Arc. Stanley Buba was the pioneer chairman of the APC in Nasarawa State and former chairman of Akwanga local government. In this interview with DONATUS NADI, he speaks on the face-off between the executive and the legislature, lingering salary problems in the local government system and the issues surrounding Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura’s resolve to construct an airport in the state, amongst others.
You appear to have been out of circulation for a while, and silent since the end of 2015 general elections. What have you been up to?
I have been around, doing my private practice, research and studying. I fell ill in the earlier part of this year, but thank God I am recuperating. I am someone who believes when you have people elected into office, you allow them to work rather than distract them with
public criticisms. Most especially if you have the access to advise them. In the first instance, some of them, knowing fully well how the Nigerian electoral system is, still get elected leaders distracted with tribunals or court cases that sometimes take up to a year and the elected person still wins. The leader is distracted and the state in general, suffers ultimately. They engage in mere political criticisms instead of engaging office holders on economic issues, which is what the state and citizens need, because politicking should have naturally been allowed to go with elections. If you have issues, wait for next elections when the score card of the regime is ready and then proffer alternative economic solutions to sell to the electorates. I give you two examples, former President Goodluck Jonathan didn’t take President Buhari to court and that gave the regime focus to settle and work. Even when the international press pressured him to criticize Buhari’s policies, he refused, saying he has access to Buhari and can advise him privately. In the USA, Republican Party legislators have been criticizing the Obama care and President Trump promised to repeal it when elected. Unfortunately the Republicans didn’t develop an alternative. Now to repeal and replace the Obama Care has become impossible.
Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura is resolute in the construction of an airport in Lafia despite dissenting voices. What is your take on that?
Again, it follows my earlier answer. Are the dissenting voices criticizing from a political or economic point of view? Are responses from the government based on political or economic points of view? My research indicates that most or all cargo planes that come to Nigeria go back empty. So, for me, having a Cargo airport in Nasarawa State provides an economic opportunity for the development of the state economically if the government will complement the project with value addition activities.
What specifics can the government embark upon to ensure the airport adds the needed value to the state and its citizens?
First, sending Nasarawa State indigenes to go for training in air cargo handling and other ground operations is a huge benefit. Secondly, sponsoring Nasarawa State indigenes to train as pilots and air-control tower officers. Thirdly, it will encourage Nasarawa State businessmen to venture into air cargo and transport business. And lastly, encouraging the production of merchandize equipment, that theses cargo planes will be airlifting. You can now see that this project can attract employment and localization of some industries in the state. The train station in Gudi and Lafia can become dry ports. Catchment states like Benue, Plateau, Abuja, Taraba etc will will be attracted to bring in produce for exports.
As a former chairman of the APC in Nasarawa State, do you think the party can do more in the current face-off between the executive and the legislature?
There is no cause for alarm. That is what checks and balance is all about. Even the Executive and the Judiciary recently had a face-off.
It is good for democracy. It is about disagreeing to agree, because most times they view issues from different perspectives. Mr. President has already set up a committee to resolve the issues. Thus they will move from the war front to a round-table to amicably resolve issue. The APC national chairman was at the National Assembly too to talk to members. The key issue is that it should not degenerate to personal issues and about personalities. On a lighter note, sometimes if you don’t see them quarrelling, it may mean they are conspiring against the masses.
As a former two-term elected executive chairman and secretary ALGON in Nasarawa State and as the APC chairman who oversaw the first local government elections in Nasarawa State, what do you think is the solution to the lingering salary crisis in Nasarawa State?
The Local Government is democratically guaranteed and constitutionally provided for. And by all means it should be kept so. This will enable the masses to have leaders they can hold accountable. But a lot of issues in Nigeria have arisen that we have caretaker or transitional or interim leaderships in the system. My honest and candid advice in such cases is that when elections are not held for any reason, the laws that should exist should place the local governments directly under the governor’s office being a democratically elected personality, with him having say at least 3 advisers and a commissioner to assist him and with the state assemblies/relevant committees being also a democratically elected entity over-sighting for a brief period over the existing bureaucracy in the system. This will help both the governor and the state assemblies to be up to date on the finances of the system before elections are conducted. Issues that currently bedevil the system like discrepancies in salary figures, wastages, leakages, diversion and other forms of corruption that is bedeviling the system and even springing surprises on the governor and the Assemblies.
Secondly, Section 7of the constitution also provides for the legal setup of an Economic planning board for local governments. I had the privilege in 2016 of consulting for the Senate committee on states and local governments on the issue of the economic planning board with participation of the Vice President’s, being chairman of National economic council. States should set-up these boards. It is where the leadership of the various local governments, the relevant ministries, commissions, agencies, boards, that over-see certain aspects of the system will meet at a round-table to discuss and plan monthly and on all issues bordering the system, as against the ritual of joint account meetings and I assure you good results will be achieved and the system will be better for it.
What are those things you would want to see done differently by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC?
The president has launched an economic and growth plan 2017 – 2020. Don’t forget this regime is just 2years old. I think things are still at the ‘work in progress stage’. So, let us be a little bit patient and see how things unfold.
Nasarawa North is agitating for a consensus to allow them produce a governor for the state come 2019. What in your opinion and how possible is it?
Well, in Nasarawa State, we are brothers, and if you check your statistics, Nasarawa North voted for every Governor that ruled Nasarawa state. And if today Nasarawa North goes to their big brothers in other zones and say please assist us to get the slot this time around, I don’t see anything wrong with such a legitimate plea. But I must add that I am a firm believer in merit. I believe there are personalities in Nasarawa North that have the clout that if they can package themselves properly and sell good manifestoes to the citizens of Nasarawa State, they can win the Governorship elections on their merit. Not necessarily through any zonal or sectional arrangement, but on merit just like other past governors and the present governor did.
Farmers/herdsmen clashes across the country is now a daily occurrence and citizens are living in constant state of fear and terror. How can this menace be tackled?
First and foremost, at what stage did all these madness start? We grew up seeing herdsmen living peacefully with our local communities.
Farmers even invite the Fulani to manure their farms. For instance, while growing up in Jos, Plateau State, I saw Berom youths helping Fulani rearing cows.
My mother’s tribes, the Tiv are play mates of the Fulani, we all know that. In fact, my father named Mahmud, was named after a Fulani herdsman who was my grandfathers friend. My grandfather told me, the herdsman camps every year at certain seasons and it was on a day in one of such seasons when he arrived to camp that my father was given birth to. I grew up to know the man before he died. Up till date our two families relate as brothers. So, my take is that it is either these herdsmen are not Nigerians meaning we lack intelligence reports and our borders are porous such that we have to follow the Donald Trump style and start fencing Nigeria. Or, this could be another brand of insurgency and terrorism using cattle rearing as a cover or the political leaders need to provide us some answers as it is their duty to protect the citizenry.