Exclusive Interview With Yerima Shettima ''Arewa Consultative Forum ACF National Youth President'' -- Why The North is Poor (Must Read)

Yerima Shettima is the National youth president of Northern Apex socio-cultural group: Arewa consultative forum (ACF),also the Chairman of coalition of all Ethnic Nationality leaders in Nigeria. In this exclusive interview with Iniobong Iwok, he spoke about why the North is in it present state,restructuring of the country,the Buhari administration among other sundry issues.
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The North have had most access to power at the central,but yet least developed and bedeviled with social issues where do you put the blame on?

The problems of the North, I would put the  blame on the leaders,the leaders was failed us, despite the opportunities that the north have to be in power especially during the military era,and so many other long terms in power.

you would think the North would have develop to some level,that is, if some one is coming to the North you would say perhap, it could be compared to places like Dubai.

And the issue of illiteracy I thank God the present youths have taken it upon themselves, they are acting practical and are asking questions some of us have gone to little school and combine with quaran education. And today we can look at the face of anybody and ask questions.

Some fifteen,twenty years in the past no body do this, despite the poverty you are expected as the follower you are not expected to question your leaders, they are expected to pray for them, to be humble. So with all this I believe my generation would do better than the previous generation.

But leaders of several groups in the north have been accused of taking advantages of the interest of the people for selfish purposes?

That is in the past. That is what has happen in the past.
Yes that is what I have just said,some people would say there is no need for us to have had Bokoharam in the first place if not  simply because some people who were leaders at the Apex, regional,states or LG failed. They have so much wealth they build houses
they build mansion and at the end they can not stay in the mansion.

They run away because you can not build a mansion when your neighbor can not eat one square meal, that your neighbor would turn out to be security treat. That is what give Birth to the security challenge and that is what is happening now in the north as a result of lack of opportunity for our people to be educated,lack of access is what is giving birth to the crime,robbery and all they are doing. But some of us who have that privildge would continue to talk.


How do you describe the situation in the North-East now that Bokoharam have been curtain?

The level of destruction is un imaginable,the society is disintegrated. I don't know if you have experience the aftermath of war zone, the psychology of the people are affected and is not normal,it would take about ten years to bring the people, the areas affected to normal.

You recently spoke against the implementation of the 2014 Confab report,what are your concern?

When Jonathan came up with the idea of the 2014 national conference, some of us felt that there was another motive behind the conference and we told the government why don't you do it right. Instead of hand -picking the delegates ,let the people chose their representatives let the people chose their best.

Let it be on ethnic nationalities,let sit down and discuss so that it would be based on the need of the people. we told them why don't you allow their constituency to select the delegates so that they would be coming with message from their people so that things would flow, and it would be without input from the government. Then when we notice the government remain adamant and called some people  to Abuja as delegates. most of the people going round calling for the implementation of that 2014 confab report, are people who participate in that conference,people that have collected their merriment, we see them as pro- Jonathan, they do not want to accept that they have failed.

You don't believe in the report of that Confab,even when some of the leaders of ACF attended?

Yes we do not believe in the report. We were not thinking sitting in abuja to hold a conference cover the over all interest of nigerians. that is the position of Arewa consultative forum even some elders of the union that went some of us criticize them.

We told them to sit down with us to discuss issues and get a clear agenda. And you can see there was no clear agenda of were the north wanted the conference to go to because: Due consultations were not made. At the end of the day they are were made to defend the status quote.


Do you believe in restructuring of the country?

Of course I believe. I have been involved in advocacy for about two decades now..I have always called for and believe in restructuring of the country. It is better we go back to regionalism were the region would grow at it own pace, then there would be challenges of development among the regions. If Lagos for example is doing better than my region I would be challenge to do something better.  It is the best system for Nigeria.

I should be looking at the region to come up with something good like the Awolowo, sardauna,Amadu Bello,Azikiwe did. And they were remembered because of that system which allow them to go back to their region and develop it for better.
Because it was a regional system of government and it give them power to develop their region and give them attention and you can see the pace of development then.

Awolowo for example did tried, and it would not have been possible if not for the regional system of government and today the free Education he introduced have taken the south-west forward educationally than any other region. If you go to Ekiti state today almost every family have professor.

In the North, Ahmadu Bello was there today there is ABU, we have no body that have beat that record of what he was able to achieve with the north interim of development.
What we have now is politician with deceit they come with Agbabda and say I want to emulate Sarduna because he did well.

