Prophet Isa El-Buba is the convener, Initiative for Better and Brighter Nigeria (IBBN), and the General Overseer, El-Buba Outreach Ministries International (EBOMI). In this interview with ISAAC SHOBAYO, the clergyman and sicial activist speaks on the state of the nation and other related issues.
What is your assessment of the state of the nation after the #End Bad Governance protest?
What the protest has brought is a better understanding, especially between the faiths—the Muslims and the Christians. There is now a collaboration that is stronger than it used to be. Secondly, it has made the younger people realise that they truly don’t have leaders. This realisation has driven them to channel their energies towards a common direction. These are the key observations we have seen after the protest.
In terms of government response, certain areas have been addressed. For instance, the Minister of Agriculture has tried to roll out certain palliatives due to the pressure on the system. Additionally, the government’s confession regarding the amount of money disbursed to state governors came because the protesters demanded transparency. However, when it comes to mitigating the level of suffering among Nigerians, the situation is worse than before.
For example, the government recently released some of the palliatives because we had a meeting where the mandate was to know the main issues. I provided insights on steps they could take within a week or two to resolve the fuel problem. But it is clear we have a government that is not listening to the cries and pains of the people. This administration is deaf and blind to the reality on the ground. All we are doing is trying to help the government do what is right for the sake of the citizens, but the suffering continues. Look at what happened today: we were expecting 1,200 people for the empowerment programme we organised, but many more came than we anticipated. And none of them was mobilised in the usual manner—no buses, no funds provided. People walked as far as 10 to 15 kilometres to attend the summit. They received lectures and registered for various vocational training programmes that we are offering. This is a sign of change. The typical demand for money before doing something is fading. People are no longer driven by peanuts; they genuinely want to see Nigeria change.
But from all indications, there is an attempt by the government to criminalise protest based on the gale of arrests of protesters that took part in the recent end bad governance protest. What is your take on this?
It is like the government wants to gag any form of protest in the country because they feel threatened. They never believed that citizens could reach this point. It was the least expected thing in their imagination. Despite all the media and physical attacks, it didn’t stop people from coming out. Initially, they thought it was a religious issue, but they soon realised that both Muslims and Christians participated. It wasn’t even a northern affair, as some suggested—it was about people wanting change, regardless of their backgrounds. But you cannot just keep fighting. We need to echo it often and also believe that there can be change in the country. It wasn’t just a northern affair. We saw people from the South, from Lagos—they all came out. You can see how the authorities tried to limit where protesters could gather by obtaining court injunctions. But what they never expected, they got. Nigerians have now reached a stage where they are proving to the leaders that we, the people, are actually in control. While terrorists are flaunting their money and weapons, challenging the Nigerian state, none of them is being arrested. Instead, it is the peaceful protesters, the ones who are raising the consciousness of leadership to do what is right, who are being charged with treason. These are sincere people. They didn’t resort to violence. That’s why they were arrested so easily. If they had been violent, how could they have been arrested? Why didn’t they go after the violent groups that are causing the chaos? We saw those boys. Why didn’t they arrest the ones in Lagos who were chanting threats? Why didn’t they arrest those boys? It is the peaceful ones that were targeted because of their disposition, and that’s why they took that route.
What is your opinion on the present travail of the national president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)?
That is exactly their aim—to cripple the people with fear. You know, the worst enemy of any person is fear, if you can instill fear in their hearts. It is like the situation in North Korea. Fear is what controls the people there. Anyone who tries to break that chain is targeted to send a message to others that if they try, the same will happen to them. But you see, when people are pushed to the wall, there is a limit to which you can push them, they will rise. So, what they are doing to the NLC president isn’t helping them. As leaders, they have all the security at their disposal. The man has been living in his house, driving on the road, but they never approached him with a warrant of arrest. It was when he was flying out to attend a conference that they decided to pick him up at the airport. This action only emboldens the people. They might not speak openly, but if you listen carefully or read the comments of Nigerians, you’ll see that people are being emboldened.
For instance, at this summit which I organised, if fear was instilled in people based on the government’s actions, the arrests, and everything else, they wouldn’t have come out. But you saw the turnout. Someone asked me: “You asked for 1,200 attendees, yet there are 10,000 here. How did you control this crowd?” I simply replied, “Leadership.” Did I do anything extraordinary? You could see that everyone was well-behaved. Unlike political gatherings with just 500 people, where there would be noise, fighting, and quarrels, here, there was order.
The fear they want to instill in the people is the wrong approach. This is the same tactic they used when they wanted to remove [former President Good luck] Jonathan. It is the same tactic Abacha used to intimidate Nigerians.
Are you not surprised that President Tinubu, a product of protest himself, is allowing this to happen under his leadership?
Yes, and that is exactly what we are talking about. He knows this situation all too well.
That is what brought him to the limelight. This is the same thing that made Nigerians back him when Obasanjo tried to interfere with the local government development centres in Lagos that Tinubu created. Obasanjo argued it wasn’t part of the constitution and wanted to shut it down, but based on Tinubu’s position, Nigerians supported him. He is a product of that experience because he knows the power of the people.
