Barrister Halima Alfa is a woman of many parts. She is a phenomenon, a shrewd politician, an astute lawyer and a woman endowed with an effervescent personality. She started out as a nurse and midwife, and then she became a lawyer, an entrepreneur and a politician too. She was pioneer Vice President of National Association of Women Entrepreneurs (NAWE); Member, National Frontiers Forum; Pioneer Member, National Solidarity Association; Deputy Secretary General, Arewa Consultative Forum; National Financial Secretary, All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP); Chairperson, Arewa Consultative Forum (Kogi State chapter); Member Caretaker Committee, ANPP; Chairman Women Presidential Campaign Committee (ANPP); Member National Frontier and Forum 37;National Women Leader, UNPP; Member, Kogi State Hospital Management Board; Honourable Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Solid Minerals (Kogi State); Caretaker Committee Member, PDP Plateau State; Member National Confab to Review Outstanding Constitutional Conference; Member/Secretary, Gubernatorial Screening Appeal Panel (Cross River State); Member Presidential Committee on Sure-P; Chairman Governing Council College of Education (Technical) Kabba; BoT Member (PDP). This interview with Time Nigeria Regional Editor( North), Moses George, offers an introspective perspective into the mindset of this enigmatic woman and her views on national issues. Excerpts.
You are presently the Chief Executive Officer of Sea-Dust Nigeria Limited, Alfadir Pharmacy and Stores, Halima I. Alfa and Co. Chambers; Shelter force Properties Limited. You are also a traditional title holder, a philanthropist among many other titles. Obviously you are woman of many parts. Considering your pedigree, would you consider yourself an accomplished lady?
Thank you George. This may surprise you, but the truth is that I am certainly not yet accomplished. However, I thank Almighty God for all the opportunities that I’ve had in life. God has actually been magnanimous to me, and I give Him all the glory. Having said that, let me also add that, I am not yet accomplished because my people, the Igalas of the eastern part of Kogi State are still entangled in a web of poverty and deprivation.
Each time I reflect on this, I feel very sad and heartbroken to the point of tears. My people have the right, like every other people, to live well and enjoy the basic necessities of life. I had actually made attempts to do something about this, when I offered myself to provide them with purpose-driven representation at the Senate. But some few self-acclaimed elites, who called themselves godfathers, did everything to frustrate my efforts, even when it was obvious that my people’s support for me was overwhelming.
Of course, their reasons for working against me were selfish. All they wanted was to install people whom they could control at the National Assembly. Of course, they knew that Halima Alfa was too independent minded to be any body’s stooge. As a matter of fact, they were intimidated by my pedigree and the quality of my person, and I say this with all sense of modesty and humility. Therefore, they went all the way to rob me of the party’s ticket to the Senate. These few elites call themselves god fathers. I do not have any godfather, because I am also a god mother in my own right. Let me state here that I am unperturbed by all these antagonism, because I am propelled by a strong desire to assist my people out of their appalling condition. By contrast, their own ambition was parochial and selfish. Like I mentioned earlier, my desire was purely selfless and people- oriented. All I ever wanted was to become an instrument that’ll propel my people out of poverty, deprivation and the likes. My people are part of this country and they deserve a better deal.
Therefore I will be fulfilled and feel accomplished in life when I am able to be strategically positioned to help my people. All I want in life is to directly and indirectly help to bring about transformation in the lives of my people. I have made attempts to achieve this, even at the expense of my life. In 2006, I escaped death by the whiskers all because I was perceived as a threat to some people’s selfish political ambition. Yes, yes…Obviously, someone or some people saw me as a threat to them politically speaking. While I am not giving up, I am actually not too keen on contesting for any elective office, at least for now. The whole thing has degenerated to an almost primitive level, where some few will do everything humanly possible to subvert the wish of the people.
Was this desire to help your people the motivation for quitting a lucrative career at the NNPC to embrace the murky waters of partisan politics as it were?
