•How we can fight insecurity
•Why North can never speak with one voice
•Nigeria has made steady progress in 65 years
•Never again’ll any part take up arms to divide us
•Civil war outcome, a lesson to any would-be secessionist
By John Alechenu
Elder statesman and Second Republic Presidential Liaison Officer, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, who turns 100 in December 2025, speaks about the secret to his longevity, Nigeria at 65, 2027 elections and other issues of national development.
You will be clocking 100 years on December 5, 2025. How do you feel and what will you say is the secret of your longevity?
I am grateful to Almighty God for making it possible for me to live this long without any permanent or serious ailment throughout my life. All the health challenges I’ve had have been temporary. Very few of my mates have been lucky to live as long as I have and in good health. I am really grateful to God who has made this possible not only that, he has also blessed us with children and grandchildren. My children are now 19 they were 23 altogether, four died. My grand-children are 60-something and they are all alive. I really thank God.
Are there any secrets or tips about longevity you wish to share?
Not at all. It has been purely by God’s grace. My father died at over 100, in fact, about 105 years old or more, I can’t remember. My mother died at the age of over 90. They both enjoyed steady health. They had no serious challenge to their health except for minor headaches and things like that. It is all the work of God Almighty.
Nigeria will be 65 years as an independent nation next week. How has Nigeria fared since independence?
We have made steady progress. Since the military intervened in our political life as a nation beginning from the First Republic in the 1960s, this is the first time we are having uninterrupted democratic rule for this long period of time. I think it is a great experience for our country which has suffered for decades under military rule, on and off. I pray that this will continue forever so that those given the opportunity to preside over our affairs at all levels will provide the needed leadership to bring progress, development and prosperity to our country. Apart from the unfortunate civil war (1966-1970), we have made steady progress. The fact that we have remained as a single nation is worthy of celebration.
Have we realised the vision of our founding fathers?
I will again say, so far so good. The first and only attempt at dividing us as a nation failed. And I believe never again will any part of this great country take up arms to try and forcibly divide Nigeria. The rest of the country came together and resisted the secession of our brothers from another part. It serves as a lesson to any would-be secessionist.
Some commentators have called for a return to regionalism. Is this what we need?
As you are aware, I am almost 100 years old. I was born on December 5, 1925. I know what is possible and what is not. I don’t think regional government is possible again in Nigeria. We tried it in the past and we all know how it ended. The country has moved on since then so we can’t go back. How many people genuinely are canvassing for a return to the past in this area (North)? We must move with the times progressively. It is part of development.
Some have argued that our current democratic system is not working. Do you agree?
No. Democracy is working for Nigeria. Yes, there are challenges no doubt but which human system is perfect? Let us consider the number of years it has been operating in Nigeria. I don’t agree with people who think otherwise. The democratic system has come to be accepted worldwide because of its participatory nature. The people who are being governed are given the opportunity to elect those who govern them. As such, if there are areas that require fine-tuning we should fine-tune such areas. That is why we have issues like electoral reforms being talked about and implemented from time to time. The Americans who have been practicing democracy for over 200 years are still adjusting.
Can the North ever speak with one voice over politics?
It is not possible. We are more than half of the entire population of Nigeria. You can’t put this number of people together and think they will think alike. There will be differences, it is in human nature. Children and their parents differ in opinions on issues. I don’t see this as something new. We have been experiencing it for a long time and we will overcome it.
We have been battling with the problem of corruption, insecurity and the economy. How do we overcome them?
All of these problems are not exclusive to Nigeria. They are universal; almost every country in the world is battling with these in one form or another. The whole world has been battling these problems, some have been successful to a certain degree, others have not been so successful. I believe we are making progress and we will attain a reasonable threshold because a majority of Nigerians are committed to deal with this.
Some northerners insist that the North is currently under siege and that it is behind in virtually every index of development due to President Bola Tinubu’s policies. What is your take?
I am one of those that have been in the forefront in support of continuity in government. What we want is a government that will not only be able to complete its constitutionally allowed tenure but also complete its policies and projects which it set out to achieve within set timelines, and handover to whoever the people decide should continue.
We don’t want a situation where a government’s tenure is cut short. Such a situation breeds instability and instability is not good for any nation which desires progress and prosperity. For any country to enjoy progress there should be stability in the management of its affairs, which is one of the reasons why most countries of the world today subscribe to the democratic system of government.
There may be variations here and there but democracy has withstood the test of time and is what I will subscribe to as the best form of government.
On insecurity across Nigeria especially the North…
Security has been a recurrent issue not only in Nigeria but across the globe. It is incumbent on every administration to work out strategies to deal with it. That is why I have always advocated for continuity in government because sometimes you have something that is working and you suddenly change it and you take us back to the beginning and the progress made in some instances are reversed.
Let us not forget that the other tiers of government equally have a responsibility in the area of security. They have the capacity to liaise with traditional institutions and citizens to provide accurate and timely information about strange occurrences in their jurisdictions to relevant authorities. We must work together to bring our security challenges under control. The federal government alone cannot do this.Without the support of citizens, funds and efforts being put in are not likely to produce the desired results.
