‘PDP lacks leadership structure’

On Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari was on CHRISTANNE AMANPOUR's show.

Find below the transcript of the over six minutes long chat:

Mr President you have asked the United States to help you in the fight against Boko Haram. What exactly did you ask in this regard and what answers did President Obama give you?

The United States leading the G7 promised to do what they can to help Nigeria. So we have brought our requirements in terms of training, equipping and intelligence-gathering for Nigeria to be able to fight Boko Haram.

You mention the economy and the fall in oil prices over the last many months. How are you going to deal with that? Because that is really what your people want.

My people, firstly I believe, want the security in the country to be stabilised so that normal life, both in the southern part of the country where militants are still sabotaging oil installations and kidnapping people and demanding ransom and then in the north east of the country where Boko Haram is still active. This is the main preoccupation of Nigerians now and is a realistic way of looking at things. Nothing will work until the country is secured.

But despite your vows to tackle Boko Haram, there are reports in your own country that there have been at least 400 deaths by that group since you became president. Added to that, Amnesty International reports that your military has totally lost the credibility and trust of the people because of the systematic human rights abuses, the killing of some 8000 people. How do you expect your military to be able to go against Boko Haram, to get the trust of the people instead of being a platform for Boko Haram's grievances?

Well, I have just mentioned that under Lake Chad Basin Commission, we have agreed to form a multinational joint task force, so whatever happened before that decision was taken, we have to allow further investigations to verify the question of human rights abuse. And with that I am sure you must have known the decision taken by this government - the Federal Government of Nigeria - in changing the military command.

What about the famous Chibok girls, the 200 or so, abducted so long ago; yet again there has been a suggestion that the Boko Haram captors may seek to trade them for their incarcerated inmates who they want to get out, is your government willing to trade those girls in that regard?

We have to be very careful about the credibility of various Boko Haram leaderships coming up and claiming that they can deliver. We have to be very careful indeed and we are taking our time because we want to bring them safe back to their parents and to their schools.

So are you in principle against, or will you consider, negotiating with Boko Haram if you can verify the credibility of those who approach you?

I cannot be against it. I told you our main objective as a government is to secure those girls safe and sound back to their schools and rehabilitate them to go back to normal life. So if we are convinced that the leadership that presented itself can deliver those girls safe and sound, we would be prepared to negotiate what they want.

You came to power on a platform that you will do better than the previous president in all regards: security, corruption, economy etcetera. But there have been hundreds of people killed since you become president. How can you do any better?

I think I can be held to my promises for the next three and three-quarter years ahead of me. And I think 12 weeks or so are too early for any person to pass judgment on my campaign promises.

What about your campaign promises to root out corruption, if they turn out that some of the guilty ones were members of your own party or your own associates; Will you crack down on them too?

I just have to; there isn't going to be any party member or any personality that can escape justice.

Are you disappointed that President Obama yet again is not coming to Nigeria. The biggest and most economically powerful country in Africa?

I wouldn't say I was disappointed, but how I wished he will change his mind and go to Nigeria.

Did you ask him, did he say he would?

Well, I asked him and that I will send a formal invitation.

Let me ask you about a previous African leader, the former dictator of Chad, Hissene Habre who is being tried – or at least they are trying to try him – in Senegal; do you support that process of trying an accused African leader in Africa, rather than at the International Criminal Court?

Justice is justice, whether it is done in Africa or elsewhere in the world. The important thing is let justice be done. Whatever evidence the prosecution has in Senegal, I think they should proceed to make it available to the world and prosecute him according to international law and human rights.

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Kwara Cabinet: We’ll disagree to agree – Ilorin West Supervisory Councillor

Alhaji Hakeem Salman Gesua, the Supervisory Councillor for Finance in Ilorin West Local Government in this interview with Head Politics, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM, speaks on political events in Alanamu ward and the state. Excerpts:

How would you describe Ilorin West in the political affairs of the state?

The politics of Ilorin West is very clear. You know that is where the political leader of Kwara Politics and Senate President, Bukola Saraki hails from. We have peace in terms of political appointments because of the respect and regards we have for our leader and it is necessary for other local governments to share the harmonious relationship with all the stakeholders too. We normally don't have much problem too because of the fact that the leader is from here.

But that seems to be different in the light of the politics that has engulfed Alanamu as regards its nominees' list.

Normally, people will have ambition and scheme for the realisation of it. But what is most important is that it is the Almighty Allah that gives position to whom He pleases. You can see that after the directive by the leader of the party in the state that fresh blood should be injected into the system, which was re-echoed by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, the politics of the state has bubbled but there is no way you want to bring in new blood entirely without those that have the experience of how governance is being run. As the Supervisory Councillor of Finance in Ilorin West Local Government for instance, I cannot be compared with those that are just coming having being in the system. So whoever God gives should take it and anyone that aspired and didn't get it should wait for his own time.