Honestly, the thought of becoming a politician never crossed my mind. Like you mentioned earlier, I was a well paid successful Nursing Sister at the NNPC, where I served for about 10 years and some few months. Then one day, I just decided to quit, and everyone around me was shocked. Well I wanted to become a lawyer, so I went back to school to study law, graduated and was called to the bar. I later did an LLM and an M.Phil, and I am still pursuing a PhD. I really wanted to get more education and I went straight for it.
Somehow, late Prince Abubakar Audu, who was the governor of Kogi State at that time, was impressed with my contributions at NAWE. He said wao! An Igala lady like Halima who had demonstrated such degree of excellence at NAWE should be brought back home to Kogi State to serve. Sometimes in 1996, I met Prince Abubakar Audu at Alhaji Ibrahim Idris’ house, during the wedding of one of Idris’ daughters. When Audu saw me, he said that he had been following my activities and was quite impressed. Then he said that he wanted me to serve as commissioner in his cabinet. That came to me as a shock, but that was how I became a member of the Kogi State Executive Council. It was Prince Abubakar Audu who actually introduced me into what you might call active politics. He exposed me to my people, politically speaking, and I am grateful for that.
You discharged your duties effectively as Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Solid Minerals in the administration of late Prince Abubakar Audu. Suddenly, you tendered your resignation. Your action caught everyone, including the governor unawares. Why did you quit at that time?
I had to quit that position because there were certain things that were not going on as they ought to go. So I advised Prince Abubakar Audu a couple of times about it, but things continued the same way. You know that I was much younger then, and I had a vision of how things should go. So I went to him and told him that I cannot belong to this government the way things were going on. He said that I should bear with him, and I said that I cannot. So when I tendered my resignation letter, he was visibly shocked. I had to go at that time because what was happening was not in harmony with my own vision.
Several years later, Prince Abubakar Audu came to me again and said, “Halima, we need you in our midst to succeed in our effort to become the governor of Kogi State again.” This iroko of a man was visibly jittery because the political battle field in Kogi State was really fierce. After wide consultations, I agreed to join his political train. We stretched out and made wide contacts across the board. The result was the overwhelming support he enjoyed during the party primaries and the election proper. I became a rallying point and helped to facilitate reconciliation with estranged political allies. Most of his former political associates came back when they saw me, and that was really a boost for Audu, politically speaking.
Governor Idris Wada and his group knew that they will be in trouble if Audu clinches the APC ticket. They also knew that I was the prime mover in the team. So, they resorted to using some boys to post some rubbish on the social media about me. The whole plan was to distract me and weaken Audu’s rising political profile. We remained focused and Audu eventually won the party primaries. Sadly, Prince Abubakar Audu passed on to glory immediately after the election. What happen to him came to me as a rude shock. Up till this moment, I have not recovered from that shock. It is incomprehensible, but God’s ways are quite different from ours. That development has completely altered the political permutations of Kogi State.
You were a very high ranking member of the PDP. Why did you suddenly cross over to the APC during the presidential campaigns?
I was in PDP to actualize my desire to become an instrument of change for my people. My people kept saying, “We want Halima Alfa, we want Halima Alfa.” They were very persistent about this and kept urging me to represent them at the Senate. So I went for it. It turned out that our revered elder statesman, Senator Ahmadu Ali, became the Director General of Jonathan’s Presidential Campaign Organization. At that point, it was obvious that I was going to clinch the PDP ticket for the Kogi East Senatorial slot. So, Senator Ahmadu Ali used his position and influence as DG to tell Captain Idris Wada, who was the governor that President Jonathan had instructed that Senator Atai Aidoko must return to the Senate. That was ridiculous.
