I Have No 2015 Ambition–Al-Mustapha

Major Hamza Al-Mustapha was in Bauchi, the Bauchi State capital penultimate Friday in continuation of his peace and unity advocacy tour of the country. He was taken up in an interview session with a group of journalists. Tribune’s Assistant Editor, Saliu Gbadamisi, was there. Excerpts:

Since your recent discharge and acquittal, you have been going round the country with your peace initiative. Can you tell us what your mission is with the formation of Al-Mustapha Peace, Unity and Development Initiatives (APUDI)

First, I am here in Bauchi to present our sincere appreciation for the help rendered to us by His Highness, the late Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, in the last 15 years when we were passing through travails. There were roles he played from the beginning to the point that he died. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Also, there are roles the present emir, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu Sulaiman, has played in ensuring sympathy and fighting against social injustice and in support of rights and protection of mankind. Second is that of meeting the youth and presenting to them the mission of the body we are heading at the moment called APUDI. I have had meeting at the Government House, at the emir’s palace and with the youth at Zaranda Hotel to speak about the mission we have.

How do you intend to go about the mission

We have designed this approach believing that support will get down to the grass roots directly. We do not want any stopgaps as it was in the past where agencies in or outside government that were targeted to reach out to our society or groups or associations in different aspects of life did have stopgaps, where at the end of the day, aims did not reach the point expected. What we intend doing is a new thing entirely, God willing. First, you put the problems together. Second is to draw the attention of the youth to the problems and third is the mechanics of getting them solved using the state government, local government, Federal Government, agencies, parastatals, United Nations’ bodies and some bodies in Europe and Asia. We intend to use whatever is compiled and documented as the guide for presenting some solutions to the problems, particularly the issues affecting us socially, economic problems, problems of employment, support for entrepreneurship, skill acquisition in general and the rest of it.

What informed your decision to form such a non-governmental organization

Well, this is not new to me. This is something I have been into since 1984. I have been registering youth associations and involving in students’ activism. In the past, I supported so many associations from the North and Southern part of the country to blossom. I am actually energised to reactivate them now because I stopped from the moment I was arrested. Even in detention, I found it necessary to register so many youth associations like NYO and African Youth Congress. They are my brainchildren in prison. The youth can have something doing and I can have a platform that will bring support and hope to their lives. It is something that I want to do without looking back.

What message do you have for the youth since they are your target

I want their understanding and cooperation; and for them to go with the laid-down rules of documenting the association’s problems, documenting their membership and putting the problems together local government by local government; as well as their expectations from the authorities, so that at the end, we can have the right document that can draw the right attention to them. So, I need cooperation. I need peace in our country.

What you have said so far concerning your mission seems contradictory to the image Nigerians were made to have of your person. What is your reaction this

Well, the way you see me is the way I was. That is my upbringing. I have never been the person projected in the papers in the past 15 years by those who singled me out for persecution. We have been trained to uphold the tenets of honesty, truth and service to the land and there are some people who believe that doing so is a disservice to their selfish interest. So, after the death of General Sani Abacha, they believed the best do was to persecute us and take us off the road so that they can continue in their path. Anything that is detrimental to the wellbeing of Nigeria and Nigerians, high or low, I am against it. But anything that is good for the country, anything that will build Nigeria, anything that will do good in laying foundation for the younger ones, even those yet unborn, I am part of that. That is the way I have been. Listen to what happened at the Oputa Panel; from there we began to draw some inference and then, to understand the truth. I am the way you see me, no more, no less.

How powerful were you during the reign of the late General Abacha

Those who offended the system and wanted the society to believe that they were good, particularly after the death of General Abacha, initiated that propaganda. Those who found themselves in coup plotting and were arrested believed that since General Abacha was dead, the only person they could put that blame upon was me. You know those who were arrested for coup at that time later found themselves in politics, after they were released. They believed it was time for vengeance against General Abacha and in his absence, I became their target.

But the me you see is the me I was, no more, no less. Critically, time will tell when some memos are being presented. That time will come, God willing. I am the way I am. I was portrayed differently, but for me, service to this country is all I put forward before me.

