Yerima Shettima is the National
youth president of apex Northern
socio-cultural group: Arewa
Consultative Forum (ACF), and
Chairman of Coalition of all
Ethnic Nationality leaders in
Nigeria. In this interview with
Iniobong Iwok, he spoke about
why the North is in its present
state, restructuring of the
country, the Buhari
administration among others.
Excerpts:
The North has had more access to
power at the central, but yet
least undeveloped and bedevilled
with social issues; where do you
put the blame on?
The problems of the North, I
would put the blame on the
leaders, the leaders failed us,
despite the opportunities that
the north has had to be in power
especially during the military
era, and so many other long
terms in power. You would think
the North would have developed
to some level; if someone is
coming to the North, you would
say perhaps, it could be compared
to places like Dubai.
And the issue of illiteracy, I
thank God the present youths
have taken it upon themselves,
they are being practical and
asking questions; some of us
have gone to school and combined
with Quoranic education and
today we can look at the face of
anybody and ask questions.
Some 15, 20 years in the past,
nobody do this. Despite the
poverty, you are expected as
follower not to question your
leaders; they are expected to
pray for them, to be humble. So
with all these, I believe my
generation would do better than
the previous generation.
But leaders of several groups in
the north have been accused of
taking advantages of the
interest of the people for selfish
purposes?
That is what has happen in the
past. I have just said it. Some
people would say there is no need
for us to have had Boko Haram in
the first place if not simply
because some people who were
leaders at the apex, regional,
states or LG failed. They have so
much wealth they build houses,
they build mansions and at the
end, they can not stay in the
mansion.
They ran away because you can
not build a mansion when your
neigbour can not eat one square
meal; that your neigbour would
turn out to be security threat.
That is what gave birth to the
security challenge and that is
what is happening now in the
north as a result of lack of
opportunity for our people to be
educated; lack of access is what
is giving birth to crime, robbery
and all they are doing. But some
of us who have that priviledge
would continue to talk.
How do you describe the
situation in the North-East now
that Boko Haram has been
curtailed?
The level of destruction is
unimaginable, the society is
disintegrated. I don’t know if
you have experienced the
aftermath of war zone, the
psychology of the people are
affected and is not normal, it
would take about 10 years to
bring the people, the areas
affected to normal.
You recently spoke against the
implementation of the 2014
Confab report, what are your
concerns?
When Jonathan came up with the
idea of the 2014 national
conference, some of us felt that
there was another motive behind
the conference and we told the
government: why don’t you do it
right. Instead of hand -picking
the delegates, let the people
chose their representatives let
the people chose their best. Let
it be on ethnic nationalities, lets
sit down and discuss so that it
would be based on the need of
the people. We told them: why
don’t you allow their
constituency to select the
delegates so that they would be
coming with message from their
people so that things would flow,
and it would be without input
from the government. But
government remained adamant
and called some people to Abuja
as delegates. Most of the people
calling for the implementation of
that 2014 confab report, are
those who participate at the
conference, people who collected
huge allowances, we see them as
pro- Jonathan, they do not want
to accept that they have failed.
You don’t believe in the report
of that Confab, even when some
of the leaders of ACF attended?
Yes we do not believe in the
report. We were not thinking of
sitting in Abuja to hold a
conference on overall interests
of Nigerians. That is the position
of Arewa Consultative Forum.
Even some elders of the union
that went, some of us criticised
them. We told them to sit down
with us to discuss issues and get
a clear agenda. And you can see
there was no clear agenda of
what the north wanted at the
conference. Due consultations
were not made. At the end of the
day, they were made to defend
the status quo.
Do you believe in restructuring
of the country?
Of course. I have been involved
in the advocacy for about two
decades now. I have always
called for and believe in
restructuring of the country. It
is better we go back to
regionalism where the region
would grow at its own pace; then
there would be challenges of
development among the regions.
If Lagos for example is doing
better than my region, I would
be challenged to do something
better. It is the best system for
Nigeria. I should be looking at
the region to come up with
something good like the Awolowo,
Sardauna, Ahmadu Bello, Azikiwe
did. And they were remembered
because of that system which
allowed them to go back to their
region and developed it. Because
it was a regional system of
government and it give them
power to develop their region
and gave them attention and you
can see the pace of development
then.
Awolowo for example tried, and it
would not have been possible if
not for the regional system of
government and today the free
Education he introduced has
taken the south-west forward
educationally than any other
region. If you go to Ekiti state
