INTERVIEW: How PDP will dislodge APC in 2019- Dr. Charles Akintoye

Dr. Charles Aderemi Akintoye, a priest of Lagos State, was acting National Secretary of PDP and a Commissioner of Agriculture in Lagos State. In this interview with Our Lagos Bureau Chief, Obire Onakemu   he explained  political strategies that would enable PDP to take over power from APC in 2019; that Buhari shouldn’t return in 2019 for the sake of his health; for the sake of Nigerian politics and for the sake of generation that is coming; that people should be given a fair chance in 2019 to make a decision of who comes back and who doesn’t come back; among other sundry issues.

EXCERPTS:

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ended their National convention amidst controversy; do you see the party having any prospect ahead of 2019?

Yes, there is bid of controversy; a bid of disagreement; politics at high places but PDP would still remain the most established and the biggest party in the whole of Africa. If we have differences, we would resolve it; so as to get stronger and stronger.

The convention has problems but it has been resolved and it would eventually lead us to glory.

Then, what are the indices to show that PDP is prepared to take over power from APC in 2019?

No doubts, there are strategies, tactics and developments. Some of them are secrets that cannot be revealed; political strategies that would enable PDP take over power from APC in 2019.

There are lots of indices, like you have said that Nigerians are announcing that they are not happy with APC and that they may turn the table against APC in the next election.

So, do you think that Nigeria will be worse off if only Buhari gets second term?

If Buhari gets second term, Nigeria may not be worst for it. At least, anybody in government would do some performance. It may either be grade A, grade B or grade C; but is never total failure. But it is highly advisable that Buhari shouldn’t return in 2019 for the sake of his own health; for the sake of Nigerian politics and for the sake of the generation that is coming. It is not very advisable that he should come back; mainly because of his health, even his wife thinks so and we all pray for good health for him, but it is good for him at 75 years to go and rests and let younger generation put in their efforts.

Now, how do you see to the outbreaks of Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka and our former President Olusegun Obasanjo that he shouldn’t contest in 2019?

It is their opinion! They only express their opinion which is a very good advice. As Obasanjo said that Buhari may not even take his own advice but at least, for the sake of Nigerians, let him consider what he has said. So, people have their opinions.

There are some people out there saying that Buhari should come back and there are busy forming organisations. That is Democracy; that is politics. So, people can express their own opinion. There are a lot of people who are saying that Buhari has done well and that he should come back; some are of the opinion that he has not done well and that he shouldn’t come back.

The people should be given a fair chance in 2019 to make a decision of who comes back and who doesn’t come back.

Dr. Akintoye

Where do you stand on this and do we how reinvent a new Nigeria built on Peace and Justice?

We have to educate our people; when I say educate our people, I’m talking of total education; not just B. Sc, BA and whatever. Let the ordinary people be educated enough, be informed enough to be able to say. A is better than B to run this country. We should move away from parochial balloting and electioneering where we just say it is our son; let him go and represent us. We should get to place where the market woman can say because of this kind of policy and policy, I’m going to vote for party A and somebody else would say I’m going to vote for party B and at that time we are practicing real democracy.

Now, it is 500.00 democracy! When one kills, one gets 500.00 and they tell you where to put it but when the masses are educated – total education as I said not just university degree alone, Nigeria would be a better place.

Dogara once said that: “fiscal indiscipline is as grievous a problem as corruption”. Do you concur with him?

I concur totally with him. It is even the father of corruption. This is because if one temper with the budget of a nation, one is not only destroying a sub-sector but the totality of what that nation stand for it is even worse than pen-corruption and 10% corruption. Physical tampering is the worst offence anybody can comment to the nation.

And don’t you think the federal government and states are causing hyper-inflation and killing business with multiple taxes?

One thing is that if only the economy is right, inflation would be deflated. We should improve on our economy platform and inflation, as I said would be deflated.

But in a situation that is global, there is global recession. And we are importer country, we don’t seem to produce anything and so inflation would still be high with us. The government should open avenues for new investors while old investors should be motivated. I wanted to do something last week but the man said I can’t run my generator on diesel. So, energy is important! Those are the factors. Those are a lot of things – transportation, education; hospitable hospitals must be there for the economy to grow. Now, most cannot go to visit medical doctors because of high registration fees. And now, people are going back to traditional medicines of roots and herbs.

And now, an avenue should be created by the government for more industrialization of the country. It would even help unemployment which is another problem we have with the youths today.

Now, how do you see to the federal government’s plan to spend 1 billion from the excess crude account (ECA) to fight Boko Haram insurgency?

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It is a budget. It may be more; it may be less. But from the top of one’s head, one would see that 1 billion to fight Boko Haram’s not tainable especially when the army keep telling us every day that they decapitated them; they have destroyed their strongholds and that what remains of them is just remnants. And so, I don’t think such budget allocation is not necessary. I believe it is in excess; especially when we know that the present government as well as the past government had done so well in removing their heads, reducing their numbers and to the extent of releasing some of the girls. I don’t think we need that kind of money to fight Boko Haram.

