Nigeria urgently needs a new brand of WAI – Latinwo

Latinwo

A former military administrator of Kwara State during the Buhari/Idiagbon administration, Group Captain Saludeen Latinwo (retd), in this interview with Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, states that it is imperative for President Muhammadu Buhari to re-introduce a nationwide re-orientation exercise to tune the minds of Nigerians towards the importance of the anti-corruption crusade and other programs of his administration. Latinwo, also provided insight into how the Buhari administration can handle the rising agitation for secession in the eastern part of the country. Excerpts

President Muhammadu Buhari has been in the saddle for over six months now. What do you make of his change agenda so far?

There is no doubt that Nigeria is at a point that requires great moral leadership and generational responsibility to steer the ship of governance. This is why the change agenda is a good development. To move the country out of its sorry state, we need more of common sense than ideologies. Sadly, Nigeria in the recent past lived beyond its ecological means and even paid our overdraft with the resources our children and grandchildren will need.

We were headed towards bankruptcy and a possible state of hunger, poverty and total confusion. So, we really need Buhari’s change agenda at a time like this. We need a movement. We need a good number of people, old and young, who are committed to doing their parts to embrace good and purposeful ideas as well as finding new solutions. Sincerely, our fate now lies on the outcome of the race between the elected and or the nominated ones to solve our problems and the problems themselves.

There has been talks about the need for Nigerians to key into the new administration’s reform policies. How best do you think that can be done?

At a time like this, we need everybody to believe in what the leadership is doing. We need policies that would bring discipline and ethics in public and private practices in line with the ongoing war against corruption and indiscipline just like we had the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) in the 1984/85 era. The new WAI will be directed at changing the general attitude in the social, environmental, economic, and political realms towards ensuring that our people become changed citizens.

But I must say what we need is a new brand of WAI in line with democratic principles like rule of law, human rights and freedom of expressions.  The changes we need now are straightforward. We need change in the way we do things. We need order, organization and discipline to reverse the reign of corruption, insecurity, ignorance, poverty and greed.  The new WAI will assist in tackling menaces like infrastructure deficiency, youth apathy, materialism, unemployment and hopelessness.

We must accept the inevitability of change. We must not be frightened by the problems. What we need is movement that will help us face the problems and surmount them. It is important to galvanize Nigerians with a new brand of WAI because those benefiting from corruption will fight back with every means at their disposal. Wealthy interests will attempt to corrupt the political system.

They will use the power of propaganda to divert attention from their evil acts and even paint the system bad. But if we have a movement or policy that is helping to re-orientate the people, it will be difficult for corruption to successfully fight back in our midst. History attests that if we can show people that a better future is possible, we can build movements that will change our societies.

But there are fears that the current administration may not have respected the rule of law in some of its actions so far. What do you make of this?

What we have today is a carry forward from our recent past. The entire procedure being used in our criminal investigation is old fashioned and it needs change. It is outdated and unacceptable. A lot of time is wasted in the process between the prosecution and the court and this creates problems in the judiciary, leading to unnecessary delay. Many things in our judicial system are obsolete and inadequate. We usually witness incessant changing of judges and many other shortcomings.

The issue of rule of law is not just about the government alone. It is a complex issue that requires total overhauling for everybody, including the government and the president to be compelled to obey the rule of law without excuses. Our judicial procedures must be subjected to review and updated every now and then in order to ensure they conform to international best practices.

The law is what regulates the society. We are free in our private lives but in public, we must conform with the law as guides to our behavior and actions. Even selfish and ambitious people who find themselves in positions of power are restrained by the law the world over. So, we should build institutions on the assumptions that our leaders will not be tempted to abuse their powers.

We must empower our laws effectively by ensuring that proper legislations to hold all our various aspects of lives together, importantly in the areas of enforcement are put in place. That way, both the government and the governed will know that the rule of law and its enforcement cannot be negotiated.

What is your take on the rising agitation in the eastern part of the country?

We had a three-year bloody conflict in the past called the Nigeria-Biafra war. The death toll was more than 1million people. There were untold hardship and suffering by the people of the region. Those of us who were around during the war will not wish for another war. Unfortunately, most of these youngsters clamoring for another war were not around back then. Thus, it is difficult for them to imagine the kind of suffering they are wishing for.

It is also sad that history is no longer taught in schools. So, they may not even have a way of knowing what the order of the day was during the war. War is total destruction and complete non existence. Therefore we must do everything to avert another war. If any people feel deprived, marginalized, aggrieved, they should seek redress from the appropriate quarters. They shouldn’t invite war by taking laws into their hands.

The Buhari government is a listening administration that has shown willingness to listen to complaints and address issues that bother on injustice. A good example is the recent board of enquiry instituted to identify officers who played partisan roles in the Ekiti governorship election. I appeal to our brothers and sisters in the eastern states, who feel uncomfortable with the current political arrangement, to exercise restraints and seek orderly democratic process to find a solution.

What do you make of the 2016 budget and the issues that trailed it?

It is important to let you know that the problems we face today are similar to the ones we faced in 1984 when the military government of Buhari/Idiagbon took over. Salaries were being owed, roads were abandoned and a lot of things were completely dilapidated both at the state and federal levels. It was the same situation of hopelessness back then like we have now.

Not minding the terrible state of the economy, we started back then by first overhauling the entire structures. Just like he did now, we reduced the number of ministers, permanent secretaries and even directors at both the state and the federal levels. The point is that we cannot continue to spend the money we don’t have. We have to restructure and that is being done. Although I am worried about the amount of money we have to borrow to fund this budget, I still want to believe it is in the interest of the country to do so, given the sorry state of the price of oil globally.

Yes, the budget appears ambitious and President Buhari has definitely come to this battle bare-handed, relying more on God, his brain and his impeccable pedigree to win the battle, but working with honorable men and women, he can effectively use the same budget to kick start the much needed change.