Professor Gambo Laah is a Professor of Population Geography at Kaduna State University and a commentator on public affairs. He was a former Head of the Department of Geography, former Dean of the Faculty of Science, and former Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies at Kaduna State University. He is the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of Greenfield University, Kaduna.
Prof. Laah is a member of the Academic Advisory Committee of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos. He is the Chairman of Industry Relations at Kaduna State University and the 2nd Vice President of the Association of Nigerian Geographers. He holds the traditional title of Iyan Mabushi in Atyap Chiefdom in Kaduna State.
He spoke on the occasion of Nigeria’s Democracy Day on a wide range of issues, including the viability of democracy, the gale of changes in political fortunes across the world, state police, voter sophistry, federalism, and the North’s response to it, as well as Uba Sani, among others, in an in-depth interview with Emmanuel Ado, a media consultant to the Kaduna State Government.
Question:
After what seems like years of decline, countries across the world are in 2024 voting for democracy. Millions of voters around the world, from India to South Africa, recently went to the polls to elect their leaders. What are some key takeaways?
Prof. Laah:
Let me say that I am happy to be part of the celebration of democracy, the return to civilian rule after years of military dictatorship, because we have finally said bye-bye to military dictatorship and embraced democracy as the way to go. The world has definitely come of age in embracing democracy, which has led to critical development at levels that we have not seen before.
This year we have seen elections in different countries, but the key and sad thing is that we are having a shift to the far right, which is very alarming. Alarming in the sense that when the British people voted to exit the European Union—Brexit—it was on the grounds that they wanted their government to concentrate on them, that their government must take care of them before others. This has serious implications for the world.
Migration—this concept of Japa, migration—is no doubt a major issue in Europe, and it would lead to harsh laws. The Europeans are beginning to tighten their borders—they don’t want immigrants coming in anymore. What that means is that we have to develop our country to prevent our people from the humiliation of migration. But I can tell you that although we have had challenges, we have issues, but there has been significant development, the election of far-right politicians is a warning to Nigerians and indeed Africans to put their house in order. The far-right rhetoric of the likes of Donald Trump is real. As a people, we must begin to think inward and harness our resources and stop trading our natural resources without adding value.
I think it is a good thing that the BJP in India suffered a defeat in the election, although they still have the majority of seats. The African National Congress (ANC) equally suffered a crushing defeat, and it needed to go into an alliance to form a government. This is an indication that the people are beginning to assert themselves, and not necessarily that they are questioning the foundation of their democracy.
In Senegal, we can interpret the voting as a vote against continued colonialism. The people seem to have said it loud and clear: let’s move away from colonial mentality and develop ourselves. What the United States and the other developed countries are telling us Africans, but especially Nigerians, is that we need to work on developing our countries.
Question:
In South Africa, the ANC lost their majority, and in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and they have so far held sway for eight years. With another four years down the line, what does this say about the Nigerian electorate?
Prof. Laah:
Yes, of course, you know that first and foremost, we don’t need to be questioning the legality of the election of President Bola Tinubu, as that has been settled. It was clear that Nigerians were fed up with the impunity of the PDP, and they decided to change them. That was the first time an opposition party would officially take over governance from a party that had kept describing itself as the largest party in Africa. It’s instructive that the people didn’t question the electoral process in 2015 because it was clear to everybody that the will of the people prevailed. In 2023, it was not as clear as it was in 2015, but of course, there is no doubt that the APC won the elections. So, voters are using their power from India to South Africa.
Question:
You’re a consultant to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). What’s the magic because votes are finally beginning to count? We are no longer having those scandalous numbers like we used to. Is this a sign that we are making progress?
Prof. Laah:
We are making progress, in the sense that the number of people that voted were those who registered. It is a significant improvement, though we have laxity in voters’ registration between the ages of 18 to 25, as they are still not showing sufficient interest in voting. But if you compare the 2007, 2011, and 2023 voting, there is a significant and progressive improvement in the proportion of young people who have registered to vote. It would be great if the Identity Card, the BVN, and ATM cards are harmonized into one ID. This would lead to a significant improvement in voting. We don’t need all these different cards. We need to continue with voters’ advocacy. And I would support the scrapping of state electoral commissions…
Question:
But we are talking of true federalism, won’t that negate the principles of true federalism?
