Prince Buruji Kashamu is the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly. He has been in the news lately for being among some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West who are rooting for the North to retain the National Chairmanship of the party. This has made some to insinuate that he is promoting a Sheriff/Fayose ticket ahead of the 2019 general election. In a recent encounter with journalists in Lagos, he denied promoting any presidential ticket and bared his mind on other sundry issues. Excerpts:







Some South West PDP leaders, including Chief Bode George, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe and Doyin Okupe have condemned your position describing you and others as ragamuffins and bastards. How would you react to this?

No amount of abuse will make me descend into the arena. I am focused on what I and other well-meaning leaders think is in the best interest of the good and highly regarded people of the South West and the party. They can call us any name they want to call us; it does not move me. I have done nothing wrong. At least, no one has accused me of stealing party or campaign funds and materials. Neither have I abused my office as a Senator. Of course, every practical politician knows that those they refer to as ragamuffins are prolific strikers and foot soldiers; they are the ones who can go out to get things done and then report back to our esteemed leaders who are naturally slowing down as they advance in years.Our foremost leaders like Baba Bode George, Chief Babatope and Senator Ogunlewe remain our superior leaders. It is true that they can no longer run and strike like they used to do in their youthful days. However, we need to combine the provenwisdom of the old with the astuteness, strength and agility of the younger ones to reposition the party. It is a fact of life that parents and the elderly prayerfully train and nurture their off-springs to grow up to be better and be more adept at what they do when they eventually take over. It is true that Baba Bode George told me he wanted to be the National Chairman and I told him I will support him, provided he was able to consult widely and carry others along; contrary to Chief Babatope’s claim that Chief George was not interested in the position. But, after a deep reflection on the situation of things and due consultations with other well-meaning leaders and members of the party in the South West, we felt there was the need to retain the position in the North. As for Chief Ogunlewe, we have collaborated politically in the recent past. I am surprised he is now saying that those who hold a view contrary to his are bastards. It is most unfortunate. And then I saw my friend and brother, DoyinOkupe, trying laboriously to justify their agenda. He too had told me that he wanted to be the National Chairman. But, the reality is that some of those scheming to be National Chairman just want the title; nothing more. What we need now is somebody who can rebuild the party. That is why many people are rooting for Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.



You are on record as having granted several interviews where you hailed the Federal Government’s anti-corruption fight. Why have you been supporting the anti-corruption fight of the Government and President Buhari?

As a senator, I represent an arm of the government which is the legislature. And by virtue of my being a member of the National Assembly, I am part of the Federal Government. All elected and appointed officials are critical stakeholders in the Nigerian project. We are individually and collectively liable for the success and failure of our current democratic experience and government. Once a President, lawmaker, governor or local government chairman emerges, he is no longer a President, governor or chairman of the party that produced him or its members. He becomes the leader of all the people. For me, the truth and the interest of the masses are paramount in all I do, in and out of politics. These notions are the guiding principles that inform actions. For me, the call to national patriotic duty supersedes all other considerations and interests.



But Nigerians are complaining and frustrated with the myriad of challenges confronting them, from fuel scarcity to poor power supply, among others; what would be your reaction to this?

