Nigerians want me as their next President – Marwa
What is the Marwa
Endowment Fund
all about?
The endowment is a body that I set up actually about 10 years ago under the name of Maryama Wape-named after my grand mother-Endowment Fund. It started as an endowment that sought to support young people who are unable to afford education at the University level. We started in 1994 giving scholarship grants to 100 young men and women from my local government (Michika) then we expanded it to the entire northern senatorial district of Adamawa State by giving 300 scholarship grants every year to deserving indigent students. When I turned 50, I now expanded it under the name of Buba Marwa Endowment Fund countrywide. Basically the purpose is to help, to make life easier for the people at the grassroots. We assist in our own way in alleviating poverty through the provision of scholarship grant again to 900 total students across the country in all the six geo-political zones, all the universities and polytechnics. Each one in Nigeria today has been written to and they have all replied and we have assessed and made our conclusion on who are those beneficiaries and before long we are going to come out with those who are successful.
We also do clinics in rural areas, provide drugs, we do rural boreholes. We are working in about 15 states of the federation at the moment. We have gotten across from the South South, to the South West. We will soon begin work in the South East, and then of course, in the North Central we have already done quite a few in Kogi and eventually North East particularly Adamawa State and the North West area, Kaduna, Jigawa. Soon we will go to Zamfara, Kebbi and so on. So we have so far done like 50 boreholes across the country and we hope that by the grace of God we will be able to do a minimum of 100 before the year 2004 runs out.
We also help widows and youths. We help them to acquire skills. We have an ongoing scheme in Kano now where we fix youths from each of the local governments and we are putting them through the skill acquisition programme. So these are some of the activities of the endowment to help people.
How much would you say the endowment has so far expended since its inception?
Well, I have to do some calculations for what we have done in the last 10 years. But what I know is that we have so far graduated 1500 students out of the university system in Nigeria. I believe we may have expended something in the region of N40 to N50 million so far. I must add that some friends support us.
Going by media reports and your hectic schedule of appearances at public functions it would seem as if you have indeed joined the jostle for the presidency in 2007. I am right?
Well, I will say almost. Almost right in the sense that I have not yet made a public statement which I will soon make.
How soon?
Either in the last quarter of this year or the first quarter of next year, willy nilly a statement will come that will be definitive directly from me. But the time has not come yet. What I am doing now is moving around the country in persuit of the work of the endowment during which I seize the opportunity to also consult with various shades of opinion across the board from the ruralites to the urbanites cutting across the political parties, the clergies, labour leaders, students, youths organisations, market men and women and across section of the society. I must say that at this point, the response has been very, very positive going by the remarks that we are hearing from the various groups as far as 2007 is concerned. We do now have in the neighbourhood of 700 youths groups country wise that are with us declaring that they are with us should we be in the race in 2007. So a definitive statement will come from me personally.
At what point in time did you decide you wanted to be president of this country?
Now, it is like I have said, it is based on what we have been hearing. The long and short of it is that whatever your own personal wishes, desires and objectives may be, it is still the people that will elect you. That is why I have chosen to consult at this point in time and at the end of it I will come out with a definitive statement.
Given the alleged third term, or as some people insist, life presidency desire of President Obasanjo, what gives you the conviction that there will be a vacancy at the presidential villa in 2007?
Well, I believe the president himself has addressed this question. He is an honourable man, and he said it himself that the question of third term bid was not in his calendar of activities.
Because of the alleged irreconcilable differences between President Obasanjo on the one hand and Vice President Atiku and General Ibrahim Badamasi Babandiga (rtd) two other speculative presidential aspirants on the other, it is alleged that you are anointed successor of the president. What is the truth of the matter?
Well, I believe the president is a democrat and a fair man and I know that when the time comes those who will be in the race for the presidency in 2007 will be given a fair chance for Nigerians to elect whoever they believe will best meet their aspiration. That is my response to that.
As somebody seen to be very close to General Babangida (rtd), something must have gone wrong in the relationship between you and your former boss for you to want to challenge him for the presidency in 2007. And how do you feel being accused of fronting for the former president?
