Yar'Adua has promised to chart a totally different course. Nigerians would be watching to see which direction he takes them. Penultimate Thursday in Abuja, he fielded questions on his hopes for a new Nigeria as well as his vision. Excerpts:

My Main Priorities, By Yar’Adua

You have a responsibility to the people of Katsina State as the governor. You also have a responsibility to Nigeria now as the president-elect. How have you been managing this transition?

 
I think I have been managing it very well in the sense that I have a system which is working in Katsina State. Currently, I have a deputy governor who is the acting governor. And he has been doing very well. So, generally, since he has been coping well, what  I do is, when I go home, we meet, have a discussion and we agree on what to do. And when it comes to implementation, a transition committee is in place and members have been working with the governor-elect for the past two and half weeks, giving him all the necessary information he needs; taking him round the state to see all the outstanding projects that are on-going, the stage they have reached and what is required to continue.

This week has more or less been about briefing and it’s quite easy in that the governor-elect has been part of the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) political machine. So he knows how the party operates and as a party leader now in the state,  I have also linked him up with the party base. I think everything has been going on very well in the state. Here also in Abuja, I have been coping well, receiving delegations, receiving briefings from the Presidency and by Sunday, I will start receiving ministerial briefings. It will be hectic, from morning till late evening, and I think in the last one week, here in Abuja, we have come a very long way in terms of the general briefings.

The transition generally has not been as cumbersome as the one that took place in 1999 because you are talking about the same PDP government and the fact that many of the policies and programmes, you are going to continue with them. That is how to make progress.

So, it has not been difficult at all, unlike the transition that took place in 1999 which was a transition from the military government to the elected civilian government. It is also easy in another sense because it is not a transition from one government controlled by one political party to another civilian government controlled by a different party.

I read  one of your speeches where you said you were going to continue with the same policies. And people are already interpreting it to mean that this same pattern of government will continue. Are we going to experience any drastic change especially in terms of people's expectations or are we to assume it is just the same government with a different personnel at the head?

{mosgoogle}
You see, where somebody is doing a good job, even if he wants to go, I will ask him not to go because the important thing is to get people who will be committed to serve this country. So, wherever I feel that some people are doing a very good job, I will retain them to keep providing the service that they have been providing. Where I feel that we need to inject new blood and ideas, we will do so. But you do not expect immediate drastic changes just for the sake of change. You see, when you want to change a complete set of personalities, it will take time before you get the right team. So, my immediate priority is to inject new blood and new ideas and at the same time ensure some form of continuity. In essence, it will be a blend of continuity and change.

As you are coming to power, people expect much from you. The power sector is in comatose, education has collapsed and you can say that of other sectors. Majority of our people are unemployed. How do you feel about this enormity of problems?

Like I said several times, governing a nation and achieving a good result does not happen overnight. It requires hard work and efforts. It is also a matter of time. If you put a good policy in place and you implement it well, it takes time before it begins to manifest. It is just like growing a crop. You have to plant it; you have to water it and it takes time before you start expecting  the fruit. So, it is the same thing. What is easy to do is to destroy. You can destroy overnight. But you can't build overnight.

Take the policy on agriculture for example. At a time in the 80's, during the Second Republic, there was a Presidential Task Force on rice importation. That task force was charged with the responsibility of importing rice. In contrast today, there is also a presidential task force on rice. The difference this time is that the current task force is charged with the responsibility of producing rice. Now, if President Obasanjo's presidential task force on rice had been charged with the responsibility of importing rice, it would have performed short-time magic for Nigerians. By simply flooding the place with imported rice, within three months, the price of rice would have come down and become more affordable. But that is not building an economy; that would not make Nigeria to be self-reliant and produce wealth, which is the only way we can grow the economy.