We should turn it into agriculture or some other places that would be of more benefit to the nation.

Do you concur with ex-president Goodluck Jonathan that: the ruling APC government had delivered more corruption than the promised change?

That is subjective! You may not really know what this present APC government has done until when they leave government. And when they leave government, if there is bigger corruption than the past, history and people will judge. At the moment, one cannot say the corruption now is worst than the ones of the past or of the previous government. Right from the birth of Nigeria there has been corruption. It is left for all of us to stand up and fight it than to start comparing which corruption is larger and largest it is subjective! If one should bring an external auditor and he now looks at the book of past governments and says: it is administration A that was more corrupt than B, I would be able to judge. It is scientific; an academic exercise to say Jonathan’s administration is more corrupt than this administration. I don’t believe that! There must be some indices to show and compare. And that is the basic of research and some people get PhD for it.

And how do you see the activities of these Fulani cattle herdsmen? Do you think the federal government is doing enough about the activities?

The federal government is not doing much; by now, they should have curtailed the situation. The government has the might and power to be able to curtailed it almost immediately when it started but it has now degenerated to a point that the federal government itself is totally embarrassed about the development. And President Buhari has just recently said that he is going to deal with the perpetrators of such heinous crime.

Were the criminal activities of all this Fulani herdsmen rampant during the time of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan?

No, they were not rampant and when we were younger until the President Jonathan’s administration, they don’t carry guns, they only carry sticks to guards their cows. Now, they have turned to guns! Can a herdsman buy AK47? Then, somebody must be providing these guns for them. It was never rampant when we were smaller; it is the last cow that they would beat well to fall in  line with a stick but now, one see an eleven years old herdsman carrying AK47. He may not be able to buy such a gun; somebody must be providing it!

How do you think PDP can enthrone democratic best practices that would endear the party to the people?

Each party has an ideology and they have their aims and aspirations as to how best to serve the people. It is a meritorious thing; its likes if a government comes into power today, what he meets on the ground is what he supposed to be focusing and that is why there is this pledge for continuity in governance. When administration A leave, he has done something; he has laid some foundations; he has created something and administration B should start building on it rather than say no, I don’t know about that; I must build my own; I must create my own legacy and things like that.

So, PDP coming to power again would sit down; look at all those areas that needed immediate attention to benefit the people. Government is there to create situation that would benefit people; remove them from poverty. And one cannot say this is exactly what PDP would do or would not do but when times comes, it may be education that is to be focused highly before agriculture or before this or before that. So, it is what is on the ground that dictates the area of budgetary and area of immediate development by government. It is what the incoming administration meets on the ground dictates the pace of their priorities and PDP would do that.

Now, how would you appraise various policies and reforms of the federal government under Buhari for almost these 3 years of his administration? Are we on the right path towards economic recovery?

Well, we would say yes because the people that are in his administration are experts in their own area and I’m sure they go to the office everyday to see how best to improve the economy. The only prayer is that they would be in a position to improve it but for the past two and half years, there is no indication that they have done much.

Jonathan came out and says that, oh, I left government and we are about the second best economy in Africa at that time and 26th in the world. And God knows what we are today. Some people must be our leaders and lead us. I assume that this administration is not playing golf or playing draft. They meet everything A – Z on how best they can solve the situation. If only I’m to give them a mark today: they have not passed nor have they failed!

Looking at the challenges facing Nigeria, what will be your advice to President Buhari?

President Buhari should have an open door policy; let him change his cabinet to invigorate it; let him talk more to the people directly and listen to their needs; and that would guide him towards success.

And now, what is your impression of the current National Assembly led by Senator Saraki?

Yes, the senators are doing their works. Senator Saraki is a person whom I know very well. He is a brilliant and intelligent person who has been stabilizing the nation in one way or the other. The senate is in between the Executive and the Judiciary. And the senate has been doing a lot of stability to make sure that the executive does not have crisis, the judiciary is protected and they themselves (senate) are on the right track of formulating laws that would empower every Nigerians to goodness. The senates as well as the lower house which is the House of Representatives are all doing a good job.

How would you end this interview?

We thank God for the gifts of life for all Nigerians. We are part of the global world and the recession is global. The petrol price is not restricted to Nigeria. It is not different to what America would buy. We thank God for Nigeria and pray that Nigeria would be able to move forward and be one of the richest country in the world for the sake of the on-coming generation. And I thank everyone – the Judiciary, the Senate – both the red carpet and the green carpet – as well as the Executive; Nigeria would have outlived all of us and all we are saying is that we should live it better than we met it for the generation that is coming after.