Now, he wants to turn Nigeria into a police state, where everyone just says “yes, sir” without questioning. But the truth is, Nigerians may stay quiet for a while, but when they react, no one can hold them back. The same way Tinubu succeeded by using protests is the same way the next generation will use it. This issue is far from over. You will see what happens. There are Nigerians who are willing to lay down their lives, even if they are the only ones. That’s the worst thing that can happen to any society—when people reach a point where individuals are ready to sacrifice their lives for a cause. It is not about the multitude; it is about the few with conviction. That is where the government is getting it wrong. The people they sponsor, the ones they pay, couldn’t break the will of those who volunteered to speak to the government. In my view, this government is shooting itself in the foot. That is just the reality. We have been praying for them to succeed, which is why we managed the crowd here on the Plateau. We made sure there was no violence, no threats to anyone. If anyone tries to incite violence, we arrest them because we want to help the government succeed. But how can people live in this kind of bondage for the next four years, even the next three years? I don’t know how many people will survive. You can see how many people are already struggling.
Is there any possibility of the majority poor Nigerians coming out of this situation with the current approach of the government to the hardship in the country?
The government is not ready to do what is right. If they follow the template we gave them, we will come out of this. We gave them a short-term, mid-term, and long-term plan, but they are not ready to follow it. That is why things are getting worse. Just within the last five days, look at how much prices have gone up again. This is what we’re talking about. This is harvest time, the rainy season, when food should be in abundance. God has blessed us in Nigeria with fertile land, and every three months, new crops are harvested. That should naturally bring food prices down. But it is not the food supply that’s the problem, it is the logistics. Transporting the food is very expensive now.
For example, my daughter told me one of her staff used to pay N500 to get to work. Now, that person is paying N3,000 just for transport. I know people who used to live on N10,000 for the whole month, but now, N10,000 can’t sustain a family for even five days. But look at what is happening in the North-West. Bandits are writing to communities, demanding levies and collecting taxes from them before they can harvest their crops.
But how can Nigeria achieve food sufficiency and food security in this context?
Right, because the government is not serious. They are not sincere. Let me give you an example. A few days ago, a Fulani boy took his cattle through my farm, but we had to act to stop him. Now, these bandits, their locations are known. How can you send soldiers into the bushes to confront them without a proper strategy? The army is not properly equipped, and they are lying to the Nigerian state. The Minister of Defence knows what he is doing. You can’t put criminals in charge and expect them to stop criminality. It is not possible. That is the truth, even if it’s hard to hear.
For instance, Turji has spoken about his connections with some of these guys, and there is an element of truth to it. The question is, why haven’t they deployed simple drone technology? You can sit here and control a drone to travel 50 or 200 kilometres, and it will capture everything in its path. Why haven’t they given drones to the soldiers? Instead, they spend money on vehicles and equipment, yet they fail to invest in technology that could make a difference. They benefit from this ongoing criminality. Otherwise, how can someone send a letter to a village demanding money?
The security forces should disguise themselves as members of the community and be ready when the bandits come. Instead, bandits come into communities, collect money, and return to the bush without resistance. They know what they’re doing, and they’re crippling the efforts of the security chiefs. That’s why even simple operations need approval from defence headquarters.
Look at the soldiers and policemen who lost their lives in Katsina—pushing them into danger without adequate support. The security forces are willing, but the necessary mechanisms to deal with these bandits are not in place. These bandits are known. Their hideouts are known. There is no location technology can’t reveal, no matter how thick the forest is. In modern warfare, whether it’s Ukraine, Israel, or Hamas, technology can detect whether something is a tree or a human being. There are even guns that can be stationed in the forest, and they will automatically target and eliminate any human passing by without harming animals. So, the technology exists to deal with the bandits in Nigeria’s forests, but it’s not being used.
Now, as for the constant increase in fuel prices, there are forecasts that by next year, fuel could cost N5,000 per litre. I don’t doubt it. They are intentional about this. Every time they want to raise prices, they create artificial scarcity, forcing people to accept any price increase just to have fuel.
The president, when he was campaigning, said he would expand the tax net but reduce the purchasing power of the people. That’s exactly what is happening. He has reduced Nigeria’s purchasing power, such that Nigerians are now clamouring to be returned as they were on 28th of May 2023. Since (May 29 2023,) the tax net has expanded, and purchasing power has plummeted. For example, N70,000 on May 28th, 2023 is now worth about N300,000 in today’s economy. Similarly, N10,000 Naira in May 2023 is now about N50,000. What can N10,000 do for you? The government has virtually stripped the people of their capacity to live. This isn’t accidental—it is intentional. They are creating these issues on purpose. There is a problem between the government and Dangote as well. Dangote said, “Give me one week, and I’ll flood the country with fuel, and there will be no more queues.” So why don’t they let him? It is our oil, not America’s. The government could easily tell Dangote, “We will supply you with crude oil at 200 Naira per barrel, so you can sell fuel to Nigerians at half the price.” Dangote would still make his profit, and the nation would move forward because it is our own oil. We are not buying it from anyone else—the only cost is extracting it from the ground.
Finally, there are already people making their own local refineries. These are creative and resourceful individuals who are refining oil on a small scale. What the government should do is license and empower them. Give them legal backing and support to refine oil for the local market. Then, to prevent smuggling, all the government needs to do is track the fuel. We have about 20,000 filling stations in Nigeria. Install trackers at these stations, and any vehicle transporting fuel near the borders would be flagged and arrested. It is a simple solution, and it has been done before.
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