How to solve Nigeria’s problems
Prince Uche Achi-Okpaga, the acting Secretary-General and National Publicity Secretary of the Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in this interview with OpenLife Magazine’s Isaac Ngomah, offers perspectives to Nigeria’s challenges
WHAT CAN YOU SAY ON NNAMDI KANU’S TRIAL AND WHAT IT COULD CAUSE IN THE NIGERIAN PRESIDENCY.
Well, Nnamdi Kanu case is like a banana peel and it has to be handled with utmost care. This is because in this kind of thing if anything happens to Nnnamdi Kanu,10 more Nnamdi Kanus will spring up.
So, you don’t treat such a case with a kid glove. You know it took them a lot of time to produce him in court. Now they have produced him in court and somebody has come up and say that Nnamdi Kanu trial will end IPOB.
So, what does that mean? It means you have determined what will be the end of the case. Are you now telling Nigerians that you are going to decide for the court?
How they are going about the case is that and eventually Nnamdi Kanu will be convicted. Is that the meaning of that statement?
Some of these comments are being made carelessly and somebody thinks he is at the helms of affairs and as such, he can go scot-free with such comments.
If a common person like me makes such a comment, will I be free? These are the issues?
If he has been taken to court, allow him go through the court process and let the court take its course.
If he is guilty, let him be convicted. But if he is found free, he will be freed and they should let him go home.
2023 PRESIDENCY THE NORTH IS NOT READY TO GIVE BACK TO ANY OTHER ZOON,WHAT IS YOUR VIEW?
It has to do with peoples’ positions and it changes nothing whether they are ready to give back or not. It changes nothing. For eight years that the north has been in control, what have they gained? Is it not violence? Is it not killings? Is it not banditry? Is it not herdsmen? Is it not Boko Haram? What has been the difference? It does not make any sense? You don’t play politics with governance? You don’t play politics with the issues of security.
WHAT CAN YOU SAY ON THE ZONING PRESIDENCY COME 2023?
This country has six geopolitical zones. And it was done under Abacha. It was done deliberately to ease power tussle so that all the regions can have a taste of the Presidency.
However, when you make such a statement, you define it. It is not everyone in the north that is in support of this kind of arrangement. A lot of people have said that the presidency from the north should rotate and if it rotates between the north and south, after eight years of the northern rulership, it should come to the south.
The southwest has tasted the presidency. The south south has tasted the presidency and the only hope is that the south east will be supported in 2023.
But some people, because they believe that it is the turn of the southeast, simply argue that it should not even come to the south at all so that southeast will not taste it. But how will that solve the problem? Agitations will continue to spring up here and there.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THE ADVICE TO PRESIDENT BUHARI TO DECLARE ALL BANDITS IN NIGERIA AS TERRORISTS BY THE 36 STATES HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY IN NIGERIA?
Is it only the 36 State Houses? Have not the governors been speaking? Haven’t the prominent people and major stakeholders been speaking? Does the President himself need to be asked to declare them bandits and terrorists?
It is just that we play politics with virtually everything. We cannot kill ourselves. We can only say what we have seen, when you say it you have fulfilled all righteousness.
WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE ATTACK OF UNKNOWN GUNMEN IN THE SOUTHEAST?
What is the way out? The issue is that the case is degenerating because hoodlums and criminals are now capitalizing on the issue of unknown gunmen. A lot of crimes have been committed and they credit it to IPOB and in many occasions, IPOB has come out to say that we have not done this. We have not encouraged this. We have not encouraged that.
So, people can just come out and commit crimes and credit it to IPOB. It’s now skyrocketing and what is the way out? political solutions.
SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT THERE WILL BE CALAMITY IF NIGERIA BREAKS.
Is it not the late Gani Fawehinmi that said that in a state of lawlessness, it is even illegal to be lawful. In a state of lawlessness, everybody will begin to find their way because, in a state of anarchy, nobody knows that you are governor.
Everybody will be running helter-skelter for his life. So we don’t pray that the country should break up because it will not be easy for anybody.
WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE SEEKING FOR THE SECESSION OF THE SOUTH EAST REGION?
They have been pushed to the wall and that is what we are saying. If you do the right thing, the clamour for secession will gradually faze out.
That is why we are saying, give the presidency to the southeast. Just give them a presidential slot and tell me how the clamour will continue because what they are clamouring is that they have been shortchanged in the system.
So, if you can give them a presidential slot, the clamour will not continue because what they are clamouring is that they have been marginalized in the system. If you give them the opportunity, they will take it and agitations will naturally subside.
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