First I must say that I have known IBB for twenty something years, throughout my service in the military. He is a person I hold in the highest respect and esteem. He was my president, I worked under him and nothing has happened in our relationship. It is very very cordial, in fact it is excellent. I am regularly in touch with him and just a couple of days ago we spoke and I can assure you that there is nothing wrong with our relationship. Now, I am yet to see anyone who says that IBB himself has made a statement himself. He has not made a statement to the media as far as I know to tell Nigerians and the international community that he wants to run for the presidency in 2007. So we may be putting the cart before the horse with this assumption. Therefore the issue of challenge does not arise. But we must not also forget that in 2007 it is Nigerians that are going to elect the leader of their choice.
Whoever that leader is nobody knows only the Almighty God knows who that person may be. But that is the responsibility that fully lies at the doorstep of Nigerians.
Since you keep regular contact with IBB, Have you ever discussed your presidential aspiration with him?
We never discussed this matter as far as politics is concerned. We always have other things to discuss but not politics. And I believe that if he wants to discuss it with me he would probably raised the matter.
Regarding fronting for him, this is another matter that we never discussed. We never discussed about me fronting or stepping down for him. I am only reading about it in the press. He himself has addressed it I believe at some point and he was specific that I am not fronting for him, I am old enough to know what I want. Surely, those that are peddling the story of fronting are not being fair to him because somehow they are trying to insinuate that the former president who has spent eight years as the leader of this country will need help from me before he can run successfully. And if they think through that statement of fronting they will find out that they are doing more damage to than helping their case.
One thing I am sure about is that those peddling this story are doing it on their own will for their own motives which are not very clear about myself since neither himself nor myself have accepted that this type of situation exists.
In any case, the questions to ask are how will this work; what am I supposed to do; at which point will I then say to all those 700 youths groups “Ok I have quit and I want you to turn to another direction,” or go back to Adamawa and say I have stopped looking for…. In any case, I have not made my statement yet. I think people should be a little patient and allow the Almighty God to fulfil his will, which will come.
Given the near general consensus that the Obasanjo style of leadership is more dictatorial than democratic, what makes you think that Nigerians will opt for another retired officer as president in 2007?
I will have to first of all say that I do not agree that the president’s style of leadership is more dictatorial. I believe he is a committed democrat, he was elected democratically and he is following all the due processes.
To the question of retired military officers, the cloak, as they say, does not the monk make. Whether you are a retired military or an engineer or a lawyer or a doctor of a journalist; these are all professions that add to who you are but it is the essential person that is involved and whatever uniform or cloth one wears does not change that person. So it is the essential person and people should stop focusing on the military class.
In any case, throughout history there is no profession that has stood in nobility as much as the military. All societies in history have looked up to their military as the ultimate defenders of the states. That is why in places like America, if you are not a retired military person it becomes an albatross because you have to explain yourself because they consider that as being very very significant in building up the leadership quality of the would-be president. It is definitely an added asset. Moreover, I myself I am a retired military who was entrusted with public office both in Borno and Lagos states and through the grace of God I acquitted myself credibly and with acclamation. Well, maybe, I should not be the person doing so, but I doff my hat to all the retired military because we wore our uniforms with pride.
In view of the way and manner the political leadership is conducting itself raise fears about the survival of democracy upto 2007. Has this administration made democracy attractive enough to make Nigerians prefare it over other forms of government at all time?
Ther issue really is whether or not Nigerians want democracy and the answer to that is a resounding yes. Nigerians are democrats and these fears about life presidency or support for the military, will not work in Nigeria. I am optimistic democracy has come to stay in Nigeria.
Given the clout, savvy and political pedigree of the opponents you are likely going to face in 2007, what would you count on to give you the edge to triumph in the party primary and eventually the presidential election?
We are making some assumptions here. In the even, through the grace of God, that I ran for president, what I have to offer is not money as other people are wont to but I can only offer my intrinsic qualities which are; the fear of God, the strong sense of justice and commitment, honesty, selflessness, compassion, sincerity, hardwork. Nigerians, it is, that will ultimately have the final say on who they want to pick.
Don’t you think your past association with the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha may be an albatross to your presidential aspiration especially in the South West where he is still demonised even in death?
