Former Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye who was in the 1999-2003 National Assembly on the platform of Alliance of Democracy (AD) said Nigeria is yet to learn anything from June 12. He spoke with SEYE OLUMIDE. Excerpts.IN what ways, if any, do you think that the nation has picked anything from the experience of June 12, 1993 election'I am not being pessimist but we have not learnt anything at all from June 12 otherwise the country ought to have improved beyond where it is today. The issue is, which other election has compared with June 12 election in this country' We have not even been able to replicate the process that brought about the June 12 election to talk of improving on the process, so what have we learn. Since 1999, Nigeria has never had any election that was not challenged in any of the election tribunals. We are like the French Bourbons 'learn nothing new, forget nothing old.' It is like each of the government we had after that period went under shadow. They failed to look at the fundamental of what made June 12 possible and what actually brought it up. I would say, it is the two- party system. To be honest, we need to give that credit to Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, who in his wisdom conceived the two-party structure, which was the major factor responsible for the success of the June 12 election, but unfortunately it was the same government that scuttled it.The issues are very clear even to the half literate population of Nigeria. We had the symbols of the two parties on the ballot papers and it was very easy for voters to identify the party of their choice compared to the 50 parties that we had in the 2011 elections where people found it difficult to locate the symbol of their party on the ballot papers.The two-party structure provides a platform for those in the right or left wings to group in one party. For instance, National Republican Convention (NRC) comprised the conservatives while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) comprised progressive democrats. We never had anything like cross carpeting under that system. There was no violence during the election and the use of thugs was minimal if at all there was any. What we are going through today was caused by the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo who believes in one party system and when we insisted that it should be multiple party, he approved as many as possible. That is the reason we have over 50 parties today. As long as we have this multiple party system, we can never replicate June 12.How do you thgink the Federal Government should immortalize the man in the centre of June 12, MKO Abiola'To me naming an institution was a good idea but I think it has been badly executed. I joined them in the same opinion because if the intention of the advisers of Mr. President was that let us put it in Yorubaland to appease them or to divide them further, knowing that some of us will kick against changing the name of the institution whatever it is, I do not think it was a good advise. It was a good idea to honour Abiola, and I must give kudos to President Goodluck Jonathan who is at least the first among other presidents who has remembered Abiola as the hero of our democracy.On the other hand, it would have been appropriate to name an institution in Abuja after Abiola. When former Senator Olufemi Okunrohunmu, who represented Ogun Central, sponsored a bill seeking to rename the Abuja National Stadium after Abiola all of us in the AD supported the move. Another reason we supported the move was that Abiola during his lifetime loved and supported sports. In fact he was referred to as the Pillar of Sports in Africa. That would have been an ideal way to honour him. As regards renaming a university, President Jonathan has now gone to the National Assembly and to me this is an afterthought because he had already made up his mind on what to do. I also strongly believe that Mr. President ought to have consulted the Alumni Association of the institution before changing the name. They are supposed to have a stake in the renaming of their institution. Finally, I am not even sure the government or the people of the state were consulted before the government changed the name. It is true that the Federal Government funded the institution but over the years the people of Lagos have looked up to the institution as their pride apart from the fact that it is situated there. The institution puts the name of the state on the world map and for anybody to change the name without recourse to the state or the people is unfair. And come to think of it, Abiola was an indigene of Ogun State, not Lagos.Some parties have suggested that that there is some political undertone in the decision'I don't see it that way but if there is any it must have been done in bad faith. What would have been the benefit to the PDP administration' I know that they have always had their eyes on Lagos, which I know they will never get. I do not think it has political undertone and if there it is, then it was a wrong calculation. That will not make PDP's image better in the South West nor will it undermine ACN or any other party.Are you surprised that only the South West states observe June 12 as public holiday'I will not support another public holiday because we already have many. To be honest if we look critically at the economic implication of another holiday now that may not be necessary. The rate at which we are going about in this country somebody might wake up one day and say we should declare a public holiday for people like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa and others. They all played great role in the political history of this country. That would be one holiday too many I would have preferred a national institution to be name after him.You are one of those that have been calling for national conference but government seems not to be interested'A national conference is a must in Nigeria. The way things are going there is no way that we can avoid holding a national conference. It is painful that our government does not share the same view with those of us who had been calling for a national conference. Right from the days we engaged the late Gen. Sani Abacha under the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) we have not desisted from calling for a conference. Today, Nigeria is run like a shadow, our leaders are just experimenting and nothing is working. Until all the ethnic nationalities come together to discuss the terms of relationship it will be difficult to achieve anything. Fortunately, many people who sounded lukewarm to the idea, even people from the North, are now in favour. I want to plead with our lawmakers that national conference would not endanger their jobs. As a matter of fact, there is no way we can convey a conference without the input of the National Assembly. I say that it is not the job of the lawmakers to draft constitution. I also want to say that Babangida successfully organised the Constituent Assembly even though it was done in a smaller way but it worked as we produced the 1988-1989 Constitution. There is enough for every lawmaker to do if they really wanted to work.Why does the problem of corruption persist despite the outcry against it'What we have in the country is no longer corruption but public stealing. Nobody is afraid of anything when it comes to corruption; it is done with impunity. Even our youths no longer see anything bad in corruption; they want quick money and this is due to the reckless financial life style of most of the public servants. Imagine young men stealing the entitlement of pensioners, it is the height of wickedness.
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