ACF decides who should not rule Nigeria: Mur’tala Aliyu
Malam Mur’tala Aliyu (Matawallen Gombe), Chairman Associated Cost Consultants, Executive Director Afri Project Consortium, hails from Gombe in Northern Nigeria. He is a professional member of Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Institute of Directors United Kingdom and the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), an organisation, he once served as her president. He also served as the president of the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria. QSRBON.
He schooled at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, school of Basic studies, Zaria and Federal Government College, Odogbolu, Ogun State for his ordinary school certificate, where he passed out with first division scores.
Aliyu, a passionate Nigerian at various times served the Nation in various capacities. He was a Minister of State at the Federal Ministry of Power and steel, 2001-2002, former member of the Governing Councils, Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi and Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State. Currently, he is the Secretary General, Arewa Consultative Forum.
In this interview with our team in Abuja, he bares his mind on various national and political issues, Nigeria’s democratic evolution, and the enduring insecurity in the federation.
Excerpt!
For the benefit of our readers what are the cardinal beliefs of the ACF?
The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, was established in March 2000. At that time, the essence of establishing the ACF was to protect, project, and realign the interests of the North in line with the wishes of the inhabitants of Northern Nigeria as an entity. We also believe in assessing our strengths and weaknesses, and to improve the economic well-beings of our people accordingly. We have a structure, a constitution and a leadership among other internal arrangements that drives our purpose. In addition, we stand for unity and peaceful coexistence among all residents of Northern Nigeria, regardless of their religion, language and colour. We believe in the progress, unity of the country, its peaceful existence and unified development. We are apolitical but politically inclined to the extent that ACF engages in all political matters that affect the country, particularly those that concern Northern Nigeria, being political means projecting or protecting what the North considers as its interests.
What are the ACF Political interests, does that includes determining who rules Nigeria?
The ACF is a socio-cultural group that brings all shade of opinions together in one platform. We are not a government. To be honest with you, we do not determine who rules Nigeria, but we can determine who should not rule Nigeria. We have a checklist of what we think a leader should be. We try as much as possible to educate members of the public on the kind of qualities a leader should have. By doing that, some individuals are naturally eliminated from consideration, while others have a fair chance. We do not interfere in who becomes what.
Are you saying only the North will decide who will be the president?
No, it is not only the North that will decide who becomes the president. However, the North will certainly play a substantial role in determining who emerges as President, because it is only the North that can deliver over sixty percent of the votes needed to ensure victory.
Is that why it is difficult for someone like Peter Obi to become President of Nigeria?
No, I do not think the ACF has ruled out Peter Obi as a person. I can tell you that directly. What the ACF insists on is that our regional and religious fault lines should not be exploited for campaigns. For instance, Obi had the confidence of many young people, but he went along religious and ethnic lines. That made it difficult for him to appeal broadly to the North. If, for example, you go to Sokoto and your focal person there is an Igbo man, I do not think you really intend to win Sokoto. Or if in Kano your lead mobilizer is from Sabon Gari, then clearly your goal may not be to win Kano, but perhaps just to get some sympathetic support. So, no direct antagonism or campaign against Obi or anyone else. But we do advise our people to be careful about divisive campaigns. If a candidate comes emphasizing our fault lines, we will tell the public that such a person is divisive. The North has a culture of patience of waiting to see. The North will always give people the chance to remedy their faults. In practice, we do not tell people to “vote for A” or B.” What we do is define our collective interest. Until a candidate meets the criteria, we advise people to ignore him.
Peter Obi’s supporters are of the opinion he won the 2023 election. Realistically, from your experience, what does it take for anybody to win the presidency in Nigeria?
I do not think there is any controversy there. There are votes, and those votes were counted. The Constitution says that a candidate must have a majority of votes and at least 25 percent votes in two-thirds of the country. If someone has the majority but lacks that spread, there will have to be a rerun. Similarly, if someone has the spread but not the majority, there’s also a rerun. In the recent election, the person who had the highest number of votes also had the spread. So, I do not see any contest in that regard. And as for allegations of rigging, those are not for the general public to decide. They are for the proper authorities like Independent National Electoral Commission and the courts. Anyone can claim that a candidate won the election, and that is fine, but the real test lies in what the law recognizes: the actual votes and the constitutional spread.
Is rotation of power between the geopolitical zones cast in stone?
Rotation of power is not democratic. If democracy means one man, one vote, then it is not democratic. In Nigeria, it is a political arrangement based on certain indices or understanding. But there is nothing inherently democratic about it. If anyone decides to contest for a particular post, such person should not be stopped even if the post is purported zoned. When the North agreed that the presidency should go to the South, Buhari still contested. When it was Jonathan’s time to contest, some northerners contested with him and lost because the North, as a bloc, decided to give it to a Southerner. The same thing happened with Bola Tinubu. He contested against some northerners, and the North still gave him the votes. What I think is acceptable is that we should be fair to one another, give each other consideration, and accommodate one another. However, the North will not allow that fairness to be taken for granted. When Umaru Yar’Adua was president and Goodluck Jonathan took over, the North said, “Okay.” Even though, by turn, it was supposed to be the North’s time again, they still said, “Jonathan, go ahead.” They voted for Jonathan to come for another term. When Buhari finished his tenure, the governors from the North sat down and agreed, “Let’s give the South a chance.” Not because some southern governors met and demanded that it must come from the South but because the North voluntarily said, “Let them try.” And for us, it’s a learning process. We want to see whether, when we give you a chance, you will be fair or not.
lf ACF is for Northern Interest how does it manage the cauldron of opinions?
