IBB jailed me like a common criminal, but I forgive him – Ex-MILAD, Zamani Lekwot

Zamani Lekwot

by Akan Ido

In this Punch Newspapers interview, Maj.-Gen. Zamani Lekwot (retd.), a former Military Administrator of Rivers State, speaks about his career, his imprisonment, the Boko Haram menace and other contemporary issues facing the country.

Read excerpts from the interview below:

 

There have been a lot of killings in Nigeria by the Boko Haram sect. What is the way out of this problem?

My view is not different from other people’s views. There is nothing new to say. Mr. President has finished the talk, he has offered dialogue and as the philosophers, if you have a problem, put the problem on the table for discussion. In such situations, dialogue is the best medicine. I support dialogue; I believe in dialogue, it’s the only way for all parties to be given a fair chance to state their cases. When I was in the Presidency, your colleagues asked me this question and this was the answer I gave them. Dialogue is the best way out of this problem.

There have been divergent views on the proposed granting of amnesty to Boko Haram. What is your view on this?

Amnesty is a component of dialogue

So, you are in support of it?

Why should I be against it? I have just confirmed to you that I support dialogue. You can’t just give amnesty like that, I’m sure there would be things to discuss. In my view, amnesty is a component part of dialogue.

Recently, you led the Southern Kaduna people to the Presidency, what transpired at the meeting?

There is no secret about it, first as elders from our community, it was our fundamental right to visit Mr. President and have a chat with him. We had been planning the visit for a long time since our former governor, Namadi Sambo, was made the Vice-President. His elevation created a vacuum which resulted in the then deputy governor, late Patrick Yakowa becoming the governor. Yakowa in turn appointed a deputy governor. We felt since Yakowa was from our constituency, it was an opportunity to visit Mr. President and thank him. So, we had our plan but it wasn’t possible because Yakowa and others died in the helicopter crash. This time around, we took it upon ourselves to secure an appointment to go on a condolence visit to Mr. President and to thank him for the support he gave Yakowa when he was alive. Later we learnt that he promised to extend the same support he granted Yakowa to the new governor. So, given that assurance, we felt that as elders from the late Yakowa’s constituency, it was time to fulfil our promise and we are glad that he granted us a warm reception.

It was reported that you told the President that there is lopsidedness in political appointments in the state and that Southern Kaduna people are not being carried along in the state. How true is this?

It’s a fact. In Kaduna state today, the southern part of zone two and the whole of zone three are the Peoples Democratic Party’s stronghold and our voting culture is such that we vote in bloc. When you take a look at the political appointments’ chart, we have only seven federal appointments. Zone one which was won by the opposition during the election has 15. Zone two has nine. However, we conceded to Mr. President that he inherited this lopsided phenomenon. Our appeal was for our areas to be considered if new appointments are to be considered. We are not asking for anybody to be moved, no. Whoever comes from Kaduna State and is occupying a Federal Government appointment deserves it. Let sleeping dogs lie. But for future considerations, attention should be paid to our area because our youth are very angry. They notice what is going on and they vent their anger on the elders. They think we are not doing enough. Apart from the youths’ anger, the rules of equity and justice demands that in a set up, when things come, they should be equitably shared. Apart from appointments, there is also the issue of federal projects. There are a few federal institutions in Southern Kaduna, most of the institutions and establishments are restricted to Kaduna metropolis area and zone one. We cannot go to the moon for our share, so we went to Mr. President to let him know. We did not report anybody; we just tabled the facts before him to give him a fair chance to see what he can do. I put it to anybody who is rationally minded that politics is about patronage and reward. During the elections, 90 per cent of the vote cast were for the ruling party. But when the time to share the cake came, that part was not rewarded. It is the duty of that part to make that known. The country is so large, Mr. President cannot know everything. So, we did what we did in good faith, in order to put all in the corridor of power on notice and I think Mr. President and his team received us very well. We are very grateful to him.

Did you explore all the internal mechanisms within the state to resolve them before heading for the Presidency?

Yes. In fact, on that matter, we paid a similar visit to the vice-president in December 2011. For your information, before we went to Abuja, our present governor was briefed. In fact, it was the vice-president’s office which facilitated the visit and Mr. Vice-President was there as well as the minister from Kaduna State. So, it was a family thing and we believe in dialogue with good communication. When you are sick and you go to a doctor, if you don’t tell the doctor everything about what is worrying you, he cannot help you. So, that was what we did in good faith.

Some people say your people’s agitation for the proposed Gurara State died down when late Yakowa became governor. How true is it?

It is a misrepresentation of fact. The agitation for splitting Kaduna State has nothing to do with who governs the state. This is because, according to the last census figures, the present Kaduna State is the third most populated state with over six million people. More fundamental than that is the fact that in the former northern Nigeria, there used to be some large provinces, larger than others. Like former Sokoto State which is now split into three states, Kano State now split into states, former Borno State, former Gongola and Benue. Today, the former Zaria province, now Kaduna is the only former large province that remains intact. Former Sokoto State now has nine senators, more House of Reps members, they have more local governments, and these are channels of development. So we are saying since Kaduna State is so large in land area and thickly populated, it should be split in order to create another centre for development. Splitting the state into two is the only solution. Dividing Kaduna State now doesn’t mean more than that.  Like Borno State for instance, we now have Yobe, Potiskum, which used to be a village. I was Brigade Commander in Maiduguri 1973. Potiskum is now a fully developed city and credit goes to the creation of Yobe State. Part of Benue used to be Igala and Igbirra, but they are now in Kogi with Lokoja as the headquarters. Go to Lokoja now and see things. So whether we like it or not, state creation is the best avenue for even development. In the former Zaria Province, we were all brothers, if you go to Zaria, if you go to Makarfi, you find our people there doing businesses. God created us to live together. The last point on this is, at the end of every month, when the statutory allocation comes from Abuja, after taking out the salaries, what is left is too small for development. So we are saying that creating Gurara State would create a new development centre so that new institutions can develop and more job opportunities will be created for the youths. In fact, we have chosen Kachia as our capital for many reasons. It’s central; it’s a virgin territory, so the construction work that will be going on there will create jobs for businessmen and for everybody, and that would be good for the economy. Happily enough, there was a memorandum by some Zazzau people; they too are in favour of the splitting of the state. As long as we remain one, we are going to continue to languish in economic difficulties. So, the agitation has nothing to do with the late Yakowa being in office.

Are the attacks on Southern Kaduna communities not worrisome?

They are not restricted to Southern Kaduna, it happens in Benue, it happens in Plateau. It’s a whirlwind that is blowing around and it’s intriguing because the Fulani and the natives were all born and bred there. Personally, I find it embarrassing for people who have been neighbours for a long time to wake up and start killing one another. It’s not necessary. What we desire is peace that will usher in stability and progress. Happily enough, the government is doing something about it.

But many expected that the Southern Kaduna leaders and the Fulani Ardos would constantly sensitise the two sides on the need to live peacefully.

There are 30 chiefdoms in Southern Kaduna, what happened was in only three chiefdoms. In others, what you are talking about is what has been done, meetings have been held with the Fulani Ardos, the district heads, village heads and the philosophy of peaceful coexistence has been expounded. The latest one happened in Atakar. I also believe that these attacks are carried out by outsiders but whoever is using them needs to re-think because in the end, where there is a crisis, the collateral damage knows no bound. The government has intervened. The chiefs and their people are up and doing to promote the philosophy of peace and peaceful coexistence and I’m sure that in no distance future, we shall see peace.

2015 is fast approaching and the North wants power to come back to the region. What is your view on this?

What you have described is natural, I hear people of the South- East, too want it and the South-South people are saying, our man is there, let him have his second term. This is democracy in action. It is natural on the eve of an election for people to start agitating and you can’t take that away from them. That is what makes democracy vibrant. If what you are saying is not happening and people go to sleep, you too will go to sleep. So, politicians are at their best while discussing things like that. What some of us who are not taking part per se, being elders, are praying for is that let the game be played according to the laid down rules. There must be losers and there must be winners. If you lose like in many competitions it doesn’t mean you didn’t play well. Maybe the other team that won prepared better. So, you just need to go back to the drawing board for the next round. But what some of us are seeing is that in the Nigerian context, when politicians lose, they swear not to allow the winner to enjoy his victory. In other words, we must learn to play the game, winning is a bonus. If you play well, you will give the opponent a tough fight, that will leave some food for thought for him and the struggle continues.

Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, said recently that President Jonathan had signed a one-term pact with the governors. What is your take on this?

There are two sides to every coin. There are two sides to every issue. We have heard from the governor but have you heard from Mr. President? Number two, what did the party say about the issue?  The party has not said anything. I believe that when the time comes, the truth will come to the fore. When somebody is gunning for something, he adduces many facts and theories to support his position. Somewhere in between, the truth will emerge. On who will be President in 2015,  I’m sure the party constitution and the party philosophy will hold sway. I am just a listener like you and others praying that the interest of Nigeria will be put on the front banner so that at the end of the day, whoever gets the strings to be President will be President. But again, Jonathan has an edge because of the incumbency factor so let me leave it there.

You normally don’t want to talk about this issue that happened a very long time ago, but Nigerians would really want to hear from you. Can you tell us what happened in Zangon Kataf some years back?

I recommend that you go and read the report of the Oputa panel. Other than that, there is peace in Zangon Kataf now. I will give you two documents, the immediate and remote causes of the Zangon Kataf crisis.  It was engineered by some people. Some fundamentalists wrote a letter to the former Sultan, making demands and the threatening that a Nigerian Jihad will start from Zangon Kataf. When the crisis grew, instead of investigating and nipping it in the bud, members of one community, including their chief, 61 of us, were arrested and thrown into the prison. The Okadigbo panel was a kangaroo panel. The Babangida government enacted a decree preventing us from appealing, meaning that whatever judgment was passed, was to be sent to the government. When that decree came out, Chief GOK Ajayi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, our leading counsel withdrew from the tribunal and when that happened, we begged the tribunal to give us 24 hours to arrange another defence team. They refused and pointed at a lawyer, who we didn’t even know. The law states that when an accused is standing trial, for a capital offence, he deserves the right to choose his own team or he should be granted access to the Legal Aid Organisation. None of them was made available; so we were without defence. Fifteen of us were condemned to death and later the government commuted it to five years imprisonment. So, it was a gross act of injustice in a country that prides itself as the giant of the sun. Clearly that Zangon Kataf episode proved that Nigeria is a midget, not the giant of the sun. They forgot that the Hausa people in Zagon Kataf village and the Kataf people in the chiefdom, haven been born and bred there are natives. At the end of the day, we have to tolerate one another. So after we served our jail terms, we returned home. During the recent crises, nothing happened in Atyap Chiefdom because of the able way his royal highness has marshalled the community together. People who say things about Zangon Kataf don’t live in Zangon Kataf. They are outsiders. Let me clear a point here, Zangon Kataf is a name of a local government, consisting of four chiefdoms; Atyap, Bajju, Ikulu and Kamanton. And Zangon Kataf is also the name of a village which is now a district, many people don’t know. I’m happy to say that there is peace. There is no problem and there will never be. Those of us unjustly incarcerated have resolved to forgive the forces of injustice and retrogression who perpetrated the persecution. So that is the situation.

Does this forgiveness include Justice Okadigbo?

Yes, I forgive him.

What about General Babangida?

Yes, I forgive General Babangida. We worked together. We were staff at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna. The way he treated me violated the officer’s code of conduct. He should have invited me to find out but he didn’t. I was thrown into jail like a common criminal and incidentally, the domino effect came to pass. When that happened and nobody did anything, other generals under different circumstances were also thrown into jail and we lost one of them, Yar’adua. At the end of the day, injustice has a way of backfiring on a system. So, whatever was responsible, the chicken has come home to roost. For me, I have forgiven everybody in order to enjoy my peace. Definitely, I didn’t deserve what I was put through. It’s not in my character; those I have worked with and those who know me, know the fact but I  have forgiven them in the interest of peace, both internally and in the environment.

Looking back to that time and now, how do you feel about the past?

Well, God did it because I didn’t deserve it. I was framed up by my enemies but God did not allow it.  The God of equity and justice did not allow it. Today, they have problems, I don’t have any problem. Their conscience will hurt them till they die unless they purge themselves. From my side, I have forgiven them. I don’t have a problem at all, I go to anywhere I want. I was Ambassador to Senegal with concurrent accreditation to Mauritania, Cape Verde and you treat me like a common criminal. When I came out from detention, some of my colleagues wrote me letters expressing surprise and I assured them that what happened has passed. So, I don’t have a problem.

What is your relationship with Babangida like now?

When we meet we greet.  In fact I feel sorry for him. A General should not treat a fellow General like that because of a position he occupies. The military profession is guided by rules and decorum. If you violate it, it will affect others and everything will reverberate back on you. So I feel sorry for him. I don’t have a problem at all and I have forgiven him. I mean it.

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