Dr. Abdulfatah Durojaiye is the convener of the United Nigeria Movement for Change and a chieftain of the Peoples’ Redemption Party (PRP). In this interview with reporters in Lagos, the United States-based politician speaks about his aspiration to contest the next presidential election and why he believes the PRP will spring a surprise at the contest. SAM ANOKAM reports
When did you start nursing the ambition to serve Nigeria and why?
I do not have ambition. What we are doing is far more than an individual thing but I have a vision that is clear. It did not just come in a day. It is a process that culminated with what I am doing today. All of my life, I have been looking forward to a country that would be prosperous, a country that I will be proud of and have my back. Successive governments have failed to live up to expectations. We believe it has got to a peak; that is why people like me that would ordinarily focus on my family and profession are offering to rescue the nation. The status quo has failed us; we need to re-strategise to rescue Nigeria and to position us on the path of prosperity.
How do you intend to translate your vision for Nigeria into action?
We need to secure power to be in a government position. The vision is very clear. They always talk about the American dream but I don’t see anything in that other than the Nigerian dream. The vision I have is when I go to bed every night when I tuck in my kids and I look at millions of Nigerians that are on the streets of Kano, Ibadan, among other places aside millions that are dying because they cannot access health care, our children that are not going to have quality education and tomorrow would become a problem for the nation. The insecurity that pervades the country is what we conceptualized in a pragmatic way and every problem that confronts us today are man-made and as such are problems that are resolvable. We are speedily heading to collapse and when that comes, we lose our country, livelihood and freedom. And that is why we need to do that right now. We believe Nigerians are ready for this push.
What political party are you planning to use to actualise this vision?
To do this, we need a credible political platform. We have two octopuses that have up to this stage ruined Nigeria. Of course, that political party is not the PDP or the APC because PDP is our vomit which we cannot go back to even when we are hungry and we have seen how far the APC has taken us down the drain. I am aligning myself with the greatest party in Nigeria; the only ideologically propelled party in Nigeria, the Peoples’ Redemption Party (PRP). The PRP is growing speedily. People are embracing it. We recently had our convention at the state level. The spread in the north is phenomenal. The PRP is the party of Aminu Kano; it is the party known for its democratic humanism.
What are your chances of emerging as the party’s candidate?
We have been going everywhere in the country and the journey is still continuing. We have other aspirants but we know the superiority of our arguments, the clarity of our vision, the sincerity of our purpose will make us prevail and when we go from north to south, from east to west, we are overwhelmingly being received and we know that at the end of the day, we are going to come up victorious. We will be able to match to the general election and we are going to prevail by the grace of God.
Are you actually on the ground politically?
We are on the ground. This journey is strategic and we have a constitution that guides us although general campaigning has not commenced. We are doing everything within the ambit of the law. We are silently mobilizing from all over Nigeria. We are also forming alliances with other credible elements everywhere in the country and each day everything is becoming brighter and people are coming to appreciate the fact that they need a fresh idea.
What is your war chest like?
We are not doing this to make a statement or become popular. I am doing this because we have a clear cut way to the presidency which is possible and achievable. The vote of your enemy and the vote of your friend in politics are all the same victory and we have our credible way of achieving it.
What is your selling point?
I have never injured any Nigerian. Most of the people they are bringing out have injured Nigerians. Everyone who knows me knows that I have a substantial part of my life in the service of mankind. All my resources up to this point go into helping others. If I come out to deceive you, Nigerians are not dumb. They are the most educated immigrants in the United States; more educated than the Americans themselves. Even the woman selling pepper on the street is very intelligent.
Are you not going to go the way of others who promised change but failed to deliver?
I tell everyone that I am not a politician. A politician when he is talking will make promises he cannot fulfil or tell you lies. Everywhere I go I have someone who records me. I don’t make promises I cannot fulfil. Providing jobs is not only giving employment but stimulating it, creating the enabling environment for jobs to grow. There are so many opportunities in Nigeria that are not exploited. Everything we are going to do is based on the SMART programme; simple, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-specific. I can tell you that four years is a lifetime in government. We are bringing people of great credibility.
As a non-indigene, when you go to the Southeast, for instance, to campaign what would you tell them?
I am the candidate of the Igbos. Many of our core people are Igbos. What I tell easterners is the same thing I tell northerners. Igbo, Yoruba, Ibibio anywhere you come from that poverty strikes us the same way. Inefficiency in government strikes us the same way. I still negotiate with my wife every day and we have been married for over 20 years. A relationship is a continuous negotiation. If there are grievances, let us bring them to the table and talk about them. Nigeria is intricately linked and I am committed to the greatness and unity of Nigeria. The Igbos are the cement of Nigeria. We want them to be part of Nigeria and they will be part of Nigeria. But, whatever grievances they have can always be sorted out. The failure in the east is the failure of Nigeria; it is the failure in Yorubaland and the north. Everything has failed. Nigeria has failed everyone and that is why all these agitations are coming up. We need to get leadership right; set the momentum and everything will fall into place.