We recruited wrong people to govern Nigeria —Oba Olaitan

Oba Oladipo Olaitan, a lawyer, member of the National Assembly between 1999 and 2003, served as Special Adviser in the Second Republic to the late Governor Lateef Jakande in Lagos State. In this interview with KUNLE ODEREMI and RUQQUAT AKINWANDE, the leader of Afenifere talks about preparations for the 2027 elections, his role in the administration of Governor Jakande in the Second Republic, among other national issues.

POLITICS yesterday, today and politics in the future in Nigeria: we want you to tell us what the situation is, given the benefit of your wealth of experience?

Unfortunately, things are not working out right. We seem to have derailed. In the beginning, there was a passion for the development of this nation; we had committed people who were ready to make sacrifices for the development of the country. Unfortunately, the crop of people we have now at the helm of affairs is not like that. They have hijacked the process, the system and made a mockery of democracy and good governance. That’s why the country is in a dire strait, struggling effortlessly to rediscover itself, gather momentum and provide leadership for the black race, the African continent and indeed the world. Our experience is indeed sad and unfortunate, but the situation is not totally irredeemable as long as we all can muster the political will, courage and tenacity of purpose to do the needful.

If one may ask, what do you think went wrong for the country to have continually derailed, if you would permit us to use your word, sir?

We recruited the wrong people; I mean that the wrong people got into the affairs of the nation. Before, we recruited people based on pedigree. We were deliberate and conscious of the quality and benchmark for the choice of people to lead and govern us as a country. If you wanted to contest an election, the first questions we asked were: Where are you from? Who are your parents? What school did you attend? Who are your friends? What is your pedigree? It was based on those things and criteria that we placed our trust in you. Unfortunately, it is no longer the case. What you have now is: what do you have? How much money can you give us? What can we gain from it? That’s all. And that has corrupted the whole system. And then we are now where we are, cul-de-sac.

You speak of political parties. Parties field candidates at elections. Are you saying that our party system has a debilitating crisis?

There is nothing called a party. It is people that make a political party. It is people who have and own a party. When a man is corrupt, the party is corrupt. The party is the people. A party is an abstract thing. The solid thing inside the party is the human being there. You know me, and I know you. We’ve been together for so long. When you take a thief as the head of your house and you think thieves will not come into your house, you are not being honest with yourself. Water finds its own level; birds of a feather flock together. When you put a corrupt human being in charge, what do you expect? He will take his friends along in the fray. He will invite his friends to come and join him in dancing naked in the public square. I’m going to say this because I’m committed to the development of this nation. I was watching a television programme, and I had to switch it off because what I saw was nauseating and awful. It was, to say the least, most embarrassing and insensitive to the sensibility of an honest citizen of this country.

What was it?

Somebody claimed to be the representative of Nigeria in an important foreign country, and he was talking unabashedly and gloating. I asked myself: who is this person? This is a person we know has criminal cases hanging around his neck all over the place. How can that person be an ambassador of our nation in a foreign country with criminal charges hanging around his neck? A person who has defrauded the nation, defrauded human beings, and you make him a representative! You are telling the nation what type of person you are. I couldn’t continue with the programme. I stopped the television. I couldn’t watch it. When you come up and say somebody is a minister, and he has no integrity, what are you telling the rest of the population? I have said this on television and I have said it on radio: there are one or two convicted people who are heads of affairs of states in this country, convicted criminals who are governors of some states in Nigeria. I mean there are criminals who are ministers all over the place, with corruption charges and other charges against them, and you want me to listen to such a person? You want me to take that person as my leader? No, Jesus! What are we telling our children? What are we telling our children? If all your child can see is that somebody is a 419 and he is a minister, what’s stopping him from becoming a 419er too? You are doing the wrong thing. Devils have taken over.

 Devils?

Devils have taken over. You can never be in a high place in this country unless you have a shady character. That’s a fact. Unless you have a shady character, nobody will talk to you. When you want to go to a beer parlour, who do you call? People who drink beer with you! That’s the person you call. Not even the police.

So, what is the solution, the way forward?