today almost every family has a
professor.
In the North, for Ahmadu Bello
there is ABU, we have nobody
that have beaten that record of
what he was able to achieve with
the north in terms of
development. What we have now
are politicians with deceit, they
come with Agbada and say I want
to emulate Sardauna because he
did well.
You are also advocating for a
new Constitution?
Yes, when we get a new
constitution, we can begin to
look at the issue of
restructuring as an option.
Because the constitution comes
with restructuring which would
be a constitution that Nigerians
have to agreed to. We are not
asking for the amendment of the
constitution, we are asking for a
new constitution.
I have no problem with the
national assembly, what we want
is: a new constitution, making a
new constitution is different
from amendment, sometimes, the
law makers do that out of
mischief. They would say they
have seen 1,000 clauses in the
constitution to be amended that
is not what we are asking for.
We are asking for the legitimacy
of the constitution. A
constitution everybody would be
involved in its drafting and it
would have legitimacy, and we
would have a referendum that
would start from zonal, local,
state and national where those
that would go to the national
would be picked, and those people
would work on the new
constitution. Nigeria is not a
nation yet, the suspicion among
the ethnic nationalities is giving
the country more problems.
Is restructuring the only way
forward?
I believe if we restructure the
country everything would be ok.
But today if we have regionalism,
the issue of Avengers would not
come up. Because we run a funny
system of government where
everybody, including
the governors are lazy,
everybody want to go to Abuja
and collect their share of the
national cake.
How do you assess the Buhari
administration?
Expectations were high among
Nigerians but, Buhari alone can
not move the country forward.
Yes he promised change,
expectation was high,
unfortunately, he can not move
the country alone. Some of the
ministers are inexperienced or
incompetent; they do not know
what governance is all about.
Some of them are behaving like
comedians. I’m not satisfied with
this government and Nigerians
are bitter about it, you can not
remove all benefits and expect us
to be happy. You asked people to
tighten up while you are eating
fat. Things are hard, you can not
be flying around the world and
the common man is suffering, if
there is sacrifice, it should start
from the leaders.
You gave Buhari your total
support are you disappointed?
A lot of people that supported
him are disappointed. Even the
campaign slogan, the change
mantra is abandoned. Most of
the things the government said
they would do they are not doing
but behaving with impunity.
Would Arewa Support him or the
APC if he decides to seek re-
election in 2019?
Buhari is a Nigerian president,
and not a northern president. If
we run a regional system and he
is a premier I would not attack
him but advise him. On support
him, we would look for
alternative in 2019, we have
been disappointed so far in his
government. With the way things
are going, they would say there
is hope that we should be
patient. But the way the things
are, I would look for alternative.
Do you think the president has
been fair to other regions in his
appointment?
The president has not been fair
to other regions. At the earlier
time of his government, when he
just started the appointment,
but since the budget was passed
you can see that things have
balance up. We must commend
him, even the ambassadorial
appointment, how many people
came from the north? Even the
board appointment, you would
see that after the budget, the
southwest compared to the north
have more than 40 percent; it
favours the southwest than the
north east where I came from,
which has less that 13 percent.
Earlier it was so, not now; and I
raised alarm then.
Are you satisfied with the
performance of INEC?
INEC has been full of confusion.
Look at the Kogi election, I have
become more confuse. I wonder
where they get some language
like: inconclusive. Inconclusive
everywhere, and that is when
they want to manoeuvre things.
As we keep going round we would
keep talking about INEC
supposed to be an independent
body. It is obvious INEC is being
influence by the central. We
have a system where the central
government has so much power
and the executive override some
of their decisions.
Are you satisfied with the fight
against corruption, especially
the trial of Dasuki?
The office of the National
Security Adviser is not an office
of the PDP. Some of us have
reservations on the style of the
current anti-graft war, and we
said it earlier. The president has
no business in some of the things
he his doing. What he has to do is
to allow the institutions to do
their work. What is happening in
the case of Dasuki is that the
president has already convicted
him before the trial by saying in
the media chat that: how can he
release a man who stole over
N400billion. When the person has
not been convicted in court, even
when the court had given order
for his release while standing
trial. It is unfair and the leader
who says no he must defy the
court order to me is not fair,
because: what is happening now
could happen to anybody.
He should fight corruption but
respect the rule of law, he must
not make the anti corruption
fight personal, so that when he
is not around, the institutions
would continue to fight. We
support his anti corruption fight
but it should not be personal or
be a vendetta.

