The Chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts and Vice Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Shehu Sani, represents Kaduna Central Senatorial District. He tells LEKE BAIYEWU about his transition from activism to politics
Why did you cross from political activism into full-time politics?
I’ve been a civil rights activist all my life and in activism, one has principles and a set of standards. One’s guide is one’s conscience, dignity and honour. My transmutation to politics is founded on the fact that to be able to practicalise those ideals and causes that we stood and fought for over the years, it must be practically present by holding the mantle of leadership and realising the ideals fought for. I have been at the forefront of the struggle for democracy; we mobilised and awakened the nation on the need to disestablish military dictatorship and restore democracy to our country. Many of the people in the political scene today don’t know the pains, sweat and the blood sacrificed in the struggle for democracy.
I was moved by the fact that in order for us to create the society of our dream, practically liberate our people, restore democratic governance and ensure that our country is advanced politically, socially and economically, those of us with this kind of ideology must offer ourselves for leadership. It is on this fact that I offered myself for positions over the years.
How easy was it for someone like you to win an election into the National Assembly?
I contested in 2003 on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy for Kaduna Central senatorial election and I lost. I contested in 2011 under the Congress for Progressive Change and I lost. In 2015, I contested again (on the platform of All Progressives Congress) and I won.
What is the difference between activism and politics?
There is a fundamental difference between activism and politics. In activism, you are guided by your conscience, principles and set standards and they will be your driving force. But in politics, you are caged, limited and impeded by certain affiliations and identities, either as a member of a political party or group. And as a result, you have to make broader consultations and ensure that your decisions are in tandem with the kind of association you belong to. In the process, it ends up whittling down some of the fierce issues you may want to raise as a citizen.
Does that mean politics has killed the activist in you?
For anyone who knew me before I joined politics, they will not be able to notice much fundamental difference between my vocal and principled positions on some issues while as a civil rights activist and as a senator now. What I’m most concerned about is that when people are in power, they carry some burden, allegiances and oaths, which limit their capacity and ability of unrestrained views about issues. These are some of the restrictions we have.
Why do you express passion when bills or motions bordering on Nigerian prisons are being raised on the floor of Senate chamber?
In our years of activism, we had suffered a lot of cruelty in the hands of the people in power. I was arrested on several occasions. I was detained in police stations and prisons. I was kept in Kaduna prison. I was kept in Kirikiri prison in Lagos. I have been to Port Harcourt prison and I have been to Aba prison in Abia State. I spent over four and a half years in prison. I was imprisoned from 1995 to 1998. My experience in prison prompted my interest in contributing to its reform. I believe that it is an important lesson in the history of an activist and a politician. Within the periods I was imprisoned, I saw how strong men crashed and gave up; and I saw how some men strengthened their resolve and beliefs. In Kirikiri prison, I was fortunate to share cells with the likes of Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and former President Olusegun Obasanjo. We were also in the same prison with Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti. My arrest was based on my being the Vice President of the Campaign for Democracy in the North, with Dr. Ransome-Kuti as the President, and our stiff opposition to (Gen. Sani) Abacha’s military rule. Even before then, I was in several detention centres under (Gen. Ibrahim) Babangida’s dictatorship.
I still maintain contact with almost all the prisons that I have been to in terms of helping the inmates to secure their freedom and (catering for) their welfare. It was a moment in the life of a politician or activist when you appreciate what you take for granted. In some countries, people go to prison before becoming leaders. But in Nigeria, sadly, many people become leaders before they go to prison – and, for criminal reasons. Many of the political players today – senators, governors, representatives, ministers – have not paid any price for democracy. That is why you can see the weakness in them and the lack of appreciation for those who fought for it.
Have you ever had a bitter experience for being vocal in the Senate?
In the Senate, most of the positions I canvass are open facts which, in most cases, get the support of those in the opposition. I was able to realise this by some of the motions and bills I sponsored.
You recently hosted lepers, the blind and persons with other physical disabilities in your office. What point were you trying to make?
I come from a political pedigree where we are aligned to the left side of the political spectrum. We come from the heritage of struggle for the masses. We are the lineage of NEPU and PRP in the North and that lineage is a period in the political history of Nigeria, where the masses of the North were awakened to their responsibility as a people and empowered by the ideology of Mallam Aminu Kano. Now as a senator and activist, that has been my driving force. I stand for those who are marginalised and unrecognised by the system and the society. My participation in politics is to protect their interests. That is why in my house, office and activities, the first and most important people are the poor. For anyone who wants to know more about me, they should ask the poor in my constituency at any point in time about who I am to them and who are they to me.
What is the biggest challenge you face as a senator?
I think the most challenging part of the job is that the legislature, which is supposed to concentrate on its parliamentary activities – moving motions and passing bills – is now faced with the new reality of performing executive functions at the constituency level. People want us to build roads, houses, schools and hospitals; and to perform other functions as if we have executive powers. One now has to balance these forces and it depends on one’s concentration and focus on what one is going to do. Someone like me, who comes from activism, carries a mountain of expectations from people far beyond my constituency. Some of the things other senators can do or say and get away with, some of us cannot take that risk. It appears that there are a few senators who have overwhelming interest and attention in what they do and the (people’s) expectations from them are very high. That now becomes an additional burden. But it is honourable for people to expect much from you.
When the burden is heavy and the tension is high, how do you relax?
The first victim of politicking by politicians is their immediate family. If you are alone as an individual, you only have responsibility to your family – your husband or wife, the children, your parents and immediate relatives. But if you are an elected public office holder, the time you commit to your family is now a fraction of what you commit to those who elected you; the same goes for their expectations of you. Most times, your wife, your children and your family suffer your absence. And even if you are present with them, you are always on the phone, answering phone calls and responding to issues on social media. And they also have to contend with thousands of visitors who come to you, who are sometimes very unruly and sometimes very polite. They also have to share in some of the attacks you suffer as a person. Some of the insults you suffer as a politician and representative of the people; Inasmuch as they share in the blessings and the joy, they will also be exposed to the risks and the dangers that come.
Do you have any specific experience to share on this point?
Normally as parliamentarians, every weekend, we are supposed to go back to our constituencies and be with our families. But it is not possible. Your sitting room and compound are filled with people and some of them will naturally move beyond the point they are supposed to. And you are expected to carry on with them. In most cases, you have to inconvenience your own family to be able to meet up with the demands of public office. And that has been a major issue we have to cope with. That is why, most times, families of people elected into public office cannot wait for their husbands and fathers to come back home and throw politics away. When you are in public office, you are not only married to your wife and not only a father to your children, but you are married to a whole society that elected you and you are also a father to thousands and millions of children who have equal rights to ask for intervention on their education and health as much as your own children.
How have you been able to manage your family under the circumstance?
If you pry into the private lives of most public figures, you will see the existence of a natural gap. If you are not in the public office, you can spend 95 per cent of your time with your family. But on your phones now (as a public figure), calls come in their thousands, same with text messages. And people are expecting you to respond to these text messages and answer the calls. If you refuse to answer some of these calls, you will certainly see some insults hurled at you. And if you refuse to reply some of these text messages, you are bound to be insulted for ignoring them.
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