Comrade Shehu Sani is the president of Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria (CRCN). The courageous Sani who led former President Olusegun Obasanjo to Boko Haram territory in Maiduguri in September 2011, to broker peace between the federal government and the sect, is back at it again. In this interview with MIDAT JOSEPH, Sani explained why Obasanjo joined the rescue mission of the over 200 abducted Chibok girls
Insecurity has continued unabated in the country especially in the North-east despite government assurances. What in your opinion is the missing link?
Well, we need to understand clearly that insecurity today is not peculiar to our country, but it is the first in the history of our country whereby the challenge before us is to find a solution to it. There are social, economic factors that led us to where we are today. And what we are facing today is the result of either things we did wrongly in the past or things we refused to do. As a people, it is incumbent on us to address the basic issues that ignited these insurgencies and this insecurity nationwide so that we can address it for good.
First of all, the issues of insecurity been peculiar to the north are of various types; we have the sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians, we have ethnic violence, we have cattle herders and farmers violence and then we have now an insurgency in the north-eastern part of Nigeria. The insecurity in the southern part of Nigeria bothers on kidnapping for ransom and also issues of remnants of militancy and bombings in the area. So, each section of the country must address its issues based on the realities that are on ground. Sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians have been going on for the past three decades and it is also very clear that all the remedies and the solutions that have been proffered has not been able to address the issues. And now we have insurgency which is related to social, economic and political factors. There is no political or social factor that will justify the wanton killings and violence that is going on. But these are issues that if they are clearly addressed could reduce the situation and also help in stemming the spiral of violence that is going on now.
Any Solutions?
To us, solution to this problem has to do with addressing the problems of leadership which we have now an inept and incompetent one that is in place. Addressing the economic issues that create the conducive atmosphere for such kind of violence. And also, we need to address political issues that will have people in the position of power that are connected to the people, that understand the problem of the people and how much they can address it.
How does incompetency in leadership lead to the insecurity today and how do we address it?
So far, the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration is a typical example of a leadership that has woefully failed. He has failed from the political and economic angle. He has failed in all factors of leadership. You have leaders who came in with vision, mission and with experiences, and also you have leaders who learn on the job; Jonathan is neither of the two. He is a man who happens to be in power by accident and since that very time, the whole nation and its people have been in ambush and it is unfortunate that such kind of person will lead a country that is supposed to play a leading role in the socio-economic and political transformation of Africa. A nation of about 164 million people which other African countries look unto and now we are looking unto the west. So, I think this is the lowest in the history of Nigeria where we have a leader that does not even know what leadership is. All his actions have been wrong and has consistently and gradually been pushing this country into perdition.
Do you believe that the insurgency in the North-east has political colouration as alleged by some Nigerians?
What we need to understand is that the violence in the North-east has its immediate causes and remote causes. The immediate causes have to do with the fact that a group of people with a theocratic agenda decided to pick up arms against the state and in the pursuance of their goals, they kill, they bomb, they maim, they destroy lives and livelihood. And one thing we should understand is that terrorism is not a form of violence that is meant to conquer a state, it is rather a form of violence that is meant to conquer a state of mind. Terrorists do not recover a nation, they terrorise nations; they unleash a regime of fear on the people and exercise maximum influence by deadly activities. There are local factors that led to these. One is, we have a generation of leaders that have been in place for a period of time that have not taken consideration of the dangers and the consequences of their inability to address social and economic issues that led to where we are today. Joblessness is a factor that contributes to insurgency but it is not a good reason to kill and maim. Social issues are also contributing factors. So, to address the problem of the north eastern part of Nigeria, it has to do with first of all taking the immediate problem at hand. And then later on, holding an economic plan to attract young people.
The amnesty committee which you declined membership has since finished its work and submitted its report to the president, yet we are yet to see its implementation. What were your fears and have they been cleared?
When I was appointed by the government to serve in the amnesty committee, I declined to serve for two reasons. One, I was able to make contact to the insurgents through some persons to get their state of mind and opinion whether they would accept and corporate with the committee. And the response I got from them was that they were not going to corporate and work with the committee. So, I have no reason to continue with the committee. Secondly, I initiated some forms of dialogue with the insurgents in the past which the government refused to endorse and even accept the recommendations. So, it was virtually impossible for me to keep on been in the committee without anything coming out of it. So, the committee that was set up ended up wasting public resources and the time of Nigerians. They ended up misinforming and misleading Nigerians. They came out and claimed that there was a dialogue with the insurgents and the sect denied such. Nigerians were faced with many lies from them. The minister for special duties is one Nigerian that has consistently misinformed Nigerians over what his committee was said to have achieved. To me, that committee has contributed to the feelings of false sense of confidence and hope of Nigerians. If the committee has actually met the sect and actually reached a cease-fire agreement with the sect, we could not have reached this kind of violence. But since the committee finished their job with all their claims, the whole violence and insurgency has gotten worse than they met it. So, it is a clear vindication of my position at that very time not to be part of that circle.
