INTERVIEW: ‘We Must Tinker With Our Political System To Tackle Our Challenges’

Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former governor of Anambra State

BY ONYEDIKA AGBEDO

Former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife describes challenges bedeviling Nigeria as a creation of the present political system. In this interview with ONYEDIKA AGBEDO, Ezeife says returning the country to the system it operated between 1954 and 1965 can serve as the relaunching pad to reclaim the lost glory and enthrone it as a super power among nations. The octogenarian also airs his view on corruption in public service, local council administration and ongoing efforts to diversify the economy through agriculture.

What is your take on the inability of Nigeria’s political leaders finding lasting solutions to problems confronting the country since independence?

Well, I don’t know. We are talking about Nigeria, a gem of a country. There are not many countries like Nigeria. God gave us everything. From the climate that is very friendly to no earthquake, no tsunami and nothing so naturally devastating. But it has turned out that the politicians of Nigeria have become the tsunami of Nigeria. Politicians create problems; and the major problem they created is corruption; corruption in every direction. There is no exclusion.

So, why are our problems persisting? We are the problems to ourselves; politicians are the problem. And the wise thing to do in the circumstance is to go back to God in prayer because our country is so good. We should be proud of our country. Look at Nigeria; look at other countries and see why we should go back to God.

The first thing I want to emphasise is that there was a time Nigeria was working. There was a time the World Bank said that parts of Nigeria were growing faster than the rest of the world. And there was a time we were happy with ourselves. From 1954 to 1965, we did have small political problems that were not so bad. That was the season when the World Bank praised Nigeria.

What happened was that in 1966, there was a coup, which appeared to be the start of the problem. The coup was followed by a civil war. And the Nigerian government led by Gowon wanted to win that war very fast. In fact, they called it a three-month police action.

In order to win the war, they wanted to isolate the Igbo. Therefore, they created 12 states. That was the beginning of problem because our heroes past had chosen a federation based on regions as federating units. But Gowon created 12 states, which made the Igbo isolated, in order to win the war fast. But even after the war, more states were created to the extent that the number came to 36 plus Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Even with 36 states, what is important is the centre because the centre became more of unitary government. Too many things were exclusive to the Federal Government in the constitution. So, we started growing backward; we started taking giant steps backward and today you have seen where we are. It is unfortunate now that there is no direction in which we have not gone backward. The worst and most recent is the judiciary. And I thought it was said that the court is the friend of the poor. Today,

I think political justice is bought and sold.

Now, you asked me what the problems are. The problems are magnified. Formerly, we had more peace; we had no ethnicity problems. Yes, because of the prominence of Zik and Awolowo, Yoruba and Igbo were suspicious of each other. But if you ask me, I will tell you that the greatest problem Nigeria has is lack of integration.

Your narratives seem to agree with those who say that prolonged military rule laid the foundation for the deplorable state of the country today. But civilians have governed the country for over 20 years now yet the challenges remain, why?

I understand you. The military created 36 states plus Abuja and people occupy those states. Also, when the British left, they left some people in charge and those people felt God gave them Nigeria. They are very intelligent people, very good planners. But I think time has come for all stakeholders in the Nigeria project to renegotiate terms of living together as one Nigeria. I think this is the sole objective of the call for restructuring.

Some small groups are opposing the restructuring of Nigeria, which is what will save us from the problems we are facing now. Going back to what will save Nigeria; the 1954 to 1965 system worked. May be we should stop using the word restructure; some people misunderstand it. So, instead of calling it restructuring, we can say, ‘let’s go back to the system that worked for Nigeria; the system we operated from 1954 to 1965’.

Some people are opposing it because they don’t understand that there is a solution to their problem. When you talk about restructuring, they think of resource control; they think you are saying let the oil producers enjoy the oil while revenue dries up for those who are not producing oil. That is what comes to the mind of some people when you say restructuring. This is not true.

We have brains; we are politicians. The restructuring can be done without too much emphasis on resource control. We can find ways of building up Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for every local council and every state. We can guarantee to every state and local council that the same money they were getting under the present system will continue for at least five to 10 years by which time effort is being made to develop alternative sources of revenue. This can be easily agreed and we grow. That is one.