We manage our complexities in terms of religious diversity and also tribal composition. People sometimes believe that the North is basically Hausa or Fulani, but in reality, the North is home to hundreds of ethnic groups. Take my own state, for instance (Gombe State) which is one of the smallest in the North. It has over 23 distinct tribes that do not necessarily understand one another’s languages. The same applies to Adamawa, Taraba, and Nasarawa States. Many groups are not Hausa, not Fulani, not Kanuri, not Tiv, and not Nupe, yet they all live together. So, the North is used to managing complex social settings. Religious differences exist here and there, of course, but I believe our level of accommodation is quite fair. We have had both Christian and Muslim leaders at different times leading the Forum. For instance, when Alhaji M.D Yusuf was the Chairman of the ACF, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees was Chief Sunday Bolorunduro Awoniyi, a Christian Yoruba. Later, when Chief Awoniyi became the Chairman of the ACF, Alhaji Dambatta became the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. When General IBM Haruna, a minority from Borno State, assumed the chairmanship, General Jerry Husseini became Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Our current Chairman, Chief Mamman Mike Usman, is a Tiv Christian from Benue State, while the Chairman of the Board of Trustees is from Jigawa State and a Muslim. The same applies for the Secretary General position. The first interim Secretary General was from Sokoto, a Muslim. The first elected Secretary General, Colonel Hamid Ali, was from Bauchi, also a Muslim. The second, Colonel Musa Shehu, was from Sokoto. The third, Colonel J.I.P. Uba, was from Benue State an Idoma Christian. The next, Anthony N.Z Sani from Nasarawa State is also a Christian.
Is ACF living up to the expectations of its founding fathers?
The North had to come together to ensure it remained an equal player in the federation an equal contributor and equal beneficiary. I do not think the founding fathers wanted anything extraordinary. They wanted the North to remain united, progressive, and responsible within the federation. That ACF has survived 25 years is itself an achievement. Many organizations North and South have not lasted that long. The ACF today has a stable administrative and leadership structure a functional coordinating office, staff, and a tested constitution. We are not meeting in private homes. We are not relying on one or two people to run the organization. ACF belongs to everyone. That is why leadership changes every three years. So if by these, the ACF has achieved much of what it was meant to. Of course, with the changing dynamics of society, we need to keep improving and reviewing our purpose. And unlike other regional groups, we are not a tribal organization. Afenifere is a Yoruba group; Ohanaeze Ndigbo represents the Igbo. But the ACF includes all tribes within the North. We are managing our diversity and that should be pleasing to our forefathers.
Which Political direction is ACF going in 2027?
Our direction will remain the same. We are not going to campaign for anybody, nor to de-campaign anyone. We’re going to reemphasize what should be of value to the North and to the country as much as possible. So if any of the candidates fits in then that is fine.
What are the mechanisms in ACF to attract younger generation to the Forum?
We are attracting younger elements, especially as we celebrate our twenty-fifth anniversary. They will be actively involved in our programmes. and we have already designed initiatives that engage them fully. In everything we do, we carry them along. We have vibrant youths in the North who are competent of taking the ACF to greater heights. During the anniversary programmes, they will participate actively. The ACF is also leveraging their social media competence and positive youthful energy.
What are the new things you have introduced as the Secretary-General of ACF?
I have expanded the space. ACF now has a wider spectrum of members. We have strengthened the infrastructure. I made sure that under an arrangement that I have evolved, the infrastructure has been strengthened. I have also ensured that we are more vocal and more visible in public spaces in Nigeria. I also ensured that we are not narrow minded in our affairs and relationships with other components of the Nigeria State. The North has a peculiar location in the Sahel. The stable North is not only a stable Nigeria, but a stable Sahel region. So ACF work to ensure a stable North because, most of the time the North is being defined from outside. This time we are trying to do it ourselves. I focused more on the stability and sustainability of the organisation.
Sir, do you not think there are roles for Northern leaders to counter terrorism and insecurity?
It is not the responsibility of Northern leaders to counter terrorism. It’s the responsibility of the Federal Government of Nigeria to counter terrorism and banditry. But if you mean involving the Northern leadership, yes everybody should be involved, from the household level to governors, through to governors and presidents. So, fighting insecurity is everybody’s job. And you cannot just narrow it to some so-called Northern leaders. So, making the North safe is not just a Northern problem it is a Nigerian problem. There are efforts at various levels. We might not be achieving the desired results yet, but I think we are not deteriorating. However, there are some areas where there are still pocket of problems. We have advised severally that the security architecture needs to be contextualized within our space. The concern is on the way the leadership of the country is handling the security matter while exhibiting some excesses in public, I think that should be reconciled.
Is the North afraid of Separation?
We are not afraid of separation. It is an oddity to think that the North would call for war against Nigeria or against any emerging republic, as some suggest. No, that will not happen, because we believe that the larger the country, the better it is for all its components. What many do not understand is that if there is a separation in Nigeria no component part of this country will fare better than the whole. But comparatively, the North will do far better than other regions. It can switch trade alliance with other countries, or merge with countries that are close to the new North. This talk about lack of port or access to sea is rhetoric. There are quite a number of countries that are landlocked and they flourish. For example, Switzerland is landlocked, yet it is one of the most comfortable countries in the world. However, the North is sensible enough to know that the bigger, the better. In fact, if we have our way, we should be talking about West Africa being a country. We live in an open space; our horizon is wider. The North thinks beyond the sand in the North, we look at the Mediterranean as part of our enclave; we look at Senegal as part of us. And when you study these countries and look at their culture across to Sudan, it’s similar with ours in Northern Nigeria. Ports are very important, but when it comes to survival, the North can rely on Benin Republic or Cameroon for its sea importations. But I can tell you that it’s not in our thinking, it’s not in our mind that the country should break up not because of fear, but because of deep thinking. The position of the ACF is that, a larger country is better for all of us.
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