The solution is simple. We have to do a reset. We must ask ourselves: is this what we want? You know what I said to a friend recently? Somebody said that he went to a particular school and mentioned the year he attended the school. We all found that the school wasn’t even established that year. And people are still voting for him. Who do you want to blame? Tell me, who do you blame?

The system that lacks proper documentation and transparency…?

Yes, it’s the system and that person still has the guts to stand up and tell you to vote for him. And you can’t say, ‘Shut up! What do you mean, vote for you? Why shouldn’t we?’ You can’t tell him that! These days, I tend to think aloud about matters arising in the build-up to the next general election. For example, I said all the presidential candidates should tell them that we are no longer in this game. “I can’t compete with this man. Let all the presidential candidates come and say, “We can’t compete with this man.” We must stop pretending that all is well. We must collaborate to return the country to the path of honour, integrity and fame.

You were in the National Assembly…

 Yes, I was.

You had the opportunity to perhaps take a step towards addressing some of these issues? You had and still have the chance to synergise with people with shared ideas and ideals to renew the nation.

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Go and check my records in the National Assembly. I don’t mince words on the kind of leadership and system we deserve as a country, the steps we need to take, the issues and why. You have just acknowledged some of the challenges facing the country. When we went to the National Assembly, for example, I tell you this, we were very few; I mean members of my party in the National Assembly were few. But, we made sure that those who are continually bent on holding the country down and to ransom couldn’t move unless they listened to us. They would hold secret meetings on how to subvert the system and checkmate us out to guarantee public interest. If there was an important decision to be taken in the National Assembly, they would say, ‘go and look for Olaitan first and find out what he was going to do. And I tell you this: the former Senate President was mandated and given a special seat to sit behind me, to checkmate me. They had to put two people beside me to checkmate and stop me from time to time. Each time, I stood up, they would say, ‘No, no, no,’ even before I said a word at all. They would say that he has come again! That was what I was like in the National Assembly.  The records are there.

Between that time and now, why has it been difficult for you to liaise with like-minded Nigerians do some of the ideal things you dream about?

People like me can’t go into any election anymore. There are landmines everywhere. They are deliberately created to checkmate eligible individuals and citizens with proven integrity, genuine intention and clear vision out to right the wrongs in the endemic political environment. They perceive every good intention and step being taken as persecutory, and that must be fought and brought to a standstill.

Why?

The people there now, they don’t want people like me. Hypocrisy, sycophancy and bellyaching have become the order of the day. The thumb reigns now.

Why do you think so?

Because I have clean records. I’ve just told you I have clean records. I was born in 1942. I graduated in London in 1970. I was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1971. I entered politics in 1979. I was a Special Adviser to the Lagos State government from 1979 to 1983. I was the Leader of my party, the Alliance for Democracy (AD), in the National Assembly from 1999 to 2003. I’ve contested for governor. I’ve contested for the Senate. But I won’t win.

Why?

Because I don’t have money. Secondly, because I don’t belong to the class of people that rule, and not govern, now. But I’m here. I’m happy you know me, what I stand for and profess. No pretensions. I remain my humble self.

You are supporting the Social Democratic Party candidate for the presidential election coming up in a few months. Does it mean that you are optimistic about what is likely to happen in 2027 in terms of a win by the SDP?

Yes, I am, because it cannot be like this forever.

You are optimistic about victory?

Oh, yes. There is always a season. The season of these devils will pass. I’m not God, but I do know that no season rules forever. Nigerians deserve a new lease of life. I think that’s the wish and aspirations of all right-thinking individuals, particularly the electorate. We deserve the best of everything, given the enormity of the human and natural endowments of Nigeria.

You’ve spoken about your experience in Lagos under the administration of Second Republic Governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, of blessed memory? Can you recall the memories of that era?

