Yerima Shettima is the National President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF). In this interview, he speaks on President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the economic situation in the country and the controversy over Tax Reform Bills, ANAYO EZUGWU writes

Nigerians are experiencing so much hardship at the moment. What is your take on this situation?

It’s a bad experience and we are all in it together. Sometimes, I imagine what is happening, it has never been this bad. I look forward to seeing the government coming up with policies that will favour the people, not anti-people policies.

I still think that some of the policies of the government are hard and harsh on the people and the government must have a second look at some of its policies.

I still want to give the government benefit of the doubt in terms of performance and time delivery but if after more time, nothing changes, then Nigerians will not have a choice but to move to the streets in mass.

It is only then that we can declare that the government is not serious. The truth that must be told, which we also know, is that the eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari was a disaster, and nobody should expect an immediate magic in things turning around.

President Buhari’s regime wrecked the economy, left insecurity and hopelessness. In almost all the sectors, there was nothing much to be desired. You may say, it is still an APC government but Tinubu was not in charge.

All we need to do is to continue to plead with the President to take another critical look at some of his reform models and see what he can adjust in terms of strategy and method.

The truth is that any reform that you are implementing should be seen to have a positive result and effect on Nigerians. If it is otherwise, then something is wrong.

I am not giving excuses for the government for not doing much yet as expected by Nigerians but I am saying that with what was handed down to this government by the last administration, it will not be an easy task to overcome the past mess within a year plus.

However, the government needs to do more because expectations are high. If things continue this way, I mean, this hardship for a longer time and the government continues this way, then Nigerians will not have another choice but to declare it a failure.

But given what they inherited, the disaster of the Buhari tenure, it’s politically proper to still have faith that things will get better unless they prove me wrong.

Exactly at what time do you think Nigerians should begin to complain if things do not change?

The reality as I have said is that the government cannot reverse the damage of the Buhari administration as easily as most Nigerians think.

They cannot even reverse all the mess in four years but Nigerians should begin to see conscious relief, improvement and the government coming up with policies that give hope.

They should come up with policies that will allow Nigerians to breathe. There is nothing bad in dropping a policy that does not give hope to the people. That an economic policy has worked somewhere successfully

Government should know that most Nigerians are dying of hunger by the day. This tax issue must be suspended for now, while things are being put in place to facilitate the expected growth and desired development

does not mean it will work here in Nigeria. So, government must be very sensitive concerning the policy models it imports in our situation.

No magic can solve the Nigerian problem in just less than two years of this government in power but let us believe for now that the government is looking inwards and correcting some errors too.

The government should go for policies that should put smiles on the faces of Nigerians. This country is hugely blessed and there is no reason for Nigerians to be in this mess if the government decides to be more sensitive to the plight of the people.

Yes, there is hunger, there is insecurity but Nigerians want to see gradual progress taking place. Yes, the time may still be too short for an objective assessment of this government, yet something better than what Nigerians are experiencing is possible.

So, the onus is still on the government to raise the leadership bar that will inspire hope in the people.

You just touched on the issue of insecurity, and now aside from the issue of bandits and the Boko Haram menace in the North, another deadly group, Lakurawa has increased the tally.What is your view on that?

The issue of banditry is proactively getting down through the hard efforts of the Nigerian armed forces and the networking of all security apparatus. We are getting good results.

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawale is doing well and I commend his efforts. The Lakurawa issue will not be too hard to tackle given the present synergy among our security agencies.

For the first time, we are witnessing serious synergy among the Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Defence and others. Their efforts are yielding positive results. They should just remain focused and they will win the battle. I commend what they are doing.

We just need to support them more, and let more intelligence gathering be done, with more action also following. Once we overcome this insecurity, other things will fall in place, and development in the areas of the economy will also be positively affected.

Security is a commitment that all of us in our little ways should be part of. Even the foreign investors on their own, will come if security is assured.

The world is a global village that nothing happens in your country without other foreign countries knowing what is happening. When there is investment, this hardship will reduce drastically because people will have work and jobs to do.

What is your take on the continued detention of some of the #EndBadGovernance protesters?

I am shocked that some of the protesters are still being detained because there is no reason for such.

This is not a banana republic and the people have a legitimate right to protest. Charge them to court if they committed any other atrocity aside from peaceful protestation. Do you have evidence that they destroyed something or looted? If you have