I am scared about future of Nigeria, because we are now more divided than ever -Shettima

Comrade Yerima Shettima, a pro-democracy activist, is the National President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum. Shettima is worried asbout the level of insecurity in the Northern part of the country and the high illiteracy level and unemployment in the region. In this interview with PATRICK OKOHUE, he also speaks of his concern over the future of the country, because he believes that Nigeria is even more divided now than any time in history

**********There seems to be so much tension in the land and people are wondering what next, especially with the recent travails of Omoyele Sowore, now people are wondering how long can the nation continue like this, what is your view of the current situation in the country?

Yes, I agree with you there is so much problem in the land and nobody will pretend that all is well and I am worried when I look at the ways things are happening on daily basis in the country, it gives every Nigerian a lot of concern, some of us who were in the trenches knew what we suffered.  Alot of my comrades suffered many things, I can remember some of them were even shot, I have one of the comrades I remember very well, Mustapha, he lives somewhere in Mushin, he has become disabled now, they had to cut off his leg because of stray bullet from the Army at the time of the struggle. Sometimes I get worried, because this is not what we envisaged.

When we made the sacrifice we did not imagine that we were going to get to this level were the whole thing will be so backward than what we have in other countries, so we get worried. Now it is more obvious that we are more divided than we were in the past, more divided in the sense that this issue of ethnicity is becoming more pronounced than it was in the past. I remember vividly when we were in the struggle, sometimes you will find it so difficult to know where somebody comes from, you don’t even care, all you want to hear from him is that we are all family of aluta and go ahead wholeheartedly.

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We were students of the struggle because we had cadres of those who were much more senior, like Beko Ransome Kuti, Enahoro, Gani Fawehinmi, those were the people we were working with, I am sure somebody like Gani Fawehinmi were ever he is today in the grave, Beko and  the rest will not be happy, because this is not the kind of democracy they fought for, we learnt from them and some of us will never be able to step into their shoes, no, we can only do our best, but I am scared, the level of insecurity and the way we are more divided is best described as a woman who is pregnant but does not go for scan, off course you do not know what she will bring forth, whether male or female or whether human being or animal, because nothing is impossible, that is where we are now, I get worried, towards 2023 elections I get worried, on daily basis I get worried, I sleep and wake up every late hour and I get scared because we are getting deeper in crisis and I and scared.

**********Looking at Sowore’s travails many people said he got what he deserved because he supported the coming of this government, do you share that sentiment?

No, I don’t share that at all, that he supported this government is not an issue, we are not in Banana republic, we run a constitutional democracy, were people have a right to their views provided they don’t cross the red lines, rule of law must be respected, it is one of the cardinals of democracy. That he supported Buhari and come again tomorrow and say he is no longer supporting Buhari, there is nothing wrong, that is what makes him a democrat, that is the beauty of life, human beings are bound to change any day, any time, so he has not committed any crime that he supported them and contributed to the coming of the government, it does not in any way mean we should let go and say go and face it, its what you bargained for, that is not right.

Yes, in the course of the struggle some of us did not work for this government because I never did that, but some of them went to the other side and we were perceived to be in opposition, I was on one side and he was on another side and it happened with many of us. You see that is one problem that we have had in recent times, that it has become so impossible for the cadres among our colleagues to come together and speak with one voice, because this has really divided us alot, in principle we differ alot on these issues, especially in the election of 2015 and 2019. But, that is not to say that somebody will be granted bail under democratic setting and you refuse him that freedom, no, if they have any case against Sowore they should bring it forward, but they must respect court order.

***********You spoke about the country being more divided than ever and some people have even alluded to the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari has done more in dividing the country than uniting it, especially when you look at issues of recent appointments which seem as one sided, defying federal character, what is your view of that?

Can you cite an example of such appointment?

*********Recently, we had the issue of the removal of the Chairmen of both the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Asset Management Company, both positions held by people from the South West but were replaced by people from the North, almost all security chiefs are from the North among other positions, don’t you see this as being insensitive to national unity?

In as much as I am not a good friend of this government, often times I speak and speak exactly what I feel, I would have expected that if somebody will raise issues it should be more serious, for example every state is expected to bring a minister, but when it came to the turn of Lagos State for instance, he picked an Hausa/Fulani man from Daura, but that didn’t happen, at the end of the day the minister from Lagos is a Yoruba man, the former governor, Raji Fashola and he went to Rivers and picked Rotimi Amaechi, just as it is expected that it should reflect national character and he has done that with ministers of the 36 states including Abuja, who are all from the states.

Now, you talk about security, you have to know and trust somebody before you can entrust your life into his hands. That was what happened during the Jonathan era, besides the position of NSA that he took from Azazi, which was under certain circumstances, and it was even Azazi himself who brought Dasuki, because I was in the picture and I understood the game that was played, when there was pressure that Azazi must go. He nominated Dasuki and was appointed, and that was the only case I saw of removing your own person and replacing him with Hausa/Fulani. In security issues you must trust somebody before you can entrust such person. I cannot look at an armed robber pr one criminal that I don’t trust, for example, I am not saying anybody is a criminal, and tell such person to come and protect me or secure my house when  I know already you are not clean, it is not possible, so I think the security issue is strategic.