Well, we must not forget that General Abacha appointed me military administrator of Lagos State. Had ee not appointed me I would not have served there and then the track record that has earned me warm remarks that are always coming from that part of the country would probably not have been made. We must always bear this in mind. But having said that I must also add that he was the Head of State operating at the national level while I was just an administrator in one corner of the country in a state. The two are separate offices and I do not see any irreconcilable situation.
Coming from the same Adamawa State as the vice president whose desire to succeed President Obasanjo is an open secret, one would have thought that you would assist him to realise his ambition rather than challenge him for the same post. Have you thought about it this way?
Several times people have asked me this particular situation. People have said to me; “that we hear you are interested in the presidency but there is somebody already from zone” well, again we are being a little presumptuous since the vice president has never come out, to my knowledge, to say that he wants to succeed the President. But certainly people have done that on his behalf, we read about it in the papers. But you will agree with me that somebody in my position can only work on what I hear from the principals themselves. He is yet to make such a declaration.. In fact only last week I heard he said they should remove all his posters (chuckle). Talking about posters, I know there are posters of Marwa everywhere across the country and I do not know those people who are spending such huge sums of money by putting my posters up. In any case that is not the question. The issue really is not about challenge, it is about Nigerians making their choice. Nigerians are wiser now, they are not the Nigerians of yester years They know who will best serve them and their interest. They know who is more committed, they know who has the track record, they know who will be able to perform and change them for the better.
So I think, we should wait and see the direction they will vote. I am sure that several more candidates will appear in time.
At the moment your speculated presidential aspiration is seen to pose the most serious challenge to that of the vice president and IBB. Should both or either of them feel desperate enough to request you to step down for them would you oblige?
The question of stepping down for anyone does not arise, it is not in my dictionary, I never retreat. No general worth his salt retreats in the face any odds. He will continue relentlessly on the offensive. And when the time comes you can be sure I will be on the side of those who will be on the offensive. And don’t forget that leadership comes from the Almighty God. Now whether or not I did not run, for instance, does not automatically mean somebody else would win. You know everybody stands on his own. So It is Almighty God who gives leadership and you don’t go under the table and hide when the people want you to stand. And let me tell you one more thing. As I said I have been moving around the country consulting, and I have become convinced and definitely sure that majority of Nigerians are with one person as far as 2007 is concerned, and they will not be disappointed.
Can you share with us the identity of that person now?
I will, when I make my statement.
To what extent would you say the people’s yearnings, aspirations and sacrifices for democracy have been justified in the last five years of democratic governance?
I know that all the people’s yearnings and aspirations have not been met. But it would have been a miracle if in five years all their yearnings and aspirations have been met. In Singapore it took them 30 years, in other countries longer and in some a little shorter., You really don’t meet all the peoples yearnings and aspirations in five years. I think that is what the president himself has been saying that people should be a little patient, that he is laying the foundation for a better future and that he himself knows that things will not change and become rosy over night. Let me seize this opportunity to urge Nigerians to be more patient and give more support to the government as they continue with the onerous responsibility that is before them.
On the platform of which political party do you intend to contest the presidency if you finally decide to go for it?
I have decided on the party I will join, and that will form part of the statement that I intend to make.
Why do you want to be president?
Well, you seem to be pushing this issue too aggressively. I think you should rephrase the question to; “why do Nigerians want me to be president” because that is what I am hearing all over the place. If that is the question, then you as a Nigerian should be able to answer it.
So what should Nigerians expect from a Marwa Presidency?
If it is the will of God that in 2007 I become the chief servant of the people you can be sure that I will tackle the problems. And these are areas that I know the present administration is doing its best towards tackling, by laying the foundation that somebody will later build upon. First the fight against poverty. 70 Million Nigerians if not more are living below the poverty line. And the issue of management of the resources must be changed, I demonstrated this in Lagos. After all we did for the state, I still left N2 billion that we handed over. No governor in the history of Nigeria has left so much money. I want to tackle the issue of security of lives and property. From where the present administration leaves off we will pick up and continue relentlessly. As you know, I have experience in this area. In Borno State we were able to successfully do “Operation Zaki” which completely wiped out the bandits. We repeated the same feat in Lagos State with “Operation Sweep”. So you can say that as far as security of life and property is concerned, which is an area of great importance to all Nigerians, I will not be found wanting because I have experience.
