INTERVIEW: Why I keep contesting for president – Atiku Abubakar

In this interview he granted the BBC Hausa service as monitored by PREMIUM TIMES, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, explains why he has been seeking to be the president of Nigeria. He also speaks on his relationship with his main rival, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, his take on the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC and other issues.

Mohammed Babangida translated the interview.

Excerpts:

Question: You’ve been contesting for this seat (president). Why do you want to be the president of Nigeria?

Atiku: My ambition is to ensure I use the experience I have in public service and politics to help in the development of this country. But most importantly, what has been disturbing me, just as I use to tell my children, I have a lot of children and I have given them the education they deserve, both religious and conventional. Most of my children have been to some other countries but I also ensure that they all return to Nigeria to live here. So, I use to think what sort of a country will my children find themselves in the future? When I think of the situation and the future generations, it motivates me to keep contesting to see if God will give me the chance to be the president.

Question: So when you become president, what do you hope to do different from what was done, for instance, during the PDP years?

Atiku: I will focus on five major issues. First, insecurity that is bedeviling every part of the country. I will unite the country by running a just and fair government. There is also the issue of the economy and education. The last one is looking at how some responsibilities and functions can be handed over to states and local government councils in the country because when you look at it, the federal government has taken over government dealings. So, these five things are what I will prioritise if elected the president of the country.

Question: But how do you think you can use these priorities to solve the problems of the country, because every candidate will say he would do these things you’ve mentioned? What style would you use in ensuring these priorities work differently?

Atiku: Well, the difference is that I have done it before and people have witnessed what I have done. Did the others (presidential candidates) do anything like me? Can they say they have done something like me?

Question: Let’s take the issue of insecurity in the North-west for instance. How do you intend to tackle it?

Atiku: I will first increase the number of security agents, increase their weapons and other equipment, increase their salaries. These are things I intend to do immediately I become president.

There is also a decision I am thinking of taking which is to look at the possibility of allowing states to have their own security agencies. We will however monitor the activities of the states to make sure they didn’t use the state security agents to intimidate the opposition.

Question: What you intend to do require funding and it is obvious there is no money in the country. Even the country’s foreign reserve is dwindling and the debt profile of the country is also huge, reading around N16 trillion. Where do you intend to get the money to do these things you have mentioned?

Atiku: Something good about the debt is that you can sit and discuss with those you are owing to reach agreement on the mode of payment. You can seek for an extension period to pay when your economy bounces back……

Secondly, the moment we tackle the issue of insecurity, we will turn to inviting foreign businesses to come and invest in the country which can boost our economy and reduce the poverty level.

Question: (cuts in): You are talking of foreign businesses when the naira is always falling down while dollar keeps rising….

Atiku: (Cuts in) This depends on the efforts made by the government at a particular time. For instance, this government did something we believe is wrong. The naira has three to four rates but we believe this is wrong. They should let the market decide the rate of the naira and not the government to decide that.

Question: On education, the UNICEF said about 20 million children in the country are out of school with majority of them in the northern part of the country. How do you intend to tackle this issue?

Atiku: They are 12 million of such children in the north. To be honest with you, the states and local governments don’t use the money we send to them from the federal government for the education sector. So, what I will do is to ensure that states and local governments that collect money from the federal government use it to provide education.

Question: There is the incessant strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). This disagreement between ASUU and the federal government, how would you tackle it?

Atiku: I will sit with them because I didn’t see any problem with doing that. I have been running a university for over 20 years now and not for once did our staff go on strike. Why do you think so,? I believe it’s because we pay them their salaries and allowances as at when due.

Question: But your university is a private one that’s expensive and it’s only for the children of the privileged….

Atiku: Even at that…. Even the public universities, there was a federal scholarship board but I don’t think it’s there now. So, I will revive that board to provide loans for students that can’t sponsor their education.

Question: Let’s talk about health. There is lack of medical doctors and it’s said that every one medical doctor takes care of 2,000 persons. Some of them are leaving the country in huge number. If you are elected, what would you do to solve the problem of medical doctors leaving the country to practice in other countries?

Atiku: If you could recall, some years back before we started this dispensation in 1999, we had these sort of problems when our medical doctors were leaving the country for Saudi Arabia and others. But when PDP came, we rehabilitated hospitals, built several others and increased their salaries, they all returned. If the government is serious, it will do things right.

Question: So you mean you can bring them back if you are elected?

Atiku: By God’s grace. First, ensure there is a conducive environment for them to practice. Hospitals should be well equiped and their salaries standardised.

Question: But you the wealthy people go overseas to seek for medical attention…

Atiku: What do you mean by wealthy people?

Question: The rich people and those in position of authority. Some go outside the country to treat headache…

Atiku: No. I am not one of them. Yes, I go overseas but not to treat headache (laughs). May be once after six months or a year I go out for medical check up or when I fall down I got wounded on my leg. Yes, I went overseas then and I was treated and I returned.

Question: Let’s talk about politics now. There is the issue of G-5 governors in your party. Don’t you think you have a problem being that those governors are from the subregion where PDP is considered to be strong?

Atiku: Well, every party has its own peculiar issues. We are discussing with them and most of them are neither here nor there. This will not affect our chances because we believe with the way they (INEC) are planning to conduct the elections now, because it is not like in the days that a governor would be the one to decide who win or not. The Act has changed that and now election is decided by the electorate.

Question: The candidates of LP and NNPP are seen as capable of hindering your success. Many believe it would have been better if you were together with them.

Atiku: Even if everyone in this country promises to elect you, you’ll not be at peace until when you are elected.

Question: But these ones, Peter Obi and Kwankwaso, do they scare you?

Atiku: No. No. I’m not afraid of them. They don’t make me jittery.

Question: Is there any possibility of any of them joining you before the election?

Atiku: Why not? It’ is very possible because this is all politics.

Question: Are you reaching out to them now or you are just feeling the possibility of them..

Atiku: We are discussing with them.

Question: Who do you think among the two will easily join you?

Atiku: Any of them can join us.

Question: Tinubu is your friend. You people started together and you had one political godfather, Shehu Yar’Adua. But you’re now locking horns. Some may believe he (Tinubu) knows your political strategies, don’t you think it will affect your chances?

Atiku: I am not afraid of that. I don’t think he can do that. In fact, I have never feared anyone in politics.

Question: What makes you think you will win?

Atiku: What motivates me is that the APC administration has failed to deliver and everyone knows that. People need change.

Question: You have been accused of bribery and corruption on different occasions.

Atiku: It is all allegations. Let them bring evidence if they have it.

Question: Would you declare your assets?

Atiku: How? ….. I write down my assets in asset declaration. If they say I should give it to journalists for scrutiny I can give it to you people.

Question: But you on your own, you will not give it to us to explain how much you have, may be your number of cars and houses?

Atiku: It is just a document. If you want to see it you can go to the officials in charge if they can give you.

Question: The current administration shut down land borders. Taking into consideration that you are a retired Customs officer, what action would you take?

Atiku: Nigeria is the leader of ECOWAS and the first rule of ECOWAS said there should be free trade between the West African countries. No country should shut down such trade without discussion on the reasons for the action. This government when it came, it didn’t discuss with any country. They just went ahead to shut down the borders.

One of the things I promised to do is to reopen all land borders in the country because we have Customs officers and other security agents on these borders. So anything that is contraband or require payment, they will take care of that. But we will open land borders and allow people to continue running their business.

Question: But the federal government said it did this to support local farmers and to stop contraband from entering the country?

Atiku: Then why do we have border officials?