Daily Trust: What was your reaction when President Muhammadu Buhari declared to contest for a second term in 2019?

Sani Zangon Daura: I welcomed the news, and felt elated, because for a long time, I have not seen a charismatic leader like President Buhari. He’s known for his integrity, commitment, focus, and no-nonsense approach. I can remember at one time, the rested Drum Magazine, when he first came as the military Head of State, described him as ‘deceptively simple.’ Frankly, I’m not talking on behalf of any group, but I think Nigerians should not only welcome this move, but commend and support it.

Since he came to power, there is relative peace in the country. Before he came to power, people could not go to places of worship, funerals, weddings, and so on, without extreme fear in their minds. But today it is not so, even with some incidents here and there. Even the president himself said it categorically, that even if Boko Haram has been crushed, you may have some remnants waging some sort of psychological warfare. He did not come to steal, but to put the country back on track.

DT: Leaders of some groups and associations have called on him not to vie, even before he declared. Is what you just said a response to that?

Zangon Daura: We’re in a democracy. Some will not fail to talk, even if foolishly. But that is the essence of democracy, freedom of speech. But what is important is for anybody to look objectively at what was on the ground before he came, and what is now on the ground after he came. But that is their view, and you cannot change that. No matter how good he is, some will still find fault with him, and that is life.

For somebody to tell him not to run, maybe they are among those who have done wrong and don’t want to be sanctioned. Those who are really opposing the re-election of Buhari, most of them are on the wrong side of the law. They have committed offences, and they don’t want to be investigated.

Before 2016, some elite from the North came to me and said they have a message for me to tell Buhari, that they want him to re-contest. They asked me to tell him, and they said they didn’t want Tinubu to contest. And I said to them, as for Buhari, you just wait. Go and check throughout the northern states, to see who was able to form a political party within six months, contest with the ruling PDP, and was ‘allocated’ 12 million votes.

I use the word ‘allocated’ because I am sure the votes he got were definitely more than 12 million. So I said, okay, tell me anyone from the North who can float a party within six months against the government in office and the most powerful party, and win 12 million votes. If you tell me someone who can do this from the North, I will go and tell him not to contest. But they couldn’t find anyone.

DT: But some are re-grouping now...

Zangon Daura: It doesn’t’ matter.

DT: Don’t you think they could defeat him?

Zangon Daura: No. You have to look at the people who are regrouping. Who are they? What have they done in the past? What are their particulars? What are their records? These are important things to measure and to size them with. Anybody can rig an election, all of them are grouping for personal interests. Look at each group (laughter). But Nigerians are wiser.

The groups were there when he contested three times and “lost”, but at the end of the day he won. He doesn’t have money, but he has the love, respect and acceptance of the people.

DT: Some are expressing reservations over his age, and what they describe as slow pace of governance...

Zangon Daura: One has to look before one leaps. There may be many factors, and verification takes time in order to take action. To me, they have to understand that democracy is not ‘militocracy’, it has checks and balances. When he came for the first time as military Head of State, they suspended the constitution and the civilian courts were no longer relevant. They put up tribunals, so that they can take quick decisions and execute.

Today, whatever he wants to do, it has to follow democratic processes. He sent the budget to the National Assembly and it is up to them to look at it and pass it either with amendment, or as it was presented to them.

I was in London in the 50s when then British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan replied the press when they called on him to resign due to old age. He said they were talking out of context because, according to him, if you are young and you feel you are old, you are old. Also in India, Morarji Desai became Prime Minister when he was 82 years.

The important thing is to mobilize competent, crack teams that can work for you. The president cannot treat all files in a day, he has to delegate.

DT: You’re among the founding fathers of the PDP. Are you still a card-carrying member of the party?

Zangon Daura: I’m now a retired politician, an elder statesman. I don’t belong to PDP, or any political party.

DT: Before the 2015 elections, Buhari based his campaign on corruption, security and the economy. What is your advice on what he should focus on now?

Zangon Daura: Security is important, and he has succeeded to a certain extent because without peace, you cannot do anything. He has been commended by the African Union, and our image abroad has improved tremendously.

DT: What is your view on the clamour that the youth should be given the keys to governance of Nigeria?

Zangon Daura: (Laughter) When IBB brought the question of old breed and new breed, I told him that we have to really train them; but to give them leadership outright can hardly work. He too at one time lamented that he made a mistake. At that time most of the councillors and local government chairmen were the so-called new breed, some of them were 18 years old, and single, without wives and responsibility. We discovered that most of the chairmen were distributing the money earmarked for development of their respective areas.

I and Umaru Dikko were conscripted as youth. We were not up to 30 years, and without boasting, we did very well in the then North Central Government when Brigadier Abba Kyari was the military governor of Kaduna State. Presently, wherever you go, most of the people ruling are youth. I’m approaching 80 years.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/why-buhari-s-gov-t-is-seen-as-slow-zangon-daura-253535.html

Slow on everything for the people but on a mad rush one spending our money for trips and politicking

The important thing is to mobilize competent, crack teams that can work for you. The president cannot treat all files in a day, he has to delegate.
Now can the daft aboki employ Buhari as the manager of his company base on these criteria Buhari is slow because he have nothing upstairs.He just wants to enjoy the peeks of the office of the president with no iota of what it takes to be there.

Buhari is an illiterate, Nigeria stop deceiving yourselves