Nigerians have been clamouring for the convocation of a national conference, a call President Goodluck Jonathan listened to by agreeing to convene one soon. What is your impression about this

Even you as a young man, what should come to your mind is anything that is positive; anything that will bring people to interact and create a new passage or new openings for the country to foster greater ties or greater heights should be supported. Even if at the end of the day, the new chart will not work, some people somewhere will look at it as a platform to make some adjustments. There are times for retreat, times for adjustments, times to effect changes for a better tomorrow. A country that is having the laws of the 1960s to govern it into the new millennium is a mistake. We should always be making projections and then be doing it right all for tomorrow. Nigeria, in my understanding, should always be seen to be led on a platform well designed for it to attain certain goals for its greatness.

How do you look at the unity of the country, as there are calls in some quarters for the country to be divided

Personally, I am against anything that will dismember Nigeria. We have everything to lose, if we get this country fragmented. United we stand. If you look from the genesis of this country to where we are, I don’t think one should be seen to be supporting anything that will cause trouble or crisis in this land. What is happening in Congo; what is happening in Sudan; what is happening in Egypt? These are African countries. I am citing examples of African countries. Nigerian children in the military went to Sierra Leone; went to Liberia. We lost so many in trying to help them in curtailing insurgencies. We have our own insurgency happening and our brothers and sisters are dying by the day. The right thing to do for the right is actually to foster ties for unity and peace in this land. That is the only thing we can do and anything that will foment trouble certainly is detestable.

You said that we stand to lose a lot, if Nigeria disintegrated. What are those things that we stand to lose

So many things; you know the history of this country. How do you see a fragmented Nigeria? That alone tells you a lot. The North and the South integration alone, our history, our people, the affection between us, things that bind us together, the commitment, the promises, the hopes and confidence, the aspects of investment of some people in hope and restoration in this country will lead to many things like you have seen in some other countries.

What is your status in the military now

You know the Lagos State government has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court and, ordinarily, until a matter is properly disposed of legally, you are not allowed to do anything. It is when the matter is disposed of finally that the provisions of military laws will have effect.

During your speech when you paid a courtesy visit to Governor Isa Yuguda at the Government House, you said since 1997, when you last set your feet on the place, others had been busy propagating ethnic cleansing. Do you think those people have stopped their ethnic cleansing agenda and if they have not, who are those people

You know what happened from 1999 till today. You should know that very well; all the most unfortunate crises that took place in the country. To me, it was most unfortunate that thousands of our brothers and sisters were killed. That is what I am against and that is what brought about the Owerri declaration that all bodies that directly or indirectly have roles before should be seen now to uphold the tenet of peace and security. Wherever they are, they should be seen to be protective of Nigerians as against taking arms. That is what we did in Owerri and that is what we intend to continue; it is part of the messages I brought here, peace and unity, no more.

What message do you have for those who misunderstood what your mission is all about

Well, all I said to them is that they should look inward, be sincere to God Almighty, love the country and love their brothers and sisters. They should think about the country, make promises for the country for it to be placed on the right passage so that tomorrow will be right. The God-given resources, man-made and natural, should be seen to be utilised for Nigeria’s greatness. They shouldn’t look at greed, personal interest; they shouldn’t look at their own selfish desire against, up and above that of Nigeria; nothing more.

You said that your organisation is being funded from above. Who are these people

If you look at the crème of people that came with me, you will see the large body here and this body has so many promising sons of Nigeria. They have been my friends before and in the 1980s till this moment. We have supported so many activities; those of the youth, students and so many other associations from the North to the South. And then today, the fact that I am out, doesn’t mean they cannot continue. I thank them for the commitment and for putting their resources together for us to be here. For instance, the journey here today, somebody is responsible for our transportation, somebody is responsible for the accommodation, somebody is responsible for our feeding, somebody is responsible for bringing youth leaders who participated in what is going on and their documentation. It is truly committed Nigerians who believe that peace and unity in the past have created opportunities for them to have taken giant steps in their businesses and , if they give back to the country on a path that is laudable, then, it should be seen to be good. I continue to thank all of them and I pray they will continue in this drive.

Is there any political undertone to what you are doing

No political undertone. I repeat there is no political undertone in what I am doing. Where you are envisaging crisis, where some people are investing in crisis, the best thing you can do is to first study, make some projections and then, on your own, be seen to give helping hand in terms of bringing peace; nothing more.

What ambition do you have for 2015 then

I have no ambition for 2015 elections. I am not a politician and I have not registered with any political party. I am not a card-carrying member of any political party. All I want is a peaceful, one coordinated, united Nigeria whose promises should be seen to have no doubt; a country where the youth will realise their potentialities much towards Nigeria’s greatness; nothing more.