We must also always remember that governance is not only at the national level. Each tier of government, the state and local governments must also be held to account for the funds that have been made available to them. We have been made to understand that states and local government councils now have more funds than ever before to provide services for the people. Citizens must begin to ask relevant questions about how these funds are utilized.
In his memoir, former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, your fellow NEPU member said you chose the NPN over the PRP after facing harassment in opposition because you felt NPN was where “the gravy was,” What happened?
That is not true. NPN was formed with the support of leaders of all political parties, the Northern Peoples Congress, NPC, the United Middle Belt Congress, UMBC, and other pan-Northern groups at that time. We had a common approach to national issues. We decided that we will support national unity and we successfully did it.
Aliyu Makama Bidda of the NPC who was the Minister of Finance in the First Republic, and the leader of the UMBC, Mr. J. S Tarkar among others were part of the formation of the NPN. The only person who decided to break away was Mallam Aminu Kano.
Some of us in NEPU, including the Deputy Secretary who was acting Secretary, Alhaji Yahaya Sabo, and I, as NUPU’s national publicity secretary, met with Aminu Kano before we made the decision.
Mallam who was then representing us at the (1978) constitutional conference invited us to a meeting and briefed us about happenings at the conference as our leader.
He told us Nigeria was being brought out from regional cleavages in favour of a national party. Unfortunately, there were members of NEPU who were not happy about this development and they convinced him and they broke away to form the People’s Redemption Party, PRP. NEPU was a party that respected individual freedoms and a majority of us voted to go with the NPN.
Is there a significant difference between the kind of politics played in Kano in those days and what is happening today?
There is no difference. The people of Kano are politically literate and independent-minded. At the moment, I can see a situation whereby the politics played by Mallam Aminu Kano and some of us will repeat itself. It has not materialised yet but I fear we are approaching such a situation where what happened during the formation of the NPN will repeat itself.
What do you mean?
The history books are there for everyone to read. The independent mindedness, level of political sophistication and the general welfare of the masses will dominate not just discussions but also will play a leading role in the choices they make. Every Nigerian has a right to support who he likes to support. We will wait and see, Kano may not speak with one voice.
For the first time in its history, the Kano Emirate is having two Emirs at the same time. Why have elders not intervened to resolve this dispute?
At the moment, the matter is before the Supreme Court. Nobody can think of opting out of anything. Once the court takes a decision on the matter everyone must align. Let us all wait and see
Has your position on zoning changed?
Not really. It is something that was first introduced to us by the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the 1980s and it has been working. It was designed to promote inclusiveness and give each part of the country a true sense of belonging as a result of our experiences as a nation with a multi-cultural and religious background. Zoning is something I hope will become a permanent feature for our country because of its obvious benefits for national growth and sense of inclusion.
You recently said President Bola Tinubu is in the best position to win re-election in 2027. Why do you think so?
From my experience, it is difficult, I did not say impossible to defeat an incumbent in Nigeria. This is not only about the position of the president, it could be a councillor, local government chairman or governor. I haven’t heard anybody making any proposition about the 2027 presidential election from the Arewa Consultative Forum as of today.
Most of the things being said and credited to the ACF and other northern groups are mostly individual opinions. To the best of my knowledge and I should know, the North as a region is yet to take a collective stand on the 2027 election.
If one may ask, who else has what it takes to move into the presidential contest with the kind of stamina and strength to be more successful than Tinubu? He hasn’t done anything against the North, in my understanding, and to be objective, neither the North nor any other part of Nigeria alone can decide who the president of this country becomes.
Whoever will be president, will need the support of the majority of Nigerians from all over the country to succeed.
President Tinubu currently enjoys the advantage of incumbency; his party holds majority seats in the National Assembly. On top of this, the ruling All Progressives Congress is controlling a majority of states; there are some other governors from the opposition parties who are supporting and actively working for him. The crisis and confusion in some of the major opposition parties also makes any serious challenge to his re-election bid near impossible.
What is your take on defections into the ruling party by members of the opposition?
This is part of our democratic development, in the process of time it will stop. With time as our politicians become more mature. Those who are defecting are doing so for so many reasons. Some are thinking that their former parties are no longer popular or relevant in their localities and need a more viable platform all in a desperate bid to win the next election. As a politician, to play a part in the solution to the internal crisis of your political party is an integral part of your calling in politics. You don’t run away at the slightest sign of disagreement with other party members.
I will, however, advise that our politicians should see politics as a dynamic game. They should learn to play the game on the basis of ideology and programmes. Let them envision the way they want for our country and not just to be in politics just to be appointed ministers or seek to be governors or president. It is unfortunate that for some of them, after becoming all these and nothing is done in the interest of the country, we cannot develop as a country like that. We must begin to see politics as a means to an end and not an end in itself this is very important.
The post Why we can’t return to regionalism — Tanko Yakassai appeared first on Vanguard News.