Looking at the candidates that are jostling to be nominated in your ward, what do you have to say?

You see, Alanamu is a very big ward, if not one of the biggest in the country. During the time of our late leader, Dr Olusola Saraki, he made things easy by dividing the ward into three in political arrangement. The 45 wards where then divided into Senatorial A, B and C where I came from. The issue of councillorship for instance don't normally cause problem because when Senatorial A is given a chance to run for the position of councillor, the remaining two areas know they are not eligible to run for the position until it completes the circle and we start the zoning all over again. That is how it has been. Now the local government party chairman, Alhaji Bala Olanrewaju, the councillors of the 12 wards, former Council Chairman of Kwara Poly, Alhaji Sa'ad Alanamu and the ward Chairman, Alhaji AbdulRahman Jimoh among others constituted the stakeholders. The position given to the ward this time were two, which were zoned to senatorial A and B and we from senatorial C are left out for now and we didn't complain because of the arrangement on ground. Ours is just to liaise with our people in A and C for whoever emerges and nominated.

But there has been disquiet about the choice of some of the candidates nominated?

On the issue of Alhaji Saliu AbulRazaq (Abosioyoyan), he is one of the stakeholders in the ward and has worked very hard for the party in the ward also. I don't see the reason for his opposition. Even if we are given 10 slots, there will still be problem if not well managed and the important thing is for us all to endure and agree among ourselves in line with the arrangement on ground. Abosioyoyan is from Senatorial B and to the best of my knowledge, he was not handpicked. We are less concerned about what they are doing in Senatorial C because they have their leader in the person of Alhaji Mashood Mustapha, who happened to be the leader of Alanamu ward. He was the only one that donated N2m to the ward during the Presidential and Governorship elections to mobilise people. There are other leaders like Alhaji Saka Onimago and Alhaji Kamaldeen Ajibade. The nomination was between Abosioyoyan and Alhaji Aminu Baba Akota from Senatorial B, Alhaji Nurudeen Jaji, among others who were all nominated before the list was scrutinised and they arrived at the name of Alhaji Abosioyoyan. He is qualified for the position. Apart from that any issue that occur within the entire Alanamu ward, Abosioyoyan has been in the forefront to champion the cause of peace by moving up and down. He has been long in the politics of the state.

As chairman of the Alanamu Stakeholders forum, what role has Kayode Omotose played?

When we got the news that some stakeholders, who we don't know went on air to complain about the choice of Abosioyoyan, I went and told him to call a meeting on the issue. Unfortunately people disagreed. The question that some of the youth put forward is whether Abosioyoyan is not a member of the APC and is he not working for the party before the chairman of the ward went on air to counter the earlier position. It is not only Abosioyoyan that was picked; there is also Alhaja Rahmat Oganija, who is from Senatorial A where Kayode Omotose comes from. So I don't see the reason for the unnecessary noise about his issue.

Has there been any issue raised by those that were also initially considered for nomination?

None that I know of! In fact, they are all in support of Abosioyoyan's nomination. All of them are from Senatorial B where Alhaji Moshood Mustapha also hails from. On the other hand, Alhaja Rahmat Oganija and Kayode Omotose are from Senatorial A and they are all members of the APC, who have contributed a lot to the development of Alanamu politics and the party. But in politics, we disagree to agree.

Why is Ilorin west nominees' list proving very difficult to harmonise?

You can see there is crisis in almost all the wards and I am aware of that of Ogidi and some others. In politics, such is bound to happen but they will later agree. But as far as we are concerned in Alanamu, the stakeholders are okay with Alhaji Abosioyoyan and Alhaja Rahmat Oganija.

What do you make of the directive on the issue of recycling?

It is very good and you can now see futility in the noise being made about the choice of our list. Which position are both of them from Alanamu holding now? The recycling does not affect them. Abosioyoyan was made supervisory councillor since the era of Dr Olusola Saraki and despite his relationship with Bio Ibrahim then, he refused to leave the structure of the dynasty and stayed to even work harder for the success of it. He has sacrificed a lot for the party.

What is the criterion for zoning in Alanamu ward?

There is normally not much about the issue. For instance, the present councillor of Alanamu is from senatorial C and after his tenure, it will move to senatorial A to start the circle all over again. Whoever is from C or B is automatically disqualified, that has been the arrangement on councillorship. If we are given any slot from the state now, Senatorial C will automatically get it in line with the present arrangement and if more than that it will be shared accordingly. From the senatorial district, the leaders will now choose the appropriate zone to get it based on distribution of positions on ground. That has been how we have been doing it and we have been having peace.

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