The policy to produce rice will require research and you need the raining season to test and suggest how practically it can be realised. That will take a minimum of three years, after which you will need to contract one out to reproduce through distribution. That will take a minimum of four years. You will need to train workers to go into the field and train farmers on the new technology to increase rice production. If you make this effort and you are working hard, in about seven years, you can begin to see results and you can begin then to produce enough rice within a decade to satisfy the local demand and also begin to produce for export instead of importing. And if you must do this, you need to work hard. You also need to be patient. But the end-result is that you will create jobs, you will add value to the society, because you are now encouraging production. And that way, you can help the rice market.

You see, it requires hard work, but also, you need time because it takes time to achieve results. So, what I can say to Nigerians is that a lot of the policies on ground are directed at making the nation to produce and be self-reliant; our policies are in the right direction. In the long run, we need to build the economy of this nation, create and generate wealth and provide employment. This will form the basis for the liberation of this country. But we can only do this with patience and perseverance and we must work hard. The other thing is that power and energy...

(Cuts in) Yes, in that area you said you were going to declare a national emergency. What in practical terms does that mean?

When you declare a national emergency in a sector, it means you are going to make extra efforts beyond the ordinary to redress a bad situation. When you declare a national emergency, it means that in your efforts you will go beyond the ordinary--you are going to gather all the resources and talents of the nation in the process of tackling the issue. 

I believe that this issue of power and energy is so critical to the economic transformation of this country and to our collective effort to concentrate on building the economy, that it is one issue we must first address. And unless we solve this problem, we will not solve other problems in terms of building a sufficient national economy capable of producing wealth, capable of generating enough employment and capable of making Nigeria to become a modern nation. In fact, most of the other areas like healthcare, education and social infrastructure would begin to have meaningful improvement only when we successfully address the energy crisis.

So, when I declare the national emergency, it means the resources of the nation will be harnessed, we will all sit down and produce a blueprint. And this will be done within the first 100 hundred days in office. My immediate priority therefore is on how to achieve  self sufficiency in power and energy. We will look into all the legislative framework in that sector and see how to effect a legislation in conformity with the national emergency so that power and energy investors will come in after making the environment conducive. After that, we will help to encourage private-public partnership with an independent power blend. We will diversify the whole process of power and then we will help to harness our gas resources to ensure that we make gas available in driving our economy and also for providing and satisfying our domestic need in all major states in this country.

I believe personally that there appears to be a general consensus on the emergency situation in the power sector. Once we resolve it, we will solve almost 50/60 per cent of our problems because energy is crucial to the development of this nation or any nation for that matter.

Another thorny issue on which you have spoken is Niger Delta. How do you address the challenge of neglect, poverty and underdevelopment in that zone?

You see, all these problems can be solved once you have the right approach. I am not saying that I have a monopoly of wisdom, but what I know is that, in solving any problem, you begin by making what people must see as honest efforts. From that position you can then begin to see how to solve the problem. The previous governments, including that of President Olusegun Obasanjo, have made series of efforts to address the problems of Niger Delta and so far, they have achieved limited success. Now because of these previous attempts, we can now see that it is a problem that really needs a completely new approach.

What I intend to do during my administration is to adopt a holistic approach to the problem; and this current government of President Olusegun Obasanjo has already laid the foundation, with development masterplan for the whole zone. We need a development masterplan that is holistic and comprehensive for the entire zone. We will look at the Niger Delta region in its entirety. I had intended setting up a technical committee in consultation with all the stakeholders to produce such a masterplan. Now that we have one, what we have to do is to see how far reaching the document is in addressing the issues; where it needs to be re-adjusted and so on. The technical committee will examine the criteria for adequate funding, the timing and then work out a special timetable for the implementation and effective mechanism for monitoring the masterplan.

Once we have that, coupled with the fact that the vice president is from that region, the effort will inspire confidence in the people that we mean business because the problem of the Niger Delta region cannot be solved within one or two years. What you need is the confidence to know that it is going to work and we are serious and sincere with the will to implement what we set out to do as enshrined in the masterplan. We will get the entire nation committed to the implementation of the plan including getting the plan to be adjusted formally in partnership with the National Assembly so that the nation will have appropriate grounds to implement it. I believe that this will give the confidence that is required for all the stakeholders. This is the direction I want to take the Niger Delta issue. Once this is done, then you know that it will be more and more difficult for the militants to operate. With that also, we would identify the genuine agitators from criminals taking advantage of the people’s misery to cause damage and make money.

