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| President Muhammadu Buhari |
Archbishop Emeritus Ayo Ladigbolu is a retired archbishop of Methodist Church Nigeria. Despite his ecclesiastical calling, Ladigbolu, who is also a prince of Oyo town, led the current Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams, in to seclusion before he was inaugurated in January 2018. Ladigbolu took over the mantle of the chairmanship of the Yoruba Unity Forum from Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi when the latter retired. He speaks with FEMI MAKINDE on how the crisis between herdsmen and farmers can be resolved, among sundry issues
There are fears in some quarters that the restructuring of the country will lead to its disintegration. Do you share this view?
I personally do not see any danger in restructuring the country. This is because if we continue to avoid it, as we are doing now, we will eventually discover that what we are afraid of has overtaken us. Then, it will be too difficult to start to reacting and doing repairs. That is why it is better to do it now. We can always adjust to it because Nigerians are resilient people. In the light of the realities of what we are seeing, this is the best time to restructure and the only danger I can see is the danger of failure to do it.
What really are the benefits to the nation?
There will be more trust and competence. Those who feel marginalised will see clearly for themselves that our leaders have tried to meet their yearnings. If those who feel marginalised are able to adjust quickly, each of the federating units will actually grow at its own pace. They will have some degree of control over their own resources and the centre can be made weaker than it is at the moment without any overbearing influence on the growth and development of the smaller federating units. This will be better for us. For me, these are the advantages. We will not have to fight again; and we can save the future from any trouble by restructuring.
Do you think revisiting the report of the Constitutional Conference of 2014 will assist in this restructuring process?
That will be a very useful instrument in our hands because most of resolutions of the 2014 confab are proper solutions to our problems. We can just go back and look at those resolutions and adopt them, adjust them and then we will be on our way to be a better nation.
The dry season is here and the fear of violent clashes between herdsmen, in search of pasture for their livestock, and farmers, whose crops are destroyed in the process, is rife. What can be done to forestall a repeat of the needless deadly clashes recorded in 2018?
I think the farmers will have to be more vigilant and the government will have to return to the cattle routes established in the past so that cattle can graze without straying into anybody’s farms. If the cattle routes are reconstructed, then, the clashes will be prevented and our harvests will be better. These are some of the things we can do.
Will ranching offer any solution to the problem?
Yes, ranching is very good for those that can do it. It will be the best but I suggest that opening of the grazing routes and ranching should be the major concern of our government now. Those interested in raising livestock should establish ranches and let the routes be opened. But I am against the establishment of cattle colony. It should never be allowed.
Why are you against the creation of cattle colony?
Why should anybody come and establish cattle colony in the East or in the South or in the West? It will create a much bigger problem in the future between the natives and those brought to establish it. We should prevent that from happening.
How can Nigeria win the war against the Boko Haram insurgency still raging in the North-East?
The government should not give up. I believe Boko Haram has been decimated like our government has claimed and that is why they (insurgents) are now adopting the guerrilla warfare strategies. I feel the people living in those areas should be well taken care of and be better enlightened; then, we can overcome the Boko Haram insurgency.
Do you think the government should forget the military approach to the war?
The military has to be there; they have to continue because that is a different strategy. But the people will matter most in our efforts to suppress or quell the war. If we teach the people how to be vigilant and protect themselves and their environment as well as enlighten them and sufficiently educate them, then, it will be an enduring way of quelling this war. But the military strategy alone cannot guarantee us victory.
How will you rate the performance of the Muhammadu Buhari administration?
To be very honest, this government has taken some giant strides in some areas. We can see that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is under reconstruction; the Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso-Ilorin road is still under construction, and the railway system is coming back although this is a continuation of what the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan started. The good news is that the continuity is to the benefit of the people. Governance of course is a continuum. I am happy that they have not abandoned this railway. Sooner than later, it will be faster, cheaper and safer to travel from Ibadan to Lagos using the rail. For me, those are the giant strides Nigerians should applaud. Of course, the issues of poverty and unemployment have always been with us and the previous governments had done their best to tackle them. But no government can score 100 per cent in dealing with those problems. I just pray that the present government will do the best it can to address those problems before its tenure will expire; so, it will be on record that they (officials) tried their best. I am not affiliated to any political party; my major concern or agenda is for a better Nigeria.
How has the administration of Buhari performed in the war against corruption?
From what we are seeing, I think this government has succeeded more than any other government in fighting corruption. But they can work harder and achieve more if all those in government will let the world see them as not condoning corruption or shielding some people who are corrupt from investigation and prosecution.
Has the present administration managed the economy well?
