Interview By President Yar'Adua When His Brother, Shehu Was Arrested And Detained In The Abacha Era

Shehu Musa Yar'Adua was a politician who could not be ignored in the 80s and early 90s. In fact he could be called a soldier-politician. The Katsina State born army General who was then Habib Bank's (now Bank PHB) Chief Executive was being haunted and finally whisked away in February, 1994 by General Abacha's men. From the Archives' duo of ANI UDOM (Weekend Editor) and IFREKE NSEOWO (Sports & Entertainment Editor) bring you an interview granted Tell Magazine by his brother Umar Musa Yar'Adua, now Nigeria's President and Commander-in- Chief of the Armed forces just before his brother's release. Umar Yar'Adua explains the scenario behind Shehu's arrest. Enjoy it…

When was General arrested?
On Saturday, February, 12.

What time precisely?
Between 3.30 to 4pm. But you have to understand I wasn't here myself. I was in Katsina. Then I received the news of the arrest myself in Katsina around 10.00 in the night. So I wasn't here when he was arrested. But I was made to understand that he was at home, fasting and around 3.30 pm, the Director of the State Security Service and two of their staff came to the house. But, it is not unconnected with the press conference in Lagos on the state of the nation, on the political problem.

If exactly that was the reason, why is it that they are now coming to effect the arrest almost a month after the press conference?
Well, I don't know. I am not a party to the arrest. I am not the one making the arrest. I don't know why. But I know he was scheduled to travel and I think he traveled. I think he gave the press conference and flew to London the following day because he had a board meeting: Habib Bank meeting in Jeddah. Of course, there are no political activities now. You know he has been very very busy. Very active politically over the last few years and he was not able to travel out of the country on holidays. Normally he does travel with his family, with his wife on holiday every year. I think for the last two years or three years he was not chanced to do so. I know he planned to travel just after the election and then there came a problem. The elections were annulled. And then he stayed and then later, he also planned to travel and then there was the question of the formation of the Interim National Government… So, he had been shifting. He never had the chance until really after the Abacha take-over. After that he planned to go abroad. So, he went with his wife, principally for three things. He traveled for three things. He took the opportunity to rest. So, he took his wife. And then there was the meeting, Habib Bank meeting, which he is chairman, scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He performed the lesser Haji, Umrah and then went back to London.

You suspect that it must have been because of the press conference that he gave?
Well, I don't think it's a suspicion as such. As I said, it's not unconnected principally because of what the Minister of Information said. You know that there was a warning, a statement by the Inspector General of Police. The statement came on the day the Nzeribe press conference was aborted. It was a day after the press conference my brother gave, that the government, through the IG, came out with a statement saying that any further conference and so on by politicians, may be liable to arrest and possible prosecution. And early this month, in a response to a question from journalists, Professor Jerry Gana, the Minister for Information and Culture, did say that General Yar'Adua had held his press conference and left the country. In fact to use (the minister's) own words he said he (Yar'Adua) ran away otherwise he would have been arrested.

But in your opinion, did Yar'Adua actually run away?
No, I have told exactly what had happened. I think somebody who holds a press conference and is planning to run away. I would expect that he would have pre-arranged everything and then from the conference room, he drives straight to the airport and time it in such a way in fact that the moment he gets to the airport, he checks in and boards a flight. That is how people run away, people don't run away by giving a press conference, going back to their home and sleeping, and then the following day also giving press interviews and then being in town up to about 10.00pm. I think the flight was a midnight flight on that day. Do you think that is the person who has planned to run away? Hmm?

Could it be that he, Yar'Adua, is trying to plan some political offensive that the government wants to nip in the bud?
What is the political offensive about it? You said you were aware of the press conference. What the press conference actually did was to review the transition programme under the former president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and then absolve the political class of blame in the collapse of the transition programme. It shifted the blame to the military class and then the General went ahead with the conference to put forward suggestion. How we should move forward. He called for a sovereign National Conference and that we should actually sit down and discuss the question of our corporate existence. How we want to stay together as a nation and these are questions that if you want this country to move forward, in my opinion, we can not avoid discussing and resolving them. Then, of course, he suggested that if this conference is to be sovereign which is then extremely important, delegates should be elected… That the composition of the conference should be such, that, we have three elected members, no nomination from senatorial constituencies. And of course, he suggested that the conference should have no-go-areas and that this military government should prepare a programme. He advised that the conference should hold from March till June and then the ban on political activities should be lifted immediately to facilitate a cross-fertilization of ideas for the conference. Furthermore, that the military should hold elections and leave by December. In my opinion, these are constructive suggestions not even criticisms of anybody's policy. I don't see anything offensive about it or confrontational in my view.

