Barrister Festus Fuanter is the Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who is also the Chairman, National Teachers Institute (NTI) Governing Council. In this interview with MUSA PAM, he shares his thoughts on some salient political issues such as attempts to form a coalition party against the ruling APC, defection, state of NTI and other emerging national issues
By 2027, some well-known former APC members will be leading a coalition against your party. Do you not believe that could have an impact on the APC’s chances in 2027?
Coalitions and counter-coalitions are constant phenomena in politics. The APC itself is founded on the principle of a grand coalition, which culminated in the amalgamation of several political interests that climaxed into the merger that led to the birth of the All Progressives Congress. So, APC is no stranger to coalitions.
It’s, however, worthy of note that the APC, since the merger, had been in power for eight years during Muhammadu Buhari’s regime and is now about to clock two years under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The radical and daredevil approach of the current government may not be palatable or beneficial to some self-seeking members of the initial coalition, and hence they will exercise their rights to seek new coalitions that will meet their selfish desires.
Also, note that most of the so-called prominent politicians leaving the APC are actually spent forces, whose relevance is more in the social media space and the pages of newspapers, it does not bother the APC one bit, as their leaving the APC coincides with an overwhelming decamping of some progressive converts who will replace them. We are not worried because these coalitions are a temporary coalition of strange bedfellows who never liked themselves in the past. And by the number of governors and national and state assembly members defecting to the APC and the governors in other parties pledging to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, it is obvious that 2027 is a done deal.
The worrisome rate at which prominent members of opposition parties, particularly the PDP, are defecting to the APC has led to the suggestion that Nigeria is moving towards a one-party state. How do you feel about this?
A one-party state cannot be possible in Nigeria; besides, it has never been the desire nor within the contemplation of the APC. As a matter of fact, it cannot be in tandem with the philosophy of the Party, especially when you take into consideration that the leader of the Party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a thoroughbred democrat who will never wish for such. As regards the spate of defections into the APC, it is not surprising considering the well-organized disposition and strength of unity of the APC, which has inadvertently overwhelmed the capacity of the opposition parties in the country, coupled with their irreconcilable differences in their parties. It has been this unending feud that has rendered the parties vulnerable and unappealing to their members and Nigerians in general. It is these irreconcilable squabbles that have driven most of its members to troop into the APC. As a party, it has never been our deliberate policy to negotiate for decampees. We would rather allow our philosophy and the current economic successes of the APC government to attract new entrants and decampees into the party. But the most interesting of all the reasons that can be adduced to the myriads of defections is the renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, which has ensured that state and local government funds have quadrupled since the APC government came to power. And because the opposition governors know that they cannot have a better presidential candidate than Asiwaju, it’s better for them to join the winning team.
Is the APC welcoming to everyone, regardless of their history, or do you conduct background checks on those who want to join before admitting them?
As a party with a progressive philosophy, the doors of the party are no doubt open to all who are ready to shed the retrogressive tug of their previous party and unconditionally submit and subscribe to the progressive philosophy of the All Progressives Congress. There is, however, a caveat to the open-door policy. The APC will not, under any circumstance, accept the entry of molds and other toxic politicians who put self before nation. We will also not accept in our fold politicians, especially governors, who have exhibited tendencies of failure and corruption in their states. Governors who have not made the best out of the rare opportunity presented by the renewed hope agenda have billions at their disposal. And also, governors who have not commissioned people-oriented projects since assumption of office will not be accepted into the APC because the APC will not be used as a refugee camp for failed politicians. Just as we will not accept shallow-minded politicians who survive on and preach tribal, religious, or ethnic sentiments as a political weapon.
Given these emerging issues in the country, especially the political situation, where lies the future of democracy in Nigeria?
The political history of Nigeria is replete with a reach struggle and sacrifice for the sustenance of democracy. It is, however, important to note that the democratic system in Nigeria is still evolving, having steadily enjoyed four uninterrupted civilian-to-civilian transitions. We have put behind us the unpleasant experiences of coups and countercoups. As a party, the APC has set the agenda to ensure the survival of democracy in Nigeria by setting up the Progressive Institute, where the ideologies of the party shall be the basis of the curricula. Besides, the current socioeconomic agenda and successes of the APC government under the able leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have made democracy so appealing that Nigerians would never accept any other form of government.
As a ranking member of the APC NWC from the North Central, do you look forward to the North Central taking back the position of the National Chairmanship of the party?
Prior to the prevailing situation, the national chairmanship of the party was actually zoned to the North Central Zone. But in one of the National Executive Committee meetings of the party, the positions were rezoned, and the national chairman was taken to the Northwest, while the North Central took the national legal adviser. This was done in order to allow for the North Central to have something bigger, which in this instance was the position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. As you know, the position of the SGF in Nigerian politics is the engine room of the government and a strategically relevant position that would have ensured the comparative advantage of the delivery of the dividends of democracy in the North Central if dispassionately and properly utilized in the collective interest of the North Central as an entity.
The Governing Council was recently constituted for the National Teachers Institute (NTI), with you as the chairman of the council. What are the plans of the council to improve the situation on the ground?
The Governing Council is new, but it is prepared to work with the management on the ground to revitalize the institute. As part of the initiative to rebrand the institute and accomplish its objectives, the new council will be implementing new methods for accomplishing its set goals. The council and management all have their roles clearly cut out for them; while the council is a policy-making body, the institute management is responsible for the implementation of such policies. For this, there is the need for both the governing council and management to have a cordial working relationship in order to achieve the set goals of the establishment.
It may interest you to know that since the establishment of the NTI in 1978, several other agencies, such as the National Council for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), were established, and the proliferation of many colleges of education in the country has made the need for the review of the current role of the institute inevitable. This becomes imperative in order to be competitive and train teachers for modern-day challenges and meet international best practices. For this reason, there is a need to change the entire curriculum of teacher training in the country, and NTI must take the lead. So everyone within the system has to brace up for the turnaround; it is not going to be business as usual, as there are going to be key performance indicators for staff and management of the institute. We are going to introduce radical changes aimed at changing the fortune of the establishment.
What is your perception of the Institute? In terms of policy and the development of human resources for Nigeria’s elementary and secondary schools, is it in a position to meet the country’s needs?
Based on the assessment of the governing council, the National Teachers Institute has been neglected for a long. I can tell you that the once iconic teachers’ institute in the country has become a shell of its former glory. What we noticed during our first visit and inspection of the institute’s facilities was not encouraging. The majority of the facilities therein, including the conference center, clinic, computer center, demonstration school, and teachers’ radio station, are in a state of disrepair.
What is the plan of the council to salvage this deplorable situation?
To salvage the situation is part of the assignment given to us by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Education. I strongly believe that both of them will intervene in salvaging the once prestigious institution through a major intervention if the institution is to be positioned to achieve its set goals. The council will partner with the parent ministry and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the institute is returned to its path of glory.
