Yoruba has had its fair share from Buhari administration, Says Barrister Shittu, Minister of Communications

*Says “my ministry contributed 10% to GDP in last one year”

By Kemi Kasumu

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Barrister Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu, became the youngest in 1979 to take an office of the Honourable Member of Oyo State House of Assembly during the Chief Obafemi Awolowo-led Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) era in South West of the country. The 1974 Law graduate of University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, ventured into politics at the age of 26 and had since held positions as commissioner in Oyo State particularly under the administration of Alhaji Rasheed Ladoja before he became the Minister of Communications in the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. In this interview with The DEFENDER, held in Abuja, the Iseyin, Oyo State-born minister spoke on few issues of national question. Excerpts:

What is the matter with the government with regard to economic revival?

The government has been trying to revive the economic and one of the ways is the anti-corruption crusade, which is win-win and so a lot of money is coming. If these monies not being spent because of possibility of litigation and the use of these monies as exhibit it doesn’t meant that something is wrong.  I mean people accusing the President of not doing anything have not provided alternative solutions. And particularly some political leaders or leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), if they feel that something is not right enough, I think what is demanded of them as patriotic and loyal party men is for them to provide alternatives to Mr. President in confidence, rather than playing to the gallery with due respect to those involved with them.

The impression they created was that they advised the President but that he didn’t take their advice. What about that?

They have not said that. It would be presumptuous for anybody to allege that. And I am sure that there is no such thing.

I mean people accusing the President of not doing anything have not provided alternative solutions. And particularly some political leaders or leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), if they feel that something is not right enough, I think what is demanded of them as patriotic and loyal party men is for them to provide alternatives to Mr. President in confidence, rather than playing to the gallery with due respect to those involved with them.

When some of the things that a particular leader of the APC criticised the President of was that his policies are aquake and so that he should change his policies and some other ones are saying change your economic team and the rest of that?

Which policies are aquake? I have been saying this, you see, Nigeria belongs to all of us even if some people are in government. And in any case all the leaders of the party are also in government by extension and so, if the government is discredited, they will share from the discredit.

So, once you are loyal and conscientious party members, the least you should do is to attack the policies of the President and the thing they should do is to provide alternatives, possibly even call a party convention to table some of these for discussion and deliberation.

So, merely playing to the gallery I think is less patriotic and of course less commitment of such people to the survival of the party.

Recently there was a meeting of Yoruba unity by APC leaders in Ibadan which people thought was to unite the Yoruba leaders in the party and another one was scheduled for Ado-Ekiti…?

(Cuts in) I was in Ibadan and I am not aware that any other meeting has been fixed for Ado-Ekiti.  Yes I was at the Ibadan meeting.

What was your perception of the Ibadan meeting?

The perception I saw of that meeting in Ibadan is that they want the people of South West to be united so that the benefit that will be accrue-able to the people of South West is achieved.

Okay.  But has the South West been shortchanged so far when compared with what happened in the Jonathan era when the zone, particularly the Afenifere leaders, cried woes of marginalisation?

I have come to be convinced, of all the zones that have benefited from the Buhari government, I want to believe that the South West is foremost in benefits and I will tell you why.

And why?

Each of the six states of the South West except one has substantive ministerial appointees.  Not only substantive ministerial appointees; ministers of key ministries.

I mean, I am Minister of Communications which, over the last one year, has contributed more than 10 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  We have a three-in-one minister in Fashola (SAN), who controls power, works and housing. We have a Minister of Health in Professor Adewole and you know how important that ministry is. And again we have a Minister of Solid Minerals, which is an economic hotspot for an emerging economy like Nigeria and that one is controlled by Dr. Kayode Fayemi from Ekiti.  It is only Ondo that has a minister of state. And Ogun has the Minister of Finance in Mrs Kemi Adeosun.

I mean I don’t know of any geo-political zone, which has that bunch of opportunities.

So, in terms of equity, the South West has benefited more. It has never happened in the history of this country when you have a Federal Government with this crop of ministers coming from Yoruba Land.

So, what do you think should be the end-result of this meeting that is being held by South West?

I don’t know but you see, one thing is for leaders to meet. But the truth is also that when leaders meet, more often than not that they discountenance the interest of the people of their zones. And I know that the people of Yoruba Land are very loyal and are in love with the Buhari presidency. They appreciate what the government is doing and, in fact, they rain curses on people who criticise Buhari’s presidency.

And I know that when the ships are down, the Yoruba people, not just leaders, I am not saying leaders are not relevant, political leaders more often than not will always supposedly fight for the interest of the people and all of that but what is important is, no way that the people of the South West have been discriminated against or undermined or shortchanged by the Buhari administration.

In essence, are you saying that unity meeting or not, Yoruba people have no problem as far as this government is concerned?

Yoruba, as the most enterprising people in this country, should work harder for a more united Nigeria because our enterprise requires a bigger market.

If we don’t have a big market, there is no how we can survive and there is no way our enterprise can survive.

I mean think of the businesses in Lagos, most of them are controlled by Yoruba. Think of the banking sector, most of them are controlled by Yoruba. And think of even the Nigerian Armed Forces now, a Yoruba man is the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and in any case a Yoruba man is also the Vice President of this country.

So, in the circumstance of Nigeria, what else are we looking for?