There is also the ethnic problem. The Nigerian people are putting the Igbo down politically. And for as long as long as the Igbo are put down politically, for so long will Nigeria be down economically. If we organise and let the Igbo play effective role in the system Nigeria will take off. The Igbo man wants his child to be superior to him; he wants his child to achieve more than him. The Igbo man wants his apprentice to become bigger than him. Therefore, egalitarianism is a trademark of Igbo system. Under Igbo system, we will grow; everybody will grow. There will be no almajiri; there will be no talakawa. People will be what God made them. Maybe some people are opposing Igbo because of this egalitarianism but everybody will gain and Nigeria will become a world leader, a super power among nations.

I will tell you again that on religion, we are on the same page. God of Abraham is the God of the Christian and God of the Muslim. Only small, small human errors in the holy books lead us to major disagreements.

How can the problem of national integration be addressed especially now that it appears as if the North-South dichotomy is getting worse?

I can say without any doubt that the problem of Nigeria is caused by the Igbo and Yoruba. If the Yoruba and the Igbo were to integrate a bit, the problem of Nigeria will disappear. But when they disagree and one part will try to support Hausa/Fulani while the other suffers for not supporting, that’s a major source of problem.

But I think things are changing too slowly. Understanding ourselves is increasing. In fact, there was a time we were in Lagos at a meeting and many of us cried when we realised the harm we have done to ourselves and to the country. I used to boast among Yorubas that no Yoruba man could claim to have done more for Abiola than myself, Chukwuemeka Ezeife. I make that strong claim. I think if we are to understand ourselves better, things will be all right.

Let me tell you another story. When a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, the person who was there when I was also governor of Anambra State died, I went for the funeral. I was given the microphone to pay tribute to him on behalf of Nigerian governors. I took the microphone and said that I brought no tribute but a bomb and there was a kind of uneasiness in the place. I said that I was going to detonate the bomb immediately. Then I said that for as long as the South-south and the Southeast play lone rangers in Nigerian polity, for so long will they eat their frustration. But should the South-south and Southeast integrate properly, what they ask Nigeria is what they get from Nigeria. People were really touched.

The good thing was that the moment we came back to Abuja, we went to Chief Edwin Clarke where we held a meeting and integrated the regions. It didn’t take long before the West saw it and then we formed Southern Nigeria People’s Assembly. And it didn’t take long either before the Middle Belt saw it and they joined. Now we have the Southern and Middle Belt Forum. Gradually, I think people will do things that will lead to the collapse of the ethnic problem in Nigeria.

So, I thank God for the effort we have made so far and for the leadership qualities of Chief Edwin Clark who is supported very much by Chief Ayo Adebanjo. I believe that the integration problem will solve itself especially when others that are yet to join look into the future and find reason to come down from the mountain and integrate with the rest of the people.

Your explanation here points to the fact that Nigerians are going back to their enclaves instead of building bridges with the Southern and Middle Belt Forum leading the pack. How would that help in national integration?

We formed the Southern and Middle Belt Forum; that is not everybody going back to his enclave. In fact, the Southern and Middle Belt Forum is Gideon Orka’s Nigeria. He removed five states mostly dominated by Hausa/Fulani from Nigeria and called the other one the real Nigeria.

In fact, we don’t want to divide Nigeria. For me, I believe in the permanence of one Nigeria but not at all cost. I’m Igbo but the present government has been pushing the Igbo out of Nigeria by all kinds of actions. And young Igbo people are taking offence. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is not reacting to nothing; it is reacting to actions of the Federal Government pushing the Igbo out of Nigeria. We the elderly ones are just hoping that time can bring common sense into system and the country may still remain one and we enjoy the large market of one Nigeria.

So you support rotational presidency as a vehicle for national cohesion?

Look, rotational presidency is already into practice. And in this rotational presidency, the North has dominated it. The West has got a fair share and South-south has also got. But Southeast has not got elected president of Nigeria ever. Therefore, if there is justice, equity and fairness, then it’s automatic for the Igbo to produce the president in 2023. But I can tell you now that I’m looking at a new Nigeria coming. Because of the things I say in the press, I am receiving messages from every part of Nigeria supporting Southeast for president in 2023. In fact, the Middle Belt people have gone beyond everybody; they have even selected a person. They made about eight people to compete and one of them won the election by wide margin. So, they now have a candidate for Nigerian president in 2023.

Then there is a group headed by an Oyo man who came to me and gave me strategies to follow. They are working on their own. There is also a group called Justice Now, which is also talking the same language.

