Questions and Answers: Volume 1 (2008- 2009)

He is my father, my leader (my oga) and the father of modern Nigeria. I love him and it was an honour and privilage to work for him and to be part of his government.

He is my older brother and my oga (leader). What happened when we were in government between my two ogas was unfortunate and unnecessary. You know we were just the foot soldiers in a massive and vicious internal war and we all took sides.

I thank God that that is all over now and there is peace between us all. We have put all the hostility and mistakes of the past behind us and I think that is very important. President Obasanjo is a good man and so is Vice President Atiku Abubakar. They have both done great things for Nigeria.

That is a big question and I will say more on Babangida in my book which I am still working on. But for now let me just say this: Babangida is certainly not evil and in my view there can be little doubt that he is a force for good in Nigeria. He is also an exceptionally insightful and intelligent man and he is one of the most humane and decent people that I have ever had the pleasure of being associated with. He is one of the fathers of modern day Nigeria and he is my leader and oga. What a lot of people don't know is that it was Babangida and my older brother and oga, Brigadier General Halilu Akilu rtd. (who was head of military intelligence under the Babangida administration from 1985 till 1993) that actually encouraged me to go into politics when they came up with their concept of "new breed" politicians. Akilu protected me and encouraged me throughout that period and has done so ever since. Of course a few differences came with President Babangida over the banning of running for the presidency of Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, who is like a father to me, and who was my candidate for the presidency in 1992 (I was his special assistant then). Others like the late General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, the present President's older brother, and Alhaji Adamu Ciroma and a number of others were also banned. That was the first difference we had.

The second difference was over the annulment of the June 12th presidential election in 1993 which Chief Moshood Abiola won fair and square. The third difference was the fact that there was, for a short time, some friction and a little misunderstanding and brick throwing between some members of the Babangida group and the Obasanjo administration which I served. I was deeply involved in that misunderstanding and brick throwing and it is one of the things that we did that I regretted the most when I was in government because it was trivial and unnecessary. Frankly and looking back on it I believe that Babangida deserved a lot better than that. The truth is that we were all foot soldiers in a wider cold war between our ogas then and I just thank God that that is all behind us now. As far as I am concerned other than the mistake of June 12th the Babangida administration together with that of Obasanjo, which I served, were the most effective and productive governments that this country has ever known. I should also add this: the fact that President Babangida's administration had the courage to recognise the state of Israel and re-establish diplomatic ties with them will count for him forever before God. It is a spiritual principle and the Bible is clear on that. He is a great man and a blessed man and I don't think that Nigeria has been too fair to him in their assessment of him in terms of how he has impacted our history. I also believe that apart from Obasanjo he is the only man that can be genuinely described as the father of modern Nigeria.

And if you ask me why I will tell you that it is because since the end of the Nigerian civil war in 1969 and up until today this man has played a major and significant role in every single major political event and every major decision taken about the destiny and direction of our great country. Every major thing that has happened in Nigeria politically since 1969, there has always been an input from Babangida in varying degrees. That in itself is an extraordinary achievement and the other thing about him is that, unlike some others, he always encourages, supports and protects his foot soldiers and loyalists and that not only moves God's heart to bless and protect him all the more but it also causes his loyalists to literally want to die for him. That is a real leader. Please don't ever underestimate or write off Babangida. He, probably more than anyone else, understands the nature of the Nigerian state and people and he is also very tough. There is no doubt that he still remains highly relevant today in our body politic.

It is not for me to judge General Buhari or anyone else as ultimately posterity and God will judge us all. Needless to say I disagree with General Buhari on most things but he is, nevertheless, a formidable adversary and a man of truth. He tells the truth as he sees it and no-one can take that from him. He is an honest man and fears no one.

My only concern about him is his constant recourse to religious sentiments in the political arena which is extremely dangerous in a country like Nigeria where about half the population is Muslim and the other half is Christian. As a matter of fact the largest concentration of both Muslims and Christians on the African continent (approx.50 to 60 million on each side) are in Nigeria so we have to be very careful not to set the country on fire by bringing matters of faith into politics. Apart from that there is also the perception held by many that he believes that southerners are somehow inferior to northerners. That sort of thinking is absolutely unacceptable and it surely has no place in Nigerian politics. Other than that I have nothing but respect and admiration for Buhari and let no-one fool you, he is very popular and very strong on the ground in the core northern parts of Nigeria.

I will not comment on Abacha

why? Because I have said and written enough about him in the past when we in NADECO were fighting him. I repeat I will not comment on Abacha here. Wait for my book.

Nasir is a loyal, honest, decent and dependable friend. A man of courage, vision, wisdom, and strength and I have tremendous respect for him. And by the way, don’t be fooled by his gentle looks, he can also be a formidable and effective adversary and he should never be  under-estimated. Out of all President Obasanjo’s  Ministers I  think the one I was the closest to and the one that I trusted  the most was Nasir El-Rufai.

Why? Because he was ready to stand up to anybody at anytime, including President Obasanjo himself. I witnessed that many times in cabinet meetings and outside cabinet meetings and because I am like that as well we became close. With Nasir, what you see is what you get. He is either with you or he is against you. He does not sit on the fence. Once he believes in something, he stands by it and goes all the way. He is not a coward, an opportunist or a quisling.

I am married to the love of my life and my queen, Mrs. Regina Fani-Kayode, who is the most wonderful wife and mother in the world. Without her I would not be where I am today. She is beautiful, loving, kind, tolerant and very patient. She is a praying woman and she is my pride and joy. Our daughter Remi is simply wonderful. She is a brilliant girl whom I love very much.

