Dr. Ibrahim Dan Musa was one of the 23 presidential hopefuls in the botched 1992 National Republican Convention (NRC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential primaries. A founding member of some prominent political parties from the second republic to the 4th republic, Dr. Dan Musa was a presidential aspirant in the Alliance for New Nigeria(ANN) party in 2019. In this interview with AKIN ORIMOLADE, he speaks on topical national issues in Nigeria. Excerpts:
Doctor, at 35 years of age, you took the political landscape by storm. You became the chairman of the union of 23 presidential hopeful in 1992. Suddenly, you went underground and nothing is heard of your lofty political ideas. What happened?
I slowed down on politics to allow the youths to have space like me at 35 years old, then l contested for Nigeria presidential position between 1989- 1992 and in the last election again at the age of 65. So Nigerian youths, over to you.
Do you think the lifestyle of politicians triggered the recent nationwide protests?
Yes, politicians of today are flamboyant and insensitive to the level of poverty and unemployment in Nigeria. So today politicians are not sensitive and that was why Nigeria youths burst. If we are not careful, a revolution is cooking and even the rich and middle class are not safe especially having subdued security psychology though the security too is too excessive. The governance at all levels has taken Nigerian youths for granted for 60 years.
Cardinal John Onayekan once said we need a revolution of the mind to place the Nation in the rightful place, do you agree with him? Why?
Yes, Cardinal Onayekan was right. As a University of lbadan sociologist l believe change must start from the individual mind, then , we can change the society. I also want youths to take over with modern internet politics.
What does restructuring mean to you?
I believe restructuring will bring positive things. Nigeria could be restructured into these provinces: Northern, Middle belt, Oduduwa, Eastern, Niger Delta and central government at FCT. Some positive things restructuring will bring are economic explosion.
The first economic explosion would obviously be the Western Province. The Oduduwa Master plan will be revealed. There would be trans-regional 4g internet fiber connection/rail/subways/highways/ power grids etc. Yoruba will become the 2nd official language. They are relatively united. They have oil. They own academia. They have megacorporations. The WP would be the first to have a stable 24/7 power supply! Foreign money will flood the province.
More Forbes recognized billionaires will arise. Some of them will be internet billionaires. Lagos will be relieved a little from overpopulation as railway lines from other states will make living elsewhere and working in Lagos a breeze. The Northern Province(NP) will have stronger Islamic laws. Sharia will be entrenched and this will make the NP become the least corrupt province. The Middle East (Arab) nations will move in to partner with them, bringing major development. Jaiz Bank and Unity Bank will become mega banks. Arabic and Hausa will compete with English for dominance in schools. This province will generate more solar power than any other province.
After the west, this province will be the 2nd to have 24/7 electricity. They will start exporting food as a major revenue generator. The Middle Belt Province will have a development conference. Focus will be given to solid minerals development/exports, tourism development and food production/ exports. This will become a food hub in West Africa. They will export more food than any other province. Mega mining and food corporations will arise. This province will have foreign inflows through tourism development greater than any other province. It will host the most beautiful places to live in Nigeria. The Eastern Province will transform into the Auto Industry Hub of Africa. Indigenous manufacturing of vehicles that will start competing with foreign vehicles will commence in earnest. This will grow to manufacturing of airplanes, helicopters, tractors, cranes, heavy-duty construction equipment, etc. Forbes recognised billionaires living in Anambra will arise.
The Biafra agitation will fizzle out since the formation of the EP will be seen as a Biafra success in another form. There would be so much development that villages (as we currently know them) will quickly cease to exist. This province will be the first to semiurbanize all their rural areas as all the Igbos living abroad will rush back to take advantage of the changes. The Atlantic Province will take the Uyo blueprint and run with it. An abundance of oil wealth and opening up of major seaports at Rivers and Uyo will enable this region to revamp its infrastructure quickly. There will be more mono-rails here than anywhere else.
This will be the 3rd province to achieve 24/7 electricity generation in Nigeria (mainly from gas turbine technology). With provincial indigenous security forces in control, kidnapping, Armed robbery, Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen and the Niger delta militancy attacks will all fizzle out. Nigeria will become the most secure and peaceful African nation; thus attracting more foreigners. Each province will have its own airline professionally managed. And with better roads/rail, air and land transport costs will crash. With the rapid development occurring all over, Nigeria’s GDP will shoot up. Obtaining visas to travel out will become easy as more people will want to come in than go out. Worldwide immigration into Nigeria will commence, as Nigerians living abroad will be struggling with foreigners to enter the country. The central government at the FCT will become smaller and less powerful. There will be a mini-exodus from Abuja to the provinces as the action is now elsewhere. The outskirts of Abuja will no longer be heavily overpopulated. Abuja will become awesome again.
You once advocated for the extension of NYSC programme to two years. Kindly explain what you had in mind then. Or has it changed?
The Federal Government’s first step towards self-reliance is to extend the National Youth Service to two years under the compulsory National Youth Employment Programme. Under this programme all Nigerian youths graduating from higher institutions of learning will serve in military formations by rotation. Three months in the Army, three months in the Air force, three months in the Navy a three months in the police force or the paramilitary with regimented formations with free accommodation, free feeding and free uniforms for the period of the oneyear compulsory regimental training. Graduated youths under one-year compulsory military training will be taught all comprehensive tactics and wits and management of warfare and civil disturbance management. They will be taught leadership roles. This programme will make youths combatready for any insurgency and threats to out territorial integrity.
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