I was shocked when some young people comprising a Fulani, a Yoruba and somebody from the South-south came to me telling me how we must go about Igbo presidency in 2023. I can see a new Nigeria coming. God has seen the problems and it seems He wants to join us to solve these problems.

Among all the problems facing Nigeria today, insecurity has taken the driver’s seat. What are your thoughts towards curtailing the spate of insecurity in the country?

Well, insecurity is not on its own. Insecurity derives from the political system, from the way things are. How do we solve this insecurity? We should go back to regional government, regional police, regional control of things and insecurity will disappear. So, I can say that it is a creation of the unitary government, which we have now.

Look, we are just building bombs to detonate across Nigeria. We know what is wrong and when you say the truth they try to look for you. I am 81. During the Abacha era, I was listed for killing but God didn’t allow it. So, I will tell the truth – the Nigeria we have now is wrong. How can one group control all the security outfits in the country? And our constitution makes it clear that Federal Character should reflect in the appointment of positions in Nigeria. So, what are we talking about? We know what our problems are. The present government is doing very badly. The problem of Nigeria is the present government.

From 1999 till date, high cost of governance has been a major concern with the politicians earning huge sums to the detriment of capital development. What is the way out of the situation?
You are right. It is not just their salaries and allowances that is the problem but the ones they steal are more than the ones they earn. The main problem is stealing. When people get to office, they ask the question, ‘how do I gain from this office’ and then they begin to steal from the office.

I think we should reshuffle our government somehow. We should restructure our government. For example, we can go back to parliamentary system and prune down all the allowances.

But what I want us to do, which many people would think is because of my position, is to make sure that for each position there is appropriate pension so that people do not go stealing money to use when they leave office. If you have enough to keep you and your family alive through pension, at least that will ensure that if you are not a thief, you will not be tempted.

I remember when I was leaving office; we had money to be called a lot in those days in the system. And a person who likes me so much called me on the telephone saying he wanted to see me to tell me something.

He rushed and said I should take at least N20 million from the system to make sure that I can eat for the next few years. I looked at him and said, ‘thank you for liking me. Thank you for thinking about my future but my future is in the hands of God. And God will never make me suffer. So, I won’t touch the money. Let it be for the government; it belongs to them.’

I was a federal permanent secretary; I was governor. When you are out of office and you have difficulty taking care of your family and dependents that will come to you to get help, it is not good. Therefore, there must be adequate provision for pension so that nobody has any reason to give for stealing government money.

You earlier talked about increasing the IGR at the local council and state levels. How do you think the current efforts at diversifying the economy with special focus on agriculture can be better pursued?
You answered the question by yourself because when you go back to basis – agriculture – you find that it reaches all levels of government. The federal, state and local governments can promote agriculture. First of all, we are sure of food. Then from the income of farmers, they pay tax and you begin to generate internal revenue. From the farm produce, you go for industries and the manufacturing industries will pay tax. They will export things and you get tax from it. So, indeed it is not going to be left to the local councils and states to develop internal revenue. We will, at the federal level, create zonal offices for encouraging IGR. Why? It is because each zone may have different agricultural endowments. So, we can from the federal level control it and make sure that every state and local council is developing according to the endowments it has, according to everything that helps in its development. So, if any local council can at least pay salaries and do what it is expected to do, then we have won; and that should apply to states. And then the oil revenue may not go only to the oil producing states. It has to be shared; we are one country but of course the oil producing states will get more than others. But it should be shared fairly enough that people will not suffer.

What then is your recommendation for better functioning of the local councils?

The new National Assembly has done something good. They have allowed the local councils to have their own account and not to share with the states because what happens is that the states just cash them enough for salaries and a few things. So, the National Assembly has started to do what requires to be done.

But to recognise the third tier of government as independent of the second tier of government is what we need to do. When you restructure, you have regional government and local government and they will have the power, as given by the constitution, to organise their own things their own way. I hope you know that not even the election of chairman and councillors helps a lot because when you come to Anambra and there is chairmanship election, you will find that all the chairmen are from the same party, all the councillors are from the same party. If you are governor, you select all the chairmen, you select all the councillors and whatever you say is the law in the place. There is no integrity in the system. We are cheating ourselves thinking that we are doing the right thing. So, if you give fair independence to the local councils, they can do something. But as it is now, the states do what they like and the governors are the power houses.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Nigeria @ 59: Destruction Of Workable Structures Started With Gowon — Ezeife

Yakubu Gowon. 

