Dr. Onaolapo Soleye, 82, is a former Minister of Finance under the military administration of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. In this interview, the former lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, spoke about the recent general elections and his expectations about the incoming Buhari Administration.
Can you assess the just concluded general elections?
It was a successful election during which Nigerians spoke with their votes and chose their leaders into various elective offices, including the office of the President. The elections also laid to rest the much-talked about disintegration of Nigeria as a country. We thank God for making the election possible amid fears and apprehension. Nigerians must also appreciate the personal contribution of the outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan who conceded defect even before it was concluded. This, to an extent, doused tension across the country.
I rejoice with Nigeria and Nigerians that in spite of the doomsday prediction, it went on smoothly.
What lesson has the outcome of the elections taught Nigerians?
I don’t know what lessons the elections have taught Nigerians, but personally speaking, it has shown that there I a limit to which we can rely on the media, including the so-called social media. The media hype on the elections was so high that you will think Nigeria was going to collapse. To God be the glory, the elections have proven pessimists wrong that the media could speculate, create tension, but Nigerians have made up their minds on how to move the country forward.
In spite of what people say or write, God has destined what would happen and what would be. That’s another lesson. If not that, Buhari would not have emerged the President-elect, if all the negative things said about him were anything to go by. Another lesson is also that the Nigerian electorates are now more enlightened than before and can differentiate between what they want and what they don’t want.
As someone who worked under Buhari, what should Nigerians expect from his government?
I expect discipline and austerity, which will later in the years impact positively our economy. I expect him to turn around the fortunes of Nigeria for better; turning the present economic woes to economic gains for the country and Nigerians. I expect him not to compromise his frankness, straightforwardness and thoroughness in the name of anything. In anything he will do as the President, I want him to always place the interest of Nigerians at heart and not that of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
No doubt, because he’s now a politician, his party would have some element of influence on him, but he should always remember Nigerians that voted him into power. He must not compromise critical values he believed in like his anti-corruption stance. Under no circumstance must he concede to people who know nothing but corruption. He must let people know that the situation has changed, through his actions and utterances.
With the economic situation in the country today, what should be the thrust of the policies you would like Buhari to adopt?
It is not only his economic policies that are necessary; he must also maintain national stability. There are other many areas in our national life which he must address, if he wants to succeed in office. I suggest that he should address the inability of many state governments to pay workers salaries. Ordinarily, one may want to say that it is not the Federal Government that is owing, but he should not forget that he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It is shameful and a national disgrace, as well as unethical and a great disservice for governments not to pay workers that they are using to execute their progrmmes. I urge Buhari to address the issue as soon as he assumes office. If possible, I want him to give state governments that owe workers ultimatum within which to pay or face the wrath of the Federal Government. However, from available records, I must state that state governments in the country have no business not paying their workers.
The President-elect also needs to get the cooperation of the trade unions. As much as workers welfare should not be jettisoned by him, I want to canvass that there should not be wage increase for the first two years of his administration.
Since the first two years should be sacrifice, I also want to canvass for the reduction in the cost of running government by at least 50 per cent. I am of the opinion that we are wasting money in running government. I find it scandalous that our Senate President earns more than the US President. That is spendthrift which must be addressed. Although my suggestion may meet with stiff opposition from members of our National Assembly, but I think this is the best for Nigeria at this critical moment of her economic life.
The Central Bank governor has tenure of four years. What do you expect Buhari to do about the CBN governor that has another four years to complete his renewable tenure?
Buhari is not only inheriting the CBN governor, he is also inheriting the entire Civil Service, so he must contend with that reality. Don’t isolate the CBN; as far as I am concerned, the CBN position is governed by law and I know that Buhari is a respecter of law. It is natural that politicians will jostle for positions, including that of the CBN governor, but Buhari should know that there are many of them that are statutory. Hence, he can’t just remove the occupant of such a position without facing the wrath of the law that established them.
How should Buhari handle the series of new appointments by Jonathan, few weeks to his exit from office?
My reaction is that he is still the President and can still make or mar, irrespective of what anybody or group says. All these things some people are saying about the appointments Jonathan is making in the twilight of his administration are nothing but pettiness. The task before Buhari’s administration are enormous than appointments. Nigerians must note this. He can’t succeed without national stability and discipline which we lead to eradication or reduction corruption in the country.
However, this may be difficult for him to achieve if Nigerians saddle him with mundane and petty issues. The expectation of Nigerians is so high that he can’t afford to reduce himself to petty issues of who gets what. As a former military officer, I know he will handle it with tactics and integrity, putting the interest of Nigerians first.
Do you think the Buhari of today can still have vigour to effect the desired change in Nigeria?
I will answer this question by appealing to Nigerians to support Buhari’s administration and see whether he has or lack the vigour to run the country. As someone who had the chance of working with him, I know he will run this country well.
He is a man who is highly religious, fears God and has absolute confidence in those working with him. Even as a military Head of State, he was not as dictatorial as many of his adversaries want Nigerians to believe.
I remember very well that there was a situation when he crossed the name of somebody from a list of contract brought to him for approval. Though I was not the one involved, but I went to him to know the rationale and he explained that he did not want to be blackmailed. He is such a person who carries along his subordinates in the scheme of things.
There was also an incident when the Chief of Air Staff took a proposal to him to purchase Alpha jet or do something. What the Chief of Staff was expecting was that Buhari in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief would just say ‘minister go ahead’. But, the service chief got the shock of his life when Buhari asked him to get in touch with the Finance Minister. In a military regime, that was strange because the Chief of Air Staff, the Chief of Defence Staff and other security chiefs were expecting the Head of State to call the minister and say ‘minister, call your Perm Sec., and see what you can do’. But, instead, Buhari would say go and convince the Minister of Finance.
That’s Buhari’s personality for you and I don’t think he has changed. So, I expect those who will work with him to bear this in mind. As much as he will have confidence in them, they must know that they will be under careful monitoring and they should make sure that they don’t betray the confidence he will repose in them.
Do you think Buhari will survive the pressure from politicians who bank-rolled his election?
There is a limit of decadence that Buhari will tolerate, whether anybody or group financed his election or not. Having worked with him, I know he is a very disciplined and courageous man.
Should Buhari probe the outgoing administration of President Jonathan?
To me, probe is diversionary and when you talk about it, you continually look back, when actually you are supposed to be moving ahead. Probe wastes a lot of time and I want to advise that Buhari should look elsewhere. But, If in the course of running the country, he crushes people along his way, I am sure he will have the cooperation of Nigerians instead of probe.
How do you want him to handle the problematic oil subsidy and power sector?
As a former minister in charge of Ministry of Petroleum, he will know how to handle the issue. But, I want to appeal to him to handle the issue with national interest.
Do you think Buhari has the skill to fight politicians who made him president?
Why not? Let us wait and see whether he could do that or not. But, if it is the same Buhari that I worked with as Finance Minister, politicians should not expect business as usual.
I am sure he will not fight them, but he will let them see reasons why certain things can’t be going on, so Nigerians should brace up for austere period, if they want Nigeria to be a better country. They must be ready to cooperate with him, as well as ready to make unconditional sacrifice.
How do you feel when people blame the military under which you served for being responsible for Nigeria’s current economic woes?
Financial recklessness? Not in Buhari’s regime. In fact, we managed more debts; this made members of the cabinet to be calling me minister of debt management. Our debt was so high that we were paying both domestic debt and foreign debt. It was a disciplined regime and that was probably why we didn’t last two years before we were kicked out.
