Political elites responsible for Nigeria’s socio-economic woes – Satumari

Kudla Milnda Satumari, a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Managing Director of Aerokeys Nigeria Limited was the PDP candidate for the Askira/ Uba-Hawul Federal Constituency of Borno State in the 2015 General Election. In this interview with MATHEW DADIYA he said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government has scored very low in the economic front. He, however noted that the political elites and not political parties are to be blamed for the nation’s socio-political woes, stressing that if PDP members in APC are withdrawn from the tripod holding the party, it would crumble to the floor. He equally spoke about his future political aspirations, the president’s health, fight against graft among other national issues.

As the nation marks 18 years of unbroken democratic dispensation in its political history and two years of APC in the wheel of power, political gladiators, civil society groups, the media and other critical stakeholders are divided on the journey so far.

While loyalists of the incumbent administration praise government for its achievements within the period under scrutiny, referencing security and fight against corruption as the most visible deliverables of the administration, some others believe that the only thing the APC led administration has bequeathed to majority of Nigerians are perennial rise in the prices of staple food, none payment of salaries, excruciating hunger, agonising pain, and continuous loss of jobs in all sectors of the nation’s economy.

They further argue that the current regime is shielding Fulani cattle headers that go about unleashing terror on innocent and defenseless farmers and citizens across the federation and that they have penchant for disobeying court orders as well as trampling on the freedom of the press.

Nonetheless, few other Nigerians are indifference about APC’s achievements in the last two years, noting that though there is need for improvement, eighteen years of unbroken democracy is something worth celebrating.

Giving credence to the foregoing the view of the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for the Askira/ Uba-Hawul Federal Constituency of Borno State in the 2015 general election, Mr. Kudla Milnda Satumari who argue that Rome was not built in a day and therefore there is every need to celebrate the nation’s 18 years of unbroken democratic dispensation and two years of APC in the saddle of leadership.

His words, “The APC led government may not have satisfied the expectation of electorate who voted for them in the 2015 election, nonetheless, the administration has recorded some remarkable achievements, even though there is still room for improvement. Their campaign promises were based on three cardinal points, which are decimating the Boko Haram scourge, fight against corruption and the economy.

“But two years down the line, the administration has succeeded in degrading the capacity of Boko Haram terrorist to unleash terror on innocent citizens in the North Eastern Nigeria. To this end, the displaced persons have started going back to their communities in the area because the soldiers are winning the war.

“Before now, a substantial number of local government areas in the North East particularly in Borno State where I hail from were under the control of insurgents, but today they have been librated and people are going back to their homes in their numbers.

“Secondly, they promised that they are going to fight corruption and they are doing that to the best of their ability, even though there is disagreement on the mode of the fight, the fact remains that government is fighting graft.

Therefore, we can say that they are living up to their campaign promises, but in the area of economy, I must confess that they had failed woefully.

“This is because businesses are closing shops due to inconsistency in government policies; take the foreign exchange policy for instance, it was not favourable to foreign investors especially those in the aviation industry and that led to so many foreign airlines closing their operation in Nigeria because they found it difficult to repatriate their funds or even access adequate FOREX for their daily operations as a result of the inconsistent FOREX regime in the country.”

The political gladiator however, blamed the indifference and indolence of Nigerians on holding leaders accountable for the continuous impunity in the political circle, positing that political elites and not political parties are the problems of Nigeria.

He attributed the mass exodus of politicians from one political platform to the other each time the election does not favour them or there is a new transition, to the desperation of the political class to always continue to remain relevant in the sharing of the nation’s resources.

He nevertheless argued that those who are blaming PDP or APC for the economic recession and other backwardness that has kept Nigeria perpetually underdeveloped are wrong, as it is the elites who often orchestrated these problems and afterwards change platform to achieve certain parochial end.

According to him, “It is the same political elites that were governors, parliamentarians, presidents, ministers, party leaders in the sixteen years of PDP that has congregated in another platform called APC to continue to destroy the fabrics of our democratic journey.

“If you remove PDP members that jumped ship before and after 2015 election to APC, the tripod holding the party would crumble to the floor. Therefore you cannot begin to listen to the accusation and counter accusation that PDP’s misrule or APC’s incapability is responsible for the recession.