Gov. Idris Wada told him that it was not possible, because the people wanted Halima Alfa to represent them at the Senate. At least that was what Wada told me. Well, I was also told that Ahmadu Ali threatened Wada that if he wants to return as governor, then he must stop me for Aidoko. I had done all the consultations and it was obvious that my people had made up their minds that I should go to the Senate. To my utter dismay, the primaries was supposed be held between 10 am and 2 pm at Idah, but we never saw any one until 7pm. They hid under the darkness of the night to carry out their manipulations and deceit. Even at that, I had 86 votes, because the people had all left, while Aidoko had a mere 16 votes. Obviously, Gov. Wada couldn’t carry out Ahmadu Ali’s bidding. Air vice Marshal Isaac Alfa whom some so called elites were rooting for had had 23 votes. Clearly, I was in the lead. Much later that night, they brought in 100 votes from only- God- knows- where to make Isaac Alfa’s total vote to swell to 123. Atai Aidoko saw all these manipulations, but he thought that it was being carried out in his favour. When it turned out otherwise, he challenged it. It was very terrible, and I actually told President Jonathan and his wife that if they don’t do anything about this, they will lose Kogi State in the presidential elections. I was so aggrieved about this whole deception and manipulation. It was day light robbery and I was the victim.
Let me tell you why I actually went into the APC in the first place. I moved into the APC because of General Muhammadu Buhari. During his presidential campaign in 2012, I was the only woman that went all over Nigeria with Buhari. It’s on record and you can find out. Others stopped mid way, but I went all round with him. I was the National Financial Secretary of the ANPP at that time. I went round with him because he is someone that I have been yearning for. I believe in him because I know that he has everything it takes to get this country out of the woods. Immediately he won the APC primaries, I knew that Jonathan was in deep trouble this time around. I do not have enough words to express the relief I felt inside of me when Buhari won the presidential election. I knew that Nigeria was about change for the better.
I had that feeling because I knew that Nigeria will get direction through the purpose-driven leadership, integrity and the deep- seated patriotism of Muhammadu Buhari. He loves this country so much, and was pained by the way things were going. He wanted to come on board so as to get Nigeria out of turbulent waters. Like a master sailor, he is now gradually steering Nigeria into calm waters. All these cannot happen over night; it will take a while and people need to be realistic about this. A lot had gone wrong with this country before he came into the scene. Our expectations therefore, should be realistic because change is a gradual process, and it does not happen overnight. As a matter of fact, considering the level of social, moral and economic depreciation that this country has suffered from over the years, nobody can transform Nigeria over night. Like I said, transformation is a gradual process, and that is what the man in the saddle is doing presently. Let’s give him a chance.
You were the Convener of the Sure-P Maternal and Child Care Programme. How successful was it?
You are aware that Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. According to statistics, Nigeria accounts for 13 percent of the world’s maternal deaths as a result of shortage of trained midwives, low quality health clinics, high costs for patients, and low awareness of the importance of prenatal care and giving birth with a midwife or another trained health worker. Therefore, the Sure-P Maternal and Child Health Initiative was introduced basically to improve health care for pregnant women and their babies. So many people have benefited from the scheme. It has enhanced attendance of antenatal clinics and so on. It was successful to a large extent.
As you are aware, the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Program is a scheme that was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria during President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. The whole concept was to reinvest savings from fuel subsidy removal, and invest same into critical infrastructure projects that will have direct impact on the citizens of Nigeria.
Generally speaking, Sure-P was a huge success. The scheme executed lots of community services. The Maternal and Child Health Programme you spoke about earlier employed many people. Sure-P made funds available for government agencies to promote healthcare. It provided funds that were injected into infrastructural development; railways and roads, etc. The Kano -Maiduguri roads, the Abuja -Lokoja road and several other critical projects across the country were executed by Sure-P.
You mentioned earlier that you defected into the APC because of General Muhammed Buhari. More than one year into his administration, would you say that you took the right decision by joining the APC?
Let me state here without mincing words and with every sense of responsibility that President Buhari is a leader who knows Nigeria inside out. That is not all; he has a fiery passion for the emancipation of this country. He has this iron-cast conviction in the Nigeria project. He is transparent and has zero tolerance for corruption and all forms of irregularities. He is committed to restoring the dignity of this country and ensuring that it takes its proper place in Africa and the world.
