ISAAC SHOBAYO, North-Central Bureau Chief, speaks with Dr Bitrus Pogu, National President of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), about the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) readiness for the next general elections, the nation’s economic hardship, insecurity, federal allocation to states, and other national issues. Excerpts:
What is your assessment of INEC’s preparedness for the upcoming elections?
At the moment, INEC has its hands full but is still not fully prepared for the elections because, given that there are still issues to be addressed with regard to the voters’ register, etc., it means INEC still has some work to do. We just pray that before the elections hold, INEC will be fully prepared to attend to and address all issues to ensure that there is a credible, transparent and good election that Nigerians will have confidence in.So, for now, I think, with regard to INEC, that’s what I can say.
But with the back-and-forth concerning the candidates, where some are said to be eligible to run while others are not, what implications does this have for the forthcoming elections?
We believe INEC should be able to address these issues before the elections. That shouldn’t be a big issue. We’ve had issues like this in the past, and they have been addressed. We believe that this time around, INEC will do the same. If games are being played, we believe Nigerians are smart enough, and they will make objective assessments of the candidates and vote for those they believe deserve to be voted into office. So, I believe those issues will be addressed very soon.
The chairman of the electoral commission is from the Middle Belt, and the task of conducting elections is enormous. What advice do you have for him at this critical stage of this national assignment?
The advice would be for him to be steadfast, firm and, I mean, exercise due diligence in everything that he does so that he will have a clean, commendable scorecard when he leaves, because nobody stays permanently in such an office. So, Middle Belters are known to be credible in the things they do, and we expect him to show credibility and execute the big job that is before him so that he can be counted and judged fairly by generations to come.
The Middle Belt Forum took a firm stance in the most recent election, held in 2023. This time, everyone is looking up to the Middle Belt, expecting it to say something. So, what is the Middle Belt’s stance on the 2027 elections?
We are going to have a stakeholders’ meeting where such a decision will be taken, and, of course, we are going to work alongside our friends down south. I mean Afenifere, Ohanaeze and PANDEF. However, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) will meet at the appropriate time and come up with a joint position on the upcoming election. One thing that is certain is that, while our support will not be for a northern candidate, it will be for a southern candidate because, at least, we have decided, and properly so, that the presidency should remain in the South for now. It can only change in 2031, so, for the sake of fairness and justice, power must remain in the South for the next four years. So, when we have our stakeholders’ meeting, the person we are going to support will be known. But for now, it is certainly going to be a southern candidate.
Looking at Mr President’s performance over the last three years, there is widespread public concern about the country’s hardships. How would you evaluate Mr President’s performance over the last three years, especially since he is running for re-election?
There are lots of areas where we can say he is lacking in his performance. There are some areas, too, where we can say, yes, he performed credibly. For example, some of his ministers, irrespective of all the accusations, I can give a thumbs-up to Wike because the transformation in the FCT has never been this good. The Minister of Works is doing a very good job across the country, and some others. The majority of the others are below average or so.However, we know that the governors are getting more in terms of federal allocations, irrespective of the devaluation, commensurate with what was available in the past, especially during Buhari’s regime. They are getting much more. But the majority of the governors are not showing anything that we can rate as adding value to what is happening at the centre. So, I think the judgment of the Federal Government will not be complete without considering what the states are getting, given that the resources are being shared accordingly. The President has not failed in that regard. That is, giving them their money as and when due.
In terms of security, we still have lots of problems, and we can equally say that detractors are partly responsible, given that we have a system where people don’t care what they do to get into power. So, with all that, we can say that Nigerians, having known what is happening immediately around them, the pressures, especially those caused by the high price of fuel, that is, energy, and all that, would make rational judgments, considering all those parameters, including comparing him with those who are trying to come in to see whether those people would perform better. That’s what I can say on this issue.
Based on the scenarios you’ve painted, people all over the country are crying that he’s not doing enough to address the country’s hardships. The palliative rollouts are insufficient to address the issue. What are your thoughts about this?
I don’t believe in palliatives in the first place. What I believe in is creating an economic environment that will allow people to have a better life. You know, for example, the devaluation has hurt the economy so much. Unfortunately, there are external powers that affect that.Otherwise, we thank God. God has given us lots of rain, and we have been able to produce food. The only thing is that farmers are paying for it because, you know, foreign food has flooded the market, and the value of their produce has dropped. Given the fact that inputs like fertiliser, among others, remain very high, in that regard, the policy has to change for things to be better.
One of the problems that is still bothering Nigeria, particularly in the Middle Belt, is insecurity. Given that people are dying every day, do you believe Mr President has done enough to address this situation? What is the solution, in your opinion as a Middle Belter?