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

Nigeria turns 59 on Tuesday. We begin our special series on the Independence Anniversary today. They will surely delight you. Enjoy the interviews with Chief Ezeife, Frank Kokori, classic contributions from Kingsley Moghalu, Segun Odegbami and Dr Ugoji Egbuju. By Johnbosco Agbakwuru Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Third Republic Governor of Anambra State, in this interview, traces the beginning of the problems of Nigeria to the creation of 12 States by General Yakubu Gowon. He says that going back to regional structure will be the panacea for the country’s economic woes. He also speaks on some other national issues.

Nigeria since 1960 has had many failed visions and plans. What do you think made the visions and plans fail?

We should not imply that Nigeria has always failed. It is not true that Nigeria has been a failure from 1960. We had succeeded very much from 1960 to 1966. That was the highest point in our development.

We, in the central planning office, we were working very hard to ensure that the economy not only at the centre but also in the federating units were growing. We had central planning office for all the country. But we had also connection with the states, that was a time when myself, Olu Falae, John Oyegun and many others were in the same office and we were working to develop Nigeria and we were succeeding. We succeeded overall in developing this economy. It was that time that the World Bank itself made the statement that parts of Nigeria were growing faster than many other parts of the world. People who are old enough know that we are the golden age in Nigerian development. But then, coming closer to your question, in 1966 there was a coup, the coup affected everything. When you spoil the basis of growth, the structure of the economy, the motivation for growth, the competition among zones, regions, when you do that, you have already destroyed something. In fact, destruction started when 12 states were created in Nigeria. When we were operating under purely regional government, things were very good. They continued to be good until 1966. The main point is this, there was a time Nigeria was making progress, not just federal government but all the regions of Nigeria. That is why the World Bank said parts of Nigeria were growing faster than many parts of the world.

But then something happened, the coup. After the coup, things changed. What changed? The structure of government which was based on three regions, later on became four regions, changed. Instead of four regions we now have 36 states plus Abuja and we have today more unitary government than before. The Federal Government is too big, what it likes, it does and it doesn’t appear that we have the best quality people to lead us in Nigeria. And it makes things worse because whoever we have leading Nigeria as we unify policy making and development, that person is also leading the regions and the states.

Formerly, you could have geniuses leading the regions like Dr. Mike Okpara was leading the East, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was leading the West, these were geniuses. But now if it were during the Okpara and Awolowo era, they could not have done as much as they did because the Federal Government and the federal leader dominate the leadership of the zones or regions which are now states. 

So. In 1954, the leaders of Nigeria decided to have three regions and to make those regions the federating units in Nigeria. You know politics has its own strengths and weaknesses. Later on, the Mid-West was added, so we had four zones. But from four zones, the military which ruled and ruined Nigeria created 12 states and from that the military raised it to 36 states plus Abuja. The competition between the regions disappeared and the control of affairs of the regions or states by indigenes of that area disappeared. 

Before, the states or regions used revenue collected from the people, so, if we want to pinpoint where our problems started, we must pinpoint the beginning and continuation of military rule up to tomorrow.

 The reasons include lack of competitions among the regions any more. Indigenes of the states are no longer keen on what is happening in the states compared to when every money spent in the state was our money. Now, money spent is oil money. So, whether the programme is state or federal, they have the same explanation for their failure. 

What killed all the programmes we tried was the killing of the successful structure which our leaders gave to themselves in 1954. There is no magic about, it is a comprehensive ruining of the system. The destruction of the structure that worked for Nigeria started with General Yakubu Gowon. 

What do you think are the things needed now to make Nigeria move forward and make all the good visions of the founding fathers come to fruition? 

What we need urgently is to go back to the system that worked. We know the system that worked, we can go back to it instead of hanging on this ruinous system imposed by the military. Well, we speak English, instead of saying let’s go back to the system that worked, we talk about restructuring. Restructuring means nothing else except going back to that system that works. Having a truly federal government with regions or zones as federating units, it knocks off all the problems with one blow. So, anybody who takes power as President or anything and does not rush back to the system that works, does not love Nigeria. 

How possible will it be now that we have a Constitution that recognizes 36-state structure?