Before Buhari came on board, we were all witnesses to the devastation unleashed on the Nigerian nation, especially the north eastern parts by Boko Haram. The sovereignty of this great country was actually under threat, and the previous administration was apparently helpless. Most Nigerians lived in fear for their lives as it became apparent that their government could no longer guarantee their safety. But immediately President Buhari came on board, he rejuvenated the Nigerian military and mobilized regional and international support to fight Boko Haram and violent extremism. The result of Mr. President’s strategic approach to that security challenge is obvious. Almost all the territories that were under the insurgents have been reclaimed. Several hundreds of captives, including some of the Chibok girls, have regained their freedom. He has won the fight on terror.
The anti-corruption crusade of President Buhari is gaining ground with several high profile cases already in the courts. It is interesting to note that this administration has embraced the rule of law in the prosecution of all corruption cases. President Buhari’s enlistment of the support of multilateral institutions like the World Bank and IMF, security agencies, western countries and other friendly nations to locate and repatriate stolen assets is commendable. Today, every Nigerian knows that if a public office holder tampers with public funds, such person will be apprehend and prosecuted. This is what this country needs to get it out of the woods. If corruption is wrestled to the ground and overwhelmed, then every other thing will fall into place.
Nigeria’s foreign relations under the Buhari administration have been remarkable. Our country has an enhanced relationship with the United States of America, Germany, United Arab Emirate, France, South Africa, Chad, China, etc. Gradually, the economy of this country will began to witness significant leaps as a result of its good relationship with the international community. Yes, Nigeria’s economy will witness significant growth owing to the benefits which will have accrued from the pacts entered into with these countries.
Look at all the efforts made so far to block leakages and modify our tax regulations with a view to preventing tax evasion and improving internally generated revenue, which I believe will ultimately translate into significant improvement in the quality of lives of Nigerians. This is surely a step in the right direction. This Government is obviously committed to economic diversification, which will in turn lead to employment generation, more earnings for Nigeria, and so on. Honestly, Nigeria is moving forward.
Careful evaluation of all the policy pronouncements and programmes of this administration will reveal that President Buhari has committed himself of the task of ensuring the stability of our country, and to provide better living standards for the greatest number of Nigerians. But we all need to be patient with the government which came at a time of global economic recession. We must continue to pray and encourage President Buhari in this arduous task of salvaging Nigeria from the multiple factors that has held it hostage for ages.
The Niger Delta and the agitation for the sovereignty of Biafra are two issues that have not only escalated in recent times, but have become a threat to the efforts of Buhari’s administration…
(Cuts in) We must be realistic in our approach to these issues. You will recall that late President Yar Adua initiated an amnesty programme that was widely applauded. So, where is this one, the Avengers, coming from again? I do not want to say much on this issue because I believe that Buhari’s administration has taken the right step towards resolving the issue.
But realistically speaking, blowing up pipelines and oil installations will not help the Niger Delta people. You don’t build by destruction. Rather you build by constructive engagements, and so on. There is no amount of grievances that can justify such level of destruction. I believe that this whole thing is politically motivated. This violence must stop in the interest of the country and its citizens. If there are grievances, proper channels should be followed to address them.
On the issue of the agitation for Biafra, all I can say is that God has a divine purpose for carving out the geographical area called Nigeria. Therefore, we all must work ahead to foster unity among all federating units. I urge all Nigerian leaders from every part of the country, to be committed and defend the unity of this country, especially, now that we have a government that is vigorously pursuing the social and economic transformation of Nigeria.
Even (Emeka) Ojukwu who championed the cause of Biafra in the 60s later believed in one Nigeria before his demise. Again, if there are grievances, the proper channel should be employed in resolving them. As patriots, we must all join hands to support this administration whose cardinal focus is the unity and prosperity of Nigeria.
It had been a pleasure speaking with you Madam.
Time Nigeria is a high quality magazine with great content and packaging. Your team should keep up the good work. It is a pleasure speaking with you too.