I know that Nigerians are crying that there is no money in circulation and that things are hard. But I think that the prevailing austerity measures put in place by the Federal Government are meant to block leakages, wastages and mop up excess funds in the system. No more free money or slush funds anywhere.Hopefully, the money being salvaged by these measures will be used to rebuild our socio-economic infrastructure. Already, the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and the Treasury Single Account (TSA) are saving the country trillions of naira.It was outrageous to hear that as much as N30billion of public funds have been traced to the accounts of a certain permanent secretary? Can you imagine how much would have been stolen by other functionaries when you realize that we have over 260 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)? You would have noticed that more discoveries and startling revelations are being made almost on a daily basis. There are moments I ask myself: can all these be true? How can people be this heartless? No one is perfect. No assemblage of human beings can be perfect. But, I am saying that there are visible signs that things are now being done differently. The fake and flamboyant lifestyle that most Nigerians were used to is now giving way for a more realistic and moderate lifestyle. Furthermore, the demonstrable political will of the President inspires hope. Hispersonal integrity and uprightness is having a ripple effect on how government operates. People can at least strive and succeed on merit. Money can no longer be used to buy people’s loyalty. The trend now is that if you must get the people’s loyalty, you must work for it and earn it. The years of decadence that tainted our national psyche are being rolled away. Our common wealth that was stolen and hidden in other countries is being brought back as the war against corruption is being won. Anti-graft agencies, such as the EFCC and ICPC have found their rhythm. There is now a glaring difference in the posture and operations of the EFCC under Ibrahim Magu and his predecessor Ibrahim Lamorde. It is only those who have things to hide that will be criticising the renewed anti-corruption fight in order to weaken it. I read the other day that contrary to what we had thought all along, the arms deal fund that was diverted is not $2.1bn but a whopping $15bn! Imagine how many roads could have been built with that! Imagine how many hospitals would have been better equipped and new ones built with that! Think of how much impact a share of that money would have had on our power supply! Mercifully, the war against insurgency is being won, thanks to the doggedness of the Federal Government. Those who sent our brothers, sisters, children, fathers and mothers to their early graves have unwittingly committed murder and they should know that their lives are not better than those whose lives they have and continued to cut short in their prime. With the lurid details we hear every day, I am ruminating on the need to propose and lobby my colleagues in the National Assembly to amend our laws to make corruption a capital offence or attract a life sentence. It is high time the immunity clause is revisited because I cannot understand why people who committed crime against humanity by looting arms funds and using them to fund their elections would hide under the immunity clause.I trust that sooner than later the level and details of their involvement in the arms fund scandal will soon be revealed. It should be noted that this fight is greater and fiercer than any political party or individual. This fight cannot be fought by the President alone; the challenge is certainly not confronting only the APC. When we criticise blindly, for the purpose of distracting or de-marketing the government of the day, we put our collective destiny on the regress and subsequent regimes will be compelled to begin working from that disadvantage.And like I have repeatedly said, it is easier to destroy than to build.

I have even read posts condemning the President and his team for apologizing to Nigerians over certain things. If the President and his appointees are apologizing to Nigerians over certain actions and inactions; they should not be vilified. Such character is rare to come by among many African leaders. Therefore, it should not be used against them. It is not an admittance of failure. Rather, it shows the strength of their character, humility, and the level of their love and concern for the masses. Like I have often said, it certainly will take more than a year to build what has been destroyed over the years. Revelations and updates on various incidents of corruption clearlyindicate that the country has been badly plundered over the years. Let us give this government an enabling environment to work. We are quick to agree that Rome was not built in a day but when challenged to go through the process that it took to build Rome, we begin to complain. The great men who conceived, designed and executed the master plan must have been the target of public outrage because of how long and painstaking the process must have been. Rome is a metaphor for Nigeria. Nigerians like the Romans desire to have a nation that is indeed the giant of Africa and pride of black people all over the world but we are not willing and patient enough to undergo the process that will birth the nation of our dreams.It is common knowledge that fiscal indiscipline and impunity in public spending almost crippled the economy. Those with the capacity to do the mathematics know that we have been living in a fragile fiscal bubble for years now. They said Nigeria had been broke and it was just a matter of time for the roof to cave in on us. It is irresponsible to play politics with the truth at a time when the people need to know and understand what exactly is going on.The past governments failed to heed the call to save, and depleted the resources that were saved in the Excess Crude Account (ECA). Investigations into the aged misappropriation of N23billion by the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison – Madueke is revealing very offensive details. The oil sector was vandalised and treated like a personal treasury by a select few but now the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is being repositioned for effective profitable operations.



But your views are contrary to those of your fellow party man, Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State. He has been criticizing the current administration virtually on everything; one of the recent being his opposition to the President trip to China as well as the $2billion loan being sought from the Chinese Government. He has also said recent happenings have vindicated his stance that President Buhari is too old for the job. What would be your reaction to these?

