Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, has told the North not to think of contesting the 2023 presidential election, as it is the turn of the South to produce the next president of Nigeria. In this interview with VINCENT KALU, the legal luminary gave conditions Igbo must fulfil to succeed Buhari.
Nigeria is more divided now than even during the civil war, why and how can this division be arrested?
Yes. Nigeria is more divided now because a lot of people who were living on free Nigerian money which they didn’t work for; which were depleting our resources cannot have access to it again. They are corrupt. They are the people stoking the ember of fire of disunity because of their hatred for Buhari, and they are fighting him. Look at BVN, TSA and oil subsidy fraud – all these have made corruption difficult and a lot of people lived on them before, and so are not happy.
Look at the loot that has been recovered, over one trillion naira – the local loot, ploughed back into the budget. Look at the infrastructural development – roads, railways, Second Niger Bridge, and other things all over the place. The point I’m trying to make is that we are lucky to have a government made up of at least the top two that I can swear on their behalf: Buhari and Osinbajo, who are not only committed, but they are absolutely honest and want to serve. The only joy and reward they seek is the opportunity to serve. For once, for a change we have people who are serving the country selflessly, and we are doing very well and the world is beginning to recognise us.
Read Also: Crisis Looms In ASCON As Board Accuses DG Of Corruption
Transparency International that was always putting us far behind, I challenged one of their leaders at a conference, he said ‘we didn’t do the research ourselves; its perception, we just ask people.’ I said then, ‘you are not a serious person, how can you put perception on record and publish it to the whole world, and people are now using that to measure Nigeria; why not dig to find out what has been done and compare it to the situation it was before.’ A lot has been done and we have gone very far. We can reasonably compare this period we are in now to the level of honesty that we enjoyed under the Abubakar, Zik and Awolowo era. I have been through all, I was a grown up lad of 19 years in 1960, and so I have seen everything North. I took part in politics; I was a member of Action Group, I campaigned in an election as a student in 1964 federal elections; I campaigned all over the Yoruba states. You can take me as an example of someone who has been through all the phases Nigeria has ever been – Pre independence to now. My judgement is that this government compares favourably in terms of integrity and honesty because those old people were simple people; they were excited that they had power to decide our fate, and they wanted nothing more North. This is the first time we are getting back again and we are very lucky to have Buhari and Osinbajo, and I want people to celebrate this and be happy about it because when it is all over and something else begins to happen, it is then we start regretting; it is then we would say, ‘oh, when I should have been happy and should have rejoiced, I miss that opportunity.’ Now, God forbid, let us not revert to what we had in 16 years before 2015 North.
You mentioned blocking oil subsidy, which you said was an avenue for corruption. Under this government subsidy on petrol is hitting trillion when the fuel pump price is N145, but in the last government, subsidy was in billions, at the same time pump price of fuel was N97. Something is not adding up here, why?
I don’t know the actual amount. I’m satisfied that it is what we are actually paying and getting. People are no more bringing in empty ships and collecting subsidy, people are no more putting the names of ships that have been deregistered 30 years ago and be collecting subsidy; people are not bringing in water and collecting subsidy North.
