ERSTWHILE Alliance for Democracy, AD, leader in the House or Representative and at present, a member of the National Executive Council of Movement For the Defence of Democracy, MDD, Chief Oladipo Olaitan in this encounter in Lagos talks of the 2007 politics, the issues and the leader Nigeria needs. Here are excerpts:
There has not been any formidable opposition against this government and that seems to be taking its toll on democracy. What do you think?
It is unfair to say there is no opposition in this democracy. I was the leader of opposition in the House of Representatives between 1999 to 2003. But Nigerians do not seem to understand the meaning of opposition. Opposition doesn’t mean you must stand up and fight. The government comes up with something that is not in the interest of the people you stand up against it because you believe it would do more harm than good and you argue against the government policy. See what is happening in South Africa now, the ANP is now having a working relationship with ANC.
Why, because they have now studied the position of ANP on most topical issues and they believe there is no much difference between the position of both parties on the issues. So, they decided to work together to move that nation forward. So, there is opposition but you don’t just create opposition from the blues just because you want opposition. Now, we are talking about Nigeria, to create an opposition depends upon Nigerians themselves. If Nigerians decide to vote one party, give it 28 states out of 36 states, what can be done? Even if the other states continue to make noise, nothing can be done. I still believe that even today. AD is a party in opposition. They speak against every unfavourable motion. Look at the emergency rule in Plateau State, the AD stood up and opposed it. That is the best it can do.
So, the PDP can do a lot of things without the opposition doing anything about it. Nigerians have castrated the opposition by the way they voted in the last election; voted or rigged, whatever. So, by the results of the election, they have been made impotent. They cannot do much now as parties in opposition.
Okay now, the 2007 is fast approaching. What do you think?
I think that is the vital thing to talk about. What are we looking for? Now, I hear a lot of Nigerians complain of ex-soldiers in politics, they urge Nigerians never to all ex-military men or vote for them. But I think that call was most unfair and selfish. If its somebody’s turn today, it would be another’s tomorrow. If we say ex-military men should not contest elections, we can as well wake up one day and say lawyers or economists should not contest because they faultered in one area or the other. It could even reach a point where they would exempt journalists from aspire. The military to me is a very honourable profession. I said so because when they joined the army, they took oath to lay down their lives for this country. I don’t know how many other professions do that. But this is one profession where one puts ones life on the line once he joins it.
The way you talk it seems you are campaigning for some military personality...
I’m not just campaigning for a military personnel, I’m campaigning for IBB come 2007.
But he’s of the PDP, you’re not...
That’s what we hear, but he has not said so.
Did you consider the odds against him before talking of campaigning for him?
What odds? The June 12?
You were never on the side of June 12...
No, no, no. I am on the side of the truth and the truth is this: Let he who is without sin cast the first stone at him. If Babangida acted alone, it would have been a different thing but he did not. I read in one of the papers, one of the people very close to that regime saying that it was not IBB that annulled the election but Nzeribe. He also said about how the whole thing came about. He said it was Nzeribe who brought Abiola into the race. And no sooner than Abiola got the ticket, he started avoiding Nzeribe.
And he also said that when Nzeribe cornered Abiola, he told him that he can never be a president without him. And don’t forget the role he played. He started the ABN, Association of Better Nigeria. So, it was a combination of so many things and due to the pressure on IBB, he had to step aside. And the issue of who killed Dele Giwa, he said, I know the person who killed Dele Giwa. The person is still in service today. With all these statements, how can anybody keep harping on that issue. The death of Abiola was indeed very painful just as the death of Shehu Yar’Adua. Both of them did because of democracy. The north has tried to put Yar’Adua’s death behind them and move forward.
They are not talking about the death of Yar’Adua again. That does not mean they don’t feel the pain of losing him anymore. That does not mean that they have forgotten. But there is something larger than that now. Why should we the Yorubas because of late Abiola say democracy must die, we will not participate in this entity called Nigeria again. That is not right. Again, we must weigh the achievements of this man. I always have a simple attitude towards that. I always tell anybody who has lived in Lagos to close his eyes and imagine Lagos without the third mainland bridge. The outcome would be chaos. Imagine the economy of Lagos State taken away from the economy of Nigeria? There would be chaos. If the man has this vision and made this contribution to the development of Nigeria, the economy of this country. Is that not worth thinking about? The liberalisation of the economy started with Babangida but nobody would talk about the beautiful things he did. This country faired very well when he was military president.
Good things of life abound in his era. But they all talk about June 12. Yes, June 12, is vital but there is more to this nation than June 12. Agreed June 12 is very vital, but we must move on June 12 is not everything. Instead of Nigerians to keep talking of June 12, I want them to think of Nigeria they want to live in. We cannot remove June 12 from the history of this country. It is already engraved and we must move on.
What are your plans for 2007?
I will contest governorship of Osun State under National Democratic Party. I’m an indigine of Osun State. Both my parents are from Osun and that makes me a bonafide indigene.