You are also advocating for a new constitution?

Yes we are calling for a new constitution, when we get a new constitution we can begin to look at the issue of restructuring as an option.

Because the constitution come with restructuring which would be a constitution that Nigerians have to agreed to. We are not asking for the amendment of the constitution, We are asking for a new constitution.

I have no problem with the national assembly, but we are not asking for amendment of the constitution, what we want is: a new constitution, making a new constitution is different from amendment, Some time the law makers do that out of mischief. They would say they have seen 1,00O clauses in the constitution to be amended that is not what we are asking for.

we are asking for the legitimacy of he constitution. A constitution everybody would be involve in it drafting and  it would have legitimacy,and we would have a referendum that would start from zonal, LG, state and national were and those that would go to the national would be pick, and those people would work on the new constitution. the way we are, Nigeria is not a nation yet,the suspicion among the ethnic nationalities is given the country more problems.

Is restructuring the only way forward?

I believe if we restructure the country every thing would be ok. But today if we have regionalism this issues of avengers would not come up. because we run a funny system of government where everybody,including the  Governors are lazy,everybody want to go to Abuja and collect their share of the national cake.



How do you access the Buhari administration?

Expectation were high among Nigerians but, Buhari alone can not move the country forward. Yes he promise change,expectation was high unfortunately he can not move the country alone, some of the ministers are inexperience or incompetence they do not know what governance is all about. some of them are behaving like comedian, a clear example is the minister for communication,who said on national TV that he had reservation on the days of Bokoharam but can not say it because the fear of Bokoharam an the lawmakers did not find it logical to disqualify him.


And not satisfy with this government  and Nigerians are bitter about it,you can not remove all benefit and expect us to be happy to the coutry that people should tighten up while you are eaten fat. Things are hard,you can not be flying around the world and the common man is suffering if there is sacrifice it should start from the leaders.

You gave Buhari your total support are you disappointed?

That is on assumption. A lot of people that supported him are disappointed. even those used in the campaign, the change mantra, even those who stole by him are disappointed. most of the things the government said they would do they are not doing with impunity  devaluation of the naira  is not new anymore.


Would Arewa Support him or the APC if he decide to seek re-election in 2019?

Buhari is a Nigerian president, and not a northern president. If we run a regional system and he is a premier I would not attack him but advise him.
My own is to advise him as the president of the country but if we look at him as the president of one region it would not help.
On either to support, we would look for alternative in 2019, we have been disappointed so far in his government. with the way thing are going. They  would say there is hope we should be patient. But the way the things are I would look for alternative.

Do you think the president have been fair to other region in his appointment?

I spoke to other news medium and told them the president have not been fair to other regions. At the earlier time of the his government, when he just started the appointment, but since the budge was passed you can see that things have balance up. we must commend him, even the ambassadorial appointment how many people came from the north? Even the board appointment you would see that after the budge sharing, the southwest compare to the north have more than about 4O percent, it favors the southwest,than the north east were I came from, which have less that 13 percent. so I do not agree ,earlier it was so not now and I raise alarm then.

Are you Satisfy with the performance of INEC?

INEC has been full of confusion. In recent elections, look at the kogi election I have become more confuse I wonder where they get some language like: inconclusive. Inconclusive every were, and that is when they want to manoeuvre things that this unheard English is out .

As we keep going round we would keep talking about INEC, that suppose to be  an independent body, It is obvious INEC is been influence by the central ,and over shadowing some of their ruling, we have a system were the central government have some much power and the executive override some of their decisions.


Are you satisfy with the fight against corruption,especially the trial of Dasuki?

The office of the national security adviser is not an office of the PDP. some of us have reservation on the style of the current anti graft war, and we said it earlier, the president have no business in some of the things he his doing, what he has to do is to allow the institutions to do their work.
What is happening in the case of Dasuki is that the president have already convicted him before the trial.

By saying in the media chart that how can he released a man who steal over N400billion. when the  person have not been convicted in court, even when the court have given order for his released while standing trial. It is unfair and the leader who say no he must defile the court order to me is not fair,because: what is happening now could happen to anybody.

He should fight corruption but respect the rule of law ,he must not make the anti corruption fight personal, so that when he is not around the institutions would continue to fight.

we support his anti corruption fight  but it should not be personal or be a vendetta. Somebody offend you 20 or 30 years ago because you have power you are seeking vendetta. 

Source-- Iniobong Iwok (Journalist DailyTimes)