 While in the aircraft I saw you reading a story of the opposition saying that they reject attempts to swear you in as president on May 29 and how do you feel about your election which many have described as a sham?

 
You see, let me tell you something very quickly. I believe very sincerely that the outcome of the presidential election reflected the national reality that the PDP won that election. I believe that neither (Action Congress) AC nor (All Nigeria Peoples Party) ANPP won that election. And I fail to accept that my victory was because of any irregularity. You see, there are two different issues in this matter and we should put each in its proper perspective. The election could be flawed. The standard of the election could be low. I accept that the election might not measure up to the standard that one would call a good election. For all the people doing ratings, they could say it was a bad election, it was a poor election. I won't argue with them. But I disagree with anyone who says but for the irregularities, the outcome would have been otherwise. I believe that PDP won that election. Let me be frank with you, I will be surprised if in that election, Umaru Yar'Adua came second. One of the issues we must address as a nation is that we tend not to do things in conformity with the regulations, not only in general elections, but in everything that we  do in our national life. That is why I have been saying that one of the greatest challenges that we face as a nation, is trying to restore our national institutions. Whether it is the police, whether it is the court, whether it is the public service, whether it is the customs or immigration, whichever area you x-ray, you find that you can see loopholes. You find that we have defects in our national institutions and INEC is not different from these institutions. And this is one of the challenges that we have  to face as a nation.

We have to be able to respect our laws, our regulations, not only in general elections, but in every aspect of our national life. I want to be honest with you, every political party in Nigeria, every candidate that goes to the election wants to win and win at all costs. That is why even political institutions need to reform themselves. Every national institution needs to be reformed and the reform we need has to be in conformity with the laws, procedure and regulations even to win elections. Whatever may be your perception about the election, I do not believe, and this I say with all sincerity and sense of responsibility, that either the AC candidate or ANPP candidate or any other candidate but that of the PDP won the election because of the irregularities. I believe I won though many might query the conduct of the poll but I cannot be blamed for that.

We need to reform INEC, every national institution needs to be reformed in conformity with the laws that we have set out to govern our lives. And this lack of respect for law and order manifests in so many ways. We need to look at ourselves. We can only expect the institutions to discharge their duties effectively if the laws and regulations are being respected. So, it is a great national problem that we have in this country.

These are national problems. We need to look at our institutions with a view to ensuring that we restore respect for law and order, established regulations and procedures. We cannot fight corruption if we do not respect the laws governing our land. We can never build a nation that we can be proud of unless we respect law and order. Until recently, people took bribe with impunity. I believe that the Nigerian constitution under which we operate and the electoral law have provided avenues for all grievances. Everybody who contested the election did so because of the Constitution and the electoral law. So those who feel aggrieved can seek redress at the Tribunals.

 I think we need to function within the rule of law no matter what and accept that we have problems as a nation and our problems did not start with this general election. They have always been there but we must use this opportunity to address them. INEC is one national institution. Conducting election is one of its responsibilities. And INEC is suffering from the same problems with other national institutions. We need to come together to see how we can find a solution to this menace that affects law and order. And that is what we will do to take this country to the next level.

And you are going to start the process?

 
Yes, I will set the process in motion. That is why I said that it is one of the challenges of the Presidency when I come to office.

 General Muhammadu Buhari is your kinsman from Katsina State and Vice President Atiku Abubakar has always claimed that he's a member of the Yar'Adua Political family started by your late brother. Why is it therefore difficult to reconcile with them or are you not making efforts to reach out to them?