 (Laughs). Yes, you are right, the present constitution recognizes 36-state-structure, the present constitution is even illegitimate. They came to the front of it and say ‘we the people of Nigeria.’ We didn’t give ourselves the constitution, it was done by the military, the same people who ruined Nigeria made the constitution and the constitution is one of the strategies for ruining Nigeria. 

Today, Nigerians are thieves in office because there is no feeling. If you are made a governor, you ask yourself what is in there for me and then you go plundering the funds, resources of the state and packing them out to Dubai, United Kingdom, USA (United States of America), etc. There is nothing positive in our motivation when we take political office. 

Apart from restructuring, going back to the system that works, what do you expect the present leadership in the country to do to ensure that the system works?

 I don’t know about the present leadership in the country because there is a problem as you know. There was election and there was a tribunal on that election and in the course of the tribunal, those who were defending the government somehow gave up the defence and most Nigerians then thought there would be fairness, they would declare the case for the other side. Instead of that, we saw real big grammar in the judgement. I am told that a person can now go and declare that he has a Ph.D and swear an affidavit and once the person has sworn to an affidavit, it should be treated as if he has Ph.D.

Different zones have started struggling for the 2023 Presidency, what is your take? 

It shouldn’t be an important issue but because Nigeria is not working well, very light issues become important. Otherwise, why should anybody from the North be thinking of another northerner? We have zoning, we accepted zoning and rotation.

Rotation is among the zones and so far, every group, the major groups, Hausa/Fulani have dominated the presidency of Nigeria, there is no point to call the names, everyone knows them. 

Then, the other group, Yoruba, apart from being President during the military (Olusegun) Obasanjo became civilian President, elected, and really he took a position Nigerians had given to the West because Nigerians had voted for (Chief Moshood) Abiola and the military did not allow him to take the position. 

Eventually, the military gave the position to Obasanjo who also is a military man. Then, even some minority groups have tasted power like (Goodluck) Jonathan. Jonathan has tasted power properly by rotation and which Obasanjo facilitated. One group of the three major groups in Nigeria, the Igbo has not tasted power at all. After all, (Nnamdi) Azikiwe was not the type of President we have now. So, with the Igbo being the only major group that has not tasted power at all, the issue of who should take power in 2023 should not be controversial.

 But if the rest of Nigeria says Igbo should not take power but Igbo do the right thing, organize themselves, they bring out not one million people vying for the same position, but may be one or two and they then lobby other parts of Nigeria things can change for them. 

One newspaper made a mistake in the summary of my position and they used the threat that if other parts of the country refuse to give us the President, they will see the consequences of something like that. If you read the statement I made from the beginning to the end, you won’t see any threat in it, you see understanding, going from place to place lobbying.

But assuming that it is because of rejection that other Nigerians reject Igbo presidency that (Mallam Nasir) el-Rufai wants to be President, that (Asiwaju Bola) Tinubu wants to be President and it will favour them. If that happens, the real meaning is that the Igbo should cease being citizens of Nigeria. That there is no point belonging where you are rejected. One rejected does not reject oneself. Among those who reject you, you don’t want to force yourself to belong. 

So, there is this talk about Biafra. The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, is promoting Biafra because of various problems and punishments against Ndigbo. Because of many problems caused to the Igbo in Nigeria, they are trying to leave. 

The Federal Government of Nigeria has been very busy pushing the Igbo out of Nigeria. I will give you just a few instances. We are traders, we import like containers etc, but when our people import things, the things are seized and auctioned. Ibeto was one of the strongest persons in cement, after some time, he was crippled. Instead of going up, he was going back to give advantage to Non-Igbo. Look at this man who is building cars (Innocent Chukwuma) Innoson… he was taken like a tout in pants from his house to Abuja.

 Emzor Pharmaceuticals was closed down for days because they said that boys and girls or youths were inhaling something that was produced and had been in the market for decades. Some people discovered that they can inhale it. Ifeanyi Ubah, the one who made oil, petrol available (when there was serious scarcity in the country) was arrested two times and incarcerated.