Like I said earlier, as elected or appointed officials, we are individually and collectively liable for the success or failure of the government of the day. Fayose is a part of the government and he knows that there are more reasonable channels to make his opinions known, contrary to the media frenzy that he kicks up each time he wants to make a point. As a member of the National Economic Council (NEC) and Council of State, he has extraordinary access to speak to those responsible for various aspects of government without necessarily making his views come through like a tantrum. To whom much is given, much is expected; respect is mutual and reciprocal. It is mandatory for us as leaders to treat each other with due respect. Democratic values and liberties should not erode our sense of decency. Dr. Kayode Fayemi was an opposition governor under the immediate past administration, yet he maintained a high level of decorum. He was a balanced character. He was not cantankerous. He represented and still represents the best of Ekiti people – suave, urbane and cool-headed. It is said that those who come to equity must come with clean hands. We are witnesses to how some people who began fault-finding at the advent of this administration were found wanting when the searchlight was beamed on them. Governor Fayose should endeavour to be a good student of history and take his learning from what happened to him in 2006. He did claim he was a changed and matured person when he was seeking re-election. The jury is out as to whether he has changed or not. You cannot be doing something the same way and expect a different result. If the good and humane people of Ekiti State have shown him love and returned him to office, the least he can do is to reciprocate their kind gesture by giving them quality governance and effective representation; being confrontational will be detrimental to their fortunes at the end of the day. The energy dissipated on playing to galleryand acting like a thug and toutthat is obsessed with the bashing of the Federal Government and President Buhari as if it is an official policy of the State Government will consequently retard the progress and prosperity of the good people of the state. For, as it is said, when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.There are other PDP governors, who also hold strong views about developments in our polity, but they are not confrontation. They explore more appropriate and diplomatic ways of airing their views. If anyone decides to shun such official platforms to air his views and suggestions, whose fault is it? As a member of the legislative arm of government, I dare to say that there is a deficit in the enterprise called Nigeria, and we must first clear the deficit before talking of profitability. It is pertinent to note that Nigeria cannot be a pariah nation; we must be proactive members of the comity of nations. Such pro-activeness is imperative in the process of recovering stolen funds hidden in foreign countries as well as the task of building investors' confidence and attracting foreign direct investments into a country that is stigmatized by corruption, impunity and bad governance. The President’s trips should not be politicized. It is not right to make it look as if the present government is not working. We have clearly seen that a lot of things went wrong under the past government. Public officials at various levels travel in the course of their duties. We should refrain from politicizing everything and making a mountain out of a molehill.On his letter to the Chinese Government, I think that was extreme and totally condemnable. I cannot agree less with someone who described it as a treasonable act. It is an offence against the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the sovereignty of our beloved country. I do not agree with Fayose’s style of politics. You do not demolish the whole community because you want to build your own house. He advised that instead of borrowing, the Federal Government should make use of the recovered loot. But, I am sure that those who recovered the loot are also patriotic citizens of Nigeria. The government is made up of seasoned technocrats and experts in various fields and they certainly do have plans for the recovered loot. They will look at the terms and conditions of the facility and if they do not favour us, they will not go for it. Besides, the details of the facility will be sent to the National Assembly for scrutiny. If Governor Fayose says he has indeed been running his state without borrowing money, the questions are: what is the major source of funding; is it not the Federal Allocation? What is the percentage of Ekiti State’s contribution to the Consolidated Revenue Account? No one needs a soothsayer to know that if anything untoward happens to the Federal Government, it will also affect the component parts! Has Governor Fayose paid up all the debts he inherited from his predecessor? Is he not accessing new facilities from other sources? To what extent has he gone in meeting the basic needs of the good people of Ekiti State? Government is like a business venture. If you relate this to a business which you built with a bank facility, your obligation will be to first defray your deficit before talking about profit. But here, we had a situation where the credit facility was mismanaged. It has almost become a bad loan. And since government is a continuum in which you inherit the assets and liabilities, the new government has to find a way to strike a balance between keeping the body polity afloat and managing the mismanaged facility or bad loan. Such is the situation we have found ourselves in and I think it is high time politicians stopped being selfishly divisive and playing to the gallery. That is certainly not how to be in opposition. Don’t get me wrong; it is not unpatriotic to be critical of the government but blind criticism is bad. He should say the truth and not be blindfolded by personal interests.

On the age issue, there is no verifiable fact on ground that supports his opinion that the President is too old for the job. It is outrageous for a pot to call a kettle black and growl from its little corner like a creature we call awawa in Yoruba land. I remember that before settling for the current Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Governor Fayose had chosen an octogenarian as his running mate. Besides, Governor Fayose is also on record for having appointed a 72-year-old man as chairman of a local government in Ekiti State. In fact, the man was said to be an illiterate. So, why fault the judgment of the over 15 million Nigerians who entrusted the country into the hands of President Buhari at the 2015 polls when you have also done same as Governor? For me, I do not think that performance or lack of it has anything to do with age as long as you are certified to be medically fit and sound. I think it is too simplistic and a worse form of politicking to seek to taunt a man – more so our President.

That is unfair and he should desist from such. The President deserves our respect as the President of the country. The Presidency is a distinguished institution and he must refrain from always deriding the institution in the public arena. The Presidency represents the epitome of sovereignty and dignity of a nation and her citizens and must be respected at all times; irrespective of who is the president. This was primarily the basis for the disposition of some of us to the immediate past administration, in spite of its shortcoming. And the mere fact that some people relentlessly vilified that administration does not set an acceptable precedent, going forward. There must be boundaries that we must not cross even when we play politics. But, if he wants to continue to ridicule the President and call him all manner of names in the name of politics, I will also not hesitate to join issues with him. This is not about President Muhammadu Buhari as a person but about the dignity and respect for the office of the President and by extension Nigerians who freely entrusted in him their mandate. I wish to say for the umpteenth time that some of those who are loudest in criticising the anti-corruption crusade are not doing so selflessly. They may have been involved in some corrupt practices and think that the only way they can evade justice is to systematically pull the wool over our eyes. Some of them have been indicted and others including past and serving governors in the South West will still be indicted.

