What Angry Nigerians Want – Gbenga Daniel …Speaks on Election Boycott, Economy, Zoning

Ololade Adeyanju/

Former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD) has offered solutions to the problems facing Nigeria presently as he bared his mind on salient national issues, and the basis of people’s agitations.

Fielding questions from journalists on Monday, Daniel reflected on the state of the nation, insecurity, political divides, fuel subsidy, agitations for self-determination, how the bulk of Nigeria’s problems can be resolved economically, and the futility in boycotting an election.

Daniel, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), was governor from 2003 to 2011.

He argued that presidential zoning should be enshrined “in our Constitution”.

He said power rotation could not be jettisoned because it was always on the front burner of political discourse across the zones.

He said, “The entire Yoruba nation are united and they know what they want out of this country. And, when we say we are all united, I’m talking about everybody, including those who are radically positioned and who are thinking there must be something more dramatic.

“Ordinarily, nobody wants to pull out of Nigeria, and I believe very strongly that our people are united in their aspirations. I think where the differences are is what one can call the level of expectation. And the people who you can describe as extremists are doing that because they believe that’s the best way to move.

“I think if our people have a choice, the choice of everybody is to remain part of a strong united Nigeria where there’s equity, justice, and fair play; that for me is the expectation of our people. And, if you look at all our leaders, they’re saying the same thing. The Afenifere acting leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo was quoted to have said a few days ago that our people are not looking for secession. Our people are looking for the true Federal Republic where there’s equity, there’s fair play; where everybody has the potential to achieve whatever you can call the aspirations.

“Legal people say the problem appears to be the 1999 Constitution. What moderates are saying is that it should be possible to modify or rewrite the Constitution. That for me is what we can call the fundamentals. But, one must also agree that a number of our people are becoming impatient. And that’s the expression you find with people who feel that if it’s not going to happen the way they want it to happen, then to your tent oh Israel. I feel that all those who feel that way, rightly so, if properly engaged, and if all the people who are supposed to do the needful, do all they need to do, they’ll be happy because what everybody is saying is “we do not want a state where we are second class citizens. We want a state where we have equal opportunities, where we are treated as human beings. That’s what everybody appears to be talking about.”

Daniel said that Nigeria’s political parties “are not different ideologically”, and that over the years, people had tried to form a third force but it had failed and people appear to have settled for two parties.

“The PPN experiment in Ogun did not happen. And the APM experience of my successor did not go far,” he said.

Daniel also reflected on secession agitations by some individuals and groups in some parts of the country, urging the government to engage the agitators.

He said, “Zoning has become part of the moving spirit of the country’s political space. It should be encouraged.

“Around 1978/79, when the NPN came with zoning, we thought it was a lazy concept. Nigeria is unique. We must look at the uniqueness and diverse nature of our country. Zoning should be enshrined in the constitution.

“I’m not sure the President said the Constitution cannot be amended. The only way to know the position of the President is after the elected lawmakers have done the amendment and present it for the consent of the President. Even, if the President refuses to assent or consent to that, I think what the Law says is that after 30 days, they can still come around and enforce it if they can get the figures. There’s no doubt that it’s a tall order, but it’s possible.”

Daniel supported the Southern Governors’ Asaba Resolution on the open-grazing ban, adding that they deserved solidarity.

He also shared his views on the clamor for election boycott.

His words: “Experiences have shown that boycotting elections have never solved any problem anywhere in history. It can only lead to second rated, third rated people taking advantage of the polity. In those days, when Chief Bola Ige talked about the five fingers of a leprous hand, what happened is that the credible people did not take part in that election. The election still took place and the less credible people were given positions. If that military regime had not been truncated, they would have just continued.

“So, my own position is that battle can be opened in different flanks. Part of what we need to do is to put our thinking caps on. At the end of the day, what you’ll find out is that everyone will come back on the table and discuss a way out.

“If you look at the last election, people thought there’ll be no election in Borno State. At a time, I was told that six local governments were in the hands of Boko Haram. People thought election would not take place. But, election took place. We have a governor in Borno State today. So, I just want to appeal to our people that in this struggle, we must appreciate that there are so many dimensions to the process. Let everybody begin to do whatever they think is right within the framework of law and order. We must not base things on base sentiments.”

On the economy, Daniel said, “…We have more than enough resources to resolve most of our problems with minimal borrowing.

“The bulk of our expenditure have not been planned to remain in our country. I believe that if deliberate efforts are intensified to achieve that, we should be out of the current economic quagmire.

“I will give some examples, first as an Ijebu man, you know we don’t like to owe. We did not borrow a dime when I was in government, in all my eight years in Ogun State. I now hear that we owe in billions. We should make a difference between borrowings, which means going to the bank to take money and owing arrears of gratuity and pensions, because what people did was to put all of that and say ‘this is the money’. Liability is different from owing. Our only attempt to go to the Bond Bank to fund some of our legacy projects was frustrated politically. At a certain time, we resolved the problem. The leadership in the House was changed. That leadership approved our bond, the stock exchange approved, the security and exchange commission had approved, and then when everything was approved, I now say we are not taking it. We just wanted to prove at that time to detractors that what we were doing was right and we had the will power to take it through.

“After we got everything sorted out, we said now everything is fine but we will not take the money. So, if the next government wants to take it, they can take it. And I think they took it one way or the other.

“But, where am I going? Despite the fact that at that time when I looked at the total income that came to the state in all of those eight years, and the total income that came in, in the subsequent 8 years, our income was no more than 15 to 20 per cent. Which means our disposable income was no more than 15 to 20 per cent of what now came in, in the subsequent eight years. If you then look at those quantum, and consider work on the ground, you don’t need to be told to know that there has been good management of those little resources. So, the problem we have is a microcosm of that.

“If we do not manage our resources well, even if we have all the money in this world, we are still going to have problems, because it’s a management process. We have to find a way of keeping Nigeria’s money inside Nigeria.

“What do people want on the streets? On the street, people are not looking for those billions and trillions. They are just looking for means of subsistence and sustenance. And, all the security challenges we’ve had, if you look at it carefully, they are from the streets. In those days of the slave trade, what Americans, British and all those slave traders were looking for were workers. If you want to call it cheap labour. And for that reason, they were prepared to come and buy people in Africa. Now, we have plenty of cheap labour, we have not devised ways and means of engaging them, without which we are just joking. The promise of security; that’s why I said most of our problems can be solved economically.”

On planned fuel subsidy removal, he said: “The solution is blocking loopholes, crushing the mafia and reducing leakages.”

Justifying his defection to the APC, the former governor said the decision was dictated by his followers.

He also said that he decided in good conscience that it was better to support the 2019 APC governorship candidate in Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun, instead of the late Senator Buruji Kashamu of the PDP.

Daniel, who lamented the worsening security situation in the country, said, “It is a joint responsibility. Our responsibility is to join hands to find solutions.”

He reflected on his backing for power shift to Yewa Division when he was governor, urging that, to get the slot, the Ogun West Senatorial Zone would require more than the sloganeering of “it is our turn”.

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