The son of a former governor of Kogi State, Ibrahim Idris, and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for 2019 election, Abubakar Idris, speaks on security and economy, among other issues of governance, in this interview with Andy Asemota

There is despondence in the country; people are losing hope. Where do you stand in all of these?
I once read somewhere that leadership is a reflection of a people. It is not only about leaders but also we as a people. It’s a two-way thing.

There is an adage that says there is no wicked king but wicked lieutenants. So, if as a king you have the right lieutenants, it trickles down to the people. If the people support the good lieutenants and in turn the king, it makes the system virile and stable.

It is up to leaders to give hope to the people and it’s also for the people to support and encourage their leaders. It’s a two way thing; if you look at it critically, you cannot blame the leaders for everything that goes wrong. Agreed a given policy may turn out to be wrong, but how have the people helped to have the right policy? It takes two to tango. I think the relationship between leaders and the people should be symbiotic.

What kind of Nigeria and particularly Kogi State do you want to see in the future and how do we get it?
My vision is not to take the Kogi people and Nigerians to civilization rather to bring civilization to them, if you understand what I am trying to say. For me, the future of the country should look bright because we are a nation that has unlimited potentials and it actually shows. When we look at some of developed countries, you find out that our people excel in these places. So, what do you think will be those people’s potentials if they are in their own land? I read some couple of months ago that out of about 90 people that graduated recently from Harvard University, 43 were Nigerians.

Right now, the smartest family in London is a Nigerian family, the Imafidons. It comes back to what I said earlier: we have the potentials. With an enabling environment, we can unleash potentials you can’t imagine. But, we need to get it right and provide the right kind of environment.

Without that, we may not have the future we are looking out for. When you look critically, you will see where Nigerians have performed remarkably well outside the country. For instance, there is this professor from Kogi State, Gabriel Oyibo, in New York, who made the Gagut formula. He came out with a mathematical challenge that for years the white couldn’t crack.

Many fantastic Nigerians in various fields have proved their worth in different climes. So why do they excel there and not here? It’s simple, the environment over there is enabling. Therefore, with an enabling environment, the future of Nigeria can’t be even quantified.

A recent World Bank report actually ranked Nigeria as a first world nation in future. I can’t remember the predicted year now. How did that prediction come about? It’s because they know that Nigerians have the potentials but it’s up to us to get the enabling environment for us to achieve that vision.

Yes, I see a Nigeria that would be a waken giant and rearing to go in the future. I see Nigeria with a lot of potentials. I see a Nigeria that has a lot of intelligent, strong, hard-working and men and women, including children. I look up to a vision of Nigeria that will be one of the best places to be in future.

Why did you abandon your lucrative business for the murky waters of Nigerian politics?
I have not left my lucrative business and I joined partisan politics more or less as a child of circumstances because way back, politics had always been at the back burner. Like you said because of its murky terrain, there comes a time in your life when you find that you are obliged to serve your people.

And that came about around 2017 when I was under some pressure from my people to come and run even though it was not a fantastic idea to me. But then, I couldn’t turn my back on my people, particularly when they have found me suitable to come and serve them. So, I answered their call and that is why you found me in the political terrain in the last dispensation that culminated in 2019 election.

You had a good showing in that 2019 primaries but some stakeholders are asking why did you vie for governorship seat so soon after your father’s tenure?
Again, the good showing you just talked about was because of our people; no man is an island. So, it took the collective interest of our people to put up that performance in the election. As regards my father governing the state, that was more than over a decade ago, about 12 years ago. Ten years is quite some time to be able to make a difference.

Thirdly, I consider the fact that the constitution does not stop me from running since I have attained the required age to run for governorship and I have the required education and exposure. On a personal note, I believe I have the capacity and capability to deliver the dividends of democracy devoid of whether my father was a governor or not.

Fourthly, in this terrain called politics, we have seen generational families that have been in politics where a father was a President while his son who was a governor eventually became a President and his brother became a senator. We have seen the Gandhis and the Bushes, among others.

State House’s kitchen equipment, ICT infrastructure etc. need to be replaced – Presidency

These are all political generations. If that worked in other climes, I don’t see why it can’t work here, particularly when you look at the Nigerian terrain where there have been generational political families like in Kwara State, in Lagos and in Plateau in Adamawa and so many other states. Why is kogi State different? It is not about my father being a governor and I want to be a governor.

I think the last but not the least is you, as a journalist, will want the best for your child. You will hope and pray that your child becomes an editor or an editor-in-chief just as in the military cycle, you find children of retired generals enlisting into the armed forces. A good example of that is our former Commander-in-Chief, General Obasanjo, whose son is now a general or so. I don’t see anything wrong or peculiar about me joining politics.

