How has the life been after leaving the office as the Director-General of National Orientation Agency?
Life has been good and God has been very kind. So, I have been fully engaged in so many things. Most of it is business. This is not my first off-public life. I have had it over a period of time. But the good thing is that even while in office, I maintain all my friendship. The new friends I make, I just add to the old ones. So, you will still see me along with all my friends as if I was in office. Generally speaking, I want to say life has been good and God has been kind to me.
You said you had had this kind of experience. What really happened?
The issue here is that in 1983, I was appointed permanent secretary in Kaduna State Government. I was permanent secretary, liaison under my governor then, Alhaji Lawal Kaita. But I recalled that there was a military coup on the 31st of December, 1983, after which we were sent out. So, we were out in the cooler until another coup came. I was lucky again to be appointed by my military governor then, Major Dangiwa Umar. I was Chairman of Kaduna Local Government. I was permanent secretary, information when Kaduna was split with Katsina. I also resolved to be commissioner. But in all this period, there had been times like this when one would be on-and-off. At times, I go out. By the special grace of God, I come back again. So, that is what I mean. But in all this period, I’m also lucky to maintain good friends. Some of my friends are about 50 years long. That is the reason why I say there can’t be different in the kind of people you see around me in and out of office.
Some people tend to distance themselves from old friends when they occupy exalted office. How are you able to do that?
I really can’t tell you how I manage to do it. It’s just that it’s part of my character to continue with friends. I understand that there is even a saying that old friends are better than new ones. But, to talk on how I do it, I can’t answer how I do it. It’s just that it’s how I grew up to be and the school I went to. I was in secondary school in 1962. Since 1962, members of my class have maintained the relationship. That is the reason why I said that some of my friends dated back 50 years. We are together as we were when we were in school. All my friends also maintain this kind of friendship with their other friends. It’s just that we are lucky to have found ourselves like this. So, it’s not as if it is personal to me.
In 2012, when you were asked to leave as the DG of NOA, some newspapers reported that you had been sacked or removed. What really transpired?
I really don’t know the difference between removal and sack. If a newpaper says ‘sack’, they can be correct. If a newspaper says ‘removed’, it is also correct. What do you want me to discuss about that?
Does the government have any issue against you?
Don’t forget that the office f the Director-General of the NOA is a tenure appointment. So, in truth, after the first five years, it was renewed. And I had just about a year for the second term to finish, so to speak. But don’t forget that the appointment is at the pleasure of Mr President. If in their opinion, I haven’t performed well, they are free to do what they did. So, I have no quarrel whatsoever with that.As a matter of fact, I’m grateful to God that I have been given the opportunity to serve for about nine years in that office. I actually don’t have any comment, but to wish, whoever succeeded me well.
Are you saying that the government does not give any explanation on why it took that decision?
Of course, I got a letter from government, thanking and wishing me well. So, was I sacked? Was I removed? I don’t know. But the letter I got was the letter of commendation.
Are you not aggrieved at all?
No. Like I told you, this is not the first time.
Some people said that your removal from office might not be unconnected with your close relationship with a former Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who was once considered as President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential challenger. Can you clarify this?
First and foremost, let me correct this. I’m well known to General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. He knows well and I respect him. I can’t call him a friend. He is a boss. The same goes for General Olusegun Obasanjo. And indeed, the same can also be said of Goodluck Jonathan. So, like I said to you, I got a letter of commendation after relieving me of the job. Nobody gave me any reason. And I don’t want to provide any reason. But I want to say that that cannot be true that it is because of relationship with Babangida, Obasanjo or whoever because I have relationship with everybody. Basically, I don’t even agree with that.
Let’s now talk on the workings of the NOA. What were those things you could consider as your landmark contribution to the agency?
I’m not the one to assess myself. No. I think you can ask my former employers or even my colleagues in the NOA. I guess you will be able to get a better assessment. But one thing I can say for the NOA is the fact that, I think, the best workers, in government today, are in the NOA. I can say so because I work there for nine years. I’m sure even my successor can also attest to the fact that they are about the best.
