Critics of Buhari, APC are unfair, unpatriotic -Katsina CSO Ex-chair

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Katsina State chapter, through the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Mustapha Inuwa, has called on Nigerians to rescue the country from the misrule of the All Progressive Congress (APC). What is your reaction to this?

I am not a full-fledged politician but if you’re talking about poverty and other challenges in Nigeria, I think it will be wrong for any responsible citizen of Nigeria to begin to apportion blames; all Nigerians may have their own share of the blame.

I think whoever is saying that (Nigeria should be rescued from APC) might have forgotten the current trend in the global economy where most, in fact, all countries including the giants of the world are been hit by the global economic downturn. So, if those countries are also complaining, certainly a country like Nigeria cannot be a scape goat and that is what is affecting all, including Katsina.

These are long term kind of problems that government after government have been trying to address. The challenges are there, they are not created by the government alone. Sometimes, they are created by the citizens themselves. Look at the empowerment schemes that have been put in place by President Muhammadu Buhari and Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, how many billions of naira are been disbursed to people? So many strategies but how many Nigerians are actually utilizing the funds?

So, for me, it is not the issue of this person or that person but it is an issue of mindsets of Nigerians; it’s the issue of commitment of well -meaning citizens. What are individuals doing in line with government’s agenda to ensure they alleviate peoples poverty?

We shouldn’t be politicizing issues every time. We should look at this kind of problems as our collective problems and our collective failure that require collective support and synergy to get out of it.

The person that is making that statement (the call on Nigerians to rescue the nation from APC) was in the same party (APC) and now leaving the party for another party which means it’s not the issue of principles; it’s not the issue of political commitment to salvage the situation.

For me, whichever party you are, if you are sincere, if you are committed, you will be able to give your own contributions in salvaging the problems of Nigeria. Running from one party to another is even adding to our problems because it’s like we don’t have focus, whoever has focus, has commitment, whether he is in a particular party or not, he can still contribute.

How many of philanthropists are politically partisan? They are not in any party but they are assisting people, that is what Nigeria and Nigerians need – people with commitment not people with political sentiments.

Given that 2023 general elections are around the corner, what is your message going forward?

I want to address whoever care to listen, he should understand that the issue of poverty is beyond any political party. If you talk of PDP, poverty was in the land before PDP, if you talk of APC, poverty was there before APC. So, if PDP couldn’t move us out of poverty, you cannot blame APC for also not been able to do that. It’s a long term problem that requires long term solution. It’s a collective failure that requires collective responsibility to solve.

So, we should avoid politicization of issues, we should be focused, committed and patriotic to be able to assist in solving the problems without apportioning blames.

It’s been nearly eight years of APC at the federal level and in most states, should Nigerians still keep faith with the party in 2023?

First, for me, is for citizens to understand who we are and what do we need. For me, it’s not the issue of the party, it’s the issue of the people. We have seen different political parties in Nigeria and we are still with our problems. So, what matters is who are those people that are focused and have the wherewithal, the kind of patriotism or commitment to be able to move Nigerians out of these problems but we continue to say you must be in a particular political party as the only solution.

We have seen it every where, we tried members of this party party, we have seen what happened. We have tried members of the other party, we have seen what happened. So, what matters is let us have this patriotic feeling, this commitment that we need to solve the problems of Nigeria as Nigerians. Let us shun the issue of saying this party is and that party is that.

Our people, the politicians, are they credible? If we have credible politicians, they can’t say they were in party ‘A’ yesterday but because they couldn’t win election, they run to party ‘B’ and call on people to follow them. Those who behave as such could be called political chameleons. We should be above that.

We should be committed to our principles and give our contributions where possible but where one loses an election and leave his party, you cannot call such an individual a responsible citizen. For me, whoever leaves one party for another because he lost and election is not a patriotic citizen.

Let’s remained focus, let’s remained as Nigerians who know the problems of the nation instead of simply running from this party to another.

This is my appeal, let’s not cling to the issues of political parties, let’s consider people with track records because we know those who can actually deliver. I want people to realize that whoever leaves this party today and goes to another tomorrow because he lost an election, if he loses there, he will also go to another party and he will never do something tangible for you.

You’re representing Katsina State Government in the ongoing stakeholders meeting on the impact of insurgency and banditry in the state. What is the focus of your deliberation?

This is a very important stakeholders meeting convened at the instance of the governor in line with the mission of the Federal Government initiated Victims Support Foundation under the leadership of retired General T. Y. Danjuma. They seek our commitment in terms of what we are doing in Katsina State and they are looking at ways to partner with us to ensure better life for these people (victims of banditry and insurgency).

We are discussing with line ministries, departments and agencies in terms of the support that the government plans to give and what the government has been doing in terms of enumeration, preparations and support of the victims.

We are looking forward to what they can do to partner with us and the support they will provide, especially given that we have a very, very enormous burdens on us. The government has been doing well in terms of provision of logistics to address insecurity and many other things. This administration has been expending so much on medical assistance to the injured victims and support to the families of deceased persons after bandits’ attacks.

By and large, we are still trying to see what we can for  widows and orphans, that is why we are trying to partner with Victims Support Foundation to ensure we have a more holistic and robust support package to give the victims a better life that will ameliorate their trauma  and deter them from joining a bandwagon to avenge killings of their relations or breadwinners.

How much will the state commit to improving the lots of the different categories of victims as it relates to next year’s budget?

Actually, the state government has made very, very  concrete plans in terms of conducting a statewide enumeration of the victims of insurgency and banditry in the most affected local government areas. Widows and orphans were enumerated and their comprehensive data is actually at hand and the government also had a committee that carried out market survey of prices of food items, clothing materials in terms of the orphans and widows and make sufficient provision for their education support – both formal and non formal education while looking into the issues of skills acquisition and start-up capital, feeding and virtually every aspect including psycho – social support for these people in Katsina State.

A provision of about two billion naira has set aside in 2023 budget in addition to the balance in the provision in this year’s budget that we are implementing. Once the new budget is assented to, certainly the government is ever ready to continue to ensure that their care is holistically taken care off to give them the living condition every responsible citizens deserve to get.

How many potential beneficiaries have been identified so far?

We are talking of over 20,000 beneficiaries: orphans and widows of victims of insurgency and banditry in Katsina State.

What is the provision in the 2022 budget to support the affected persons?

A provision of about N500m was made because as at last year we didn’t have any data; it was just based on what was occurring and recurring in communities that we made the provision and continued to give our support especially in three key areas.

Whenever a community is attacked, the injured victims are taking to a particular hospital where money had been deposited for their treatment and medications. Also, bereaved families of those killed in the attacks are given support to enable  acquire food items and other needs that may be thrown up.

Since we are now planning with the data we have obtained, we have made more provision to ensure that the victims are holistically taken care off.