Then the matter of infrastructure, roads and bridges, construction, development and so on. This is another area where we have excelled before. In Lagos I have constructed nearly 1000 roads, did some bridges and major culverts. There is also the area of communications. The present administration has done very well. The GSM revolution has completely changed our lives. And we are going to continue from where they left off. We will look at the area of power. Power must be repaired. We must have a reliable steady power supply. I know this is an area that will transform Nigeria completely in all respects. The foreign investment we are talking about will pick up. It will bring down the cost of goods because now we spend more on generators and diesel because of the difficulty we are having with power supply and all that is added into the cost of goods. With constant power supply the people can be able to run small scale and cottage industries and so on. So power is definitely our top priority.
Now, health care, you remember, is an area that we also have experience in Lagos, where we were able to treat malaria free, TB free, and children were given hospital admission free with their mothers. We built the first accident and emergency hospitals in Nigeria. They are the only ones still existing; one in Lagos and another one in Ikeja. We built a new college of medicine. So we are talking about affordable health care.
In the field of education, we will also continue from where the present administration leaves off. It is very clear that development can never occur without that background of education at the national level. Literacy level too in Nigeria is about 51 Percent and I think we need to boost it. You may recall that in 1991 21 countries entered the UNESCO price for Literacy. Borno State participated and (we) won. So we have experience in that field also.
Public transportation is another critical area that requires urgent attention which we intend to give attention. You can imagine how much people spend to get to work or to move from point A to point B. This areas will definitely be looked into with all the seriousness it deserves. There is of course, the issue of waterways, which also needs to be looked into. There is the issue of oil and gas. Worrisome has been this issue of refineries, queues at the petrol stations which the present government is tackling to the best of its ability. Again this is an area that muse be looked into. Then there is the Niger Delta issue. This is a very critical area that we have to look at because this is an area that by virtue oil they are running into unimaginable ecological difficulty. The ecology, the joblessness of the youths leading to restiveness, the absence of educational facilities, the problem of infrastructure in those places and so on are things that have to be looked into with all seriousness of purpose. There must be justice to all. This is another area that we will be very firm, because it is very critical. The issue of justice and fair play is really very paramount. The fact of the matter is that all Nigerians are equal before the law and nobody is bigger than the other, whether you are a majority or a minority we are all Nigerians with equal rights. The sense of justice and fair play is where we must stand.
Of recent, we have this problem of religious crisis, ethnicity, settler/indigene dichotomy etc. I am part of the minority myself from Michika in Adamawa State. But you cannot find in Michka a situation of unrest either on account of religion, ethnicity or non indigeneship. There is no reason why we cannot continue to live together peacefully with one another irrespective of our religious and ethnic differences. This is something that we have to continue to look at and work out a permanent solution. This is a recent phenomenon that dates back to no more than 15 to 20 years. This means that we had lived with one another peacefully before and therefore there is not reason why we can not to back to those days of yester years. I have said it before at the Methodist World Conference in Kaduna penultimate week that if the Almighty God wanted all of us to be Bature (White man) everybody would have been like that. Or if he wanted all of us to be Christians so we would have been. But in his infinite wisdom he made us as we are; Muslims, Christians, some are Yoruba, some are Ibo, some are Hausa some are Ibibio and so on and so forth.
Therefore, we must accept that that is how we are destined to be, to live together peacefully, work amicably together inter relate, and together in this diversity unify ourselves and move forward. The greatest problem is us Nigerians ourselves. We often point accusing fingers at the leadership but even the followership is also problematic. Happily though, at a different level, Nigerians also appreciate that their leaders are doing their best for them however little. That is a good side that we must not forget even as we blame ourselves for some of our shortcomings.
