Convener of Save Nigeria Movement (SNM) and the Country Director, Mahatma Gandhi Peace Foundation Nepal, Rev Solomon Semaka, talks on the need to end terrorist activities, fuel subsidy scandal, and some of the policies of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, among other issues in this interview with DENNIS MERNYI

The Buhari administration came into power with promises to end corruption, insurgency and stabilise the nation’s economy, among many others. This is seven years after, do you think the government has lived up to expectations?
As a reporter, you have a right to your perception of how the economy has fared, but one thing I can say is that your opinion is relative, it cannot be absolute.

When you want to genuinely assess development, one has to be specific. For example, focus on established development indicators such as education, job creation, infrastructure, health, agriculture, ICT, and more importantly the Second Niger Bridge which has been a dream for decades particularly for the South.

So, Nigerians who have the information think differently about development and the economy. Now, within the specific context of the above indicators, can Nigerians say the country has not made much progress? At this point, it becomes a matter of information.

A lot of Nigerians are not aware of the modest achievements of the current administration partly because the media appear to have taken a position against the government. While it is good to hold the government accountable, it should not be used to influence the masses’ perception.

President Buhari turned around infrastructure in the country, in terms of railways, dualisation of major federal roads, various power projects across, etcetera, and do not forget that infrastructure is the foundation of any stable economy. So, a government that is seen to have made infrastructure a priority ought to have the confidence of the public.

But it is not so because the media focuses on sub-issues and when this happens, it becomes a misrepresentation and the masses build their perception from the defective reportage of the media. So you see, let us try to address development issues with specific concerns.

Let me also add that beyond infrastructure, no government has created more jobs than the current administration. This means the money is in the hands of more people. Again, it is a defective perception when people refer to the rising cost of food items to assess the economy.

Development is when more citizens can afford basic things at any given point in time. It is not about the cost of items. The question is, how many Nigerians are now able to have jobs to earn an income through the various programs of the government?

That should be the basis. Because if everyone has an income, the cost of food items won’t be an issue. Let us take Lagos State for example, since the return of democracy, no state in Nigeria has developed its economy at the pace Lagos did. Yet the cost of living in Lagos is high.

Does this mean Lagos’sLagos’s economy is not developing? This is the scenario with Nigeria. But the media won’t like to promote this thinking. It is unfortunate but it is also good for such an opportunity like this to be able to correct the bias. Thank you for the opportunity.

You have an organisation that champions an anti-corruption campaign. What have you achieved so far?

I am not in government, but I agree that I have an interest in what happens there. It is in this regard that the Save Nigeria Movement which I am the convener has provided platforms in this regard.

Anti-corruption, national unity, and cohesion have been our concerns and I can tell you much has been achieved. In the area of the anti-corruption fight, for example, we have always partnered with relevant security agencies over issues that cannot be discussed here and the cooperation has been maximum.

In terms of prosecution and convictions, Nigerians need to know that the judiciary plays the ultimate role in the fight against corruption. But the reality is that our judiciary is overwhelmed.

This also implies that the relevant security agencies are doing good work which is why we have several pending cases. Having said that I must remind Nigerians that the most high-profile convictions on corruption happened under the current administration.

Two former governors just to mention a few. So, that is fair progress. Let me also use the moment to advise the government to strengthen the judiciary to enhance s smooth administration of the justice system.

Why was it slow for the government to brand bandits and other criminal groups in the north as terrorists?
To answer you, the issue by the way is not about failure to declare other criminal groups as terrorists. What we need is to address issues that can return the parts of the country to peace.

The question now is has the government not demonstrated commitment to the search for peace in those areas? No government has acquired military hardware to deal with these issues as the current administration. The government has recaptured territories earlier hijacked by these criminal groups but no one is reporting on that.

We are here talking about the “characterisation” of criminal groups. This tells us how important it is for the media to be neutral when giving our information of the true state of development. Let me add that Nigerians are not concerned about nomenclature or semantics.

What is important is to fight for peace which Mr President is doing in every form. Finally on this, always remember that the 2011 general election was postponed due to insecurity. But today elections are everywhere. So, this is progress.

There is hunger in the land, is that not a pointer that the economy is not doing well?
I do not agree with anyone that the economy has gone bad. The Nigerian economy particularly, in terms of job creation and infrastructure as well social welfare packages show resilience and stability. We are just exiting a very turbulent moment after which everyone can see the gains.

For me, I think the will demonstrated to achieve some of these great reforms to take the country through the stabilising process must be commended. As far statistics indicate, more Nigerians have money in their hands now more than at any other time in 30 years. Unlike in the past when fee Nigerians had more money in their control. In the wake of the dwindling economy, high rate of corruption in the system of internet fraud.

What meaningful difference do you think the recently launched eNaira will have on the economy?

Yes, I do hope and trust the policy will achieve a lot for our economy. This is because the eNaira will ensure flexibility of transactions and enhance ease of doing business. Again, it is cost-effective in favour of the government. Over N250bn is spent on printing cash in Nigeria.

The eNaira will save us a part of that figure. That is the budget for two states being used to print physical banknotes. So, the eNaira is a win-win for Nigerians and should be supported.

The passage of the new Petroleum Industry Act has elicited various reactions, what are your views on it and the planned removal of petroleum subsidy?

I am first of all proud of my country and also disposed to offering interventions to achieve development goals to complement the modest ongoing modest efforts of the government. The passage of the long-awaited Petroleum Industry Act alone is a big plus for the government and it is something every Nigerian should be proud of.

Again, with the act now being implemented every issue regarding the petroleum sector will be distilled in line with the enabling act, this includes the subsidy issue you just mentioned. Right now what should be at issue should be post-PIA implementation.

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One, we are committed to the law, everything will fall in place and Nigerians will be glad they endured a difficult but necessary phase in the development of the country. The Federal Government is finally set to disburse funds to about 22 states for ranching projects after a long grandstanding over the matter with some state governors.

Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, is one of the governors that gave the Federal Government a hard push on this. Would say he is vindicated also on this?

The Federal Government has always evolved policies that are more broad-based and sustainable to resolve the issues of farmers and herder crisis. The governors know it. The only challenge is the politicisation and sensationalisation of the matter. I don’t want to talk about Governor Ortom specifically, but I can tell you that these governors know that Mr President has always been committed to providing a lasting solution to this issue. It doesn’t matter how any governor was going about it.

Mr President’s agenda for the future of Nigerians is beyond one or two governors. We can see that he is doing it. So the correct position is that Mr President has just reached an advanced stage in that regard and quite frankly, it should not be a matter of vindicating anyone as you put it. It is simply a matter of progress consistent with the administration of President Buhari.

The federal government is simply doing what it has always wanted to do for Nigerians to have peace. Nigerians are not concerned about the nomenclature used to describe the policy as long as it leads to lasting peace between farmers and herders. More importantly, as long as it is implementable and sustainable.