Prof. Laah:
True federalism does not mean that you cannot have a national structure or national architecture in some areas, just as true federalism does not imply having a separate military or foreign affairs ministry… these areas are settled, but that is not to say we don’t need a state police. If you introduce state police it would help maintain the electoral process, because a state will now be able to use its own police to maintain order because they understand the environment very well. So if we have state police, we can even gamble to allow the state electoral commissions to remain intact, but where we have the police under the federal government, we can’t have an effective state electoral system because the police as presently constituted are not answerable to the state governors who are the chief security officers of their respective states.
Question:
But if you have a state police will it not be the same scenario? The fear in some quarters is that state police would be manipulated by the state governor against the opposition?
Prof. Laah:
No, it will not because there will be checks, and the federal government will still maintain some presence in the states. It has a duty to ensure the continued corporate existence of the country, so they would not tolerate the idea of a state governor using state police to go after the opposition. So to me, state police is a gain, I wholeheartedly support state police. And I must commend Governor Uba Sani for his consistency on the matter.
Question:
The two recent elections in Africa – Senegal and that of India, especially the election of the President Bassirou Faye who was a prisoner, and India’s BJP party not winning outright majority, and South Africa’s ANC which had to go into an alliance – are these warning signals that voters are becoming more daring?
Prof. Laah:
In fact, let me take the case of Senegal. President Bassirou Faye was in prison, and because the forerunner Ousmane Sonko was disqualified from running, he was drafted to run. The key factor is that the people made the point that they want to be truly independent. Remember that the president was a tax collector and has asserted that the taxes being collected can drive the development of Senegal. Taxes can drive development, just like grants can help run the universities. Last year, Lagos State University attracted over a billion naira grant for research. So, universities must invest in internet connectivity and power in their institutions to enable their lecturers to attract grants.
Question:
Give me your honest assessment of 25 years of democracy in Nigeria?
Prof. Laah:
To be honest, we have grown, I’m not among those who think that nothing good has happened in Nigeria. No, we have grown. Before 2000, we didn’t have GSM, so if somebody died, someone would have had to travel to inform his family. It might look insignificant, but it’s a big leap. And being a democratic country has opened doors for us as a country and a people. We certainly have made progress in 25 years. The freedom you enjoy is something that can’t be quantified.
Question:
So, in real terms, because you’ve talked about tangibles and intangibles. Let’s talk about the 25 years anniversary in real terms?
Prof. Laah:
In real terms, we can talk about infrastructural developments and the conducive environment for the private sector, don’t mind the economic crisis which is world-wide.
Question:
But virtually every part of the country is challenged?
Prof. Laah:
Every part of the country is challenged. Yes, the South East is tragically challenged because of the IPOB problem, the Niger Delta has its own problems and, in the North, we have the crippling security situation. I absolutely agree with you. President Umaru Yar’adua initiated the amnesty deal which I must confess worked. I know some people are canvassing that it should be replicated in resolving the issues in all the troubled regions, including banditry. We need more boots on the ground. But we are making progress… apart from Dangote refinery, there are others coming on stream. The Dangote refinery is a game changer.
Question:
But job creation?
Prof. Laah:
Well, it’s challenging, that does not mean that the jobs are not being created. If you look at the report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) it will confirm this as a fact. The only problem is that it is not proportionate to our population and that is definitely a challenge. It’s the private sector that can create jobs, not the government. The federal government has only 1.2 million people in its employment.
Question:
What are the traits that you are seeing from both elected officials and the electorate?
Prof. Laah:
Now, let’s understand one thing, the impunity of the win-at-all-cost madness during elections is becoming a thing of the past. Why? Because the judiciary has reversed a lot of what happened during the elections. So, the signal that is coming out from such an arrangement is that people are becoming wary of rigging. It’s only a matter of time before the electoral system is fully refined. Kaduna State did introduce electronic voting machines and I’m sure the federal government can do that. If you look at the Labour Party, the obedient movement, and what they achieved, there is hope. It shows a new orientation. In Kaduna State, poor aspirants defeated some members of the House of Representatives… no one saw that coming.
