Dr. Doyin Okupe is a former presidential special assistant for media and publicity, as well as the Director General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation for the 2023 general election. In this interview, he discusses the Northern elite’s alignment for power to return to the region in 2027, the accomplishments of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, how Nigerians’ pains as a result of the reforms are temporary, and why Tinubu’s government cannot be held accountable for the actions of the previous administration, among other topics. JOY ANIGBOGU reports.
What do you think of the North’s positioning for power in 2027 and its efforts to align that trend in their favor?
The question you’ve posed is not straightforward. The truth is that there are stakeholders in this country, and there have been various approaches to managing it since 1960. The country may not have made huge steps economically or in terms of what would please or make the public happy, but in terms of politics, we have managed it in such a way that it has remained united. I’d want to remind you that when Olusegun Obasanjo became president, there was an unwritten national agreement that a southwesterner, someone from the southwest, would be president, because the two contenders in that election were Obasanjo and Olu Falae. So, head and tail, southwest wins. That was a national concession, and it wasn’t for nothing. It was because the stakeholders felt that soon following Abiola’s death, who was thought to have won an election, there was a need to reassure the southwest. It wasn’t a question of northern interests. You know, individuals who formerly controlled this nation’s political affairs were more concerned with national interests than sectional interests. And one of the most fundamental issues is our failure to develop a national elite structure, as Nigeria is stagnating because we are all pulling in various ways. Now, in response to your question, I see a lot of young individuals, fresh minds, and great minds from the north collaborating, which is a fantastic thing. The North requires its political elites to band together for whatever reason, even if it is only to bear the responsibility for the masses’ long-standing neglect. But, for 2027, we politicians, and I say it authoritatively, without fear of dispute or equivocation, are a part of the system. I am part of this system. I understand the system. In 2027, power cannot be restored to the north.
That is not how we do it. We alternate between the north and south. The north completes eight years, followed by eight years in the south. So, while I don’t believe Bola Tinubu must be elected president in 2027, he will not be from the north. That is not it, you understand. And based on current events, the simplest thing that some of our young people in the north find annoying, the question is, OK, we’ll show our hand in 2027. We shall speak in 2027. You know, our country was brought together not through pressure, but through cooperation, understanding, and concession on every front. There were occasions when the North lacked the necessary personnel to occupy jobs inside the federal government. If there was a concession that the North had to be accommodated, we would have things like federalism. We’ve seen things like, even if you look at JAMB, what someone in Abia scores and cannot attend university with, someone in the north gets less than 20% and is admitted because we believe the north is educationally disadvantaged. This is how we’ve run the country. We ran our country with a lot of partnership, camaraderie, and patriotism. It’s not as intimidating as, “Okay, let’s do this.” President Babangida, President Obasanjo, Abdusalam Abubakar, General Ibrahim, and TY Danjuma are some of the people who have controlled the country’s affairs in terms of political balance throughout the last 25 years. They are losing influence, becoming less important, and growing older. But, sadly, and I regret to say this, they have not been able to generate an elite class, a younger group capable of effectively taking over from them on the same principles on which we have built this society.
The North has stated that if they field a southern candidate in 2027, that candidate would also seek to serve eight years, which would violate the North’s eight-year rotation plan to fulfill its presidential allocation. What do you think about that?
It is a political quagmire. If the North chooses to run another southern candidate against Bola Tinubu, it will have shot itself in the leg. Do not forget that this is a third-world country. Let us suppose you bring a fresh person and he wins. He will not enter into a deal with you. He will not spend another eight years. So you’ve simply stretched the rotation to the south by four years. What exactly has Bola Tinubu done? Let’s deal with this. What exactly has Bola Tinubu done? Bola Tinubu has proposed major reforms that will move the country away from the condition it has been in for the previous eight to 10 years. I am saying it here because it is the truth. This government has not been able to clarify its views. But those of us who observe from the outside can see it. When the Bola Tinubu administration took office, the country was finished, both socially and economically. We were spending 98% of our earnings, and debt servicing accounted for 98 cents of every dollar. We were subsidizing petrol. We were subsidizing power. We were subsidizing almost everything. There was extensive arbitrage in the foreign exchange market. Now, what did the Buhari administration do? They simply printed and proceeded to print money until they had printed 30 trillion naira in total. So Nigerians did not feel it since the money was still available, despite the fact that it was not backed by anything. Several countries have done this in the past. So it’s not a case of Nigeria being wealthy. Venezuela has one of the world’s greatest crude oil reservoirs. Venezuela has a higher poverty rate than we do. And I’ll show you something. If you look at 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollars, they are probably worth around $15, $16, or $17. Here’s what Bola Tinubu has spared Nigeria from. If Bola Tinubu wanted to be popular and sing, he would just go back and do what he was doing before, printing money till, God forbid, we reach this level. People have complained, which is understandable, that the dollar is worth N1,700; it could have been worse. It could have been N17,000, and the fuel is N1,000. It could’ve been worse. It could have been N3,000 or N4,000 a litre if these reforms had not been implemented, preventing the escalating hyperinflation that occurred following Bola Tinubu’s presidency. It is grossly unjust, if not evil, for anyone to criticize this administration after only 18 months.
The cost of living crisis is undeniable, and it is biting hard. Over the past nine and a half years under the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership, manufacturing has collapsed and economic losses have increased.
