Chief Reuben Famuyibo, a former presidential and governorship aspirant, was a member of the Constituent Assembly created by General Sani Abacha's government in 1995. In this interview with Associate Editor, Abiodun Awolaja, he talks about the reform bills tax, the agitation in favor of the state creation and various issues. Excerpts:
During his recent media talk, President Bola Tinubu explained why naira floating and subsidy removal policies were inevitable. How do you think the questions people have about these policies can be addressed?
Well, I think the audacity of President Bola Tinubu can be applauded. But when you want to make a long-term policy, it is necessary to have done your homework. Many of its policies have been turned upside down due to inadequate consultation. It's as if you wanted to embark on a five-year journey and you didn't think that you might encounter a big river along the way. I can boldly tell you that many, if not all, Nigerians are suffering. We have eliminated the middle class in this country. Yes, he said there is light at the end of the tunnel, but what if we all die before we reach the end of the tunnel?
Some of the states have yet to implement the minimum wage and the federal government has expressed hope that they will do so in January. Do you think the minimum wage will cushion the economic pain?
How much is the minimum wage? Today, a bag of rice costs 87,000 naira. The chickens cost around 25,000 naira. Some of these officials you speak of have four or five children. How do they manage? What we have to do is review the fuel policy. I pray that the cost of fuel goes down. Anything less than that, we're just wasting our time.
We are seeing minor fuel price reductions here and there, by NNPCL and the Dangote Group…
I think they are doing business with Nigerians. The money that reaches the states has increased but it is taking the money directly from the population. The way I see things, we still have a long way to go in Nigeria.
President Tinubu's tax reform bills give 55 per cent of VAT to the states, and are also based on derivation, but many people in the North have said it does not suit them.
I think this will teach us many lessons. When I was in the Constitutional Conference during the Abacha regime, some of us signed the minority report on bypass, especially when they started with 14 percent. I think whatever we want to do, the principle of derivation will really help Nigerians. I don't know why the northerners shout.
They say it doesn't suit them…
We don't have to do it all for self-interest: we all own Nigeria, and I have been saying it all along: you can't take money from the South to develop the North. How many years have they been in government? Whose fault is it if they could not develop their states?
Former President Yakubu Dogara seems to agree with you. He recently said that the northerners had been in power for 40 years with very little to show for it…
Yes, if you have your money and you don't know how to help your people; If you don't know how to industrialize your States, whose fault is it? Instead of developing the North, leaders are busy buying mansions in Abuja.
You were in the Constituent Assembly created by General Sani Abacha's government in 1995. In recent weeks we have heard of unrest in Ijebu State. As one of the brains behind the creation of Ekiti State, do you honestly believe that the creation of the state is feasible now?
These (agitators) are all political thugs. With the creation of Nigeria it is not possible to create any state now. The military can do it, but forget about the idea of someone going around and trying to make themselves acceptable to the people by raising the idea of creating a state. The bill must pass through the 36 states and the FCT. How do you get your own state without addressing my own demand? Assuming I want to create Ado Ekiti outside Ekiti State, then you expect me to go and sit with members of the 36 state assemblies. How do you get two-thirds of the members of the House of Assembly in Nigeria when you also disagree with your own agitation? Leave it; The agitators are all political thugs. It can't be done. The LCDAs that some of the governors created, are they legal? Some of them regret having created them. Even those in Lagos are changing their names. So why are we just wasting our time? I think all these people are political thugs. The agitation cannot stand the test of time.
You have spoken of the need to address the economic concerns that Nigerians have. Do you think that returning to reports such as those of the Constituent Assembly and the National Conference of 2014 can help us at this stage?
Yes. This is the third time journalists have asked me this question. I was a member of the 1995 Constitutional Conference. We spent three years wasting taxpayers' money. We stayed at the Nicon Noga, Hilton Hotel. Later, they created another committee on devolution of power. In 2014 we had another Constitutional Conference. Where are all those reports? I've said it before: all a serious government needs to do is gather all these reports, then gather all the brains (shouldn't be more than 20) and review all these reports together. When they believe the recommendations agree, the president and the National Assembly can work together on them in a month or two. They present their report. Any new conference will be just a jamboree.
What is the next show about your mother about?
Well, the point about my mom is the fact that you have parents who teach you well. I lost my mother 49 years ago. But what I got from it is what I still use until now. My mother taught me to be content in life. My mother taught me to be a worker. My mother taught me to have the fear of God. I'm happy in the sense that no matter what situation I'm in, I don't rush. At one point, my mother came to Ibadan to visit my elder brother in Ibadan in the early 70s and saw his wife frying eggs with Gelsha. He packed his things and left. She told him: “Your brothers and sisters are suffering in Ado Ekiti, they can barely eat eggs and here you are, mixing eggs with Gelsha.” She taught me a lot: at the age of ten I already knew how to prepare any soup.
Does this mean that today's youth are missing something?
Yes. Many of them are wasteful and not entrepreneurial. My success in life started with my N500 scholarship. At the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), we received a scholarship of N500. I started traveling, trading with the N500. At that time, the return ticket to London cost only N121. He bought shirts and shoes in London and sold them in Ife. I sometimes bought products from Ghana because the Ghanaian currency, the cedi, had already been devalued. I went with a couple of friends, including Ladi Okusaga from UNILAG. We bought books because we were doing the same constitutional law. I sold the books I bought in Ghana at double the price. I made my money with all these things. When I graduated, I took my gas stove and refrigerator to Ibadan Polytechnic. He sold beer to youth corporations. My wife was in Nursing School, making pepper soup. I would go buy a block of ice at Moniya, we would be under the Polytechnic tree. From there I got money to buy my land for 2,000 naira in Orita Basorun.
Let's talk about insecurity. Apparently the security agencies are doing everything they can, but recently a new terrorist group, Lakurawa, emerged in the North. How do we overcome this problem?
I think some people are making money off the situation. Pure and simple. I have many friends in northern Nigeria. I think the terrorists are sponsored by some people.
So what do we do?
The entity called Nigeria is a fake marriage. If we cannot be one, there is no way we cannot say, “To your tents, O Israel.” We could return to the regional government system. There is no reason to continue coddling an ethnic group.
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