Alhaji Liad Tella is a veteran journalist, public administrator, Asiwaju Musulumi of Iwoland and a former Federal Commissioner. In this interview with ROTIMI AGBOLUAJE, the former Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Monitor Newspapers and former General Manager of Concord Newspapers urges the Federal Government to set up a special court to try bandits, kidnappers and illegal miners, which will deliver judgment within one month. Tella alleges that there is a grand international conspiracy against Nigeria hence the prevailing insecurity in the country and calls for death penalty for bandits, kidnappers and armed robbers. To him, anyone convicted of banditry,kidnapping or armed robbery should be executed publicly in his or her home town. Excerpts:
Let’s start from the profession you love so much, which is journalism. Can you compare the way it was practised during your days and the way it is being practised now?
Journalism has been a very dynamic profession, changing with changing times but its principles remain almost unchanged. Journalism is like the biblical quotation that says as it was in the beginning, so it is now and so shall it be forever.The goal of the media is to be the voice of the people and a mirror for the society, to help in building peace, harmony and development by ensuring good governance at all levels.
The goal of journalism is also the promotion of justice, fairness, accommodation, cooperation and understanding among various groups, whether ethnic or regional and at all levels – traditional, local, state and federal – or international.
What is your assessment of contemporary journalism in the country in terms of promoting peace and justice?
At the beginning, the Nigerian media and journalists were combative against the imperialists and colonialists who were exploiting our resources and oppressing our people. So, journalism was a bit used by the then emerging political forces to fight for the independence of Nigeria. But journalism in Nigeria has a religious undertone. The genesis of the profession can be traced to Bishop Ajayi Crowther and Henry Townsend, who were slave returnees that brought Christianity into Nigeria. They started the missionary schools, Church Missionary Society (CMS) when they came into Yorubaland via Sierra-Leone. This later graduated into the Anglican Church. It was a society formed under King James II, who broke away from the Catholic Church over his second marriage. When they came, the duo brought the philosophy of one God, one destiny, one people. This was already prevalent in Yorubaland before their arrival. The Muslim community had grown fast in Abeokuta, Lagos, Badagry and many parts of Yorubaland since the 10th century. But Yoruba was not a written language. So, the people depended on oral tradition. It was Bishop Crowther and Townsend that invented the alphabet in Yoruba Language, according to Samuel Johnson in his book History of Yorubas.
At the beginning, they toyed with several options. Arabic was already a language that predominated among the Muslim community. So, they had the option of adopting Arabic writing and language to spread Christianity but they thought that toeing that path would create confusion. So, they invented a new alphabet. That was the beginning of the written text in Yorubaland. They were not intentional to start journalism as a profession or a newspaper. Rather, it was an unintended consequence when the alphabet became well branded. There and then, they started ‘Iwe Iroyin’ for the Egbas and the Yorubas. Initially, the newspaper was to propagate Christianity only.
As I said before, journalism as a profession started in a combative way in Nigeria. That was one of the reasons the British technically didn’t consider handing over to any Westerner or Easterner like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ladoke Akintola and Obafemi Awolowo. All of them were journalists with caustic pens. They took on the colonialists headlong, exposing every evil that they committed in Nigeria.
When the colonialists left, the media forgot to retract and moderate the vituperation against the government, governance and those in government. The Western press was attacking the northerners, calling them Fulani feudalists as if every northerner is a Fulani man. The population of the Fulani in the North is less than 25 per cent of the population of the entire Northern Nigeria.
In Nigeria, we have almost 200 tribes. In Taraba State alone, we have more than 35 tribes; in Adamawa State, there are about 25 tribes and the same in Plateau State. Even in Yorubaland, there are distinct tribes of not less than 20. That’s why Samuel Johnson said ‘The history of the Yorubas’. He used the word Yorubas not Yoruba. There is no monolithic entity called Yoruba. Egba is quite distinct from Egbado; Egbado is distinct from Ijebu; Ijebu is different from Oyo, Ijesa, Igbomina, Okuns, Ilaje and many more.
But the language that Samuel Johnson and Bishop Ajayi Crowther invented was Oyo tone. Oyo was the only written and still the only written dialect in Yoruba language.
What is your take on the spate of kidnapping and other forms of insecurity in the country?
Journalists are recorders of history. In 2010, 2011 or thereabout, the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) predicted that there might be no Nigeria in 2015. They publicly issued a statement that Nigeria would cease to exist in 2015. As at that time, there was no crisis. What was the objective of the U.S. coming out with that statement? They never wanted Nigeria to grow as a nation. Nigeria with peace and stability will challenge Europe in the next 10 to 20 years and Europe will come and seek our favour. As a result of this great potential of the country, there is a grand international conspiracy against Nigeria led by the U.S., the UK and leading EU nations.
I have seen a lot of YouTube videos where some were teaching their students that Africa must never be allowed to be liberated. They posited that the liberation of Africa would be the end of the economic domination of Africa by Europe.
America is warlike; and the greatest warmonger in human history. They have caused more wars in countries of the world than any other nation. There is the use of economic, cultural imperialism as well as military imperialism. The only way America can hold the world to ransom is the destabilisation of the world. This is going to lead to implosion in America very soon. I’m not a prophet. Nigeria, insha Allah, shall triumph. How many countries have America destroyed since 1948?
With the biblical quote of over 2,000 years ago, they are now backing the return of Israel to the land of Canaan that was a small or infinitesimal part of ancient Palestine. That is why they are destroying Palestine and the whole world is watching. Europe is mute; European media are keeping silent. The Nigerian media is pretending blindness. Where are the much-touted universal human rights activists? Are human rights only for the White only?What is happening in Nigeria is an international conspiracy.
