Dr Umar Ardo is the Convener of the League of Northern Democrats (LND) and a former governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Adamawa State. On this interview, he speaks on the formation of the group, its goals and aims and what northern states stand to profit from the group, ANAYO EZUGWU writes
Inform us about this League of Northern Democrats and what units it other than the opposite already present outstanding Northern teams such because the Northern Elders Discussion board and Arewa Consultative Discussion board?
The League of Northern Democrats is a gaggle of extremely educated and well-placed Nigerians of Northern extraction they usually come from two sides. One is those that by themselves have acquired standing within the society. The second is those that by themselves have additionally acquired standing within the society.
Additionally they come as a symbolic group that represents those that have fought, labored and sacrificed themselves for Northern Nigeria and by extension for Nigeria.
So, we went and acquired all of them and introduced them collectively. When you get our record, you will notice it. I can say that when it comes to stature, the League of Northern Democrats is about essentially the most formidable political platform in stature, possibly, not in delivering elections, which we hope at some point it will possibly do.
Additionally, the distinction between us and the Arewa Consultative Discussion board and Northern Elders Discussion board could be very slight. We intend and we need to mobilise and unite our folks. However as well as, we even have political aspirations.
That’s, we’d need to affect the politics of the North and the politics of the nation. Earlier than we shaped this League of Northern Democrats, I went and appeared up the goals and aims of the 2 teams.
And for those who have a look at it, the Arewa Consultative Discussion board, got here in June 2000. That’s simply barely one yr after the Obasanjo administration. And nearly all its aspirations haven’t been met. They aspire to unite the nation however the nation is just not as united because it was once as a result of if it takes you 24 years in a course of, that is virtually a lifetime.
The truth that you’re sitting the place you might be and knocking them for not attaining what they got down to obtain; isn’t that already displaying divisions throughout the North which you might be planning to unite?
Under no circumstances as a result of we met, we mentioned with them, and in reality, we’re going to have a gathering with them with a purpose to kind a coalition. Now, each organisation has its pluses and minuses. So, we appeared on the minuses of those organisations and we stated we had been going to fill within the blanks.
What are you involved about from the standpoint of the Northern Area?
Our concern is that our society has nearly collapsed. Apart from the examples of utterly no safety, no schooling, and endemic poverty. Our folks have moved from a state of poverty to a state of destitution. That is unacceptable. And who created it? It’s the Northern elites and the nationwide elites.
So, our elites created it and no person can resolve it aside from the elites themselves. And as a historian, I’ve seen over time that when societies get into large bother and they’re drifting.
Sure teams of the elites got here collectively and alter the course of historical past. We’ve seen that in the US, we’ve seen that in Europe, we’ve seen that in Africa and we’ve seen that throughout. There are the great elites and there are the unhealthy elites. More often than not, unhealthy elites take over.
So, when there’s a change, the revolution you might be speaking about, the Bolsheviks in Russia, then the Jacobins in France, they’re members of the elites themselves. Now we have just one governor. I labored within the villa for eight years. I used to be an adviser within the villa, and I did what I might do in advisory capability.
The information are there. You have a look at this, whether or not it has been applied or not, it’s one other totally different case. So, simply because you’re a minister, I’ve seen pissed off ministers as a result of the endemic issues throughout the system make good ministers unable to ship. So, that’s the drawback.
So, for us right here, I offer you a bit of story. I’m positive Prof. Usman Yusuf. After we began this factor, I referred to as him. He was in Germany and I stated, Prof you’ve at all times been there, come allow us to come collectively after which impact the change. He stated, no, everyone has been purchased. I stated Prof, have you ever been purchased? He stated, no.
I stated I’ve additionally not been purchased. Allow us to have a look at people who haven’t been purchased after which deliver them collectively and kind an organisation of people who haven’t been purchased. I stated if we come collectively in no matter identify, we’re going to make an impact. Our coming collectively has had an incredible impact on the system. It has gingered the Arewa Consultative Discussion board for instance.