What are the chances of PDP regaining the mantle of leadership it lost to APC in the state and at the federal level?
I believe some mistakes were made here and there, which is normal in any political party. Most strongly, I believe if we get out acts together, we would take back the mantle of leadership in the state and at the federal level, considering the fact that when you compare governance between 2015 till date and the preceding period, there is really no comparison at all. What are you going to compare between the APC and the PDP era? The difference is glaring for all to see. It is not a rocket science. The evidence is clear. As I said, we (PDP) made some mistakes and we are trying to correct them.

The PDP Governors Forum has condemned the move by the Senate to abort electronic-transmission of result in 2023. What is your take on this?
Electronic transmission of result was tested in Edo State and everybody adjudged the election to be free and fair. So, in the same vein, if INEC could successfully do that, I don’t see anything wrong with electronic transmission of result because it is not a rocket science.

The Senate may have its reason for its stance but using Edo State governorship election as a litmus test, I think there is nothing wrong with e-transmission of result. It is faster and more credible. If you look at it critically, it is in use even in advanced countries. Electronic transmission of result reduces rancour and vices that rear their heads if results are transmitted manually.

Some are of the view that the security and economic challenges in the country could be linked to misplacement of priorities by the present administration. What is your view on the state of the nation against this background?
Without doubt, the country is going through some very trying moments in areas of security and economy. I am not someone that likes pointing fingers at who did what and how it went wrong. Rather, I am more of a fix it person.

The truth is that it is only when you are wearing the shoes that you know where they pinch most. You can’t sit on the side seats and start pointing fingers at who did right or wrong. Agreed the economy is going through stressful period – we are confronting security challenges – so, what is important is now to fix the challenges rather than pointing fingers. I think the situation demands how best we can contribute to tackle it.

Could you proffer some solutions in that regards?
Sadly, I am not an economist neither am I a security personnel. But by and large, I know advancement in technology has come in such a way that it could also be used in the area of security to make a lot of difference. Gone are the days that we handle things manually.

We now have drones that can stay in the air for days just to pinpoint a particular person. Since such technologies are available, these are things that could be acquired. I think if we try to upgrade security architecture in terms of technology, it could do a lot of good to alleviate the situation.

On the economy, I feel we should also diversify from the current mainstay of the economy which is oil to other sectors like mining and tourism. When you look at it critically, some countries actually rely on tourism. In the same vein, some countries rely solely on agriculture. Some countries like South Africa grow on mining and Nigeria is a country blessed with arable land and we boast of about 34 minerals that are in great demands across the world. In addition, we have historic and tourism sites that will readily attract foreigners if the right structures are put in place. When you look at all these, they could also complement the revenue from oil.

As a front runner in Kogi State 2019 governorship race and you are likely the one to beat for PDP ticket in 2023, what should the people of Kogi expect from you?
Let me correct that impression, I have not made up my mind to run. I am just watching the terrain. With regard to my running for the governorship, I will leave that to my people and the Almighty to decide but right now, I have not given any indication that I am going to run in 2023.

Secessionist group leaders Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho, though in custody in Abuja and Cotonou respectively, they still pose undeniable challenge. How do we ensure peace and stability in the country?
I believe it is through dialogue. What peace cannot bring, war will definitely not bring. Why go to war when you can as well sit down at a round table and sort out your differences.

Nobody says you can have it all. So, once you meet half way, listen to their agitations and proffer solutions and they in turn should abide by your own solutions as against their own agitations. I am sure we will come round to a meeting point where everybody agrees and that will reduce the tension and anger.

What do you think is amiss in Kogi State that needs to be corrected?
A lot of things. To start with, a hungry man is an angry man. So, you have to address agriculture because unless there is food and everybody is satisfied, peace and stability will be under threat. You need to even overcome hunger to reason well. If we can’t solve the problem of food supply, we cannot reasonably start the quest for socio-economic development.

Besides that, we need to give our children the right kind of education to make them leaders we look up to tomorrow. Without a sound education, we are basically wasting our time because we are now in a situation where sadly a graduate can’t even construct a complete sentence or tense without making errors.

Without effectively healthcare delivery system, you can’t achieve the two things we just talked about. Human capital development is also imperative. Our people are incidentally very strong and intelligent and full of energy that should be diverted to the right direction to ensure they will be more productive and not detrimental to the state.

State House’s kitchen equipment, ICT infrastructure etc. need to be replaced – Presidency

When you address these factors, you will go a long way in addressing the situation we find ourselves in the state. Once good education, good healthcare system and, of course, the enabling environment for people to go back to their farms and other basics are achieved, you will be shocked at the amount of progress they can generate collectively.