When you look at all these things then there is of course, the economy. Jobs, the banking system, interest rate, exchange rate price of goods, debt management issue, etc. The whole matter of food, water, how to support agriculture so that we are self-reliant. You can see that the administration is presently trying to do some very good things in that field. They are trying to boost the production of cassava, palm oil etc. These are all areas that we will certainly look at because the imput to agriculture is very critical, we did something for instance in Borno when we bought all the wheat produced and that boosted the morale of the farmers. We set a minimum price and that year everybody went for wheat, we produced it and sold it to the rest of Nigeria and (also) neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon. There is no reason why such policies cannot be expanded at the national level. You see, I have spent sometime on these issues should in case. These are but only a few of the things that we have to looked at. I must however, take this opportunity to add that I have a team that is actually working on a programme and what I mentioned is just the tip of the iceberg. We are always prepared. And if we do run for the presidency by the grace of God we will come prepared.
What is your view about power shift. Do you think the country needs it to produce a president?
I would not like to make a comment on this because it is an area that is very sensitive, and in the light of the posturing and the fact that my name keep coming up in this matter, I think it is only fair that I step down this particular question for the time being. But I know that the time will come when I will speak on it but that time is not now.
As a retired senior military officer who has served as a Nigerian military attaché in the US, how serious a threat would you say the presence of the American military in the Gulf of Guinea is to the Nigerian security, and how would you describe the ambivalent attitude of both the Nigerian government and military over the issue?
Again that is a sensitive question and my only response at this time is that there is no reason why the Nigerian government and the American government cannot work together to our mutual benefit.
What was your understanding of the attempts made on your life while you were the Lagos State military administrator and the recent ones, do you see any parallels between the previous attempt and the recent two attempts to kill you?
Well, Almighty God it is who gives and takes life. Those attempts on my life in Lagos were made by agents of the federal government. I have made this remark before that It was not at the instance of the then Head of State. I believe in my mind that he was not party to it and for that matter his immediate staff. I don’t believe any of his immediate staff was involved in it. But I think there were other elements high up there in government in uniform and those inside the security services who collaborated for their own sinister motives and thought that perhaps I was not doing exactly what I should have been doing in Lagos. In other words, may be I was not arresting and harassing all those NADECO activists but instead I was focusing on my primary assignment which is what I swore to do. And secondly they thought that the popularity that was coming would probably thwart their own private agenda which we found out was maybe taking over government or ensuring that someone else’s ambition was not subverted by my good self. I believe that was the position. So they attempted, for real and missed me by the whiskers through the grace of God.
What about the recent attempts, do they have any possible link with your speculated presidential aspiration?
It would appear that the reasons connecting the former attempts and the recent ones are similar though coming at different times.
How do you view the remark made by one of your former military superiors General Abdulkarim Adisa (rtd) that the Nigerian presidency is not for foreigners, which was generally believed to be aimed at you?
Well, I choose to ignore those remarks.
How much ground would you say you have covered in this your consultation with Nigerians?
My brother, let me tell you I have covered the whole country, I listened to all shades of opinion, whether it is traditional institution or labour, or youths groups, or students or market men and women, whether you are talking of political class, the civil right organisations, I have covered the ground. I have listened carefully, I have tried to decipher and I am quiet clear in my mind that today as I speak to you at this very moment, who Nigerians genuinely want to lead them in 2007 given a free and fair election and I am sure I am not telling any secret today. That is the fact of the matter.
So, who is that person that Nigerians want as their leader in 2007?
Sorry, I will not tell you now.
There are people who insist that we need a sovereign national conference regardless of the National assembly and all the other democratically elected institutions that are in place. Do you think such a conference is necessary at this point in time?
Let me say, of course, the lawyers have defined what sovereign means and therefore, since I am not a lawyer we have to take it not on its face value but on its legal definition and certainly I would have none of that if that is the question. But if you limit it to just national conference, to a situation where we are searching for peace and integration or searching for justice and fair play or searching for unity or searching for our strength which we can build on or our weakness which we can repair if not eliminate then definitely I am for people talking. We must sit down and talk as often as possible and it is not supposed to be a once-and-for-all affair. It should be a continuous affair, I think. We are about 130 million people with about 500 different tribes and tongues and so on as so forth. At any point in time, if some groups feel they are being short charged we should sit down. Certainly talking is always better than not talking. Why should we kill ourselves and loose lives when we can resolve the matter amicably at a round table. I am certainly for a national conference but not a sovereign one.
Finally, would you be disappointed or deterred if you were not able to clinch the nomination to bear the flag of the party you eventually join in 2007?
Leadership comes from Almighty God.
