A security expert and Deputy Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, South Africa Chapter, Prince Debo Adesina , in this interview with Adeola Ogunlade spoke on the Xenophobic attack on Nigerians in South Africa and the way out of the crisis. He also spoke about efforts of PDP members in the Diaspora to rebuild the party.
Can you tell me about yourself?
I am a private security expert. I do a lot of investigation and am involved in security management. I train security guards. I also look at immigration from the safety point of view. I was the first Secretary General of the Nigeria Union in South Africa. I stay in South Africa because it has one of the best security management systems in the world.
What are the opportunities that you saw in South Africa as a businessman?
I left Nigeria as a security expert and I left to expand my horizon and scope in the area of security.
I’m stationed in South Africa because they have one of the best security outfits in the world.
They are very good. In fact, we call them Europe in Africa because I have been to different parts of the world. The first time I landed in South Africa, I was surprised as I thought I was in Europe.
We, Nigerians in South Africa, we are like brain drain and we decided that whether our government likes it or not, they have to look at the Diaspora because we assist the needy and better our governance.
In South Africa, where we live, we see rule of law, good governance and how the citizens of that country are being looked after and support systems, which are readily available to the less privileged.
They take care of their citizens because the oath of office that they took is to look out for the welfare of their citizens.
The opportunities in South Africa are very large and we only appeal to our politicians back home to try and emulate some of the things they see in South Africa. In the area of infrastructure, they are the biggest in Africa and they are competing favorably with the rest of the world.
We can use them as a guide and some day we will get there?
South Africa has its own challenges, are you saying that they have a better democratic structure than Nigeria?
South Africa still operates a one party state due to the legacy of Nelson Mandela. The Africa National Congress (ANC) has been in power since Mandela took over from the whites. The party is very prominent at the National level. Other parties like Democratic Alliance (DA) are also part of the structure.
Just recently, DA won as Mayor of the city of Johannesburg and Pretoria. Their politics is that they don’t kill themselves to get into public office but to serve their people.
Ministers walk on the street without any convoy. The challenge in South Africa is that they still hold the mentality of the white monopoly by which they were brought up. Apartheid brought about a lot of setbacks and the country is trying hard to change.
We can emulate some of their values but not all. In terms of governance, they are better than Nigeria.
Nigerians have become endangered species in South Africa. How did things get to this point?
As the former Secretary General of the Nigeria Union in South Africa, I have consistency tried and my media presentations have been reechoed. I am not only fighting for Nigerians but the foreign nationals on Xenophobic through the United Nation.
We have a group called Protection working Group. It is sad that in parts of Nigeria, the people are giving the country a bad name because they go to any length to make money. We are now seen as drug dealers, and fraudsters. Some Nigerians have forgotten that back home, they have limitation of what they can do; abroad, they don’t care, they just want to make money, drive big cars, send money home to show that they live abroad. This created the hatred, as we are seen as gold diggers, people who have come to make money from their country and leave them home and dry.
So along the line, some of our people are victims of police brutality. The South African police kill Nigerians at will because they know that the justice system in South Africa is very liberal around drug activities.
They don’t have death penalty and capital punishment. Once you have money, and with good lawyer, drug dealers come out on bail and once they come out on bail, the cases remain in court forever. There are lots of cases pending for a long time in court. We have lots of Nigerians in prisons. We also have some of us who are doing well in South Africa but we are not well pronounced. We have doctors, lawyers, top notch business men and security experts, but the bad ones have overshadowed the good ones.
When you mention that you are a Nigerian, they ask you whether you are not a drug dealer or fraudster. This has affected the image of Nigerians in South Africa. We are organizing a movement we want to tag Nigerians lives matter. We are starting it from South Africa and would spread it across the world, including Nigeria. Nigerians are also suffering back home and their lives matter. We want to give back to good governance. We are Nigerians and Nigeria as a country will outlive Nigerians, so Nigeria will remain Nigeria, but the people will live and die one day, and what is important to Nigerians is that our people will live a better life and enjoy the best Nigeria offers without any intimidation.
Are the narratives from Nigerians giving room for xenophobic attack?
No, not at all. The problem is that when Nigerians leave the international airport, they forget everything called moral value and their aim is to make money anyhow.
Even in London, United Kingdom, in Thailand and other parts of the world where you see Nigerians, they turn to tigers and they are ready to do anything for money. I travel most times and the immigration officials search me thoroughly just because I’m carrying a Nigerian passport.
But I am proud to be a Nigerian and I refuse to be a citizen of any country other than Nigeria. I am so loyal to my country. I believe that the only advantage of being a citizen of America or any other western country is good governance and movement. I believe that one day; the world will respect Nigerian citizens and passport.