You facilitated a dialogue between former President Obansanjo and members of the Boko Haram sometimes ago and now, another round of dialogue is said to be on-going between the former president and the Boko Haram sect. How true?
Let me tell you, I facilitated the talk between Obasanjo and the Boko Haram. The dialogue that was led by Dr Datti Ahmed was facilitated by Ahmed Sakilda with me on the background and knowing what was happening to the end. Now, I founded the dialogue for which the meeting was held in Obasanjo’s House. I was there and I brought the ideas of what to do and we are working on it. The idea of the dialogue was informed by three reasons. One is, we are opposed by the use of force to free the girls that have been abducted by the insurgents. Secondly, there is a back door negotiation that happened between Sakilda and some persons in government which was sabotaged by some elements in government. And I was not surprised because I knew from the beginning to the end how it happened because I am the person who recommended Sakilda to the federal government and for them to reach to him over the Chibok girls. I monitored all that happened and it was the federal government that frustrated the move. The Chibok girls could have been freed last week, which was sabotaged by the federal government. So, this new initiative we are doing is such a one that will carry along many people that stand between the sect and the federal government. The sect will nominate their delegation and the federal government will also nominate their delegation. The bottom line is for the two groups to discuss and work out the process of getting the Chibok girls released and the same time getting the federal government release some members of the sects released and their families. So, it is still a new formula to repackage the dialogue process and to salvage the dialogue process that was destroyed by the refusal of government to accept a deal that just happened recently.
Do you see the president changing his mind after he shunned the idea of any form of dialogue with the Boko Haram sect?
The president has not changed his mind but we are now going to the stage of seeking the consent of the government to dialogue. This is because, the government must give the go ahead for the reason that we have an existing law against terrorism that clearly criminalises any attempt to communicate or to interact and to relate with the insurgents. So, it is only when you get the consent of the government and the waiver that you will be able to start such things. Again, the consent of the government is very necessary in the event of any of our members have to reach out with the insurgents. So, the technical issues need to be clarified with the government before we move ahead. And in the event the government is not interested in it, there is nothing we can do because we are non-state actors. All we can to do is ensure a dialogue process to bring these girls out.
Who is Ahmed Sakilda and how protected is he?
Sakilda is a very young man that has contributed more than enough to the peace and security of this country. Many people think he is a member of Boko Haram which he is not. He is a young man trying to make a living and his relationship with the founder of Boko Haram has to do with the fact that the Boko Haram founder converted him to Islam and they have been working together. He knew the group before they took up arms. So, in all honesty, he is someone in which the nation need to appreciate his contribution and who they should also use, but it is unfortunate that his time was threatened the very time he started the dialogue process. He was chased out of Nigeria by people who think that his efforts will be a seal to how much they profits to the violence of the insurgents in the country.
There are insinuations that the federal government wants to negotiate with the Boko Haram sect without involving the Borno State government. Do you think it would lead to success?
I think it is a wrong thing to do because the Borno State governor is the chief executive of the state and there is no way you can achieve much in Borno without the state governor’s input. There is no way we can resolve the problem without the state government. This is because they are presiding over people and the governor represents the state and without them, the federal government will only be beating around the bush. What we should understand is that the discord between the federal government and the Borno State government has not been helpful in the course of addressing the problems.
The military has been inconsistent regarding the rescue operation by giving contradictory reports. Do you think we are succeeding?
The Nigerian Army is not an institution that is different from the Nigerian state. It represents our teeth and our strength; it represents our protection, our sheath and our defence. If we mock at our Nigerian Army and the world mocks, it is the nation and the people of this country that are been mocked at because we don’t have an institution that protects us than the Army and it is very wrong to blame the Army if they don’t provide the necessary tools that they could use to protect the country. What we are facing is the situation that the Nigerian Army is destroyed by an Army of corrupt politicians who destroy other institutions and now the Army is the next. And the danger of destroying the Army is that, we will all become vulnerable as we are now. What Nigerians demand from the Army is for them to protect the integrity of the country and the sovereignty of Nigeria. The misleading reports coming from the Army dent their image and reputations. For the Army, their reputation and integrity is dented until they are able to rescue the girls and end the insurgency. The danger of what is happening today is for African countries to look down on us and to continue to see us as people who have lost relevance.
Do you think that the collaborating foreign Army Can rescue the girls
The United States, UK, France and China did not send soldiers that would storm Boko Haram camp and free the girls. They only sent two experts on intelligence gathering that would help with advice on our Army. Secondly, they sent a team of negotiators. I am completely opposed to the presence of foreign forces in my country. I am a revolutionist and a pan-Africanist who cherish the defence of my country and continent. And I fully believe that these are African issues and could be addressed the African way. It is shameful for France to invite the presidents of Cameroon, Benin-Republic, Niger and Nigeria to come and sit down and talk about how to protect a part of Nigeria. I think we should have a re-think and should understand that this is a national issue that requires a resilient spirit and a determination to fight it. Any attempts to use force to rescue these girls will end up in tragedy. And it is better we do it earlier before the sect brain-washes the girls.
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