From what I know and at least the Treasury Single Account is an innovation that other African countries will envy us for. This is allowing government to have more money in its coffers to do things for the people. And even if the government has not done any other thing, they have succeeded in that regard. The economy can be better managed; there are no perfect managers of economy anywhere in the world. All economies can be better managed. Even in France or Britain, with the Brexit, you can see all the problems they have with their economies. So, I believe that Nigeria’s economy can still be better managed; but I believe so far, so good.
Are you confident that the 2019 elections will be credible?
Well, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he will not allow Nigerians to be cheated the way he was cheated and that he will try and make the 2019 elections free and fair. I believe those who wrote the story are quoting him right. He is a man of honour and I believe that he will keep his word. We can all trust God that the elections will be free, fair and violence-free.
How do you see his refusal to sign the Electoral (Amendment) bill?
I think it is better to leave that until the 2019 elections are over. It is like the goal post has been set and all the players are set; the referee is already on the field and the linesmen are there with their flags and now, we are trying to tinker with the rules of the game. For me, I think it is better to hasten slowly because there is likely to be conflict of interpretation, conflict of implementation if the new electoral law is signed by this time. I think it should be left until after the elections. That is my opinion.
Has the Yoruba Unity Forum adopted any presidential candidate?
Have you forgotten that the Yoruba Unity Forum is an umbrella organisation for all Yoruba people and we have no presidential candidate? We are sure that members of YUF will vote according to their conscience. They will vote according to their political sympathies and affiliations. And as the chairman (of the forum), I will cast my vote as guided by God and my conscience.
Do you think Nigeria needs a septuagenarian to run the affairs of the nation at this stage?
I don’t think it is the age of our leaders that is bringing us the problems. It is a problem of leadership style; probably the manifesto of the parties and probably the way Nigerians want to be ruled. After all, these choices were not imposed on us by anybody. Of course, there is the credit you have to give to age when it comes to running the affairs of people. There is ‘Not too young to run;’ ‘Not tooyoung to rule’. But I think the young ones should gradually learn from the elders. I think maturity and age are major assets. But as for the septuagenarians and octogenarians, Nigerians have about 90 political parties to choose from. I have expressed my opinion about the usefulness of age and the usefulness of experience. But if other factors are to be considered, our people still have other political parties to choose from.
What is your message to Nigerians as we move into a new year?
I wish our people Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year ahead. I want our people to remain vigilant and to remember that whatever we do in 2019 (elections) will go a long way in determining what future we will create for ourselves and our children. We should cooperate with the government to ensure that these elections are free and fair and that the best candidates that will serve the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians are elected.
In this article:
There are fears in some quarters that the restructuring of the country will lead to its disintegration. Do you share this view?
I personally do not see any danger in restructuring the country. This is because if we continue to avoid it, as we are doing now, we will eventually discover that what we are afraid of has overtaken us. Then, it will be too difficult to start to reacting and doing repairs. That is why it is better to do it now. We can always adjust to it because Nigerians are resilient people. In the light of the realities of what we are seeing, this is the best time to restructure and the only danger I can see is the danger of failure to do it.
What really are the benefits to the nation?
There will be more trust and competence. Those who feel marginalised will see clearly for themselves that our leaders have tried to meet their yearnings. If those who feel marginalised are able to adjust quickly, each of the federating units will actually grow at its own pace. They will have some degree of control over their own resources and the centre can be made weaker than it is at the moment without any overbearing influence on the growth and development of the smaller federating units. This will be better for us. For me, these are the advantages. We will not have to fight again; and we can save the future from any trouble by restructuring.
Do you think revisiting the report of the Constitutional Conference of 2014 will assist in this restructuring process?
That will be a very useful instrument in our hands because most of resolutions of the 2014 confab are proper solutions to our problems. We can just go back and look at those resolutions and adopt them, adjust them and then we will be on our way to be a better nation.
The dry season is here and the fear of violent clashes between herdsmen, in search of pasture for their livestock, and farmers, whose crops are destroyed in the process, is rife. What can be done to forestall a repeat of the needless deadly clashes recorded in 2018?
I think the farmers will have to be more vigilant and the government will have to return to the cattle routes established in the past so that cattle can graze without straying into anybody’s farms. If the cattle routes are reconstructed, then, the clashes will be prevented and our harvests will be better. These are some of the things we can do.
Will ranching offer any solution to the problem?
Yes, ranching is very good for those that can do it. It will be the best but I suggest that opening of the grazing routes and ranching should be the major concern of our government now. Those interested in raising livestock should establish ranches and let the routes be opened. But I am against the establishment of cattle colony. It should never be allowed.
Why are you against the creation of cattle colony?