Okay I see

Suddenly the post of President deserves our respect, but when GEJ was in power he was called all manner of unprintable names by these same people

Which episode be this?

pls someone should help me to summarize it....
To me what is good for Gej is also good for Buhari.

If the above interview was truly granted by Senator Kashamu, that means some of our leaders still like humans and he deserve a place he Nigeria future.
God bless Nigeria and make it better for us to live in.
#SUPPORTBUHARITOMAKENIGERIABETTER#

This man should not be trusted with pdp he's afraid of extradition and has made a deal to save his neck.

Pidggin:
Suddenly the post of President deserves our respect, but when GEJ was in power he was called all manner of unprintable names by these same people

U dey even mind those people?? Please tell them that people are following precedence set by APC & it is not ending any time soon..




What A Lovely Legacy Left By APC

Eboski:
pls someone should help me to summarize it....

To me what is good for Gej is also good for Buhari.

In other words, “What Is Good For Boniface Is Also Good For Boninyash” period..

Pidggin:
Suddenly the post of President deserves our respect, but when GEJ was in power he was called all manner of unprintable names by these same people

Well, I don't care much about what people outside the government call their leader. The problem starts when you are a governor of a state and used government resources to attack a president. We Yoruba understand Fayose is not mentally stable. He has got to see a psychiatrist. Those who are applauding his stup1dity are the people far away remove from his region(SW) because of political gain.

gr8ofnnetwork:
If the above interview was truly granted by Senator Kashamu, that means some of our leaders still like humans and he deserve a place he Nigeria future.
God bless Nigeria and make it better for us to live in.
#SUPPORTBUHARITOMAKENIGERIABETTER#

After a longtime, i actually read all through, he was making sense all the way. Well, if he truly did the interview, he sure sounded like he has some good in him or probably he is just saving his asss.

Why can't we learn how to do things the proper way?

The fact that senator KASHAMU is a Pdp man does not mean he should not commend Buhari's admistration if there is need for it.

It is only in Nigeria that you can't commend your opponent for a job well done.lets learn to say it the way it is.... Senator Kashamu is still in order with this interview.

This is what democracy is all about.... When the oposition is doing great you commend that government and not the other way round.

Buruji Kashamu must be commended for this interview... His type is not common among our politicians.

Pidggin:
Suddenly the post of President deserves our respect, but when GEJ was in power he was called all manner of unprintable names by these same people

Leave those clowns..

i don't comment on news/article that have no source,i smell lies ;Di don't comment on news/article that have no source,i smell lies

Can't believe what I've just read! Now I believe the old saying that says "never judge a book by its cover".

This is exactly the way to go and just like I've always insisted that there are good and bad people everywhere. The action or inaction of the few bad eggs should not be used to judge the whole lot. Senator Buruji Kashamu is a man! I believe he is alone on this particularly in the South West among his folks and within his party. He should remain focused and consistent in his opposition. He should continue to hold his opinions and let who is bent on dancing naked in the market place continue.

I know some people would want to criticize him for this based on his past, but people should remember that "kosi eniti won maa ti owo bo idi e, ti won koni ba igbe nibe".

I never knew Sen. Buruji Kashamu is this intelligent, full of wisdom and objective, I thought he was in the same category as Thug Fayose.

Ushafaiza:
I never knew Sen. Buruji Kashamu is this intelligent, full of wisdom and objective, I thought he was in the same category as Thug Fayose.

I never knew Gov FAYOSE is this intelligent, full of wisdom and objective, I thought he was in the same category as Thug Buhari







long live

fantastic;I never know that this kashamu is as brilliant as this,imaging truth talk based on what is happening in Nigeria presently, if we continue doing things the way past administration was doing it we end up disintegrated & where are those marauders that always praise gov fayose with all his psychological imbalance while commenting on any issues concerning federal government & president buhari in particular? when we that know & understand the omoluwabi stuff,the respect,decorum &self control inculcated in Yoruba culture is saying gov fayose is derailing &his psychologically affected some people will change it to political believe and turned it to PDP or APC matter by calling him oshokomole or the slayer of tinubu or better still comparing him with great awolowo b/cos of ruff politics, tank god for people like kashamu for saying gov this ,god bless Nigeria &Nigeria shall be great again.