Senator Ibrahim Ida is one of the foundation members of the Peoples Democratic Party. In this interview, Ida speaks on the chances of the PDP in the 2015 gubernatorial election despite the perceived opposition that could come from the APC and what he would do if elected the state governor. Excerpts:
How would you describe the political processes in Katsina State since the state was created in 1987 up till this point?
Katsina State was created in 1987 when the former Kaduna State was divided. Historically, Katsina has been endowed with highly industrious and educated people. So when it became a state of its own, Katsina became a home to highly intelligent and educated people. The result of that is that the politics of the environment has to be also consequently affected. In fact, Katsina was the only province that had five out of the 25 ministers in the government of the then Northern regional government. That gave birth to a lot of political awareness, such that during the First Republic and the Second Republic, Katsina played very significant roles in the governance of Nigeria. By 1999 when this political dispensation started, Katsina emerged as a completely Peoples Democratic Party state during the general election. Every seat was won by the PDP. In the 2003 general election, there was a little set back in the sense that the PDP lost almost 50 per cent of its federal representation: out of 15 members of the House of Representatives, we lost seven; and out of the three senators, we lost two. By 2007, the PDP gained back its glory in the sense that all the members of the House of Representatives came to be PDP and the three senators, including my humble self. The complexity of Katsina is more heightened by the fact that the single political opposition to the PDP in northern Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari, is from Katsina State. Obviously, Buhari is a factor in Nigeria’s politics and, accordingly, he will be a factor in Katsina politics. In spite of that, however, the PDP has still held sway. While in the 2011 election we (PDP) lost our representation in the National Assembly, we are still able to retain the gubernatorial seat. As I speak to you now, I want to tell you that the PDP is waxing very strong in Katsina State. In the North West zone, Katsina is the strongest base of the PDP. Of course there are opposition, particularly from the All Progressives Congress, but the fact on ground is that the PDP holds sway very strongly in Katsina State. I am not saying this because I am a politician or because I have a political ambition. I say it because of my critical and close observation of the politics of Katsina State.
You mentioned the presence of opposition from the APC. How much of a threat is the APC to the PDP in Katsina State?
It will be foolhardy for me to say that the APC is not a threat. I will not say that because it was the APC in another guise that won all our National Assembly seats in 2011. But the APC in Katsina State suffers from one critical defect, and that is its internal crises. As I am talking with you now, there are so many factions of the APC in Katsina State and we are hopeful and prayerful that the division in the party continues till 2015. And we have no reason in our minds to doubt that the crises in the APC will not continue. While we know that the APC has some presence in Katsina State, we believe that with our efforts and our popularity among the electorate, we (PDP) will win Katsina State by a wholesome victory.
By 2015, Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema will be completing his tenure as the PDP governor in Katsina State. Who do you think should succeed the governor if the PDP must retain the state?
By the grace of God, the governor will complete his term by 2015. We have a reputation of supporting our governors through their two terms tenure starting from former President Umaru Yar’Adua when he was our governor and now to Governor Shema. Successive governments in Katsina have really laid a good foundation in terms of infrastructural development. First of all, we have a reputation of having a government that completes all the projects started by its predecessor. Now, the present government is ending its term come 2015 and within this period, it has performed creditably. It has built infrastructure, and of course like every other human endeavour, it can’t be faultless. But this government has done well enough for the PDP to rate itself high and say that it is a political party of performance and it is indeed a party that has performed. The PDP has done so well in Katsina State for it to say to the people that we actually deserve a continuation of PDP rule in the state based on the successes it has recorded over the years. So, I am very confident that this government will complete its term, and based on its performance, the party can now go out to campaign, only promising to continue with the good works of the previous governments. If you go to Katsina now, you will see that there has been appreciable development in the area of infrastructure and other aspects of human development.
There is speculation going on that you want to contest for the governorship position in Katsina State come 2015. First of all, we want to get a confirmation and what will be your plan for the development of the state if elected?
