On Wednesday night, the presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress, APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) was on
Christiane Amanpour’s CNN show. Buhari spoke on the postponement of the
elections, Boko Haram insurgency, Obasanjo’s endorsement, among others.
Here’s a full transcript of the interview:
Amanpour: General, welcome to
the programme. Can I ask you first your reaction to the delay in this
election by six weeks and to what you just heard President Jonathan say
that they will make inroads into much more security within the next six
weeks?
Buhari: Well, my reaction is that of disappointment, because the
presentation made by INEC was that they were ready to conduct the
election on the date they fixed a year ago, and for them to be forced
virtually by the military that they cannot guarantee the safety of their
workers, they have to concede to the demand of the military [for an]
additional six weeks. Now since those six weeks are within the
constitutional time allowed, this was why we came and asked our
supporters to remain calm and resolute and obey the laws.
Amanpour: Okay
General, let me ask you because you’re a former military general: You
were ruling the country briefly. Why is it that the Nigerian military
today cannot take on Boko Haram and have failed to combat that terrorist
organisation?
Buhari: Well this has been made much more clear when the
National Assembly attempted to conduct a hearing after the soldiers were
giving interviews to foreign media about being sent to the front
without proper weapons. The National Assembly attempted to conduct a
hearing by getting the budgets approved by the National Assembly over
the last three years and inviting the service chiefs to come and tell
them [why the] weapons were not procured and sent to the soldiers — and
competent leadership. And that hearing was scuttled. So in short, it’s
the misapplication or misappropriation of the resources provided by the
government for weapons. That’s why the Nigerian military was unable to
defeat Boko Haram.
Amanpour: General, you today just got a huge
endorsement from a former ally of President Jonathan. That is the former
president Obasanjo. How do you react to that, I mean what would that do
for your campaign?
Buhari: Well it would certainly bring more
supporters to us and more confidence again to us from those who were
sitting on the fence, because General Obasanjo is highly respected and
as far as Nigerians [issues are] concerned, there’s no serious issue
that can be discussed without people seeking for his opinion and
listening to it.
Amanpour: Can I now ask you about yourself because
headlines around the world are portraying this election as a choice
between a failed president and a former dictator — and you’re the former
dictator according to these headlines. You know, people say — and they
remember — that you expelled 700,00 migrants years ago thinking that
would create jobs, that you’ve banned political meetings and free
speech, that you’ve detained thousands of people, secret tribunals,
executing people for crimes that were not capital offences. Have you
changed or is this what the Nigerian people have to look forward to?
Buhari: Well all those things you mentioned, with a degree of accuracy
of actually what happened, was then under a military administration, and
when that military adminstration came under my leadership, we — the
military — suspended the part of the constitution that we felt would be
difficult for us to operate under those circumstances. So I think I’m
being judged harshly as an individual that what happened during the
military administration can be extended under a multiparty democracy
system.
Amanpour: Okay so now you say you’re a democrat. What do you
think you can do to combat Boko Haram and to combat the galloping
corruption in your country?
Buhari: Well, Boko Haram, we know how it
started. Certainly the Nigerian military that built our reputation
internationally for effectiveness, it’s a great embarrassment to them
and to the country that they haven’t been able to secure [Nigeria’s]
territory of an area of 14 local governments out of 774 local
governments. I believed this problem will not be too difficult for [our]
APC government because we know the Nigerian military is competent. It’s
a question of making sure the money voted for equipment and training
[is] properly utilised.
Amanpour: About corruption, there’s so many
complaints from many people around your country about massive corruption
they say. Can you face up against them? Are you committed to rooting
out corruption?
Buhari: We have to, because there are serious citizens
of this country that say unless Nigeria kills corruption, corruption
will kill Nigeria. And that’s best illustrated by another hearing
conducted by the National Assembly on pension fund, electricity and then
the corruption in the petroleum industry from where the country derives
over 90% in external revenue.
The National Assembly conducted a hearing
here in Abuja and in the six geopolitical zones of the country, then
they took the recommendation to the executive. And it’s been collecting
dust for the past 18 months.
Amanpour: Alright, General Muhammadu
Buhari, opposition candidate in Nigeria. Thank you very much for joining
us from Abuja tonight.
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