Honourable Simon Mwadkon is the member representing Riyom/ Barkin Ladi in the House of Representatives. He spoke to JIDAUNA YANUNG & DORCAS PANKYES on Nigeria at 62 and other national issues. EXCERPTS:
NIGERIA has just celebrated its 62 years of independence, as a lawmaker of the federal republic, how would you described the journey so far?
Well, the Journey has been very rough, there is nothing smooth. 62 years is not 62 months. Is not 62 days and we seem not to have made progress. That is the truth because if you compare Nigeria with countries that got independence almost at the same time, you will find out that we have not progressed. We are still far behind in comparison with other countries, Nigeria seems to be, not stagnated, but it seems to have been in a reverse order compared to countries like Singapore, Brazil and others. If you look at the level of development in such countries, you will discover that, or you will find out that, we have not done well.
So the Journey so far like I said has been rough. Poverty has become the order of the day in Nigeria today and Nigeria by world standards has been described as the poverty or capital of the world. A lot of our people cannot afford 3 square meals a day, while some do not even have access to a single meal in a whole day. They just live on the good will of other people. So most people do not have the basic necessities of life, that is: shelter, clothing and food. You wake up in the morning each day and the first thing that comes to your mind is where do I get water, power is not there, how do I get generator or a generating set or where do I get mobility to take my children to school, like in other countries where all these things are there. In Nigeria today, education has become very expensive, the infrastructure in the education sector today are already decaying, ASUU has been on strike for over eight months now, nothing seems to be working or happening in the education sector and there is a serious brain drain in Nigeria today. Most of the professionals in Nigeria today are leaving for other countries, for greener pastures, so the journey so far has been very, very, rough, look at the issue of Boko haram, kidnapping, raping and other forms of criminality in the country.
It is very unfortunate that some people have constituted themselves into a group and call themselves, foreign Fulanis, and yet government sometimes protect these people and other foreigners who come to kill Nigerians. So I emphasise that the journey so far has been rough because the unity that was in Nigeria before 1960, is not there again, the country has been polarised along ethnics and religious lines. It looks like everybody is living in his own world, nothing seems to be working right for citizens of this country but then, we still have hope that one day, a true leader will emerge in this country that will have the country at heart and protect the interest of all, where our dignity will be restored.
Today, at the parallel market, a dollar is seven hundred and fifty naira per dollar, which is a very serious and sad issue. It is against the promise of this administration when they were campaigning that one naira will be equal to one dollar.
So, again as I said the journey so far has not been easy, instead for us to progress, is like we are retrogressing, it is just clear we are retrogressing. Cost of production has become high, there is absolute reliance on oil and gas, meanwhile, the whole world is having a paradigm shift, developed countries now have electronic machines, electronic house, electronic dams, electronic diesel, but Nigeria is still depending on oil and gas, while others are talking about alternative sources of energy, that is solar and electronic energy, but we in Nigeria are still relying on oil and gas which is a serious and dangerous trend. Time will even come when nobody will buy the oil we are depending on and producing today, but people will have alternative sources of energy. So the Journey so far has not been good in my assessment, as corruption has become the order of the day, we are aware that animals have suddenly become thieves in Nigeria, with snakes swallowing money or some termites eating money and so many other funny stories. So nothing seems to be working, it is very, very, unfortunate so we are praying that God will do something, so that Nigeria can be more serious and move forward.
Can we now say the country has lived up to the expectations of its founding fathers?
No, no, no not at all. I believe that if people like Chief Obafemi Owolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa were alive today and see what is happening in the country, they will weep with blood not tears. Nigeria has not lived up to the dreams of our fore fathers. Before now, these sharp divisions in religious, ethnic groups, states, regions, were not there, we were all one. Most of them in power today did not pay a kobo for their education in those days because there was a scholarship for them, they have everything at their disposal then like electricity, water and others. They had virtually everything at their disposal. So again if our founding fathers come back today and see Nigeria today they will weep with blood, they will hate all that is happening so we have not live according to what they want, the standard of education in Nigeria today is nothing to write home about, most graduates will not even recite the National Anthem, some don’t even know the meaning of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
So things are getting worse every day and all hands must be on deck to correct this ugly situation. Leaders in Nigeria today are just being recycled President is eighty years, the ministers are also very old people there is need for us to shift to allow the youths to come in but today it is only children of the rich that can contest election because of the financial implications, where do you expect a graduate to get #1 million and above to buy a form or nomination form? That is why the leadership keep recycling within the rich, only the rich people who have stolen money will afford 1 million to obtain form of Political parties in Nigeria.
How then would you asses Nigeria’s past leaders since independence?
Well, the past administrations have not been so bad like that of the present administration of President Muhammedu Buhari. The administration came in with a mandate of change and today we have seen the change. There is change in the pump price of petrol from 87 naira to 250 naira, there is change in security, It was Boko Haram in Borno State and today it is a national problem. Rice used to be 8,000 today it is 35,000. so at least there has been change but the change has been a negative One, we were thinking It is going to be change for good but today it is change for the worse this present administration to me is not easy, easy in the sense of changing every day. You buy Something today for one thousand tomorrow you will buy that same thing for one thousand five hundred or even more than one five hundred or even more.
In fact we in the National Assembly have not helped issues. because of tribalism or religious background or region, that is to say, if the National Assembly wants to take steps to correct the leader of the administration, some sections the leader came from will not allow it they will Protect him or her, as the result of protection the executive does anything they feel like doing because no body will say anything. The executives supposed to be checked by the Legislators but reverse is the case.
Accessing this government under Buhari is not easy because one the economy is at ground zero, the level of Borrowing that has taken place under this administration is a serious matter of concern. This administration has borrowed too much that it can even affect our granting children and even unborn ones they will have loans on their head to pay. but yet the government has refused to accept that it has failed but the truth is that this government under President Buhari has failed.
This year’s independence is coinciding with preparations for the 2023 general elections, what is your take on this?
Well, my take on this is that people should take advantage of the forth coming elections and vote out bad government. Nigerians should take advantage of the period and vote in good leaders who the interest of the country and its citizens similarly I want to urged Nigerians not to lose hope because better days and years are still ahead. We want to assure that we will continue to do our best by embarking on programmes and projects that will have direct bearing on the people.