 
No, I am making efforts to reach out to them through intermediaries. Maybe it's too early to conclude that they are not ready to reconcile with me. Vice President Atiku Abubakar, as I have often said, is my elder brother and I am confident that the efforts at reconciliation will eventually bear fruits.

Now, let's go personal a bit. Do you recollect the vain efforts by your brother, the late Major General Shehu Yar'Adua, to become President? How do you situate that effort with you now becoming the President?

Like I have said at different times, I have no doubt in my mind that power belongs to God and it is whom He has chosen that He gives it to. So, I knew my late brother sought the office of President, contested for it, but he was not destined to be President of Nigeria. And because I have known it was the will of God, I have accepted it. I am now president-elect and if by the grace of God, I am sworn in, I will become the President of Nigeria. I have no doubt that it is the will of God.

You have an aged mother. How does she feel about her son now becoming President?

 
Well, I don't know. I don't know. I am sure she will be praying for me. You know she has also lost a son in this process.

Looking at your background, you come from an affluent and feudal background yet when you were in the university, you belonged to the radical school. Don't you see some contradictions here?

 
There is no contradiction in that my background was not feudal. I don’t see it that way. You see, my late father was a very strict disciplinarian. And he never compromised on certain values like honesty and humility. Not only did he practise humility, he also preached it to us. In fact, he practically demonstrated it throughout his life. When he was a Minister in Lagos in his house, so many times, people would come to him, he would just sit down quietly reading. Sometimes, they would ask him if he was indeed a minister.

And in Kaduna, wherever there was a public function, like say building of a central mosque or any public trust where money was being collected, throughout his life time, he would go quietly to give his money. He demonstrated humility throughout his life. So, you can see really that once you cultivate these principles of honesty, humility, charity, and you add to it humanity and contentment, you will be okay. I recall that even while my father was in Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), his politics was different from others in the party, because he would go to campaign from house to house. And that helped to make all the difference.

Given the role that Nigeria has been playing in Africa, what will be the thrust of your foreign policy?

 
The thrust of my foreign policy will first of all be Nigeria's interest because our policy must be well defined within our national interest and then the interest of our sub-region and then Africa, then the interest of world peace. That is the progression of my foreign policy thrust and that would inform my intervention in foreign affairs.

Are you then going to be another flying President?

 
If I get you correctly, I would say I disagree with your summation. In this modern world, there are responsibilities. As at the time President Olusegun Obasanjo came to office, Nigeria's image abroad had been so battered because of the years of (the late General Sani) Abacha's dictatorship. Nigeria internationally had been almost written off as a pariah nation. And the President needed to work hard to re-establish confidence, re-establish relationship and revive the image of Nigeria within the international community. So that really defined his travels. It was the circumstances that dictated his travels. Now, Nigeria has made a tremendous progress because we can see that foreign investments are now coming into the country.

Prior to 1999, before President Obasanjo came to power, most companies were divesting from Nigeria. But now that the situation is different, the Nigerian President can afford to stay at home and pay more attention to domestic policies and efforts to building the national economy; I won’t be travelling abroad so much as President Obasanjo did, because confidence has been restored. We have got debt relief. All the issues that necessitated President Obasanjo travelling abroad have been addressed. So, let me say that the travels of President Obasanjo were dictated by the circumstances of the time and he did very well by restoring the image of the country and re-building confidence in our nation and getting people from divesting to investing is not a small achievement.

One critical issue today is corruption. How will the war  be fought under your tenure?

 
The war on corruption will be fought as a continuous exercise. It will be a combination of strategies at various levels. Institutions like EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission), ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices Commission) of course, will continue to do their job and government will strengthen and support them. But also, we will try to ensure that the enforcement of the regulations will be carried out through observing various processes.

Now there are issues. The Fiscal Responsibility Bill being signed into law is another tool for fighting corruption. We will also live by example and also examine within the service itself, the key sectors. We will see how to increase greater transparency and try to make people more responsible and accountable in the discharge of their functions. And the war is not going to be won within a very short time. It will take time. But we need consistent,  persistent efforts and courage. What President Obasanjo has done, I will continue and expand on it. I will strengthen it and I think it will start accumulating effects and gradually, we will all begin to win the war.

