can,
through mutual discussion, dialogue and debate, restructure the
political frame work of Nigeria in a manner that will be useful and
beneficial and satisfy the aspirations of Nigerians,” Mr. Ayogu said.

He added that the request for new states will be considered based on their merits and chances of survival without rancour.

“We will be guided
by the evidential parameters such as viability, ability of such a state
to promote unity and harmony if created, and promote the growth of the
Nigerian state,” he said. “We will stir away from any state creation
that will be rancourous. Those who want to request for state must
organise themselves properly and do it consensually and come up with
request that accord with the provisions of the constitution –
hopefully, as amended.”

Mr. Eze however
said the Senate is still undecided about the number of states to be
created and also yet to choose a particular criteria for determining
which state to create.

Three options

The Senate is,
however, considering three options; including creating the states to
balance the inequality in the number of states in the six geo-political
zones in which case only one state will be created in the south eastern
zone.

“There are
suggestions that say let every state stand on its merit rather than
equality of zones,” he said, revealing the second option.

The third that the six geo-political zones should be given equal number new states.

The Senate has
begun a two week break to mark the end of its third year in office but
the spokesman said they are willing to break the recess if there is any
urgent issue of national importance that demands their attention.

“If there is any urgent assignment requiring our attention, we will
not hesitate to come back. We’ve done it severally and we will do it
again,” he said.

On April 6 2010,
Goodluck Jonathan, then the acting president, inaugurated a new cabinet
after prolonged speculations and lobbying, injecting much needed
authority into the federal administration as he faced a wavering
political system created by his late boss’s illness.

It is two months
since then today, and barely a year left to serve if they do not have
other political ambitions. A random overview of selected ministries’
decisions within the past 60 days however shows that, while not much
has been remarkable, there has been steady progress.

Ministry of Finance

Within two months,
the new minister, Olusegun Aganga, and the Minister of state, Remi
Babalola, have promoted a renewed effort against a total dependence by
the states on the federal excess crude account, highlighting the
already known extreme risk the national economy may face as a result of
such continued depletion of the account.

Mr. Aganga has
challenged the states to evolve newer ways of sourcing funds, leading
to a stalemate at the Federation Account Allocation meeting last month
where finance commissioners left without any money for their states.
The decision was however later overturned by the president.

The former Goldman
Sachs Managing Director, is also credited with advising Mr. Jonathan to
order the audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation – the
first in years – while also urging the National Assembly to review the
2010 budget which he has said contains unrealistic benchmarks and
assumptions.

Mr. Aganga also
admitted that the federal government lost over $19 billion to the
global economic crisis, leading to depleted reserves – the first such
admittance by a top government official.

Ministry of Petroleum

The first female
head of the ministry, Diezani Allison-Madueke is credited with the
prompt launching of the Nigerian local oil content law passed by the
National Assembly and signed into law by Mr. Jonathan. The law is
expected to increase the participation of Nigerians in the oil
industry, with the creation of an estimated 30,000 jobs in five years
and saving of about N2.7 trillion.

Within the past two
months also, the ministry said the nation’s gas supply has reached
1billion scf, – a far mark from the previous level – and supply to
power stations have accordingly improved. The ministry has also
released new regimes for gas price. The pricing is expected to
reinforce investors’ trust and promote production that will help deal
with Nigeria’s perennial power challenges.

Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory

On assumption of
office, the former senator now in charge of the ministry, Bala
Mohammed, dissolved the past council cabinet and vowed to deal with
corruption. No official has been prosecuted yet, though.

He revoked several
questionable land allocations made since 2007 and merged the Federal
Capital Territory Administration and the Federal Capital Development
Administration.

Perhaps the most
notable of Mr. Bala’s efforts is reversal of his predecessor’s (Adamu
Aliero) decision to erect speed breakers on the expressways. The
controversial bumps drew the ire of the National Assembly members and
other residents of the city. But the decision has been mired by
allegations that the contract for the removal was awarded at a cost
four times more than the amount used in constructing them.

Ministry of Education

In a rapidly
decaying educational system, Ruqayya Rufa’i, the new minister and
former Jigawa state commissioner of Education, said on assumption of
office that her administration would be concerned with raising the
quality of education in general, and ensuring the excellence of
examination bodies.

After the nation
recorded over 90% failure rate in the last Senior School Certificate
Examinations, she admitted the government was embarrassed by the
results and gave a four-week order to the bodies to re-position, work
against mass failure and ensure quick release of results.

Her ministry also
mandated the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board to end the
practice of charging N10, 000 from candidates who doubt the results and
wish to access their answer scripts.

Back in Jigawa, the
minister’s pet drive was to raise the enrolment of girl-child in
school. Her administration has just introduced a project to improve
access to education across the country.

Ministry of Science and Technology

After inauguration,
the professor of biochemistry, Muhammed Abubakar, said his ministry
would be concerned with translating research into realistic results. In
a ministry where several agencies have existed for decades without
producing marketable products, Mr. Abubakar told the institutes to
leave the laboratories and liaise with investors in marketing their
inventions. He has given ultimatum to two institutes under the ministry
to produce marketable solar panels and solar cells respectively.

