The name, Yerima Usman Shettima, rings the bell in the field of human rights activism and among the pro-democracy family.
The Kaduna State-born activist is the National President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), which has wide followership across Nigeria and in the Diaspora.
The outspoken youth leader this week spoke with our man, Razaq Bamidele in Lagos over a couple of national issues like the just concluded election, rumoured Interim Government and tasks before the in-coming President.
Excerpts:
Are you okay with the just concluded general election in Nigeria?
I am okay with it. I am very okay with it in the sense that I can confidently say that, during the election of 1993, I was not that mature to understand the Nitti gritty of what politics was all about. But I witnessed that of 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 and I witnessed the recent election of 2023. Therefore, I can tell you in confidence without any fear of contradiction that we had never had a transparent election like that of 2023. And that is the honest truth.
But some people are grumbling that….
(Cuts in), well, for me, Nigerians have spoken and those who harbour grudges know what to do. In the whole world, there is nowhere election would be conducted and some people would not complain. There is no way some people would not have one thing or the other to say about it because we are imperfect beings.
There is no way you expect an election conducted by we mere mortals that would be 100 per cent perfect. Even in America reputed for being the oldest democracy, there are always complaints here and there too. So, ours should not be seen as different. For me, the election was okay.
Are you then saying that May 29 inauguration of new President is sacrosanct?
Oh yes. In fact, we are expecting the day to come as quickly as possible. We can’t wait for the inauguration and swearing in of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the next President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That is why some of us are watching with keen interest. We have seen the hand writing of anti-democracy forces on the wall. The enemies of democracy are moving. Their body languages are suggesting that they are up to something. They have an ulterior motive!
And we democratic forces, who have paid our dues in democratic struggle, who understand what it takes to get to where we are now, who understand that even at some points when we were not privileged to occupy political spaces but in trenches to fight for democracy, we cannot fold our arms to allow the undemocratic forces to undermine our democracy and take us backward.
So we are watching with keen interest and from now to May 29, we will keep watching till we get to the Eagle Square where the elected president will be sworn in and inaugurated. We will then relax.
Do you have any idea of rumoured proposed Interim arrangement?
Well, yes. But it is very stupid of them because, apart from we watching to resist any attempt by any anti-democratic forces, we are also saying that such a contraption is not constitutional because you cannot find that as a provision in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It was possible for the military to foist such a contraption on the people but it is not possible under the 1999 constitution as amended for anything close to an Interim Government and that makes it sound stupid and idiotic in a way. For me, I don’t see the protagonists as serious people. I am sure they are confused. However, they might be sleeping and dreaming or something.
It beats imagination for people to just wake up from the wrong side of their beds and start conjuring impossible things in their mind! If such dreams used to become realities in the past they better know that such a thing never happens these days.
Is it true you and some of your colleagues in activism have vowed to resist the idea vehemently?
Yes, of course. If they try it we will occupy Nigeria. Not only me, because there are other forces who are advocates of democracy who have suffered and who have paid their dues in my constituency as activists. Together would occupy the country across board.
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The experience they had during the #EndSARS protest would be nothing to write home about compared to what would happen now. Let them try it and behold the consequences!
What do you think prompts them towards that idea?
Well, I will say selfish interest. They have become a bunch of bad losers. They refuse to accept what has befallen them as reality. So, they live on imagination and foolish thinking they can turn things around and make it different from what is the popular demand by the people.
How did the election assist the unity of Nigeria in your own assessment?
Well, this election, most political actors did not play by the rule! And whether we like it or not, religion has come to play and ethnicity also has played a role in the just concluded election which was not what we expected. But being that as it may, people have become politically conscious, they are aware of what they want. And that was why the election was held despite the divisions and despite the ugly language coming from the mouths of the politicians and political leaders; nobody took up any arm against anybody to fight for the selfish interest of any politician.
That was unlike what was obtainable in the past. By this, you can see that, gradually we are becoming matured politically and we are also at our level, sensitizing the people before the election that nobody should fight for selfish interest of anybody. Let the election hold and those who lose should wait for another election or if they feel they have something to bring to the fore, they can go to court to present their evidences before the court that can interpret them clearly.
What then would you say about those who are in court and at the same time protesting the outcome of the election on the streets?
That is why I said they are confused. You cannot demand two things at the same time. There is always a saying in Hausa language that translates to mean you can’t run very well when running and scratching your buttocks at the same time. It is either you stay at the side of the court or on the side of agitation for nullification of the election which will however be very stupid of you.
It is expected that people should not be bad losers when election is conducted because every contestant cannot be president at the same time. One has to win and the rest have to wait and give support if only they are true Nigerians and they want the country to do well. What they need do is to rally round, accept being defeated and work along with the winner so that we can build the Nigeria that all of us would be proud of at least to avoid crisis.
Now Sudan is boiling, people not even only the citizens, the visitors in the country and the students are looking for ways of leaving the country but the border is blocked! And that is why I am saying the government of Nigeria has not done enough to take responsibilities because no matter what, those students and citizens are part of us. The government should hasten up to make sure that our citizens in Sudan are brought back home safe and sound.
Do you have an agenda for the in-coming President?
The agenda is before him already. With the situation we found ourselves now shows the country is fragile and don’t forget also that the administration of Muhammadu Buhari has not done enough to mend a lot of things. He should look at the country beyond any other interest to ensure that he brings everybody on board. He should bring people with energy on board and should consider other sections of the country that are not well represented to be part of the government so that at the end of the day, we will have a peaceful and an all-inclusive government in place. By this, everybody would have a sense of belonging and this country for once would be at peace.
With this in place, the President will be able to achieve whatever he wants to achieve. If there is no peace and there are too too much agitations, no one can be focussed and do something better. We need him to succeed and we will be around him to advise him and tell him what is necessary and what is not necessary. We can also guide him with some of our experiences to succeed.
If Tinubu succeeds, it is all of us that succeed because we are all coming from the same background. I mean the background of the pro-democracy struggle. We are very proud today that one of us is in the Villa and we will protect him.
