A Professor of Political Science and Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) Ekiti State, Azeez Olusola Olaniyan in this interview by ‘YOMI AYELESO, speaks on Tinubu’s government and the task before the new cabinet, the current crisis in Niger Republic, among other issues in the polity. Excerpts:
Recently, while delivering your inaugural lecture, you spoke on how the elite in the country could help us to overcome some of our challenges. How will this happen ?
In any society, the elites hold a very important place. They actually determine the amount of progress a country can achieve because they are the major determinant of things. So, when a society is developed, you need to look at the character, the orientation, and the nature of the elites in that society. In our own case, part of my submission in the lecture is that Nigeria hangs in the balance. It is in a very precarious position because the forces that are pulling Nigeria apart and those making attempts to pull it together are almost operating at the same strength, and that is why we have this kind of tension. I said that it appears that Nigeria’s dominant political elites prefer it to remain like that. It neither falls nor stands well. A strong country or a collapsing country is useless to them. They don’t want it to collapse, also they don’t want it to be strong because if it is strong then all the activities, all the illegality they perform will not be possible and so that is why they prefer it to remain as it is and its not good for the progress of the country. So, basically then, if Nigeria is going to develop, then the elites have to be development-oriented, to shun corruption and have the Interest of the country in mind.
Looking at your submission and the way forward for our country to overcome some of the challenges, now we have a new president just about 100 days in office, what will be your advice to him relating to our elites ?
Well, it is a very serious task for the president to do. He is part of the elites and he has the power to do things. That’s why all the buck is right on his table. He knows what and what, and who and who to use to achieve to trigger development in Nigeria. That’s why he has the power. The power of the presidency is so enormous. The power to hire the right people and also the power to fire those that are not performing up to his expectations. So, he has a lot to do in terms of the orientation and he also has a lot to do putting in place what we call a deterrent ; that is the system of punishing those who fail. So, if we have that in place and if the law is implemented such that nobody is spared just as they do in advanced society, even as a president of a country, you can be easily punished. So if the law is applied and enforced on everybody and is not selective, then people will sit tight and do the right thing.
There have been mixed reactions to the newly-formed cabinet of President Tinubu. What is your immediate reaction to the cabinet?
Well, my immediate reaction is that the list shouldn’t have taken too long to compile. If that is what he (Tinubu) will come up with, it shouldn’t have taken him too long to compile. Personally, I was expecting something better than what the president gave us. I was expecting to see more technocrat-tested hands and not to re-cycle faces. We will continue to watch and see what is going to happen. Personally, I don’t think that the list is what we needed. Of course, there are very good and brilliant minds on the list, but generally speaking, I was expecting something different from what the president gave us.
Many people believe having 45 ministers at this period of economic crisis in the country is out of place, do you share in this sentiment vis-a-vis the clamour for reduction in the cost of governance?
Of course, there is no doubt the fact that the cost of governance is too high in Nigeria and I was also expecting based on the mood of the country, based on the economy situation of the country, I was expecting a lean cabinetic, but now we have 45, which is even more than Buhari’s own, Buhari had like 42. Tinubu’s 45 ministers is the highest; to me it is unexpected. When you are talking about cutting the cost of governance and you have those ministers, that is not how to cut the cost of governance and the Nigeria presidential system is too expensive in all facets. Look at even the legislature, Nigeria’s legislature is among the highest paid lawmakers in the world even more than what obtained in the United States and the cost of running the presidency even to also maintain a minister it cost a lots. In saner societies, you won’t even know that a minister is passing, but in Nigeria it’s different entirely. Well, we are still waiting on the president to see the magic he will perform but so far to me he hasn’t brought up any surprise as far as I’m concerned.
We have a new minister of education and no doubt he has a lot to do in that critical sector. What are those areas you will want him to focus?
Straight away, I will implore him to look at the direction of the welfare of the lecturers. The lecturers are living in a very terrible situation. The take home pay is so poor that an average professor in Nigeria cannot even afford to sponsor children in a private university, it’s as bad as that. It is even difficult to know that no professor in Nigeria earns five hundred thousand naira monthly, it is ridiculous. So, I think the new minister has a lot of work to do in terms of remuneration of workers in the university system.
Also, we need to properly fund the universities, the public universities to be specific; the situation is so bad. Although, TETFund is actually trying to build infrastructures, their work is also limited, so we need better funding. We need to have a new way of thinking in the running of the university system. We just have to look at better funding, there should be a new way of thinking. Of course, there are proposals and so many suggestions. What the minister needs to do is to look into several reports by ASUU and other stakeholders and implement them.
All the situation has been advanced, things will not continue like this and the new minister should know that under Buhari, Nigerian lecturers actually had a bad deal, we were badly treated and nobody is happy. You know education is the bedrock of everything so we need to focus particularly on the tertiary education sector because that is where we manufacture knowledge, where you prepare the next generation. When people that are shaping the minds are not properly taken care of , then there is going to be a problem; that is why the new minister has to look at the welfare of the lecturers and then the entire funding of the university system has to be properly looked into. I believe the minister based on his pedigree as a professor of law, former Director General of the law school and then as a former Vice Chancellor, I think he has what it takes to turn things around.
The military junta in Niger Republic are recalcitrant and they recently disclosed a transition plan to civilian rule in the next three years which the ECOWAS vehemently rejected. What do you think is happening and the likely outcome of the impasse?
In the past few months, we have been having what we call democratic reversal in West Africa and this reversal is not really good for the West African sub-region because democracy is the best form of government. I have described military rule as a form of armed robbery because it’s like people holding you down at gun point against your wish and because of that I do not support the military in power. They do not have business to rule over the civilian population. The reaction of ECOWAS to me is good because they are actually trying to send a message that in this sub-region, we will not allow democracy to be truncated. It will be very difficult to return the ousted president to power , however, ECOWAS can force the military guys to organize a quick transition. But to me, the three years transition period is not quick, it is too long so I don’t expect them to plan to stay for three years in governance and I think the ECOWAS threat has to be sustained. Don’t also forget that Niger is also part of the ECOWAS but Niger has supporters in Burkina Faso, Mali and even to some extent, Algeria.
What will be your advice to African leaders especially those in the ECOWAS considering happenings in the region as regards military rule ?
let me say that people have not really seen the dividends of democracy, and so they now turn to look at the military as a kind of Messiah, which is wrong. Following this, the advice is that democracy is not by the name alone, you have to let the people feel the impact of the government, you have to let them see the difference so that they will know that democracy is the best. But when you are running a government that is not even different from the military, the people will become disillusioned and they will always want to go for alternatives and that is what is happening in Niger. But that does not mean the military guys have anything to offer too. They do not have the wherewithal to govern and because Niger is notorious for military coups every now and then, but the people are so poor so there haven’t been any difference as far as I am concerned but it is a lesson to West African leaders and others in the region that they just have to deliver so that people will not be thinking of other government apart from democracy.
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