Ministry of Justice

The new Attorney
General, Bello Adoke, in collaboration with his colleague in the
Interior Ministry, has highlighted the issue of prisons reforms, with
more than 30,000 awaiting trial individuals locked up in prisons across
the country.

Mr. Adoke’s letter
to the Senate President, David Mark, helped resolve the protracted
refusal of the Senate to honour repeated court orders and swear-in
Alphonsus Igbeke to replace Joy Emordi.

Mr. Adoke has also
promised that the justice ministry is considering the now famous Okigbo
report on the missing $12 billion gulf oil windfall. He said the
government is checking for the veracity of the document and if it can
support criminal charges against the major personality involved, former
military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The controversial
listing of Nigeria by the United States as a terror-promoting nation
was reversed under the watch of Odein Ajumogobia, the former Minister
of state for Petroleum, who is now in charge of Foreign Affairs. Mr.
Ajumogobia has harped on collaborating with the National Assembly for a
new foreign policy for Nigeria, and establishing the Diaspora
commission.

Ministry of Labour

The new minister,
Emeka Wogu, assumed office while a strike threat by workers awaited
him. The ministry has slowed the outbreak of renewed industrial crisis
and under his administration, the president announced a new wage regime
for workers will begin July, 2010.

At the age of 77,
S.B Falegan is still very much on the ball. If he had gone into a rip
van winkle type cat nap and then woken up today, Mr. Falegan would have
been hard put as to what to make of it all.

When he joined the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 1961 with first and post-graduate
degrees in economics, it was a totally different ball game. In fact, a
million years away from the age of the information super highway.

In the CBN of 1961,
everything was manual; the typewriters being standard colonial relics.
It didn’t matter though, for a largely pioneering staff had been
brought up to be fastidious. A lot of the process was experimental, the
structures were just evolving. It was a staid sort of situation, in
which everyone played it strictly by the book.

Finding themselves

The early 1960s,
Mr. Falegan recalls, were very much like “trying to build a
non-existent system. In the process we found ourselves learning all the
time”.

In the course of
events much of today’s foundation was constructed. Mr. Falegan went on
to become Director of Research at the CBN, a director of Standard Bank
(Now First Bank Plc) and the pioneer Managing Director of the Federal
Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.

Looking back, he
cannot help noticing the enormous differences in operations. He
cautions over and over again, that it is an exercise in futility, “to
compare incomparables.”

This is a very sensible precaution. For a start, the numbers of banks in operation then, were few and therefore manageable.

The ethical base of
the value system was totally different. Indeed, incomparable. The
society was intolerant of deviance and corruption. “Irrational
exuberance” would have been totally out of place and treated with stern
disapproval.

Mr. Falegan blames
the uncontrolled explosion in the number of licensed financial
institutions for much of what subsequently went wrong. If banking
licenses are handed out like confetti at a wedding, it cannot be
entirely surprising if, in his own words, the system attracts “the
good, the bad and the ugly”.

Predictably, it was to a one way route to disaster.

A disaster foretold

Mr. Falegan
observes that the Nigeria Depository Insurance Corporation (NDIC) was
put in place precisely to checkmate a disaster foretold. The
corporation was midwifed during the tenure of Ola Vincent as governor
of the CBN.

Mr. Falegan is, not
surprisingly, highly enthusiastic about the potential of the new Asset
management Company (AMC). He believes the AMC will be quite pivotal in
complementing banking reforms. He is of the view that this will help to
facilitate and produce a whole new set of professionals.

In an old fashioned
sort of way, he places great faith in moral suasion, believing that a
reorientation in ethical values will be of value in restoring order. He
is also perturbed about the present quality of the entre and recruiting
standards into the banking industry.

He is aghast at the
often naïve recruitment of non-economic graduates wholesale into the
operational departments of the financial institutions. Much of the
entre appears not to have been based on any latent interest but rather
on the attractiveness of the pay structure of the financial services
structure, according to him, and he believes that specialisation is the
key now to bringing enhanced value into the system and should be a key
consideration in recruitment.

Home-grown

In the 1960s, the
CBN was virtually under the control of the Federal Ministry of Finance.
In that experience, there was no place for an independent central bank
like for example, The German Bundesbank. In such a relationship,
Felegan recalls that “the CBN was buried in the belly of the elephant”.
Prudence of course had to be the watchword. Fiscal policy had to be
cautiously designed to contain inflationary pressures.

Today’s CBN has a latitude which would have been unthinkable in the 1960s, he says.

Mr. Falegan is
however not enamoured with the prospect of hiving off the banking
supervision arm from the CBN as has been done in the United Kingdom.

He believes that home grown alternatives should be sought in
prescribing solutions itotackling fiscal and monetary issues. “Let us
look at our own domestic environment,” he said.