You are incorrect in claiming that after nine and a half years of APC government, I, Duyin Okupe, openly declared APC to be a conglomerate of weird bedfellows. I was laughed at. Many people coined the term I. However, it is now obvious that the APC was formed from numerous political factions, including the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and others. And these liquids were immiscible. Yes, it is the APC government. But in our country, we will need to be more discerning. Bola Tinubu cannot be held responsible for the government that before him. Yes, some argue that he was the main character who brought Buhari. When Buhari was announced as a candidate, more than half of Nigeria’s people rejoiced. So we all expected the general would do well. The Yoruba people believe that if a masquerade has already given birth to a child and the child is unable to dance, the problem is with the infant, not the masquerade who is giving birth. So, what you mentioned about manufacturing, foreign direct investment, and so on has been proven incorrect by recent occurrences. Today, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released a report indicating a three-point-something percent increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Manufacturing, as you indicated, was a key component of that boom.
In the fourth quarter of this year, the manufacturing sector grew faster than the previous year. Foreign direct investment is also increasing. And, as I have stated, Buhari printed N30 trillion, generating almost N7 trillion in interest. The N7 trillion interest has been paid by Bola Tinubu. The airlines were owed approximately $7 billion. And it was estimated that Nigerians’ travel from Lagos to London would have cost the economy over N12 million. However, in less than a year, this administration has resolved the issue. These already-implemented measures are beginning to show results. So, making broad generalizations about nine and a half years of APC government is incorrect. Let’s agree. Let us be factual. Let us know that this is where the administration began. This is where they say they are going. This is how far they are going. And then we support the administration in achieving its goal, rather than condemning, bringing down, and demonizing it.
The numbers you’re quoting mean nothing to the tens of millions of Nigerians who have been pushed into extreme poverty, as well as many of the people living on the streets; what do you believe can reverse that and rally everyone behind the Tinubu government?
In the first case, an administration lasts only four years. Do you believe that a rottenness that has persisted for more than eight years can be remedied in eight months? It can’t. I mean, I believe that anyone who wanted to run for president after a Buhari administration must have lost his mind, because why are we acquiring selective amnesia, particularly among elites? For eight years, our country went ignored in terms of social, economic, and financial aspects. Throughout those eight years, there were no threats. There were no complaints. There was silence everywhere. Everyone was in a mood of agreement. Someone has taken over this rottenness, and before he can even take his seat, you indicated that there is a lot of youth unrest in the North. For the past nine years or more, the North has seen an increase in the number of youngsters who are not attending school. Today, almost 20 million youngsters are out of school. President Goodluck Jonathan established almajiri schools, which were abandoned and scrapped. Now, if those almajiri institutions had been allowed to accept some of the pupils on the street, the restlessness and restiveness would not have reached this level. Can you honestly say that Bola Tinubu caused all of this? That’s not true. That is incorrect. I was telling you that we have a reformer in the villa, someone who isn’t desperate for power or glamour, who says, “I’ve stepped out, and I’m not going back.” I accept responsibility and intend to work to reform this country, as he is doing. Lee Kuan Yew spent 31 years reforming Singapore.
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As a former special adviser to two prior presidents, Obasanjo and Jonathan, do you believe that possibilities and prospects for Nigerians have increased or reduced over time?
I am a Christian, an evangelist, and a witness to Christ. I am not going to stand here for any reason; I have no desire to be a minister, commissioner, or anything. So I’ve got little to gain. My point is simply that I want the country to progress and flourish. And I’m not immediately opposed to the individual who is there right now. The truth is that possibilities have long since flown out of sight. New opportunities are emerging as a result of the established pillars. Do you want to talk about the children who were unable to attend school because their parents did not have enough money? It will have been considerably worse today that many are unable to feed themselves. This means that many more of our young people will be unable to attend university. Today, Bola Tinubu has made poverty not to be an issue or an excuse not to be educated. There’s a loan fund, which he promised in his agenda that he’s going to do, that is now operative. There are so many programmes for the youth, and there are so many plans to finance them that are currently going on. It will take time. I know Nigerians are pained. I know they say T-pain, which means Tinubu pain, but the truth of the matter is that it is not Tinubu pain. It is temporary pain for permanent gain. When there’s a reform that is going on, there’s nowhere any reform takes place where there are no temporary pains. And if there are no pains, there are no gains. We must all go through this. I remember very well when Ikorodu Road was being constructed, my late brother, used to live in Okupe Estate, he got home every day at 1.30 a.m., and 2.30 a.m. They suffered. It’s not just him as a family. Many people on that axis suffered. But today, we drive to Ikorodu Road in 12 minutes. A generation paid and suffered for the construction that was done in Metropolis at that time. So, a generation will have to go through some temporary pain so that generations coming behind and even those who are still alive can enjoy a much more permanent gain. The problem with Bola Tinubu is that during the election we had four major candidates and when you have strong candidates like that, it is difficult to amass enough votes to be able to have a majority. The Bola Tinubu administration came in with about 37 per cent total votes. So, those who are in opposition, who have lost, who are Africans by nature, who are bad losers, are those who are fanning the embers of criticism, of not doing well, of saying that he has abandoned us. Elections are over and Nigerians must go back and let us look at the governance. Let us critically, unbiased and unprejudiced look at what work is being done.