Why should anybody come and establish cattle colony in the East or in the South or in the West? It will create a much bigger problem in the future between the natives and those brought to establish it. We should prevent that from happening.
How can Nigeria win the war against the Boko Haram insurgency still raging in the North-East?
The government should not give up. I believe Boko Haram has been decimated like our government has claimed and that is why they (insurgents) are now adopting the guerrilla warfare strategies. I feel the people living in those areas should be well taken care of and be better enlightened; then, we can overcome the Boko Haram insurgency.
Do you think the government should forget the military approach to the war?
The military has to be there; they have to continue because that is a different strategy. But the people will matter most in our efforts to suppress or quell the war. If we teach the people how to be vigilant and protect themselves and their environment as well as enlighten them and sufficiently educate them, then, it will be an enduring way of quelling this war. But the military strategy alone cannot guarantee us victory.
How will you rate the performance of the Muhammadu Buhari administration?
To be very honest, this government has taken some giant strides in some areas. We can see that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is under reconstruction; the Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso-Ilorin road is still under construction, and the railway system is coming back although this is a continuation of what the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan started. The good news is that the continuity is to the benefit of the people. Governance of course is a continuum. I am happy that they have not abandoned this railway. Sooner than later, it will be faster, cheaper and safer to travel from Ibadan to Lagos using the rail. For me, those are the giant strides Nigerians should applaud. Of course, the issues of poverty and unemployment have always been with us and the previous governments had done their best to tackle them. But no government can score 100 per cent in dealing with those problems. I just pray that the present government will do the best it can to address those problems before its tenure will expire; so, it will be on record that they (officials) tried their best. I am not affiliated to any political party; my major concern or agenda is for a better Nigeria.
How has the administration of Buhari performed in the war against corruption?
From what we are seeing, I think this government has succeeded more than any other government in fighting corruption. But they can work harder and achieve more if all those in government will let the world see them as not condoning corruption or shielding some people who are corrupt from investigation and prosecution.
Has the present administration managed the economy well?
From what I know and at least the Treasury Single Account is an innovation that other African countries will envy us for. This is allowing government to have more money in its coffers to do things for the people. And even if the government has not done any other thing, they have succeeded in that regard. The economy can be better managed; there are no perfect managers of economy anywhere in the world. All economies can be better managed. Even in France or Britain, with the Brexit, you can see all the problems they have with their economies. So, I believe that Nigeria’s economy can still be better managed; but I believe so far, so good.
Are you confident that the 2019 elections will be credible?
Well, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he will not allow Nigerians to be cheated the way he was cheated and that he will try and make the 2019 elections free and fair. I believe those who wrote the story are quoting him right. He is a man of honour and I believe that he will keep his word. We can all trust God that the elections will be free, fair and violence-free.
How do you see his refusal to sign the Electoral (Amendment) bill?
I think it is better to leave that until the 2019 elections are over. It is like the goal post has been set and all the players are set; the referee is already on the field and the linesmen are there with their flags and now, we are trying to tinker with the rules of the game. For me, I think it is better to hasten slowly because there is likely to be conflict of interpretation, conflict of implementation if the new electoral law is signed by this time. I think it should be left until after the elections. That is my opinion.
Has the Yoruba Unity Forum adopted any presidential candidate?
Have you forgotten that the Yoruba Unity Forum is an umbrella organisation for all Yoruba people and we have no presidential candidate? We are sure that members of YUF will vote according to their conscience. They will vote according to their political sympathies and affiliations. And as the chairman (of the forum), I will cast my vote as guided by God and my conscience.
Do you think Nigeria needs a septuagenarian to run the affairs of the nation at this stage?
I don’t think it is the age of our leaders that is bringing us the problems. It is a problem of leadership style; probably the manifesto of the parties and probably the way Nigerians want to be ruled. After all, these choices were not imposed on us by anybody. Of course, there is the credit you have to give to age when it comes to running the affairs of people. There is ‘Not too young to run;’ ‘Not tooyoung to rule’. But I think the young ones should gradually learn from the elders. I think maturity and age are major assets. But as for the septuagenarians and octogenarians, Nigerians have about 90 political parties to choose from. I have expressed my opinion about the usefulness of age and the usefulness of experience. But if other factors are to be considered, our people still have other political parties to choose from.
What is your message to Nigerians as we move into a new year?
I wish our people Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year ahead. I want our people to remain vigilant and to remember that whatever we do in 2019 (elections) will go a long way in determining what future we will create for ourselves and our children. We should cooperate with the government to ensure that these elections are free and fair and that the best candidates that will serve the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians are elected.
In this article: