Mallam Tanko Ibrahim, AKA Likta, a Chairmanship aspirant for Abuja Municipal Area Councils (AMAC) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was an employee of the Area Council and later, among others, Chief of Staff to the immediate past executive Chairman of the Council.
In this interview with our correspondent, ABBANOBI – EKU ONYEKACHI, he among other topical issues, doesn’t only support the Northern Senators’ move against relocating FG agencies to Lagos, but also urges other senators to join them for the interest of the country
Excerpts.
Qtn: Having been participating actively in politics within and outside the FCT, what is your view on the demand by the Northern Senators that Tinubu should reverse his planned relocation of some Federal Government (FG) agencies from Abuja to Lagos?
Ans: Every leadership has its own style, likewise everybody, but I am not too okay with that, because as a developing nation, we are not helping ourselves. If I become a leader today and due to sentiment, I do the one to favour me, and when the other person comes tomorrow and do the one to favour him, isn’t the best. Today, you are from the Southwest and you are taking some agencies to Lagos and tomorrow, somebody from the Southeast comes into power and takes some to Southeast, we aren’t progressing. Government is all about coming together to be together and agree together. The decision of moving capital of Nigeria from Lagos to Abuja, was a collective decision, not one man’s. Because you are a president today from the Southwest, you shouldn’t relocate some agencies to Southeast without any good reason and collective decision.
So the Northern Senators are right and it shouldn’t be a call by them alone, but by all the senators, because this is not Northern Nigeria, but Nigeria and what they are demanding is for everyone’s good. I repete, this shouldn’t be from Northern Senators alone, but from a other senators, because it affects all.
Qtn: Don’t you think that the spokesperson of the Northern Senators, being a member of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) is using this method to disorganize the ruling APC?
Ans: The reason why we in the developing nations get it wrong is that we see things in the partisan against the reality angle. In the market, they don’t ask you if you are from the APC, or the PDP, before you sell or buy something. All of us buy and sell in the same market without minding the party you belong to. So we should begin to do things holistically as against politically, because Nigeria as a country is an entity.
Qtn: Every 24th January is set aside to mark International Day for Education, but in the FCT, to mark their own, the LEA school teachers are on strike, due to arias owed them, what would be your advice to the government and the teachers, for the interest of our future leaders?
Ans: When you want to get a leader, get the one who have education and knows its value, because, you can’t value what you don’t have. When we were in AMAC under the leadership of Candido, we knew the importance of education and the teachers and were committed in meeting up their demands, because the person piloting their affairs knew their importance. Due to their importance in nation – building, teachers were paid, before others, when we were in AMAC. So education shouldn’t be toyed with, because it is one of the keys to success.
Qtn: As one of the aspirants to the position of chairmanship of AMAC, can you briefly tell us the motivation?
Ans: Well, my people demanded that I should come and take them to the promised land, and after thorough consultations, I decided to obey them. That is why I am aspiring, and under my party, the APC.
Qtn: For Idu, your people to call you to come and aspire, do you think that they can deliver you with their meagre population, as against the thick population of Gbagyi and others?
Ans: An individual may have seen leadership quality in you and call you to serve, and in the process, you may be surprise to see multitude of people joining – in to support you. So it isn’t only Idu, but you know that we have our gifts individually and there is something they saw in me that made them to all me to aspire. So by the grace of God, the entirety of AMAC indigenes and residents will join in the support and the call.
Qtn: Am I right to say that your people are pushing you into what you are not prepared to go into?
Ams: My religion says, if somebody is scrambling for leadership position, don’t give it to him. You should allow the people to judge and choose you and see the charisma in you. I am not the type that scrambles for leadership at all cost, so now that they have called me, I think that the right thing to do is to answer the call and that is what I have done. Now that they have seen leadership in me, what we shall be talking about now is how to go into it with the total submission to the will of Allah. So I won’t disappoint them and by the grace of God, we shall be there, but not under do -or -die -affairs
Qtn: As a Gwandara by tribe, many of your people are aspiring, to be compared with the Gbagyi that has multitude of population, how do you see your chances?
Ans: That is the beauty of democracy. Even if we have mammoth population aspiring among my Gandara people, it is acceptable, because at long last we shall sit down and pick the most qualified and support him. As I said earlier, I am not desperate in this. If my people say I should go, them so be it, but if they choose a person more qualified than I, then we shall support the person. The chairman is like a driver, but he needs a conductor and passengers, because he can’t do it alone. So I believe in the government of all inclusiveness like Candido’s when we were in AMAC.
Qtn: Recently, Gwandara people met, perhaps on the upcoming election, and if yes were you chosen?
Ans: The gathering was to harmonize the leadership of our great association, Gwandeka. So I don’t believe in sentimate and ethnic discrimination. I am a street man, and a man of the people; from Dei – Dei to Mararaba, I believe in unity of purpose, because I am for everybody. I don’t believe in narrow politics.
Qtn: Don’t you think that you shouldn’t judge yourself, but the people should?
Ans: Go to Dei Dei Market to find out, and you may be surprise to find out that I am more popular than you, among Ndigbo in Dei Dei Market.
Qtn: As a part of the immediate government in AMAC, tell me what you didn’t do that time, that you want to do now?
Ans: In the past government, I was a student, with a teacher and a leader, who performed wonderfully well, so I want to start where he stopped. So I want to experiment what I learned from my mentor and today we are proud about him everywhere.
Qtn: You know that you must have what you want to do for the people, who brought you out to aspire, what are those things?
Ans: As I said initially, I want to continue where my mentor stopped, because, till tomorrow, nobody can break the record of what my teacher did. And I assure you that I will do better than him, because it is the prayer of a father to see his son greater than him. My boss, Candido will be happy to see me perform better than him. His was contextual leadership, mine will be digital.
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Sent: Thu, Jan 25, 2024 at 16:59
Subject: Interview picture of Likta
Likta