Do you remember that in 2005 or so, Bill Gates came to Nigeria. He said he wanted to acquire a large area of land and turn it into international farmland. Bill Gates donated about a million handsets. Were the handsets he distributed programmed to reveal information about Nigeria? He went to Borno State and his target was Sambisa Forest where there are gold and other solid mineral resources that could make Nigeria better than even the U.S. Why did he want to come and buy land here? What happened to the land in California and in other parts of America like Illinois, Chicago, Florida?
I finger America; I finger France in this ordeal. Some of the people that escaped from Boko Haram nets in their early days said they saw French helicopters dropping ammunition for the insurgents in Sambisa Forest. Many of the insurgents that were captured by the Nigerian Army could not even read the Holy Quran; could not speak Arabic, Hausa or Kanuri. They were mercenaries. Journalists are recorders of history. Why are we silent on these Western plots against Nigeria?
What is the way out?
Are we really sincere about looking for solutions to insurgency and banditry? I am saying this because we don’t have enough police officers and military men. The number of troops is too infinitesimal to the challenges we have today. In the light of this, Nigeria must disengage from self-adulation but seek military alliance with China. Russia is already in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. I would have preferred Russia if the European country was not already in these West African countries. I would also like to concur with a senator who advised that Nigeria should seek external aid. We can seek aid from nations like Germany that has never been an imperialist country. But will America allow Germany to take part? Again, we must trace the sources of this ammunition. Who are the producers of these ammunitions? All ammunitions coming into Nigeria have sources and the makers. Can the Nigerian government take on the countries that are producing these ammunitions? Let the government go on diplomatic missions to the countries where these ammunitions are coming from in order to break the root and stop the flow of ammunitions into Nigeria. We also need the cooperation of Niger for our own national security.
What is the panacea to the security challenges?
First of all, the National Assembly must review the constitution without delay to implement State Police. In the First Republic, we had regional police and local police. The tragedy of Nigeria was the military insurrection of 1966 and 1967 up to 1993. They destroyed federalism. If federalism had not been destroyed, every region would have developed at its own pace. And if anyone wanted to go peacefully, the 1960 Constitution, which was confederation in nature, clearly made provision for that. Western Region had consulates in America, London, Germany and other places. Eastern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria equally had. We had diplomatic missions. The economy was based on contribution and sharing. But the greediness of a particular interest group hiding under a regional flag to arrogate to themselves Nigeria as personal property destroyed that good start. This led to the promulgation of the unitary decree that eliminated federalism. It is impracticable to go back to it.
As part of the efforts to deal with insecurity, I want the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, to disband all second tier foreign exchange markets. Bureau de change businesses must cease to exist in Nigeria. Some people, who stole from the nation’s commonwealth, have changed it into foreign currency and put the money underground. But manufacturers who need dollars to import items are competing with those who stole our money and converted it to dollars. The central bank should be the only custodian of forex.
Next, the government must close our doors against all imports. Open market importation where people import items indiscriminately would kill our local industries. If there is hunger, we will go back to the farm. Let’s plant what we eat and stop unbridled importation. Let’s use the Chinese example. It’s going to be painful but Nigeria will emerge as a strong economy. The Chinese locked themselves for three decades. North Korea did the same and the country didn’t collapse despite all the propaganda against it. Is America not afraid of North Korea now? America can’t try what they did with Iraq and Afghanistan with North Korea.
What is your advice to the Federal Government on how to handle the litany of security challenges and crises in the country?
The National Assembly must be bold and ready to do the right thing by returning the death penalty to kidnappers and bandits. The day that is done, Nigeria will begin to change. People who kill innocent people and trample on the rights of others must be made to face the raw consequences of their action. The Western nations and America are pressurising us to ban capital punishment. Are we in the same class with them? Even some states in America have not enacted laws to abrogate capital punishment. Why must they pressurise us on the application of capital punishment?
In those days, when capital punishment was introduced, armed robbers like Oyenusi, Babatunde and others were taken to their home towns and compounds for execution. A notorious armed robber from Ede called ‘Ejiwe’ was caught in Lagos and brought back to Osun, tried and sentenced to death. Two weeks later, he was executed publicly in Ede for his people to see. People who kidnapped and killed two kings in Ekiti State must face the consequence. Those caught to have perpetrated the Ekiti killing were Yoruba. We must not ethnicise crimes. Ethnicisation and demonisation of one ethnic group is not a solution to our problem.
Then, let the government use BVN to track movement of funds and bring those transferring the funds to book. Banditry, kidnapping and now assassination must be contained fast. Some people and forces want to make this country ungovernable for Tinubu. Anybody doing that, no matter how highly placed, should be dealt with. Let’s get to the root of this matter, and whoever is involved in kidnapping and banditry should be brought to book as fast as possible. I trust Nuhu Ribadu as the National Security Adviser (NSA). I’m charging him to do what he used to do. Also, a special court should be set up to try bandits, kidnappers and illegal miners so that within one month, judgment will be given.
How would the recent happenings in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) affect the Nigerian security situation?
It has very serious security implications on Nigeria. The border between Nigeria and Niger is too amorphous. Any infiltration from there will be a trouble for us. Economically, we share River Niger with Niger Republic and Burkina Faso. If there is any break in the flow of the dam as a result of radicalisation of these countries, Nigeria is going to pay a huge price for it. Nigeria can’t be the megaphone of American diplomacy in Africa. Nigeria should rather be the megaphone of its economic and security interests. We need to do the cost-benefit analysis of the issue. Atomisation of West Africa should not be allowed. It would be too dangerous to handle. We should change our diplomatic tactics. If we don’t contain the storm, only God can help Nigeria.