The next government that will come may decide what they want, but this one this is how they feel they can get it done and don’t forget we are in dire need of security in this country because of the challenges in Northern part of the country. There is no place in the North that is peaceful today, most of you who resides in Lagos and other parts of the country are living in paradise, in the North I know what we face on daily basis, issues of kidnapping is one big problem, insurgency, robbery and this is because of the army of unemployed in Northern parts of the country, idleness attracts alot of crime, poverty is at the highest in the North, you cannot compare the level of poverty in the North with anywhere in the South, that is why when I say this government is very favourable to the South West people don’t agree, but that is the truth, South West is enjoying under this government.

*********How?

You make our own President then you go behind and use your normal sense and milk the country, almost everything under this government only favours the South West, strategic positions were picked by the South West, they control the economy. Look at Power, Works and Housing, I have never seen in my life where one person will take such three appointments, only God knows the magic behind that, only God knows what was done to Buhari to have taken such decision, until recently before they changed that, for four years it was like that. The rail that we are talking about, that today they are saying there is rail in the North, can you in all honesty compare the rail you have in Lagos to Ibadan to the one we have in Kaduna to Abuja, the one I entered on two occasions, trains of the seventies is what they brought in the name of modern train, on two occasions it broke down and I was a victim, but that cannot happen in the case of Ibadan to Lagos.

Just look at the roads, look at the rail and look at the model of the coaches. Look at the Lagos to Ibadan road, we don’t have any of such in the North, the only one we have that they are doing today is the one from Kaduna to Zaria, a distance of less than 30 minutes will take you more than three hours now, because there is no road. Then move to Kano, may God have mercy on you, you will spend five to six hours instead of less than two hours to Kano. If you don’t impact in the Northern part of the country outside Abuja in areas like Kaduna and Kano where we cannot see anything on ground, then tell me where else you will take it to, is it Gwoza, Maiduguri?

***********You have spoken passionately about unemployment and insecurity in the North, at the level of Arewa Youths that you are leading, what have you done or doing to address these issues?

I have limitation to what I can do, governments does not approve any allocation for me, I don’t have personal security that I can use in addressing some of these issues, government have not approved any security outfit for me, so the only thing I do is to make sure that I conscientise them at any opportunity that I have and tell them the implication of some of these things, that is the major thing I do in Northern part of the country, you know I stay more in the North now than I stay in the South and often time I go round various communities to address the youths, encourage them and give them hope, the only thing I can do is to give them hope, I don’t have jobs to give them.

**********At the level of your NGO which plan of action have you thought of selling to this government?

Now, I have two things in mind and I have often said it. It is out of place for us to fold our hands and allow what I call time bomb going about in Northern parts of the country, were you have large concentration of children that are supposed to be in primary school or secondary School roaming the streets begging in thousands, it gives me room to worry, because I know this is a problem coming in future in Northern parts of the country. I get worried when governors cannot initiate processes were they will force the children that I see begging at the age of primary or secondary schools that their mates are schools, they are busy begging.

In Southern part of the country there is a law by Lagos State, there are hours you don’t find children of certain ages roaming about selling things on the streets, there are laws, what is so impossible for the Northern governors that they cannot initiate the processes were they will make it compulsory that these children must go to school. Introduce free education, not these rhetoric’s, real schools, if they say know we want these children to go to almajiri schools, integrate Islamic studies in every school, put it into your curriculum, let them have Islamic study side by side Western education, it will be more useful  and more meaningful. I have drawn the attention of the government at the Federal and at the state level, I have cried over time, there is no time I have the opportunity to talk that I don’t bring the issue of this education into it and I am always in their midst and I am also worried about the drugs that have infiltrated Northern parts of the country. Before now we had children who had no idea about drugs, but today over 80 percent of our kids, with married women and even men are on drugs.

**********At the level of Arewa Youths I expect that you can hire consultants to help draft legislations for states houses of Assembly in the North to help address some of these concerns, are you thinking in that line?

Yes, like in the case of drugs we championed it, we did it and have made it a law now in Kano State and we intend to also go to all state Assemblies in other Northern states of the country so that it can also be enacted as laws in the various states, we are approaching Borno State any moment from now, we are talking to the speaker over there, it not a thing you can just wake up and it passes, we will also go to Kaduna and other places.

**********And you are instrumental to that as Arewa Youths?

I am instrumental under a coalition of CNG, CNG is Coalition of Northern Groups which I lead

***********And you are going to get this done in other Northern States?

Yes, in the 19 Northern states, that is what we are doing now.

**********But, why won’t you initiate a meeting with Northern governors on this matter?

We are on it.

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Now it is more obvious that we are more divided than we were in the past, more divided in the sense that this issue of ethnicity is becoming more pronounced than it was in the past. I remember vividly when we were in the struggle, sometimes you will find it so difficult to know where somebody comes from, you don’t even care, all you want to hear from him is that we are all family of aluta and go ahead wholeheartedly.