Those concerned have to be bold enough to address the issue from its roots. If some big shot is known to be sponsoring something, that big shot should be kicked out without consideration of whatever position he occupies. So, now we should also look at it critically: who are those responsible? The security agencies and government have to be bold enough to get to the root of the matter and pick up those responsible without any bias or sentiment. For example, about three or four days ago, one cleric who preaches peace in Katsina, by the name of Masusuka, was killed for preaching peace. So, people behind such atrocities should be dealt with without reservation as to whether they have religious or status connections. That’s what we would advise Mr President to do. Certainly, the government alone cannot do the job. But what the government can do is to be decisive against any person or culprit who is found to be sponsoring these things. These boys in the bushes don’t have the capacity to survive if their source of sponsorship is cut off.
There is glaring evidence that some leaders in the North are not up and doing towards addressing insecurity…
(Cuts in) That is true. Some of this insecurity is associated with a lot of issues that can be addressed. We know Boko Haram came in as a religious group, and as a religious group, they feel that their, you know, form of religion has to be adhered to; otherwise, any other person should be dealt with. Then we have lots of facets. Some economic opportunists also came in to take advantage, and then we have others who want to, you know, dispossess others of their territorial lands, etc. All these things are combined, but it started with a religious ideology, and it has expanded to all these other facets without reservation. Unless this thing is addressed at that level, it will not disappear. So, irrespective of whether it is this government or any other government, the leader has to have the courage to be able to deal with whoever it is, irrespective of whether he is a former president, a leader of a religious group or whoever. That is the way this thing can be addressed, not by just fighting those boys in the villages and the bushes.
Mining is currently linked to terrorism, banditry and other crimes, particularly in the North of the country. The majority of the locations are gradually becoming terrorist hotspots. What is the way out of this?
There must be a policy, either to say that all mines should be government-owned or supervised by the government, or, if people are licensed, let there be some regulatory measures to ensure that proper procedures are followed. Illegal mining should be abolished and stopped, and that way we can address issues with regard to, let’s say, violence associated with mineral resources. I told you earlier that a religious group started Boko Haram, and they believe that they have the right to impose their ideology on everybody. That is one. Two, all these things, including the Boko Haram insurgency, started because our constitution allowed for Sharia to be practised. That is the 1999 Constitution. Previous constitutions did not do that.
Whether they amend the constitution or not, it remains what it is. So, we have to go to the roots. So, when we have addressed that one, then we can address all the other things, including the economic terrorism associated with mining. We need a constitution which addresses all the issues of Nigerians rather than one that has a sectional bias. Because there is already a war between Sharia and constitutional democracy, that has to be addressed.So, there are lots of issues that have to be addressed before we come to such sundry issues like mining, associated terrorism, et cetera.
If you look at it, petroleum is also a mineral resource and is being regulated. Why is it difficult for mining to be regulated by the Federal Government, at least to minimise this act of terrorism?
There is no reason why it should not be addressed. I believe it is because the government in office has not, across the board, that is, even before now, paid real attention to addressing it. Otherwise, it is possible to address any issue if the government is really determined to do so. So, we are calling on Mr President to now look seriously at mining, as that is a cause of economic terrorism, to ensure that it’s well regulated so that that facet can be taken off the consideration when we are trying to address terrorism.
With the increase in federal funding for states, people are beginning to complain that not enough is being done at the state level. The State Assemblies, which are supposed to function as checks and balances, do not. How do we ensure development at the state level?
They should be exposed. All the resources that are being given to state governors are known, and people should be told clearly to take decisions based on performance. A report by the European Union on the performance of governors depicted that many of them perform dismally. It is now left for the press to do their job. Let every state have the freedom to vote in or out those people whom they feel have not performed.I think that is the only way forward. And when governors know that they can be voted out easily if they don’t perform, people will sit up.
Elections in Nigeria frequently cause disunity and division on all fronts. What is your advice in this regard?
It’s true. People are divided. It’s true also that some factors, especially insecurity, have created a lot of division: division in the North between the Hausa and the Fulani; the Middle Belt thinking of not being properly secured and, of course, there are some people who feel even Nigeria is not addressing their issues.But I believe I have not lost hope in Nigeria, and I believe that, yes, the President, at least for one thing, I can say that this is one of the most decisive persons I have seen. He can take a decision, and it will be implemented with that kind of authority which he has and his type of behaviour. If he should have a second opportunity, I would want him to be assertive to ensure that what Nigerians expect of him is given to them, and to ensure that he can stand by the Constitution and enforce whatever is there to be enforced to make Nigeria work. Because, really, we have not yet become a nation, and there is a need for a strong president to come in, be able to show us the way and forge a nation out of us.