Question:
In Kaduna state, APC lost the presidential elections. PDP took the three senatorial seats, but they won the governorship. What does that say?
Prof. Laah:
That’s the dynamics of enlightened voters, who in the presidential election voted Atiku Abubakar and in the governorship for Senator Uba Sani.
Question:
So, voters are becoming sophisticated?
Prof. Laah:
Absolutely yes. They understand the importance of capacity and that is the kind of sophistication we want. So, in Kaduna State, all the senators are PDP, but the APC sprinted a surprise by claiming the majority in the state house and by winning the governorship. They cast their lot with Uba Sani who had invested in them through his foundation and had performed creditably well at the senate.
Question:
This says a lot about Senator Uba Sani?
Prof. Laah:
Of course.
Remember we had three candidates, and the people made their decision. In fact, many members of the PDP came out openly in support of Senator Uba Sani, but they didn’t withdraw their membership of PDP. It is a good sign that we are beginning to discriminate based on capacity.
Question:
What in your opinion have been the high and the low points of the 25 years of democracy?
Prof. Laah:
Well, let me start with the low point. The lingering security challenge remains the number one. The issue of the so-called yahoo yahoo-boys and its associated problems. Nigeria has acquired a terrible reputation because of their activities. We have survived despite our challenges and that shows our resilience. There is no country that will be exposed to the challenges Nigeria has faced and survive. Moving forward, what is required is for government to provide the enabling environment for people to achieve their goals. It is not the responsibility of government to provide jobs; its responsibility is to provide the enabling environment for jobs to be created. How many jobs can the Federal Government provide? We have only 1.2 million workers in the federal government. So, if the NLC is fighting for the increase in salary for these 1.2 million workers, it must note that they are insignificant compared to about 230 million people who have nothing to do with government. Even the workers at the state level amount to nothing when compared to the rest of the population. Our most important mainstay is agriculture. Not many people remember that in 2015, 2016, 2017, most of those who performed Hajj were farmers, and not civil servants.
Question:
The high points…
Prof. Laah:
The high point is that we have developed our capacity, our international ranking has increased. We have continued to manage our differences. We have the highest number of medical personnel in the UK, in the US, and that says something about our educational system. We have not done well with the power situation. It’s sad to see the high rate of vandalism…the rail tracks are being stolen.
Question:
President Bola Tinubu slowly is working on restructuring the country, for instance, the Electricity Act of 2023 which allows states to generate electricity has been signed into law, and the process towards amending the constitution to allow for the establishment of community police which Governor Sani has been in the forefront championing is ongoing. What do you want to say about the entrenchment of true federalism?
Prof. Laah:
Unfortunately, the North has been very suspicious of true federalism. And why is the North suspicious of true federalism? The argument has always centered around resource control. Unfortunately, a lot of people think that once you have true federalism, they will not benefit from certain resources, but that is not true. Before crude oil became the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy, it was agriculture. The South-West was not built on petroleum, it was cocoa. The North did not make its name from petrol but groundnut. The South East was rubber and palm oil. So, I think the emphasis on crude oil, which has a shelf life due to environmental concerns, and with the advent of electric cars, shows that it would soon be past tense. With the refinery in Niger, the Katsina man would prefer loading from there than going to Lagos.
Question:
Is that beginning to happen?
Prof. Laah:
Of course, it is beginning to happen.
Question:
In Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, a democrat, is in the saddle. He was very active in the campaign against military dictatorship. Give me your thoughts on this. There must be a difference when battle-tested generals lead the war against poverty, against unemployment, and increased agricultural production.
