Interview with James Bawa Magaji – former deputy governor of Kaduna state during Dabo Lere era
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Some have suggested that a sovereign national conference be convened as a way out of what the country is facing? What is your opinion?
National conference is not the best way and will not give an answer to the numerous problems we are facing. We have a sitting National Assembly and this call is a direct indictment of the National Assembly. Anybody that is calling for a sovereign national conference is simply saying that he or she is not satisfied with the performance of the National Assembly. Every local government, or in most cases two local governments have representatives in the House of Representatives and every state has three senators.
I believe people could channel their complaints and grievances through their representatives in the National Assembly. If you want to have a national conference, how will the participants emerge? Are you going to use the same process you elect the National Assembly members? If that is what you are going to do, don’t you think that will be duplication of efforts? If people are not satisfied with their representatives, there are ways to wake them up from sleep. So why not channel the greivances through the representative?
Some northern states have made claims about oil discovery in their domain. What should they do to boost their revenue generation?
Well, this is a claim and there is government department, DPR, that is responsible for checks and verification and am not in a position to ascertain the Sokoto State government’s claim.
But what the northern governors must do is to find a way of engaging the federal government so that some percentage of revenue for exploration and development of other mineral resources will be set aside. South Africa does not have oil, but it has been able to grow through the development of solid minerals and we have mineral resources all over the north. If we have solid mineral from the north, it will complement the oil from the South.
Many say that the only comparative advantage the north has is agriculture. Do you think going into agric will make the northern states compete favourably with their southern counterparts in terms of development?
Of course, wealth is in the ground. Don’t forget that before the discovery of oil, agriculture was the mainstay of our economy. Even as at today, agriculture contributes 90 percent of the GDP. Our People are farmers and they depend on agric either on sustenance basis or commercial basis not oil. What we need to do, even though the federal government has set up some task force on groundnut, cocoa production, cotton and some others agricultural products, the north should concentrate on agric and get some resources that they will use to exploit the mineral resources in the region.
As a former deputy governor, what is your reaction toward calls for state creation?
If a state cannot pay salaries and maintain its infrastructure from internally generated revenue, it ought not to be a state. One can encourage the state to create programmes and avenues to improve on their internally generated revenue so that every state within some years to come should be able to pay salaries before the arrival of the statutory allocation. On the issue of creation of states, there are some states that definitely need to be created. You have to create a state where there is grotesque and complex composition. For political stability and security definitely, there should be state creation in the constitution amendment. But some of the demands are unnecessary.
I’ve seen some states that are less than 3 million in population, and are even homogeneous yet are asking for more states, but I wonder why. First of all, they are not big in terms of land mass, they are not big in population and the composition is homogeneous, such cases should be treated as not viable. But there are states with people that are not homogeneous and there are too much diversity that have affected security and development. If there are such situations, a state should be created.
Several groups have been calling for creation of an additional state in Kaduna. What is your suggestion?
If you want to create a state in this country, Kaduna state is qualified for consideration because of the tensed security nature coupled with the fact that Kaduna is a mini country that comprises every component of Nigeria.
That’s why each time there is crises in Kaduna, it spills over other states and most of the factors that led to crises if you look at it, are more of political even though some places of worship used to be burnt. Kaduna state is too diverse, it’s in the North West zone and some other sections especially the southern part that are very marginal as a group within the whole North West zone and as it is now, can hardly make any meaning within the present geo-political setting. Am aware from the literature written by the Southern Kaduna people that the state if created, will belong within the north central geo-political zone where they fit better and can have a voice.
So, if a state will be created based on substantial evidence, a state will be created in Kaduna State. But some states are homogeneous and 90 percent one religion but are still calling for split. People who are calling for state creation for comfort and to enable them have more senators, reps and ministers, should be disregarded.
But those with genuine requests with substantial explanation like what the Kaduna State stands for, should be considered with open mind for greater peace and stability. If there are two others with similar problems again, they should also be considered. Creating two or four states will help douse tension and increase peace and security and bring development.
Some say state creation will not reduce the crises in Kaduna. What is your take on that?
Nationalities compete for scarce resources and power is what is used in distributing resources and its only when you are in power, that you are enabled to get these resources that is why even in Kaduna there is always struggle over who should be in power. There has been political rivalry where we have had crises in Kaduna. If a state is created in Kaduna, it will reduce frictions.
Do you see the Yakowa’s administration as being fair to all sections of Kaduna State?
He has been fair to all the sections in Kaduna state. From my assessment, Governor Yakowa has religiously taken every part along. I know him as a man who fears God and knows what God can do. Power belongs to God and God gives power to whom he wills and if you did not do justice, he takes it away. The governor of the state is very conversant with this. God loves justice and the way and manner Yakowa is going, people in the state will be happy to have him as governor.
How will you assess President Jonathan administration?
Well, I think he has done well within the time frame considering the security challenges. Power supply has improved and some credit most go to the power minister that resigned, Barth Nnaji, he did well. His style of leadership is something that helped in the successes recorded. Most of the ministers have been given free hands to operate. The minister of agriculture has done well too. So, if many ministries continue like this, at the end of the day, they will have something to show.
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Source: Daily Trust