http://dailytimes.ng/buhari-has-failed-us-we-would-look-for-alternative-in-2019-shettima/

Who will vote that alternative? Buhari is a movement o...not a party!

if says DAT den he's an ingrate, has he forgotten wat condition his state is 2yrs ago

LordIsaac:
Who will vote that alternative? Buhari is a movement o...not a party!

A failed movement, then.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u4C1AaaeZE

Truth

We're still in the morning and this one is there complaining. By the time Bubu is done, only God will know what will become of us.

lalasticlala and mynd44 hope two of you are not disappointed in Buhari too?

It will difficult to sell Buhari's candidancy next election. APC need a marketable candidate to neutalize the mindset build already about them to win next election. It will be really tough.

Give us a shout when you find and alternative sha

This man is not grateful, with all Northern appointments, budget+ and agenda?!

You ask for change, we gave you; you asked for Northerner, we gave you; you asked for a muslim; we gave you. Wetin you want again?!
Another Northerner to serve 8yrs tenure? No way

Fear God Yerima

So the north that owns Nigeria wants to present an alternative for bubu in 2019 but an Ijaw can not rule for 2 tenures abi? ... Nigeria is such a joke.

# we want biafra.

See wetin police around the Nd creek talk and una say this guy fit govern nigeria

The million dollar question is who is that alternative? Definitely not Ali Modu Sherif!

yerima a northerner I wonder who he is trynna fool or who he us trynna gain sympathizers from? Mr man abeg swerve!

He forgot to say...a 'better alternative'. God help us

coming from someone that likes sleeping with under 12years old egyptian brides...this country is a joke.

this isnt a joke but buhari is really a failure

hmm... so I'm not the only disappointed one, even buhari's right hand men are disappointed too. issoryte.
thank God he can hear now.

quid:
A failed movement, then.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u4C1AaaeZE

Your President and Commander in Chief. A rare priviledge we can only wish for!

LordIsaac:

Your President and Commander in Chief. A rare priviledge we can only wish for!

I don't understand

See who is talking. Yerima go and sleep with your twelve year old Egyptian.

quid:
I don't understand

I thought so too!

That's if there 'll be a 2019! Khaki bows can't be cowed forever by Buhari's Buratai. It's a matter of time. The sleeping dogs will still wake up. Our territorial integrity & national unity are drifting apart by the day. Every action and inaction of PMB reminds us of the 1914 monumental mistake. Nothing drives the khaki boys "crazier" than threats of secession.
Buhari has always been a failure, and this was recently affirmed by Cardinal Okogie when he said Buhari had failed three times and would still fail again. Has he not?
Northern elites knew he was a failure but they kept mute prior to 2015 election.

LordIsaac:

I thought so too!

.... And he said the problem with the north is that the leaders has failed them....

Let me laugh in japanese first, hukhukhuka...

The north is over dependent on the government and thay is the biggest problem they have. The government has to do everything for them. Stay there and be waiting.

Is this the pedophile yerima?

Buhari's has being a failure right from his mother's womb

Who is fooling who? This is a well calculated plan to rule for 12 years straight.

slimfit1:
Give us a shout when you find and alternative sha

[size=13pt]Ibrahim Shekarau, former governor of Kano state. In 2011, I planned to vote him in 2015 but he did not emerge as candidate anywhere.
If he emerged against GEJ, I would have voted him.
Unfortunately, Buhari emerged and I didn't see anyway I could vote Buhari.[/size]