“Is it not the same politicians in the PDP that are now in APC? So it is not about platform but about the political elites. They are always shifting base to achieve their parochial interests and until Nigerians come to terms with this facts they would continue to manipulate the system to their favour.”

The aviation consultant also explained that the Supreme Court’s decision on the crisis rocking PDP would determine which platform he is going to seek election in 2019 to represent his constituency in the National Assembly as his constituents are already mounting pressure on him to present himself for the coming election.

“I am always very careful not to promise what I know I cannot fulfill, because I am not a typical Nigerian politician who view politics as a profession and can do any unthinkable thing to get political power.

But I am a professional in politics who play politics with sincerity and fairness because I have a profession and business to fall back on when the political maneuvering does not favour my aspiration and ambition.

“Meanwhile, as I speak to you, leaders of thought in my constituency are beginning to mount pressure on me to contest the coming election. But the Supreme Court’s decision on the crisis bedeviling our party would inform my decision on the next line of action.

“The pressure from my constituents is not unconnected with the fact that though I lost the 2015 election, I still went back to fulfill most of my campaign promises to them. I built a primary school for them, and not fewer than 1500 students from the constituency in various universities and polytechnics are beneficiaries of my scholarship scheme.

“This is in addition to those that come for medical bills, school fees, and other personal problems. I was also the first to send relief materials to the IDPs in Yola before government and international community started to send aid to them.

I went to the camp with a team of doctors to treat children and adults that were suffering from common ailments like malaria, dysentery, common cold and malnutrition which was threatening their lives.

“The first trailer load of food I sent to the camp found its way into Yola market, a bitter experience that compelled me to brand the second trailer load of food and relief materials that I sent to the camp.”

On what he intends to achieve if elected in 2019 to represent his people in the National Assembly, he said that he is going to ensure that there is a legal frame work that will provide access to credit at a single digit to players in the aviation industry in addition to his constituency projects.

“You are a journalist, so do your investigation. There is nowhere in the world where airline operators declare profit above fifteen per cent of their investment. But no bank in Nigeria gives you any facility with less than 25 per cent interest rate.

So if a player in the aviation industry in Nigeria has to take loan from bank on the aforesaid percent, he is going to operate at a loss at the end of the day. Therefore, something must be done by government either through direct policy or legislation.

“In Ethiopia for instance; the aviation industry is one of the greatest contributors to their Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Consequently, Nigeria must begin to look beyond oil by developing other sectors like aviation, tourism and agriculture.

“Thank God, the Acting President is already doing something about the ‘ease of doing business’ in Nigeria. It is a welcome development, government need to create good atmosphere for businesses to thrive so as to attract foreign direct investment.

Investors only invest their money where there is stability and consistency in government policy to safeguard their investment.”

On the President’s ill health and the possibility of Umaru Yar’adua’s saga playing out again, he enjoined Nigerians to pray for the President’s quick recovery, nothing that the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo is doing very well and therefore, there is every need to support him to do more.

“Those who predict a repeat of the crisis that heralded the Yar’Adua era do not understand the peculiarity of Nigerian phenomenon. Don’t forget that we had fought a civil war and we are still coexisting peacefully as one nation. No parochial interest of a group or section is capable of disintegrating Nigeria.

“The President is sick just like any other person and therefore, we should pray for him and not insinuate that he is incapacitated.

Besides, he transmitted a letter to the National Assembly transferring state powers to the Vice President who has been discharging the responsibility well, so the question of vacuum, incapacitation or imaginary crisis does not even arise as the President had complied with the law, unlike the former Presidents before him.

“When the Yar’ Adua crisis was about to engulf the nation, there was the famous doctrine of necessity that salvaged the situation.

Before the 2015 General Elections, there were predictions of doom, even from foreign countries, but former President Goodluck Jonathan just handed over power to the opposition and averted that predicted blood bath.

So I can assure you that nothing of that nature will happen, because Nigerians have the capacity to be and do whatever they want to be or do at any particular time, we are blessed people,” Concluded.

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If you remove PDP members that jumped ship before and after 2015 election to APC, the tripod holding the party would crumble to the floor. Therefore you cannot begin to listen to the accusation and counter accusation that PDP’s misrule or APC’s incapability is responsible for the recession. Is it not the same politicians in the PDP that are now in APC? So it is not about platform but about the political elites. They are always shifting base to achieve their parochial interests