As a former lecturer, you must be worried about the state of education in  Nigeria today. Virtually all the time, lecturers are on strike...

 
(Cuts in) I am worried, very worried. In fact, frankly speaking, one thing that I know that we must do is to tell ourselves the truth. Unless we are able to tell ourselves the truth, we will not address our problems. As far as I am concerned, our education in Nigeria is in serious crisis. I think we have not shown enough commitments to addressing the issue. Secondly, the standard of education in our country today is very poor. There has been a neglect of the education sector long before 1999.

We have a lot of work to do and one of the things that we must do is to adequately fund education. We must uplift our education. There are well educated young men and women who can perform intelligently and can carry out their responsibilities. But the way our education is, we need to tell ourselves the truth. One of the greatest assets that our nation has is brilliant minds. Unless you allow these assets to operate, there is no way our nation can be great.

In our seven-point agenda, education is one of them. Those three areas: education, security, power and energy are very crucial. If throughout my  presidency, I am able to tackle these areas, I tell you that I will be satisfied. We cannot do everything. We must tell ourselves the truth. There are certain critical issues which we must address in this nation and those will be my priorities. When we solve these problems, we will make other sectors less problematic so that others who will come after me, can do the rest.

I am not going to attempt to do everything because when you attempt to do everything, you end up spreading your resources thin, spreading your energy and not achieving anything. It is just like fighting a battle. You cannot win a war unless you are able to concentrate your troops. In running a nation, you must identify your critical objectives and make sure you get things right. That is what I intend to do. I do not intend to run a Federal Government that will be jack of all trade. I want to be sure that there are basic programmes to be put in place. But I believe that once these areas are working, it will be possible for other sectors to grow and make progress.

What do you consider to be the immediate challenges before you?

 
The Niger Delta issue, the power and energy issue, of course, education sector. We will really make sure that we begin to look at the electoral process, because it's also a key issue. After putting the government on ground, we will ensure the sustenance and entrenchment of key institutions. These are the issues.
Do you socialise at all? Do you play games?

Yes, I play games. I play squash. I hardly go to parties. But as the President, if I am invited to a function of State, I will attend otherwise I am not a party person.

How do you then define yourself? Who really is Umaru Yar'Adua?

 
I am always asked this question. But the only answer I give is in one sentence: I am a servant of God.

Robot  Villager

# 1 ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 29.05.2007 08:09

Omovudu  Villager

# 2 Indeed history has been made in Nigeria and this is for good. With all the imperfections of the April elections, this is still much better than an ambiguous interim national govt of appointeee. Yaradua gave impresseive responses to the interview questions. Hope he is able to focus on his top five priorities as he stated - power & energy, Niger Delta, security, education and electoral reforms - without the inteference of our crass political class. This is also why it is good that we are having a former governor who should be used to the pressures albeit at a lower level. I am most encouraged by how he describes himself - "a servant of God" and if this drives his presidency, then we should look forward to good times and a true renaissance building on the foundations Obasanjo has laid. Nigeria, welcome to a new dawn. Posted by Omovudu| 29.05.2007 08:42