 Look, NIA (National Intelligence Agency) is behind my office, when the National Security council of Nigeria is to meet, you don’t find one Igbo man there, what kind of National Council is it? You come to employment, if there is a new list of people employed by the Federal Government, you will see that Igbo is non-existent on the list. 27 Judges were appointed recently, mostly northerners. There were two from the West, two from the South-South, none from the South-East. But if it were people disengaged like they are removing military (officers) from South mostly, if it were disengagement, you will see a dominance of Igbo names on the list of people being removed.

There is something Nigerians should learn. If you want to be one country and grow, there is a quotation I will take from Russian women. They say, ‘they too have mothers.’

 There was misunderstanding between Chechnya and Russia and news was all over the place on how many Chechnya men were being killed every day, slaughtered because the Russians are bigger. After some time, the Russian women said, please stop killing all those Chechnyan men, they too have mothers. That is the kind of feeling that makes for rapport and cooperation and development. They too have mothers. You have put yourself in the place of the other person, that is how progressives think. 

So, only Chief Edwin Clark, and recently Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Alhaji Balarabe Musa have thought about ‘they too have mothers. They too are Nigerians, Igbo too are Nigerians if you want to deny them 2023 Presidency, deny them citizenship of Nigeria.

 Rotational Presidency or zoning is not in the Constitution, so how can the country go about it?

We have been going about it as a matter of agreement or understanding. Not everything done is in the Constitution. Do you know that one of the justifications for Buhari to come back was to complete Northern rotation? The point is that not everything done in government is in the Constitution. One of the main problems of Nigeria is the constitution because it is never accepted as genuine, it is not accepted as the will of the people. So, even if it is not there, it doesn’t matter. 

Do you think the agitation by Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB group is genuine?

 Yes, you can’t beat a person and say don’t cry. What Nnamdi Kanu and co are doing is crying because they are beaten and they are doing it in a way that is non-violent. Therefore, Nigerians should appreciate their method. I am happy the rest of the world, Europe, European Union, they met with Nnamdi Kanu and they saw point with what he was saying. The (United Nations) UN also met with Nnamdi Kanu in Switzerland, I don’t know whether they have changed their mind. They invited him to the United Nations General Assembly, but now having met with him in Switzerland, they may not meet him again in New York. 

So, I think Nnamdi Kanu is doing what is forced on us (Ndigbo) because some of us believe that we should find out more mature ways of going about it. But the ideal is very lawful, they are crying for a referendum, that is democracy. I think if Igbo people are denied the Presidency in 2023, then, no matter how unpopular IPOB may be among some older people, everybody may rush it. 

What is your assessment on the security situation in the country?

 One of the things to say on security is that Nigeria has never had it so bad. What is worse is that it doesn’t appear anybody is interested in what is happening and the government itself in the Federal Executive Council admitted Miyetti Allah for negotiation. And I heard that somehow, the money promised them was delivered to them. 

So, government tells us stories some time that Boko Haram has been decimated but we find out that Boko Haram is there. Why it remains there, we are told the stories about how it was founded, who are financing them. Anyway with Boko Haram being very strong and with foreigners being involved in, Yoruba are now facing what is facing them, all the bushes and forests have been taken over by foreigners. 

The same thing in the South-East, the same thing in the South-South, the same thing in the Middle-Belt, so, the situation of security in Nigeria has never been this bad. And never has it been that a government does not seem to care.

Clearly, the security situation in Nigeria calls for everybody to defend himself. Every community should have Community Vigilante groups, every town should have vigilante group and there should be some kind of integration and comparing of situations. It is a matter of saying you will buy a gun and of course it becomes nonsensical to say give away your guns.

 When the government cannot defend you, it cannot say you should give away your guns. Now we are reading about bandits, how they were organized, how they were created and if anything is true about it, we are in trouble. The situation in Nigeria has gone beyond what man can mend. All Nigerians should pray to the Almighty God who has the power to do anything. Let God intervene in the affairs of Nigeria and let justice come back to Nigeria. There is no justice in our country.

SOURCE: VANGUARD

Why Ndigbo May Embrace IPOB In 2023 — Ezeife

Chukwuemeka Ezeife

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

FORMER Governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, weekend, said that the elderly people in South East may embrace the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB if the other parts of Nigeria conspire and deny the zone Presidency in 2023.

The elder statesman also said that the agitation and crusade being carried out by Mazi Kanu and his group where they are demanding for a referendum was forced on Ndigbo by the country. 

