Ibrahim Ibrahim is an anti-corruption crusader, an intelligence and security expert based in Abuja. In this interview, he speaks on various contentious issues, including President Muhammadu Buhari’s approach to governance, restructuring, among others. Excerpts:
Do you think publishing the names of alleged looters and setting up special courts for corruption cases is a good idea?
I totally support the two ideas, which should be implemented sooner than later. As for publishing names of looters, I am of the opinion that government should construct and designate a hall to be known as ‘The Nigeria Hall of Shame’ where such names should be displayed for people to either curse or pray for those whose names would be displayed.
As for setting up of special courts for corruption cases, the government should go further to give time limit of 50 working days for delivery of judgements, as well as jack up penalties to a minimum of 49 years imprisonment for cases involving up to N20m after confiscation of the ill-gotten wealth.
Some Nigerians seem to be disappointed because President Buhari has not maintained his posture of between 1983 and 1985 when he was a military head of state. Do you share their view?
No. I disagree with the use of the adjective “disappointing.” He has of course undergone a kind of behavioural metamorphosis: moving from one extreme disposition to another. When he came to power in 1983, he behaved like Gen. Murtala Mohammed: hot-headed, courageous and a no-nonsense disposition. In his present coming, maybe due to age or counselling from certain quarters, he has assumed the posture of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa: perfectly gentle, honest but slow, steady and cold. I would prefer that he becomes a hybrid of both personalities.
Do you share the opinion that Nigeria should be restructured?
No, not at all; the clamour for restructuring of the country is a misplaced priority in at least two respects. Firstly, it mainly focuses on how to share the national cake between the various geo-political composite units of Nigeria instead of focusing on how to bake the cake.
Considering that Nigeria is a developing country, my view is that we should focus on how to ginger our national economic growth to such an extent that every hard working Nigerian citizen can have a comfortable, decent and meaningful life.
Secondly, it is absurd that some of those agitating for restructuring of the country, or demanding for the so-called ‘True Federalism’ are the same people that in 1966, when their kinsmen in the military staged an unwarranted coup, thwarted the very kind of federalism which they are now nostalgically seeking for. The consequence of that coup is that it produced for Nigeria the kind of hybrid federalism that we currently operate.
It would be recalled that when the then Military Head of State, Major Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi, conspiratorially emerged after the 1966 coup, he decreed a unitary system of government for Nigeria because it favoured the South East as at then, in view of its surplus educated manpower that would have had the right, by virtue of the unitary system, to enjoy employment opportunities in every part of the country. Although, when northern officers in the army toppled Gen. Ironsi, they reversed the unitary system back to federalism, the very fact that the military continued to rule Nigeria for so many years thereafter has made it impossible for Nigeria to ever return to the kind of federalism that flourished from 1960 to 1966. Military rule has impacted and shaped the existing federal system, making it a kind of hybrid between federalism and the unitary system on account of the centralised command nature of the military. The status quo or the kind of hybrid federalism that Nigeria currently operates undoubtedly favours the North, which was the target of the 1966 coup. So it would be unwise for any northerner to clamour for or support the call for restructuring of the country. The 1966 coup was clearly intended to undermine the North, but as God will have it, it ended up creating favourable economic and political conditions for the region. Apart from having more states and local governments, the North is now able to access revenues accruing from southern natural resources-chiefly, revenues from oil.
For some obvious reasons, most of Nigeria’s leaders are being described as accidental leaders. Do you share this view?
For heaven’s sake, how can that kind of characterisation be associated with President Muhammadu Buhari, who is for all intents and purposes a born leader endowed with the qualities of a perfect gentleman?
President Buhari has been a liked, principled and charismatic leader right from childhood and school days, all through to his present status as the elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Remember the long chain of national responsibilities that were entrusted upon him on account of his good qualities, which he discharged successfully. He was the Governor of Borno State in 1975, Federal Commissioner of Petroleum and Natural Resources in 1976, member of the Supreme Military Council in 1978, GOC 4 Infantry Division, GOC 3 Mechanised Infantry Division, GOC 3 Armoured Division, Head of State from 1983 to 85, Chairman of the PTF, among others.
So, is it not most uncharitable to characterise such a great leader as an accidental president?
Some people in the South East have called for the dismemberment of Nigeria; and this has prompted people like Professor Ango Abdullahi to respond in equal measure. Do you share his perspective?
I think that my respected former ABU vice chancellor was irked by some happenings in the country. I do not think he honestly meant it, or perhaps as a natural, not social science professor, he probably does not know the implications. The fact is that Nigeria has become organically indissoluble in view of the degree of interconnectedness that has taken place over the years. When President Buhari mentioned in his recent famous seven minutes speech, that the unity and oneness of Nigeria is a settled issue, it wasn’t just rhetoric. It is a point of fact, a historical, geographical, political, economic and social reality that Nigeria cannot be dismantled.
As for the professor’s nostalgia for the parliamentary system, my view is that Nigeria’s current executive presidential system has more merits, except that it is very expensive to run. But there are many ways to drastically reduce the colossal expenses of the executive/presidential system, such as pruning the size or number of representation in the parliament.
What is your assessment of Nigeria’s current security situation?
We have indeed come a long way from the 2011-2015 scenarios in the general sense of it, though there are instances or causes for concern. In the North, Boko Haram has been greatly degraded. However, the apparent increased collaboration between Boko Haram and the ISIS is a matter of great concern. Boko Haram has established direct links with ISIS, with the later offering the former technical assistance in the form of strategy and tactics, which has translated into renewed lightning attacks by Boko Haram in a manner that is reminiscent of what ISIS did in Iraq.