NewNaijaMan  Villager

# 3 Whick kin "new dawn"? Una no dey see?? Open una eye!! He is a "servant of God". I hear! He is a "Servant of God" who is claiming an illegal and highly flawed mandate, indeed a stolen mandate. UMY knows INEC fabricated electoral results, he knws he won a flawed PDP primary, he knows his campiagn was financed by the greatest kletocrat in Nigeria - James Ibori, he knows he is surrounded and aided by numerous PDP demons and kleptocrats and yet he tells me his is a "servant of God"! And some of you swalloow this bile and smile. I cry for Nigeria, I cry for Nigerians who do not realize the extent of our decay and continue to accept this nonsence as they "suffer and smile" and refuse to redeem themselves from mental slavery. =Omovudu;179086>Indeed history has been made in Nigeria and this is for good. With all the imperfections of the April elections, this is still much better than an ambiguous interim national govt of appointeee. Yaradua gave impresseive responses to the interview questions. Hope he is able to focus on his top five priorities as he stated - power & energy, Niger Delta, security, education and electoral reforms - without the inteference of our crass political class. This is also why it is good that we are having a former governor who should be used to the pressures albeit at a lower level. I am most encouraged by how he describes himself - "a servant of God" and if this drives his presidency, then we should look forward to good times and a true renaissance building on the foundations Obasanjo has laid. Nigeria, welcome to a new dawn. Posted by NewNaijaMan| 29.05.2007 09:09

Lagenes  JJC

# 4 http://bentelevision.com/2007/home/homepage.php If anyone's still interested in watching swearing in ceremony of states, its in the above online link. Posted by Lagenes| 29.05.2007 09:12

Lagenes  JJC

# 5 Anambra state governor being sworn in now. Posted by Lagenes| 29.05.2007 09:13

dele26  Villager

# 6 I can see a good leader in UMY; patience is virtue they say. All we need now is patient to see him deliver all he’s promised. It is not Incongruous to say the election was not credible but should we throw away the child with the bath water? He responded well to the questions, but my fear is his willpower to withstand the stakeholders’ (PDP Chieftains) pressure. It is not a question of if they will come, but when. They will come with everything like vultures for their dividends Posted by dele26| 29.05.2007 09:36

NewNaijaMan  Villager

# 7 =dele26;179098>I can see a good leader in UMY; patience is virtue they say. All we need now is patient to see him deliver all he’s promised. It is not Incongruous to say the election was not credible but should we throw away the child with the bath water? Nigerians have been patient for 47+ years and where are we now? Tell me where are we?? Keep being patient while they oppress you deeper into the abyss. Posted by NewNaijaMan| 29.05.2007 09:54

Omovudu  Villager

# 8 Mr New Naija Man, You are a nay sayer who is blinded by avaricious pesimissm. So haven waited 47 years, you still cannot see the difference between the new president and those who have been at helm of affairs in those locust years. Why can't you acknowledge that there is a glimmer of hope. People like you should dig holes and bury yourselves so that you can be surrounded by the perpetual darkness you want to see. If you had watched his inaugural speech, you would have noticed the level of his seriousness, the consistency of his message and even the simplicity of his dressing (first time a president is being sworn in wearing just a simple gown. Give Yaradua a chance to bring the much desired change in our polity. Posted by Omovudu| 29.05.2007 10:09

emi  Villager

# 9 I must say I am impressed by his answers in the interview. Forthright, focussed and intelligent. I think it is worthwhile that we give him a chance in our hearts. But we musn't sleep with our two eyes closed. We must not cease from criticising, interrogating, and looking for better ways of getting things done. While we allow him the benefit of doubt, let us keep our doubts alive. Posted by emi| 29.05.2007 10:32

ikechiji  Villager

# 10 I view today with mixed emotions. On one hand, I am extremely happy that the arrogant and vengeful OBJ is out. I celebrate that because I know that his day of reckoning is coming soon. On the other hand, I find it sad that Yar'Adua has chosen to accept the results of a flawed election (voter allocation exercise) because "the results would not have been otherwise". In addition to lack of visionary leaders, corruption is a major impediment to the advancement of the Nigerian society. You cannot fight corruption when a corrupt process brought you to power. However, If Yar'Adua wants to start off on the right foot, his first act as President should be to fire Maurice Iwu and prosecute him for electoral fraud. His brazen announcement of made-up-numbers in Abuja must not be allowed to stand. The election tribunals should then annul most of the elections and have a new INEC organize new ones. Yar'Adua might in all likelihood win a new one but he would come to power with "clean" hands. Odego Posted by ikechiji| 29.05.2007 10:46

---

The conversation continues in our forum. Click here to read all comments

---