Yes. First of all, what is my vision? I perceive a state that is endowed with human and material resources, which when properly utilized and harnessed, can uplift the lives and livelihoods of the people of the state. I perceive a state that when properly governed, as is being done now, and the present stance improved upon, can take the Katsina people to a point where they can stand on their own and the basic needs of live will be attainable. In specific terms, how can this be done? But the answer is not very farfetched. As I have said, let us look at the human resource. Like every state, we have an abundance of youths, young people – male and female – who have completed basic education and are looking for something to do. On the other side, we also have resources that when properly utilized, can be applied to meet the needs of these young people. For instance, let us talk of the mainstay of the people in Katsina State: agriculture. Katsina State is endowed with tremendous amount of water resources, which when properly utilized for agricultural purposes can engage and employ virtually a substantial figure of the unemployed youths that we have. Secondly, it will also afford the Katsina people the opportunity to the self-reliant rather than relying on hands out – constitutional though it is – from the government at the centre. We have presence of some social vices, just like any other society too. We have problems of drug abuse, problem of local criminal activities – not out of proportion. But if these youths can be properly mobilized and effectively employed, that menace will also go. Katsina is a very small community, if not in terms of number, but in terms of uniformity. Virtually 99 per cent of us are Hausa-Fulanis. We may have some geographical divisions, but we speak the same language. We are 99.9 per cent of the same faith. So, therefore, being able to move is not as difficult as some other places. We do not have such built-in contradictions that some other places do have. And we have a reservoir of highly experienced people, who have journeyed from the beginning of their careers to the pinnacle, be it in public service, private sector. All those are there. Once you are able to reach out to this wealth of human resources and you are able to harness them to their optimum, you will realize that you have created an environment that is peaceful, tranquil, prosperous and God-fearing, where the people can be able to fend for themselves. I am confident that we can do it. I am also confident that our infrastructure as laid – our schools system are still ways ahead in terms of infrastructural development, and also in terms of school environment. Our medical services are not ideal, but I think compared with other states, we can say that we have reached a level where there is substantial coverage in terms of health care delivery. All that is needed now, like I said, is to move to the next level. And what is the next level? The next level is for the leadership to bring in to bear his own experience in life, his reach out within the complex Nigerian society, and that is where I am confident that with my own background – I was in the private sector, I moved to the public service, until I reached the pinnacle by becoming a permanent secretary for about eight to nine years. In those years, I have been able to interact with various societies of Nigeria. So, it will not be a herculean task to reach out to industrialists outside the state to convince them to come and exploit what we have. Because employing our youths and other segments of the population will lead to the generation of economic products. It is not enough to produce them, but you also need to have a way that will make these economic products become useful to the society, not only in Katsina and Nigeria, but the West Africa sub-region. We are very close to Niger Republic and a lot of their commercial activities are linked to Katsina State.
Are you satisfied with the state of education in Katsina State?
Of course, I am not fully satisfied, particularly against the backdrop of the historical position that Katsina State was the host of the first post-primary educational institution in the North in the 1920s. But over time, I think we have lazed a little bit in terms of both the ability to absorb school enrolling population and the ability to maintain standards and make it comparable with what obtains in other parts of the country. But I will say this: starting from 1999, a good roadmap has been drawn to see to the enhancement of our educational system in Katsina State. As I am talking with you, authorities have built more schools and have doubled our enrollments. Katsina is the state that started doubling our enrollment without necessarily creating infrastructure that is diverse. How did we make this possible? What we simply did was to say that every structure in our primary school that was just one storey, was made into a two-storey building. So within no time, we were able to double the capacity, and that has really doubled the number of intakes.
I am sorry to say that we have not fared very well in terms of the quality because we still rank very low in terms of university admissions and WAEC performance. I think what we need to do is to look at the underlying factors. It is not enough to build the classrooms. You have to have qualitative teaching. And then you have to have a well-motivated, well supplied teachers with proper facilities. That is one area where I think we need to pay more attention. We also need to look at the background of the school children. Where do the pupils come from? Many of them come from very indigent environments and their parents need to be economically empowered to sustain the basic needs of the children, so by the time they come to the school, their minds are receptive to learning.
