Exclusive by GBENGA DAN ASABE
In this exclusive encounter with General
David Medayese Jemibewon (CFR, Mni), the General shared his
fear for a Nigerian political elite that lacks objectivity and candor when
political leadership is on the burner. The Iyah-Gbedde, Kogi State (North
Central Nigeria) born elder statesman regretted ever fighting for the unity of
Nigeria in the 30 months Nigerian civil war, claiming that, with the way things
are going in the polity, the efforts of heroes past (which he is equally among)
seems to be lost to the perils of now.
General Jemibewon 77,
who retired into education business as founder of Jemibewon
International Academy—Iyah-Gbedde, is equally angry with the rate at which
mushroom universities without quality spring up in Nigeria despite the presence
of a body like the National University Commission.
On the imminent
coup scare revealed by Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur
Buratai last week, Jemibewon, an old horse in the trade of stratagem
gave his verdict to Asabeafrika. However, his response to the ramblings of Professor
Ango Abdullai on the possibility of having Professor Yemi
Osinbajo succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in
the event of death in 2019 will shock you.
Jemibewon is
a former Governor of Western State of Nigeria under lateGeneral Murthala
Mohammed’s regime between August 1975 and March 1976. He later became
the first Governor of Oyo State after Oyo; Ogun & Ondo were carved out of
the old Western States. He ruled Oyo under Obasanjo’s military
regime between March 1976 and July 1978 before he was promoted as Adjutant
General of the Nigerian Army towards the end of 1978.
He came back
to limelight in 1999 when he was appointed Minister of Police Affairs under President Olusegun
Obasanjo’s civilian regime, a position he held with transformative
strides till year 2000.
Enjoy the excerpts in this second part of
our encounter with the General.
The
Chief of Army Staff General Tukur Buratai recently raised the alarm that some
politicians are approaching the Army seeking for a change of government from
the present democratic structure. As a General and statesman, do you fear we
might experience another coup in this country?
The GDA & The General
|
(Laughs) Anyway, I am not too sure that going back to
the military (rule) is the solution. And to be honest with you, I don’t know
the solution. But I don’t think the military is the solution. If anything, the
military has contributed to some of the problems we have. Even though I come
through the military establishment; sometimes I ask myself this question ‘the
various military governments we had, did they really come out for the good of
the country or there were some underlining personal ambition?’ This is the
question I keep asking myself.
(Cuts in) I think you are asking yourself a
very critical question
Because if the military did the right thing and for the
good of the country, we ought not to be where we are now; so to think of the
military (coming back to rule), I don’t think that is where hope lies. I don’t
think so. I don’t see the military taking over. Like I said, I don’t know the
solution but I don’t think the military is the solution. I don’t see it
happening. For Buratai speaking out on this matter,
I think that is a good one from him because we are now in a democratic
dispensation and the military should not be seen interfering in politics.
Politicking is not their job. I am in total support of Buratai’s position.
Last year while chatting with you at your
country home, you said you think Mr. President had a big dream for Nigeria but
his health might be a challenge as age is no more on his side. Sir, right now
the Northern Elder’s Forum led by Professor Ango Abdullahi has said that should
Mr. President’ health fail him in 2019, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would not
be allowed to contest. That even if Professor Osinbajo is allowed to finish the
President’s tenure if the worst happens, he must not be allowed to contest in
2019. That the politics of power sharing must take precedence over every other
sentiment?
To be honest, the reference you made to Ango
Abdullahi I haven’t read it. But if he did say so, I will be very
surprised and disappointed. If he did say so; because I think we have reached a
stage in this country that we should interpret the constitution and provisions
of the law as the drafters of such laws intended. So, I am not too sure if
there is any provision that says if a political appointee or elected officer
comes from one particular part of the country, in the event of him
relinquishing that position, we must go and bring somebody from that same
Geo-political location to continue his work.
But that is exactly what the Northern
Elites are saying through Professor Ango Abdullai, they want rotational
politics over the constitution. They fear that since it happened with Yar’adua
& Goodluck Jonathan, it could as well happen with Buhari & Osinbajo?
Honestly, this is one question that I find very
difficult to say anything other than what I have said. For example, one has to
be very careful otherwise, it could almost amount to wishing the President
death and I will not expect anything, than to wish a fellow human being death;
and in particular, under the same circumstance we are today. It is unfortunate
that some people who have had great opportunity in this country that this
country has brought up sometimes do make statements that are very diminishing.
But like I said, I haven’t heard it until I heard it from you this evening. So,
I am still using the word ‘if’. If he indeed said that, because I don’t see any
reason why you should lie to me…
(Cuts in) At all, sir
But if he did say that, then, he is not helping the
country and he is a very, very matured person. An elderly person who has held
very, very important positions; he was Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello
University. And if it is true he said that, I don’t think he is helping
this country.