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Speaking exclusively to Vanguard in Abuja, the former governor said that even if entire Nigeria rejects Ndigbo, the people would not reject themselves. Commending the non-violent approach by the IPOB leader and his group, Dr Ezeife said some of the elite in the South East had distanced themselves from the Mazi Kanu’s approach because they believed that there should be more mature ways of addressing the marginalization in the zone.

 He accused the Nigerian government of making deliberate efforts towards pushing the Igbos out of the country by denying them occupying sensitive positions including leading any of the security agencies.

 Asked whether agitation by the IPOB was genuine, he said, “Yes, you can’t beat a person and say don’t cry. What Nnamdi Kanu and co are doing is crying because they are beaten and they are doing it in a way that is non-violent. 

 “Therefore, Nigerians should appreciate their method. I am happy the rest of the world, Europe, European Union, they met with Nnamdi Kanu and they saw point with what he was saying. 

“The (United Nations) UN also met with Nnamdi Kanu in Switzerland, I don’t know whether they have changed their mind they invited him to the United Nations General Assembly, but now having met with him in Switzerland, they may not meet him again in New York. 

“So, I think Nnamdi Kanu is doing what is forced on us (Ndigbo) because some of us believe that we should find out more mature ways of going about it.

 “But the ideal is very lawful, they are crying for a referendum, that is a democracy. I think if Igbo people are denied the Presidency in 2023, then, no matter how unpopular IPOB may be among the older people everybody may rush it.”

 On the 2023 Presidency and the agitation by the South West and the North to go for the plum position, he said,” If you want to deny them (Ndigbo) 2023 Presidency, then deny them citizenship of Nigeria. 

“I am feeling that it is because of rejection that other Nigerians reject Igbo Presidency that (Mallam Nasir) el-Rufai wants to be President, that (Asiwaju Bola) Tinubu wants to be President and it will favour them. If that happens, the real meaning is that the Igbos should cease being citizens of Nigeria. 

“That there is no point belonging where you are rejected. One rejected does not reject himself. Among those who reject you, you don’t want to force yourself to belong. 

“So, there is this talk about Biafra. IPOB is promoting Biafra because of various problems and punishments against Ndigbo. Because of many problems cause the Igbos in Nigeria, they are trying to leave. But the Federal Government of Nigeria has been very busy pushing the Igbos out of Nigeria. 

“We are traders, we import like containers etc, but when our people import things, the things are seized and auctioned. Ibeto was one of the strongest people in cement, after some time, he was crippled. Instead of going up, he was going back to give advantage to Non-Igbo. 

“Look at this man who is building cars, (Innocent Chukwuma) Innoson… he was taken like a tout in the paint from his house to Abuja. Emzor Pharmaceutical was closed down for days because they say that boys and girls or youths were inhaling something that was produced and had been in the market for decades, some people discovered that they can inhale it.

“When the National Security Council of Nigeria is to meet, you don’t find one Igbo man there, what kind of National Council is it? You come to employment, if there is a new list of people employed by the Federal Government, you will see that Igbo is non-existent in the list.

 “27 Judges were appointed recently, mostly northerners. There were two from the West, two from the South-South, non from the Southeast. But if it were people disengaged like they are removing military (officers) from South mostly, if it were disengagement, you will see a dominance of Igbo names in the list of people being removed. 

“There is something Nigerians should learn if you want to be one country and grow, it is a quotation I will take from Russian women. They say, they too have mothers. There was a misunderstanding between Chechnya and Russia and the news is all over the place on how many Chechnyan men are being killed every day, slaughtered because of course, the Russians are bigger. 

“After some time, the Russian women said, please stop killing all those Chechnyan men, they too have mothers. That is the kind of feelings that make for rapport and cooperation and development. They too have mothers. You have put yourself in the place of the other person, that is how Progressives think.

 “So, only Edwin Clark and recently Adebanjo and Balarabe Musa have thought about they too have mothers. They too are Nigerians,

 Igbos too are Nigerians.” Reminded that zoning and rotational Presidency are not in Nigeria’s Constitution, he said, “We have been going about it as a matter of agreement. Not everything done is in the Constitution.

 “Do you know that one of the justifications for Buhari to come back was to complete Northern rotation. The point is that not everything done in government is in the Constitution. 

“One of the main problems of Nigeria is the constitution because it is never accepted as genuine, it is not accepted as the will of the people. So, even if it is not there, it doesn’t matter.”