Prof. Laah:
I like the way you introduced Senator Uba Sani, he is a damn good politician. Politics has to do with your temperament, your antecedents, your presentation, the way you see issues and the way you present issues. He has calmed nerves by some simple actions… his empathy, and this is what a good leader does. Once elections are over, you become the governor of all. Governor Uba has tried to be fair in the siting of projects; people have a sense of belonging. I don’t know how he is managing to execute the projects because of the financial crisis the state is facing. Governor Sani is reaching out to people and that’s strategic. …it’s the reason why the people have embraced him.
Some weeks ago, the Kaduna State University wanted to stop students who hadn’t paid their fees from writing their exams. When the governor heard about it, he intervened as the Visitor. He directed the university to allow them to write their exams while they made efforts to pay. So, if they had been disallowed from writing the exams, it would have been devastating, because they would have lost a semester. I can tell you that the directive brought a lot of excitement in the exam halls and to many parents. So, they wrote their exams, and they would pay before collecting their results.
Look at the various road projects, in fact, look at the lithium factory, and the other projects he has attracted using his network… the Qatar project, which is massive. He is a quiet achiever … I am also aware of the critical road project from Zonkowa to Zaria.
Question:
So, his Rural transformation agenda is key…
Prof. Laah:
Honestly, his rural transformation agenda is brilliant, and well thought out, because the moment you invest in rural transformation, you would have reduced the pressure on the urban centers. We are not seeing the benefits of the urban renewal because of the rural-urban migration. But once the rural areas are made habitable, people will have no reason to come to Kaduna where their quality of life will be zero, where they will suffer from pollution. So, the governor is spot-on in focusing on the rural areas, because once you develop the rural areas, you would have stopped migration to the urban center and this would impact on agriculture. Why should I come to Kaduna if I have power, good roads, and the incentives to increase my production? You need to go to Samaru Kataf to see the vocational technology city. I like the fact that he is doing something drastically different from the BATC.
Question:
So, just like many other commentators, you also believe his one year has been impactful?
Prof. Laah:
Very, very impactful in every respect. Psychologically, you can’t quantify what his inclusiveness has done, and this can’t be measured. People are feeling more relaxed. And this is key. And I must say that the security situation has improved and would continue to improve because the governor is determined to ensure that his citizens are safe.
Question:
You already hinted at the paucity of funds and what he is doing….
Prof. Laah:
I don’t know, but the governor must be a magician. Governor Uba Sani has shown that lean resources cannot be an impediment, that one can still make an impact once the commitment is there. I wonder how he is doing it, but I certainly know that projects are going on simultaneously in Zone I, in Zone II, and in Zone III.
Question:
Don’t you think it’s financial discipline?
Prof. Laah:
I think so. I have heard people complain that he was more generous as a senator than as a governor. Once he saw the financial situation, he adjusted. He refused to buy new vehicles for his commissioners and other appointees. He is equally not using new vehicles. Considering the economic situation, it would have been economically disastrous for him to purchase new vehicles. So, I see him as someone that is prudent. He deserves commendation for prompt payment of salaries and for executing projects.
Question:
Finally, moving forward, what areas would you want the governor to focus on?
Prof. Laah:
I want both the federal and state governments to really look at agricultural and rural development. We must find a final solution to the farmers/herders’ crisis. I know a lot of people are opposed to the ban on open grazing, sincerely speaking, as a cattle farmer you can’t get the benefit from open grazing because the cows can never do well. If you go to Kenya, where they have a structured farming system, people are benefiting from grazing. They have more milk, more cheese because the animals are healthier because they are not being moved from one place to another, which reduces their milk and meat. So, to a large extent, I support the ban on open grazing, but I would want to see the government invest in ranches for cattle farmers.
Question:
What’s your message to the good people of Kaduna state?
Prof. Laah:
Well, I like the Kaduna people to continue to give Senator Uba Sani their unflinching support, they need to be more patient, they need to also understand that the times are hard. And I think if we can have this at the back of our mind, because when we talk of security, it is not people from space that will come and help us tackle the problem, because security starts with us – when you see something, you say something to the right person, that in itself will be okay. We need to avoid vandalizing government properties like the street lights, the traffic lights which people knock down with reckless abandon.