But if you ask about the problem of the NOA, I want to say it’s funding. But it is expected in every kind of circumstance. After the ministry involved, the next point of call is the NOA. What I mean here is this. Assuming there is Ebola, after the Ministry of Health, the next agency people will mention is the NOA. While the Ministry of Health is given money for mobilization, which it is ill-equipped to do, the NOA that is charged with that kind of responsibility is given no money. That is something that I think government must address. If you fund the NOA well and properly, they have men and materials. In NOA, they have medical doctors, lawyers, and engineers. So, it’s a portfolio of so many professionals. Like I said, they are totally underfunded. As a matter of fact, it’s not even underfunded; they are not funded at all. If you want to kick out polio or fight AIDS, after the Ministry of Health, the next spot to talk is NOA. If you want to do oil subsidy and talk about it, after the Ministry of Petroleum, the next place is NOA. The assignment is given to them without proper funding. And that shouldn’t be. I know as a fact that if you fund them properly, they can do more than all these ministries when you put them together. People I work with are still there. What changes is just the leadership at the level of Direcor-General. So, if you fund them and utilize them well, the country will be better for it because the reason, which the people who come up with this idea highlighted, is still relevant today.
But the agency has a head, who should be discussing this funding challenge with the government. What is the missing link?
The NOA is a parastatal under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and National Orientation. The missing gap here is that, like I told, I have been in government since 1983. Then, you will, at your own parastatal or ministry, sit down with your officials and look into the New Year’s programmes and all that you need to do. Then, you come up with a budget, which you will defend before authorities charged with that responsibility….Then, it is approved. Or because of fund, they may ask you why you cannot manage with it. Now, the reverse is the case. You sit down and an envelope from the Ministry of Finance is given to the ministry, telling you that next year, your ministry and parastatals cannot spend more than this amount of money. That ministry will sit down and look at its parastals and begin to apportion money. There is no application of science to it. That is one of the biggest problems that the NOA is having. If all the money that goes to the ministry, goes to the NOA, it is still underfunded. But the ministry, in its own wisdom, will sit down and even take more money than the NOA. That shouldn’t be so. Civil sevants there will sit down and begin to apportion monies that they do not need and they cannot spend. If they spend it, you will want to ask them how they spend it. They will have mobilization, while their parastatal is also for mobilization. That is NOA’s statutory responsibility. Yours is policy. That is the disconnect in how government is run now, which is unfortunate. The disconnect is in the envelope system. And it is suffering so many agencies of government because it goes to the ministry and the ministry treats it the way it likes, by giving you just what you should go and spend. I don’t think that is correct. Don’t forget, when the NOA was established, every local government had a vehicle. Basically, they are supposed to mobilize and educate people. If you go to any local government, the only agency of government they know is NOA, which is not being funded now. Can’t you see what is happening in this time of insurgency in the North-East? Outside the military, the NOA is talking. Though I don’t know as of fact, but I can assure you that they are not getting money commensurate with what they should do. Even in the North-East, the only agency on ground is NOA. Outside the military, the NOA is in every local government. They are expected to send reports to help government. So, I think government should look at it properly and fund appropriately.
You are from Kaduna State, which has had its share of the current security challenge in the country. As a critical stakeholder, what do you think can be done to stop the crisis?
If you recall that a long time ago, we had Maitatsine uprising in Kano. And in a few weeks, the military were sent in and they crushed it. I guess that even in this particular case, it requires military solution. They need to crush it. Discussion must be done from the position of strength. I believe that we have the military that are capable. And I believe that the answer is to crush it.
But what is really the problem with the ongoing effort to address the challenge?
The answer to it is what I’m giving. The military should go in and crush it. It has gone beyond anything to do with police. I’m not an expert in this. But I think there are levels when it is police action before it graduates to a military action. I think the military should be properly mobilized. Their welfare needs to be taken care of. You also need to take care of everything the military will require to go into the field. If they don’t have equipment, for God’s sake, give them. If they are not having welfare, please give them. They have to give them the wherewithal to be able to go and crush this. I don’t think it’s beyond our military. A ragtag group of youngsters cannot be beyond our military. Basically, it requires military action. After which if you want to discuss other things, you can discuss on the table.
There is anxiety ahead of the 2015 general elections because of the possibility of violence. How can we prevent violence during the forthcoming elections?
I will take it in two ways. First of all, our citizenry must be mobilized to appreciate the fact that violence does not help development. And that is the reason why I will go back to the issue of NOA. In every election, the first person on the streets to continue to mobilize is NOA. And the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has money for mobilization. But it lacks the capacity to do so because in any case they are involved the logistics of election. Give the money for mobilization to that body of government that is charged with that responsibility. I know the problem we went through. And I’m sure that is the problem my successor is going through. You need to mobilize the people on many aspects of elections, including the need for non-violence in politics. It is also the work of the NOA to invite politicians and get them to even sign a Momerandum of Understanding (MOU) to maintain the peace. But if you don’t fund them, I can’t see how they can do it. INEC should give money to whom it is due so that they can perform their responsibilities properly.