Within the inaugural assembly, we had been there and we participated, we’re collectively. So, these are the people who we chosen. Now, after we had been choosing the governor, there are 57 governors, and former governors inside this dispensation. I believe, there have been 60.
We put all of them on the size and we appeared on the antecedents and we concluded that the very best amongst them that we will put forth and belief and say, that is one amongst us that’s of no blemish, isn’t any aside from Governor Ibrahim Shekarau. So, that was why we introduced him and gave him the management and he’s main very effectively.
Our society has nearly collapsed. Moreover examples of utterly no safety, no schooling and endemic poverty, our folks have moved from a state of poverty to a state of destitution
In these circumstances, how influential is that this group going to be in a rustic like Nigeria? I’m a historian and in Historical past, we now have Philosophy of Historical past.
In these circumstances, how influential is that this group going to be in a rustic like Nigeria?
I’m a historian and in Historical past, we now have Philosophy of Historical past. Now we have what is named causal causation, which is the connection between trigger and impact.
It’s within the sciences. However right here, it’s an concept that one factor causes however it straight produces one other occasion. The primary occasion is the trigger and what it produces is the impact.
It’s a dialectical course of. So, if we will perceive and grasp that, we will at all times, always, trigger an occasion that can give a ripple impact till it will get to a predictable and identifiable trigger.
Is that this group centered on successful political energy?
Actually, since you can not impact any change with out having the authority to impact the change. I don’t suppose we now have reached that time but. Our goal is to organise ourselves to be a area of first affect within the politics of the nation.
Then, we are going to decide whether or not we go North or whether or not we go South however we’re pushed by the pursuits of the North throughout the Nigerian state.
First issues first, our focus is twin, truly in no matter we do as a result of in 2018, we shaped what we name the Northern Elders and Stakeholders Meeting. It was convened by 4 essential northerners. Then Tanko Yakasai was the chairman and I used to be the secretary.
We arrange numerous technical committees for about 5 or 6 they usually went to work, they introduced again lovely experiences. You have a look at the experiences and we all know that if these are applied systematically, they’ll resolve the issues.
However the place would we take it? On June 19, 2021, or so, former President Olusegun Obasanjo convened what he referred to as the Committee for the Goodness of Nigeria.
It introduced in former presidents and everyone was there they usually arrange a technical committee led by former Legal professional Normal Kanu Agabi, of which I used to be an adviser and we went into it and produced essentially the most marvellous report. The place did it go? So until you may have a regime that’s keen to implement all the great plans that you’ve, it’s not going to occur.
So our goal is to see that we get a regime that’s keen. We’ll, within the meantime, all we have to do is simply to go to the cabinets. All these experiences are there on the right way to cease.
I believe it was in November 1999 that I organised together with the Institute of Worldwide Affairs in Lagos, a cross-border crime convention within the North-East zone. We referred to as the belt from Senegal to Bagarimi. This can be a battle belt from the time of Sundiata and a lot of the battle is on faith.
How are you going to impress folks within the North and win their confidence that you just’re the type of people that might be trusted to maneuver into the best sphere of political kind of engineering?
There’s a saying in Hausa {that a} drowning man clutches a sword. Now, our state of affairs is in a determined state of affairs. Any group that comes up with a really clear message that’s resounding to the folks, folks are likely to hear and observe as a result of what they’ve on the bottom is unhealthy. Fifty-seven of us began this; now we now have over 600 members.
Nearly all of them have referred to as or registered by themselves on the web site as a result of individuals are uninterested in the way in which issues are drifting.
We’re not against authorities. We wrote after we got here, we wrote to the president a letter explaining to him what we’re going to do and the way the federal government may also help, in order that we work collectively.
We wrote to the Vice President; we wrote to the National Security Adviser, to set issues clear. We’re not anti-government however we’re involved with the pathetic state of affairs of our folks.
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