So, generally, how do you feel about this arrest?
I feel all sorts of things. Actually, when I received the news I felt very very bitter, because I cannot see why people should be arrested and detained for expressing their honest views. I have read the press conference and those views are honest suggestions and I expect the government to be tolerant. It should tolerate other views and it is only when these views are expressed by political leaders that they seem to be the collective expression of not only themselves but their followers. In fact, it is a good avenue for government to actually have a feel into what people think and that I expect would be helpful. Also, I think that General Yar'Adua by virtue of the position he holds in the country, his contribution as a political leader and as a national figure, to some extent an international figure, and one starts to ask, what is happening in the country, people would say where are we going?

And talking about security angle, with your relationship with the General, do you see him as constituting any form of security risk to warrant this kind of arrest at all?
l don't see any security (reason). The General has been here and in fact you have been in the practice of Journalism and you have watched the transition programme under Babangida's Third Republic. I am sure you will bear with me that in spite of all that has happened politically to him, to his political associates, to the group, personally, has he ever compromised the peace and stability of this country for what he is looking for? As such he has acted as a statesman, a responsible elder statesman who almost in any situation no matter how grave, no matter how it affects him, he keeps calm and he does not initiate certain actions that might constitute security problem to the country. And I'm sure a lot of people would agree with me that there were instances that warrant him to do that which other people in his place would have done, but he didn't do it. For instance, when the primaries were cancelled, first, they were arrested and detained. He won the primaries they were cancelled; he was banned and then he didn't cause any problem for his country. Did he? His legitimate right as a citizen was withdrawn from him. He did not complain…. he did not do anything. He was arrested along with the others and then released and then unbanned and he came out and participated in politics and he entered the presidential race. The first round of the primaries which he was winning was cancelled. They said okay, start again, he started again, he did not complete and then the second round of the primaries was carried through, he won and the result was cancelled. Then, he was banned again and then the (Option A4) was introduced and he participated, he supported others. He supported Chief Moshood Abiola. Is that the character of someone who constitutes a security risk to this country?

And what game do you think this government is playing by arresting him?

That is the million dollar question. But the important thing is that in a country where the priority now of the nation and the government from statements by both the Head of State and high government functionaries is reconciliation in the development of a viable democracy, when things of this nature are happening to people like General Yar'Adua for expressing their views, then one begins to wonder where are we going. How can democracy survive under this kind of atmosphere?

From your knowledge of General Yar'Adua, has there been any point of conflict or disagreement between the two of them, Abacha and Yar'Adua?
No. No conflict or disagreement that I know of and I don't think there is any conflict or disagreement. You see, because when you come into that you are talking of personal …

Yes. There is nothing personal. Or was there anything personal in Yar'Adua's address? Did he come out to attack any individual?
No, it's not his style. Yar'Adua, he is a man of principles.

Do you see Yar'Adua as victim of a gang-up from people in this part of the country who don't believe in his call for a Sovereign National Conference?
There is no assumption which I think is fundamentally wrong. In fact the thinking that the north does not want a sovereign national conference, I don't think it is correct…. the Lagos-Ibadan press axis has been saying that the north does not want a sovereign conference. I have not seen a prominent northern leader, may be you can have just one or two, but they are still in the minority, coming out to oppose a sovereign national conference. My opinion is that certain events have taken place in this country over the years, historically; that certain things have been shaken and whether these things are real or imaginable, the reality is that people feel that there is need to sit down and resolve these problems. That's what a national conference is all about and they should be resolved in such a way that we have to decide whether we want to remain together. We have decided how we want to remain together to the satisfaction of very section of the country. That way the nation will never move forward. That's the reality of the sovereign national conference and everybody understands it here in the north.

Isn't the arrest because of a gang-up against the General?
No. it is definitely not because it is on your assumption that the north does not want a sovereign national conference.

Still on Yar'Adua arrest
People feel there is a bit of injustice. People feel they are not secure, people feel they have to watch themselves. It does not give rise to the calm atmosphere that we require. So, I call on government to effect the release of General Yar'Adua immediately.