Who is Ishaya Bakut?
I have been in the Nigerian army from 1966 to 1996. I retired in that year and have been in retirement since then. I have been living a private life since, but I have been active in areas that normally dominate a retired life.
Ishaya Bakut
I am from Zankwa in Kaduna State. Zankwa is the capital of Zango Kataf in Kaduna State. I was born there and I attended my secondary school in Kaduna and my entire military career started as a cadet in the Nigerian Defence Academy after which I became an officer.
There have been apprehension over the April polls, given the spate of violence gripping the country in the past few weeks, are you worried about the trend?
No. You see, God Almighty has a way of doing things for this country. Normally, when people think there is going to be problem, there are usually none. I believe that people are informed enough. They are keen on voting and are interested on what is going on. The greater majority of the people do not want violence. I think that the greater majority are going to carry the day and we are going to have peaceful election at the end of the day.
From what you see so far, how would you rate the presidential candidates?
As far as I can see, the standing of the candidates is a direct function of the way they have moved around and who they have been able to reach and where. The person who is capable of reaching virtually every corner stands out tall in that order. One candidate has done just that is President Goodluck Jonathan, who has touched every corner of the country selling himself and manifesto.
I would have thought that what is prime is that every candidate should be interested in reaching as many of the electorate as possible and should grab every opportunity given. I think it is unfortunate if a bigger platform that is provided is abandoned, for whatever reason.
Some political analysts are sceptical about the candidature of General Muhammadu Buhari on the basis that he may be too rigid as president of Nigeria, do you share that sentiment too?
Being rigid is a relative thing. It is a perception. General Buhari is a senior officer and I have had opportunity of serving under him on assignments. And many Nigerians know him to be a thorough person.
Who among the presidential candidates have you met intimately and what strikes you about him?
This is an interesting question. I know President Jonathan, the presidential candidate of the PDP in 2007 and we have maintained some level of relationship. To the best of my knowledge, I believe he is thorough and a fortunate Nigerian who fate has charted his course to enable him get experience. It is as if he was being tutored by some divine forces at various levels.
He has conducted himself and organised himself in a commendable manner and has respected himself through all those levels. This is evident in what we have seen in the past several months. I believe that with time, when he consolidates, he would do significantly better.
So far, a lot of things have been stabilised in the country by his leadership style. You can see the various things that have been done in some areas in which we used to have problems.
Fuel supply is steady now; power is getting less problematic and several other things. If you put that side by side and compared it to the situation we had before . I believe things are much better and will still be better, if he continues in the leadership saddle of this country.
Given your experience as the commander of international peace keeping efforts in Liberia and Lebanon, can you assess the challenge to peace in this country?
When you are considering peace, the thing that normally stand in the way of consolidating peace is the issue of communication. Your ability to communicate with the aggrieved; your ability to consult; your ability to reach out and sometimes people get upset because of lack information. So long as you consult enough and try as much as you can to carry people along, your chances of maintaining and achieving peace are brighter.
The president himself must be very pleased with himself; after going round the country, he has become more informed and has made discoveries that can be to his advantage.
Some critics say that Jonathan is too soft and may not be able to handle a complex country like Nigeria, what do you think?
As a matter of fact, those who have the capacity to remain calm and cool when others are getting excited have a trade that is not easily got by many persons; it is not a weakness to be calm and not to get excited when others are getting excited. As a matter of fact, it is strength not to lose your head easily and not to get angry easily, to remain calm and accommodate those who could be very belligerent. It is not weakness.
What is your assessment of the ongoing elections?
I try as much as possible to also learn; learning is a continuous process. I have come to understand that the electorate today is better informed than they were several years back. They have access to better communication equipment; IT gadgets which enhances the passage of information. Today, most people believe in going to cast their votes and insist that their votes count.
I call on Nigerians to do so with a positive attitude and not cause trouble. Every voter should be satisfied that he has been given to opportunity to express his franchise and has voted for whoever he wants.
From my personal judgment and observation, it will be difficult to find any party that can stand the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This is not because of many other factors, but because of their spread and the fact that their presidential candidate has worked much harder and has shown more record and he is on the job. I feel more convinced that people will work with the one who is on the job and is showing results than looking for birds that are flying elsewhere.
Source: Click the link below»
http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/politics/20154-i-see-president-jonathan-winning-the-presidential-election-bakut
No comments:
Post a Comment