When you see what is happening in the
country especially the corruption among political elites and you
juxtapose that with the survival of your own children and grand children, do
you feel troubled as an elder statesman?
That is why I said from the onset that the way this
country is going was not the great dream we had or the hope we had for the
country in our own time. Honestly, things have really gone bad that I couldn’t
agree more with something I read in the newspaper last week and I didn’t bother
to ask (questions) because it coincides with my own feeling.General (Alani)
Akinrinade was lamenting, having to have fought in the civil war.
Because when you look at the way the country is going today, you ask yourself, ‘what
did we fight the civil war for?’ We fought it for the unity of this
country. We fought for the progress of this country. But today, can we say we
are united?
No, sir
Can we say the country is developing?
No.
So, what did we fight for? Those who have died, virtually,
they died a wasted death and for those of us who are living, just imagine. We
are lucky not to have died. We would have died. Yes, ‘our heroes past
have never died in vain’ but honestly, I am not too sure that merely
reciting that (in the national anthem) makes anything, possibly happening. I
think a lot of people have died in vain. I don’t know whether that answers your
question.
Yes, sir, to some large extent, it
does
Take for example, today; the roads are worse than they
used to be. Education which you have emphasized has been bastardized. So many
universities but no quality and yet we have organizations put in place to
control education, what are we doing?
Yes, I was coming to ask you about
education, you invested in education with the establishment of the Jemibewon
International Academy in Iyah-Gbedde, whenever you travel and see some
of these mushroom universities by the road side, what comes to your mind?
I don’t know, I just hope that your journey from Lagos to Ibadan is
not in vain (Quite for a while and breaks it with a sarcastic laugh). First,
tell me one single thing that you feel proud of in Nigeria.
In fact, I can’t mention one right away
because the whole scenario is muddled up
Everything has gone banana; the education you just
mention is worse. They are still approving universities. And there was a time I
sat down; when we were cadets. From the day you entered the military training
school, the British instructors who were then training us, will tell us the
number of cadets that will pass for that year for the course. They will tell
you the number that will pass.
For example, we were 28 cadets including myself
and they told us only 14 will pass. Even Britain, they control the
number of lawyers they produce annually, the number of engineers they produce
per year, in their universities. The reason is; a man who has been well
educated, his hopes have been raised for good life, for employment. When he
comes out of the university, in order words he has a vision. He has hope. He
has objectives. And if he cannot meet his hopes, he becomes dejected and he may
be anti-society.
This is why the advanced countries plan how many people
go to their professional bodies, how many people go to certain institutions, it
is so planned that when they come out there are avenues for employment. Of
course if you train a man up to that level and he comes out and his aspiration
is not achieved, his ambition is not achieved and he becomes somebody roaming
around; he starts asking himself questions and he might be a de-stabilizer of
the society because he is angry with the society. So, that is the situation in
our country—universities everywhere. Some of the students who passed out of
these universities, a lot of them can hardly write their names.
And yet this
country must compete with other countries of the world. So I don’t think the
proliferation of universities is good for our country but I can also tell you
that it is the Nigerian malaise. If you go to a street and somebody starts
selling dodo. Within six months, go there again, you may find half
of the street is selling dodo. So, every tom, dick and harry want
to own a university.
So, what could be the solution?
There are bodies that recommend the approval of these
universities, there is a national body called the National University
Commission. I don’t know how they make these recommendations. Honestly, I
am sorry; I am almost not being coherent because I cannot explain.
I can see your pains sir. I can see you are
disappointed with standards?
I just cannot understand because the National
University Commissionought to have a plan to say ‘alright, from now
to the next ten years we should not have more than so-so numbers of
universities approved’. And because of the nature of Nigeria-socially,
religiously, tribal or ethnic wise, you can now structure these universities in
such a way that it will take care of everybody. You could say ‘alright,
east-west-north, this is the number of the universities for now’.
‘Religious
bodies, this is the number of universities for you’. And you guide it and
ensure you get a consensus so that it is seen as a policy and everybody follow
through. Today, from where you come from, I don’t know where you come from and
don’t bother to tell me. If you establish a university there, somebody next to
your door goes to apply, he too wants a university. It doesn’t work like that
and that is a major problem.
The issue of the churches establishing universities
with exorbitant school fees that scare away the poor man in the church is
another issue. Do you think that is morally OK?
Number one, if the church has a university, they have
an objective. And the fact that you are a member of that church cannot limit
their condition because they ought to have conditions. If you establish a
school today, the school is not meant for members of your family alone. What I
am trying to say is that even if there is Christian university, there is no
reason a Muslim cannot go to a Christian University. There is no reason a
Christian cannot go to a Muslim University. But we should have control
mechanism to determine how many universities to be allowed to birth and ensure
standards.
(To be continued)
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