Abe Fisayo Makanjuola is the National Conscience Party (NCP) Chairman for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He spoke to SIMPLE IKEM on the party’s readiness for the 2019 general elections, among other issues.
TNE: How far would you say your party’s candidates would go in the 2019 elections considering their financial situation?
Our party’s presidential candidate, Yunusa Tanko, who happens to be the national chairman, and his campaign team have a lot of work to do considering the number of wards, local governments and states to reach. Honestly, it will require a huge sum of money to fund their campaign activities. The party and other well-meaning Nigerians need to understand that NCP is the party for the masses and needs to be supported by all.
However, there is a coalition of some political parties, including Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with the name Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP). They agreed to work together to form the next government.
I believe the coalition will work to a large extent if they can do away with greed and understand what they have to do to defeat the incumbent in the 2019 election.
However, I observe that this coalition seems to be effective at the national level, while their state chapters have the liberty to work with any party of their choice.
TNE: What efforts are you making to ensure the NCP candidates win elections in the FCT in 2019?
We are making serious efforts in sensitising the entire public and Abuja inhabitants on why they must vote for NCP. We also had our FCT chapter primary election. We have candidates for the senatorial election. My humble self, Comrade Abe Fisayo Makanjuola, picked the party’s senatorial ticket for FCT constituency. Comrade Adebola Lateef picked the ticket for the House of Representatives, to represent the Abuja South. This comprises of Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji and Kwali. The other House of Representatives ticket was picked by Hon. Angel Nwachukwu, for the Abuja North federal constituency, that is, Abuja municipal Area Council (AMAC) and Bwari Area Council.
We have put in place a formidable campaign team and they are working to come up with a robust proposal with specific regard to the campaign activities that will enable our party win the 2019 election in the FCT.
I was once the chairman Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in FCT in 2015/2016. So, I can tell you that I understand the political terrain of the FCT. This will come to play in the 2019 elections.
TNE: What are the main issues that will dominate campaigns among various candidates in the FCT?
The FCT is getting more populated everyday without any plan. Therefore, youth empowerment is key. There is need to provide a vocational skills acquisition centre in all the Area Councils which the residents of Abuja will access to acquire one skill or the other. This will make them useful to themselves and their father land.
We will make serious efforts to revive the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to engage our youths, so they will not be idle.
TNE: What agenda would you proffer for whoever would emerge the nation’s President in 2019?
The most important agenda for the incoming president in 2019 is restructuring. It is a vital tool that can determine the existence of Nigeria. We are due for it. Let us go back to the drawing board and come up with a fashionable idea on how to govern the nation, putting into considering inputs from every section. Nigeria is for all and not for a section of the country.
The second issue for the incoming president bothers on security. He or she should take the issue of security very serious. It is not just by merely giving orders from Aso Rock. Security agencies must ensure total compliance to such orders.
The issues of Book Haram must be tackled. The sect must be defeated once and for all so they will not continue to pose danger to the lives of the nation’s security men. The government must provide them with sophisticated weapons and capacity building
The incoming government should be able to take a decisive action to curb the escalating incidences of killings and terrorism in Nigeria
The government should not impoverish the citizens. Since the current government came into power with its Change mantra, every commodity price has been on the increase. These include fuel, which pump prices have gone up, as well as other items.
A carton of indomie noodles which one should be able to easily buy for one’s children at an affordable amount is now beyond the reach of the common man.
Sadly, the government has been dilly-dallying on the national minimum wage. This is absurd when the politicians in government could afford to purchase their nomination forms at very high costs. There are a lot of damages and abnormalities, which the incoming government will need to correct. As a party, we will ensure that all the necessary basic amenities are provided.
On the education sector, which has been in shambles, we will make all the government schools model schools and attractive for parents to enrol their wards.
The health sector in FCT will be improved upon. There will be recruitment of qualified hands to man the health centres which will cater for the people at the grassroots for them to enjoy improved health.
Drugs and other medical equipment will always be made available at the health centres. A mechanism will be put in place to ensure that the people get the medical attention they need.
The transport system in FCT is not masses-friendly. There are no buses for the down trodden people in FCT. Our party’s administration will make an elaborate submission to the National Assembly with a view of improving the transportation system where all the outskirts will be connected to the city at affordable rates.
Good roads will be constructed to ensure that the people move their products to the markets.
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On security, the peace that will be achieved if our party comes into power at the FCT cannot be overestimated. We will put the security of our people at heart by providing them adequate security for 24 hours. Security agencies will be equipped with state-of-the-art gadgets. This will make them overcome miscreants disturbing our peace in FCT.
All our educational and health institutions and other public places will be provided with security agents that will be monitoring and patrolling their premises for 24 hours.
Under housing, there will be a housing scheme for the low income earners, middle income earners and private people at affordable rates. People will enable them pay on a 25-30 years plan with little contributions that will not prevent them from attending to some other issues.
Small and Medium Scale Enterprises will be encouraged to contribute to national growth. We will ensure that they have a mechanism to monitor their activities and provide support for them when needed in terms of soft loans, enabling environment, etc, to make them survive and provide employment to the teaming population of Nigerians.
TNE: Would you say that INEC as currently constituted would give the nation credible elections in 2019?
I believe the current INEC should give us free and fair elections come 2019. If you will recall vividly in one of their quarterly press briefings, they gave the notice of the election early. So, it is left for the political parties to put their acts together and understand why they are in the race.
The present leadership of INEC led by Professor Mahmood Yakubu believes that without the political parties there will be no INEC. That was why they have continued to register more political parties, without taking sides with the government of the day.
INEC has been playing its roles according to the rules. This could be seen from its position on the Anambra senatorial election re-run where they barred both PDP and APC from contesting the election for failing to do things within the stipulated rules and guidelines. This also repeated itself in the just-concluded 2019 primary election in Zamfara State.
In conclusion, INEC needs the support of the political parties, the electorate, security agencies, its ad hoc staff, international and local observers and all other relevant stakeholders to conduct free, fair and credible elections. I believe they can do better than what they did in the last series of governorship and other re-run elections.
However, I will advise INEC to seek sponsorship from the list of credible international organisation to hold workshops and seminars for the political parties’ candidates, party executives and the electorate.
INEC should not also neglect the impact of the mass media in the conduct of the 2019 general elections. There must be some level of synergy between the agencies responsible for the conduct of the 2019 elections.