At the same time also, at the school environment itself, there are certain changes that need to be brought in. I will give you an example. I grew up in a boarding school, where virtually all my needs were met. We were fed, we were clothed, and we were bedded comfortably. That was then, when we had Native Authorities. Compared to now, you may say that the numbers have increased. But at the same time, there has more than a proportionate increase in the amount of resources available to the authorities here. So, why the disconnect? So, that means somewhere along the line, there is a sub-optimization in terms of resource utilization. It may be by any reason: corruption, or whatever it is. But we have the resources to open the doors of qualitative education for our children in Katsina State. Again, you find out that you have to bring in all segments of the society in the education of our children. In our localities, traditional institutions are very influential and very strong. If a district head takes it upon himself to ensure that every school going child goes to school, I tell you, he can do it. If every village head takes it as his responsibility to see to that, it will happen. But unfortunately, so far, there has been a laxity in that respect; lack of proper involvement of traditional institutions that can play a very vital role. Then, the motivation of the teaching staff. Unfortunately, there seems to be more attention on the development of physical infrastructure, than attention to the basic and most influential aspect of teaching. The teaching staff must be properly motivated. They should have the facilities that they need. They should have the comfort that their labour is not in vain. That they are getting a fair wage for their effort. And in the final analysis, that they are also called to account. You don’t check the quality if teaching by the numbers that have passed exams, particularly at this time when you can pass exams through many means. You need to ensure that there is continuous assessment.
We certainly need to expend more resources into education, not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively. Every kobo that is budgeted for education must go directly into the purpose for which it was intended.
You are gunning for the ticket of the PDP to contest the governorship of Katsina State. Have you consulted with the incumbent and what is your relationship with him?
Let me say that I enjoy an excellent relationship with the governor. But I will be very unfair to the governor to say that I am looking for his endorsement. The governor has come out very clearly to say that he has no anointed candidate, and in the ultimate it is the candidate that is liked by the people and can win election that he is going to support. That is his public pronouncement and that I believe he will stay on that. Having taken position, It will be very unfair of me to now go now to him and ask for his endorsement.
Talking about political capacity now. Do you envisage that somebody could be there in Katsina State who is stronger than you in the wrestle for the PDP ticket?
Let me make an analogy. No matter how early you wake up and start walking in the streets, you will find out that there is somebody in front of you and somebody behind you, and as you go, somebody will still come. I believe that I am the best candidate. I believe that I have all it takes. And I believe that in the same way that I am made, other people are made also. So, there could be somebody. But I believe that my pedigree prepares me for the job. I have been in the system, I have been in the politics, I know Katsina. I am part of Katsina governance because sometimes in the past I was the Commissioner of Finance. I was very close to the late President Yar’Adua. I am very close to Governor Shema. I know where the strength and weakness lie. At the national level, I was permanent secretary, Economic Affairs for the longest time possible. I handled economic summits where blueprints for national economic developments evolved. I handled the Vision 2010 from which the roadmap for the country’s development was drawn up. I anchored a Katsina State Development Summit in 2006-2007. So, I believe that with all these credentials, I still remain the candidate to beat.
If elected governor of Katsina State, how much can you leverage on your private sector experience to bring development to the state?
I believe that is a function of your ability to interface with the outside. In all the sectors of the nation’s economy I have people – friends, acquaintances – people with whom I am on first name terms. People in the banking sector that generate the fuel for economic development. People in the academia where ideas are nursed and nurtured to fruition. People in the public service that can precisely say how things should be done. I was in the Senate and I chaired one of the most important committees. I was the chairman of the senate on defence. My last posting in the civil service was permanent secretary, Ministry of Defence. When you put all these into consideration, you understand I have the outreach that can be brought in to bear on the development of my state. I was a banker with the Central Bank of Nigeria and with a commercial bank. I know how to generate money. I know how to manage money. I also know how to use money to make more money. On the other hand, my experience in government taught me how you can use economic resources for social services, how you can create an enabling environment that can attract investments, and how you can use that investment to improve on the economic stance of the environment. When you look at all these, you will see that I absolutely have no difficulties in being able to identify the areas of comparative advantage that we have in Katsina State; at the same time, identify the resources that are available and then, manage the two. I also know how to attract competence and industry. As a lawyer, I am also cautious of the law and how best to protect the common man with the instrumentality of the statute. I have reached a level now when I feel that I owe a lot to the society – my immediate society and the nation – and what remains is that in the remaining parts of my life, I leave the stage better than I found it. I know, like the saying goes, that ‘I, too, shall come to pass.’
Is the PDP in Katsina State crisis free?
The PDP in Katsina State in 100 per cent solid. In fact, it is the only state in the entire North that you have not heard the emergence of the ‘New PDP’. Even those who tried later came to retract. But, of course, like in every human endeavour, you have few people who will feel disgruntled. Such is normal. Moreover, politics is based on free will. The PDP in Katsina State is well run, well prepared to face the challenges to be imposed on it by the opposition. It is not a unity that has just come about of recent. No. The PDP in Katsina is based on a very strong foundation, and that foundation has continued to be reinforced.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