My first child is Folake, who is just about to finish her first degree at the University of Durham in England and then she is going to do her Master's next year probably at Cambridge. If you want know any more about my family, you can go to my family's page www.femifanikayode.org/familiy.html

Because He died for me on the cross and He shed his blood for me. Because He is very real to me and He is everything to me. Despite my weaknesses and imperfections as a human being, He loves me and showers me with His grace and mercy and blessings. He delivers me from my enemies and protects me and mine night and day. He leads me and guides me and He provides for me. I am nothing without Him and yet with Him I can do anything and all things. I love Him and trust Him because I know that He will never leave me or forsake me. My relationship with my Lord is very real and nothing is more important to me than that. He is everything and without Him is nothing.

Blessed be the name of the Most High God, the God whose I am and the God whom I serve. Jesus is Lord now and forever and I have absolute faith in Him. When my work on earth is done, it is to Him that I will go and then I shall be with Him forever. I look forward to that day and because of Him I do not fear death because he has conquered death and all the power of the enemy.

I have lots of them. They are

• Hebrews 11
• Hebrews 12 verses 1 - 2
• Romans 8 verses 14 to 39
• John 17
• John 8 v erses 1 - 12
• 1 Chronicles 11:10
• 1 Corithians 13
• Galatians 4 verses 22-31
• Galatians 5 verses16-26
• Galatians 6 verse 17
• 1 Samuel 17
• Deuteronomy 20
• Psalms 2, 27, 35, 46, 55, 56, 59, 91, 109, 121, 149
• Ps. 22 verse 28
• Nahum 3
• Exodus 14 -15
• Isaiah 8 verses 9 - 22
• Isaiah 37
• Isaiah 40 verses 15 - 17 and verses 21 - 31
• Isaiah 43
• Isaiah 43 verses 1 - 2
• Isaiah 44 verse 25
• Isaiah 45 verses 1 - 7
• Isaiah 47
• Isaiah 49 verses 24 - 26
• Isaiah 50
• Isaiah 50 verses 7 - 11
• Isaiah 53
• Isaiah 54
• Ephesians 6 verses10 - 20
• Revelation 12 verse11
• Revelations 13

I draw a lot of strength from them and of course I love the Psalms (the songs of David).

Apart from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself it has got to be King David followed by the Apostle Paul. They were both extraordinary men.They were both men of faith, strength and courage.

I am a political and religious conservative and I am a believer in the word of God. I am an evangelical christian so I guess that I belong to the religious right when it comes to certain fundamental issues. Consequently I do not support same sex marriages, I do not support abortion and I do not support stem cell research or cloning. I think that it is a tragedy of monuemental proportions that such values and concepts seem to be spreading in the west and I think that it is what we in pentecostal circles see as a sign of the "end times".

I will be 50 years old next year and I assure you that I have seen a lot and I have quite a story to tell. You will read about my views about life, politics, religion, people and much more in a book that I am now compiling so just be a little bit patient.

C.S. Lewis. As far as I am concerned he was the greatest writer and philosopher that has ever lived and his works and books will live forever.

I leave that for you to judge but let me tell you I do not fear anything, whether it be persecution, misrepresentation or even death. I passed that stage long ago. As long as Jesus is on the throne I fear nothing. I served my country as honestly and diligently as I could. My team and I worked extremely hard and gave four years of our lives to Nigeria working night and day at great risk to our lives and families. If some people somewhere hate Obasanjo and hate us for working for him and defending him then that is their problem not mine. I have absolutely nothing against Yar'adua's Government, a government that I, Nasir El Rufai, Nuhu Ribadu, Akin Oshuntokun, Uba Sanni and many others helped to install, but let the God of all that is, He that is more than able, He that sees and knows all and from whom nothing is hidden, the God of all flesh, the God that sits above the circles of the earth and who rules in the affairs of men, let Him be the judge between us all. Let Him tell you if we are being persecuted or not and if so let Him tell you why and who by because nothing is hidden from Him.

In any case even if we are being persecuted what is the big deal because others have been persecuted before us and some have survived it and others have not, so what is the big deal? Was Obasanjo not persecuted before he became President? Was our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ Himself not persecuted before His ascension? Have others like Shehu Musa Yar'adua (the President's own older brother and a man that I loved and respected) and Moshood Abiola (a man whose only crime it was to have won an election fair and square) and so many others not been persecuted, locked up and even killed before us? So what is the big deal? Honestly I don't lose sleep over such matters because nothing can happen to me unless God allows it and God always has His plan and His purpose for everything. Everything has its time and season but the assurance we have from our God when facing such difficult times and challenges is that "this too shall pass". I have absolute faith in God and I know that I will not die until my work on earth is done and I cannot be destroyed by anyone because God is with me. Another thing is certain, I chose to remain in Nigeria through all this and no one can ever chase me away or make me leave the land of my forefathers and the nation and people that I love so much. I will live in Nigeria and I will die in Nigeria because she belongs to us all.

Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi,the Marafan Sokoto, is my father and my leader. Actually my father handed me over to him in 1989 to groom me and take me into politics. He is an elder statesman of Nigeria and a great man who is revered and respected by all in Nigerian politics and in intelligence and security circles. He is one of the greatest Nigerians that has ever lived and it was a privilege for me to have worked as his special assistant when he ran for the Presidency of Nigeria in 1992. He is today one of the fathers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a man of power, honour and strength.

The bible says "he who blesses Israel is blessed and he who curses Israel is cursed". The State of Israel cannot be crushed or defeated because God's hand is on them. They not only have the right to exist but they also have the right to exist with full security. I am a friend of and a believer in the State of Israel and of course Jerusalem is our spiritual capital. It was a state that was borne and created out of God's prophecy and that is why it thrives regardless of all the opposition to its very existence from various quarters.

I should add that the Palestinians also deserve a fair deal and should be treated with respect by all, including Israel. What does not help is when some say that Israel and the Jews should be wiped off the face of the earth.