BALARABE Musa, former Governor of Kaduna State during the Nigerian Second Republic has said without first becoming a thief it is impossible to become the President of Nigeria.
Musa stated this on Friday while he playing host to Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, when the latter visited him in Kaduna to make his presidential ambition known to the former aspirant who had contested for the same office in 2003.
Mr Sowore had asked Mr Musa why the country could not attain greater height during their days in office as leaders of the country.
Mr Musa blamed rots in the social political system which he said controls the development of the country.
“Once the system is wrong then you would have the situation we have in Nigeria.
“The quality of Nigerian leadership is thieves. Since the end of the second republic how has it been possible in Nigeria to have a political leadership which is not made up of thieves?” Musa asked rhetorically.
“I am not saying 100% of the leadership are thieves, No there are exception, for instance, I doubt if it’s upto 1% who are clean people, but when you look at it these clean people are made up of people who have not been able to steal because even stealing is not available to everybody. But these people do not constitute more than 1% of Nigeria’s population, the 99% populations are made up of thieves.
“How can you be the President of Nigeria without being a thief first? he asked, adding that “It is through stealing that you can make it.”
The former governor said the expensiveness of the Nigerian politics is one of the reason why it is not possible for a clean person to become the president of the country.
“You become a president base on politics (political party) and election. Both are based on money power.
“We have a system of survival of the fittest, Nobody can be a president of Nigeria unless he is a thief or supported by thieves.
“The reasonable estimate for the cost of campaigning for presidency in Nigeria is billions.
“Who can acquire this billions? Before the second republic it was not so. But it was no longer possible after the second republic because money power plays a leading role in politics and election.”