Having said that, I see the 2015 general elections, inspite of what people say, as a year that will decide the fate of governance in Nigeria. I’m not saying the fate of Nigeria. No. But the fate of how Nigeria will be governed, because as we speak today, in my own assessment, the government is not doing well. You can recall that I said the insurgency required decisiveness. Government is not decisive. And what we need is government of decisiveness which takes decisions and follows it through. So, 2015 election will hold and the people will decide.
Can you explain your position on government’s indecisiveness?
My assessment of the current performance of government and I’m assure the assessment of so many Nigerians is scoring the government low in so many areas, including economy, security, and the fight againt corruption, etcetera. So, these are the things that I think will decide how Nigerians will vote. These include their welfare and security. I can assure you that in my own assessment, they will not score this government high.
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has endorsed President Jonathan ahead of its presidential primary election. The All Progressives Congress (APC) is also warming up to conduct presidential primary election for its five contenders. As a Nigerian, do you have any preferred aspirant among these key political figures who you think can provide good leadership?
First of all, let us talk about the endorsement of Mr President. Every aspirant will have people who will endorse him or her within the party. And I want to believe that the endorsement of so many people within the PDP for the President is that they will mobilize support for him at their convention. Having said that, as I speak with you, I’m with the APC. I, Idi Farouk, I’m with the APC. I have sympathy for the APC. Of course, there are five aspirants on the APC platform, including the retired major general Muhammadu Buhari, the former vice president Atiku Abubakar, Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Mr Sam Nda-Isiah and Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha. I do not think that the party has drawn the line as to whether anybody cannot contest. Of these five aspirants, first of all, I have my belief that anyone of them will win election in 2015. I have casted my lot with Kwankwaso because of antecedents, what I have seen and what I know that I want to be replicated for Nigerians. This includes the fact that in Kano, where he is presiding, he has made his three and a half years look like 10 years. You will see infrastructure. Above all, what he is doing for education is what I, Idi Farouk, want to be replicated for all Nigerians. In Kano, we have moved from one million intakes in our primary schools to three million….Kano students are today all over the world studying at the expense of government. Today, Kano has so many institutions to be able to address certain issues and needs of our youths. Today, Kano does not have beggars on the streets. Can you imagine that?…. So, a leadership like that is the kind of leadership I wish for Nigeria. But I will also add as quickly as possible that any of these five; Okorocha, Buhari, Atiku, Buhari, Nda-Isiah, will do better for Nigeria than what we have today. I have that belief. So, if in the wisdom of the convention, they choose any of the others, and not my preferred candidate, be rest assured that, that is where I will be, because the alternative is not to work for the incumbent or what we have on ground today.
But why is it diffult for the APC presidential aspirants to agree on a consensus candidate?
The issue is that: has the PDP itself reached any consensus? Consensus is not about keeping people inside one room to the exclusion of other members of the party and then chooses somebody. I am one person who is for party primaries. As we speak now, the APC is becoming the bigger party. What the PDP had, going for it abnitio, was the issue of primaries, where people will come out and contest. And before the contest, they must go round to mobilize the party’s followership for their candidature. And in the same vein, they warm up the party to the minds of the people and the electorate. Therefore, in this case, I know as of fact that Atiku is going round the 37 locations of the party. I know the same for General Buhari and Kwankwaso. In fact, I even saw Isaiah in Lagos, going to Osun State. Rochas has gone to far away Kano and Kaduna. This is how party mobilizes. Only small parties will sit down inside a room and decide on one candidate. The kind of consensus we talk about in Nigeria is obviously not consensus. It brings about disharmony and displeasure. While five people are going for one position, people will sit down in the room and three people will decide that they want one person. Then, you say that there is consensus. Consensus must be total. So, what is going on in the APC now, is making it a bigger party. What is happeing in the PDP today is that you hear automatic ticket. What does automatic ticket mean? It means you have excluded everybody. Life itself is about hope. To be an aspirant is a personal decision. To become the candidate is a collective decision. You now stop a man from even aspiring. It’s a violation of human rights. So, with what the PDP is doing now, it is making itself a small party. And with what the APC is doing now, it is making itself a big party.