A lot of people have lost their lives because they want to cross the Mediterranean Sea. Some Nigerians are in Libya, but the government careless. Back home, there is contribution of bad governance. The recession is a global recession; the current government of APC fails to really identify what Nigerians need. Nigerians are hungry.
As the Deputy Chairman PDP IN South Africa, are you satisfied with the way PDP is led back home?
To be honest, we in the diaspora, we have decided to come and change the mentality back home about the party.
Because many people believe that politics is a do or die affairs, they are not ready to serve. They want to be seen as oga and not as servant, so the issue of leadership in Nigeria has no face of the political party.
It is the Nigeria thing; arrogance, impunity, and lack of respect for the rule of law. There are lots of cases against the federal government, the way they maltreat the opposition party. No freedom of speech. Recently, Tuface was planning to do something but the threat from some quarters made him to reverse his earlier plan but for him to have set the pace for the protest is commendable. I don’t pray for revolution like the way we had in the Arab Spring. Military forces will not be able to stop the hungry crowd when there is revolution because the people are ready to die. Fela Kuti sang in his song that Nigerians are suffering and smiling. The leadership in Nigeria has nothing to do with political party be it PDP, APC, AFGA. The leaders have failed to identify the real problems in Nigeria. It is good to fight corruption but what next. Let food be on the people’s table while fighting corruption
PDP was there for 16 years and has been accused to have contributed to the failure of the system?
The word PDP is like an acronym PDP, is a political party. Almost 80 percent of APC leaders were part of PDP. The truth is like someone who wore Babaringa in the morning and went to wear jeans in the evening for convenience and to be freer. There is nothing like APC.
Senate President, Senator Saraki, Former President Oluesgun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar were in PDP for years, they only joined the ruling party to unseat President Jonathan by all means because he is from the minority and is not dancing to the tune of some cabal. They took the power from him and the only way they could succeed was not by power or gun but by election.
Since Buhari became president, he could not appoint his cabinet members for six months which showed that they were not prepared to lead the country. I congratulated the president when he won, I want democracy, it is not about party, I am a PDP member, but that does not mean that I hate Nigeria.
In America, when there is an issue that concerns the people, they forget party politics. That is the way it supposed to be. Nobody should silence the other person because he is speaking against the president.
I want to suggest to Nigerians that the idea of shadow cabinet should be in place. The shadow cabinet will be in place to challenge the ministers in power so they can see better options and alternatives for good governance.
How best can PDP reposition itself?
PDP’s strength is outside Nigeria. It is high time PDP mobilize and strategically include its members in the diaspora. It will add a lot of impetus to the party’s chances in the next election.
It is sad that when PDP was in power, its members in diaspora were not given due recognition. My recent visit to Professor Jerry Gana was for PDP to be giving its members in diaspora an opportunity to part in the rebuilding process of the party.
Let us come and help. They call us brain drain, but we are ready to come back with the brain instead of draining its abroad. We have lots of first class brain, and professionals who can make things happen in Nigeria. I am one of them.
How strong is the PDP Diaspora?
Nigerians in diaspora are very strong. We have been contributing to the PDP powerfully. At least every member of the diaspora has one family or other and they are paying bills which in way are contributing immensely to Nigeria’s GDP.
But in the area of politics, PDP members in some countries are strong because they were stooge used in the hands of the power brokers, but for us in south Africa, we have remained stronger even after we lost the presidential election. We decided that this is a political party, not Jonathan. It is a registered party, we will not divorce our party, and we will remain in the party. We are not prostitutes. We will be there until PDP bounce back and take its rightful place in Nigeria.
If the country decides to assist us by giving us the political power, we are ready to support them. My concern is that how can Nigerians in diaspora vote. I want to appeal that the PVC be extended to Nigerians in diaspora just like they did with BVN. When Nigerians in diaspora are compelled to register, the Nigeria passport will be used as an identity card to vote.
What are your plans for PDP back home?
We want to help our people. They are angry. Our plan is not just about politics, though PDP is our platform and we want to use it to correct some things, especially some of the things that our party has done which was wrong. We believe that when you fall, it does not matter because we are loser today, but we will not remain a loser. We believe we will win again. The current President was a loser for three times. There is no shaking, we will come back strong.
Frequent medical trip of President Buhari abroad?
We are praying for the President. I am praying hard for good health. I want him to be strong and powerful and handover the way Jonathan handed over to him. He will hand over healthy and sound so that he can rest in his village in Daura. Let us pray for him to be strong and be in power till 2019 and hand over to people that can rule.
We, in the diaspora, we don’t believe in politicians back home, as it is all about vendetta. Dasuki is an example. We want him back safe and healthy. It will be bad omen for the Northerners. No one should wish him dead. Anything that happens in Nigeria is endorsed by God. We pray God will give him good health. We don’t want continuity of slow motion.
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