Oh, we did our best under him. Everyone put in their best towards the success of the government. There’s no looking back immediately we laid our hands on the plough. We worked day and night and tirelessly to serve the people and we impressed the nation. We left an indelible and remarkable record of good governance, fiscal discipline and Spartan lifestyle of leadership. Everybody knew what we were doing. We were building schools. They used to have three shifts in the school system where we went. Within two or three months, we got the approval and made it one shift. We built houses for everybody. We had three housing schemes. We were lending money to other states in Nigeria, as they were coming to Lagos to borrow money from us. We were lending others money because we were disciplined, prudent, resourceful, transparent, accountable and visionary. We didn’t owe anybody. We were okay as an administration. We were doing very well. Everybody loved us. Those are the things that kept us going. People liked us, sat down and said, ‘thank God, we did that.’

Thank God, I’m happy I did that. I know what I did. I worked for four years under Jakande. For four years, I did not go on leave. I worked 24/7. I worked every day. I was happy doing it. Jakande loved me, and I loved him. Wherever I went, I was posted to do whatever was difficult. I was the Special Adviser on Political Affairs. I was a Special Adviser on Security. I was the Special Adviser on Law. Anytime there was a problem or difficulty, you could call me. I would go there.

Were you considered for ministerial appointments after 2003, when you left the National Assembly?

I was offered more than that.

When?

But again, among them, they said if you take this man, he will burst everything.

Let’s talk about your transition from being an active politician to becoming a traditional ruler.

Every human is a politician. So, I am a pastor. I’m a preacher, I’m a lawyer; I’m a politician. I’m everything positive.

Don’t you see a conflict in all these roles, especially in the fact that you are a traditional ruler and a politician at the same time?

What conflict? When you eat banana, is there any conflict in your stomach? When you eat rice, is there any conflict in your stomach? If I think about how to survive in life and I pray about it, is that a conflict?

What makes your candidate, Prince Adewole, exceptional from other presidential hopefuls?

He’s clean, very, intelligent, highly focused and he’s a gentleman. He would help to develop this nation. You can see his devotion. It doesn’t have to be in politics. I can tell you that. It doesn’t have to be. When I was a legal adviser to the government from 1979 to 1983, I was a Special Adviser and political adviser. I went about with my wig and gown. Anywhere there was a problem, I would change my clothes and go and defend. I do the same thing now.

The campaign for the election is beginning to gather momentum. What do you think should be the germane issue?

The core issue is the development of this nation. We must redeem this nation from the devils among us. They must go. We must clean the system. When a person says he’s the head of the legislature and he has corruption charges hanging on his neck, what kind of system allows that? We must clean the Aegean’s table. He must come with clean hands. Nigerians deserve the best to govern them.

Are you referring to changes of sleaze?

Yes. Be careful, because you people, the Nigerian press and media generally, too, I hope you are not conniving, because we don’t hear you talk about it anymore. You don’t talk about it anymore. You laugh at us when we raise the point. Even when you know we are the type of person, who will raise the point, you will not invite us. We know you. When you know that we are going to be too critical, you don’t invite us.

It may not be true in general…

But, that’s a fact because they are the people who give you advertisements now. Without advertisements, can you survive?

What are your words to the electorate as the election approaches?

They should not think about what one or two people are going to give them today. They should think about their future and the future of their children. If there is any sacrifice you are going to make for them, please make it now. Change the devils. Take the devils out of this system. Clean the system. If anybody has any corruption charges against him, don’t vote for him because he is going to go and do the same thing when he gets there. So, don’t vote for him. If he offers you money, tell him to get away with his money. A thief is a thief. A thief in the day will steal at night as well.

We are still going to conduct the 2027 elections based on the existing Constitution. Are you satisfied with that arrangement?

I was telling somebody this morning that what is going to happen in 2027 is not an election. It’s going to be selection and rigging.

Why?

That’s what we are used to: selection and rigging.

So, the 1999 Constitution itself…?

Which Constitution? Today, do we follow the Constitution, when you are conducting elections? The electorate, who are going to vote today, what do they know about the Constitution, and you who know about it, do you talk about it?  Media people, do you have sessions where you talk to Nigerians about what to do and what they should do? The media are supposed to give at least three sessions, maybe a minimum of one hour per week in three sessions, to talk to Nigerians about what they should do. Take Chapter Two, for example, of the Constitution, and talk to Nigerians about it. Make it imperative. Make it justiciable. All media houses should see to it that Chapter Two becomes justiciable.