In recent months, many politicians from the opposition camp have been defecting from their parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the amazement of many citizens. However, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim tells ONWUKA NZESHI that he predicted the movement a year ago
You heard Mr. President say he will not help the opposition build their own house. What does that mean?
Well, that’s fine. It’s true. He can’t build another party. He cannot leave APC to go and build Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); he cannot leave APC to go and build Social Democratic Party (SDP). That will be disloyalty. So, he’s been factual, as usual and I think he’s a liberalist. So, to even come in to say the shortcomings where the opponents are, I think it’s liberal of him. Otherwise, he could keep quiet while they keep going into some uncomfortable zones. But he was being very realistic.
He also spoke a lot about his economic reforms. Do you think we are in good hands with the President?
Yeah, I think he talked about investment of money in the infrastructure for security, technology, and that’s what we’re talking about last time. You know that, look, the security will be powered by technology, not manpower at all. Not that we are going to send away the manpower, but we are going to put more money into technology, you know, distribution of technology instruments in stopping insecurity. And I think that is really a good focus.
I remember in the budget last year, he put about N5 trillion security, and now we are able to achieve 1.8 million barrels per day, meeting our OPEC quota for the first time. I think this is very, very commendable, and GDP has grown by 3.6% I think these are areas that Nigerians will be very happy about.
On the national honors, what do you think about the President’s list?
Well, it’s very good to have a national honour. I have been honoured twice by two different Presidents. I have an OFR and a CFR, so seeing people coming on that list is quite amazing, and I think it’s a rare privilege and honour. And the kind of people that are honoured really deserve it.
There’s a particular one I want to ask you about – Humphrey Nwosu. You stood against it when the Senate was asking the President to immortalise him?
I think the President is doing exactly what I said should be done on the floor of the Senate. I said, you cannot name the INEC Building after Humphrey Nwosu but you can give him a national honour. Today what has happened today? He gave him a national honour rather than naming the whole INEC Building after him. If you name the INEC Building after him, what about Prof Mahmud Jega? What about Yakubu Mahmoud when he finishes in the next few months? There would also be agitations from the different areas where they come from that they should name something after them. So, what are you going to name? How many buildings are you going to name after them? So, give national honour to whomever deserves it. Humphrey Nwosu deserves a national honour, not the naming of INEC Building after him. And that was why we took that decision to silence that motion.
What about Ken Saro Wiwa?
Saro Wiwa deserves national honours. He fought for this nation. I’m very happy that the President gave pardon to some of these people who have some shortcomings. I think what the President did is not surprising, because this is how liberals behave. They always like cooperation and collaboration in distillment of democratic peace theory, you know, generally. And I think this is where Asiwaju is probably, making some wins among African leaders.
What do you think about the defection of politicians?
Well, I said it that people are coming to APC a year ago, and you people said, No, it’s not possible. I will tell you change is inevitable, and it’s the only thing that is permanent. The only thing that is permanent in human existence is change. Any human being that refuses to change is a dead person. The only person that cannot be changed is a dead man. The living man can still change. And then, of course, you change the political system, you change economic decisions, you change social decisions. You see women even leave one marriage to another and they get better. Or men leave one marriage to another and get better. Social decision, religious decision. You can be a Muslim today and a Christian tomorrow. A Christian can be a Muslim, can be a Catholic, you can become an Anglican. You can reside in Abuja or go to London and back to Abuja. Change is inevitable for those who are living, but for those who are dead, regrettably they cannot change anything, not even their corpse.
