A former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu has said to fix Nigeria’s ailing economy, the country needs to return to true federalism.
In a statement on Sunday, Moghalu said it is no surprise that Nigeria has entered its second severe economic recession in five years since 2015.
He said, “According to Dr. Yemi Kale, Chief Executive and Statistician-General of Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, Q3 2020 Real GDP contracted for a second consecutive quarter by -3.62 per cent. Cumulative GDP for the first nine months of 2020 stood at -2.48 per cent.
“This decline was led by the oil sector, which contracted by 13.89 per cent in Q3, while the non-oil sector contracted by 2.51 per cent in the same period.”
He said leading inclusive growth for economic transformation in Nigeria now required far-reaching actions in the political realm.
According to him, No amount of “defensive” approaches to economic management, akin to the labors of the mythical Sisyphus, can adequately reverse Nigeria’s worsening economic crisis and put the country on a path to real development if the underlying issues that have created our weak economic framework are not addressed.
“Chief among these structural factors is the urgent need for a constitutional restructuring of Nigeria to true federalism. Nigeria’s economy cannot make real progress as long as it is organized on the basis of the 1999 Constitution,” he said.
Moghalu lamented that the Nigerian constitution had no incentives for wealth creation through economic production because it gives the government at the centre too much power.
He said, “On the contrary, it creates massive incentives for a “sharing” economy based on earnings from crude oil sales, which belong primarily to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“This in turn creates an embedded incentive to rent-seeking as economic activity, an absence of deep reflection by the political leadership on the nuances of competing economic frameworks as a basis for economic policy, and the commodity dependence that has created frequent economic distress through externally induced oil price shocks. Our distress is now further entrenched with extreme levels of foreign borrowing that have essentially mortgaged the future of Nigeria’s youth.”
Moghalu said that while the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns imposed in the early months of the pandemic contributed significantly to this recession, it was not a valid excuse to avoid confronting the more important causative factor of the longstanding, weak fundamentals of the Nigerian economy.
He noted that the Nigerian economy was distressed long before COVID-19T as demonstrated by the recession of 2016-2017 and the fragile recovery.
The former presidential candidate added, “Moreover, the Nigerian government’s already-weak fiscal position left it unprepared and unable to support its citizens adequately during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“While South Africa’s government announced a $26 billion fiscal stimulus package in April 2020 in response to the pandemic, the Nigerian government’s budgetary response was N500 billion ($1.3 billion) and Central Bank of Nigeria intervention funds of N1 trillion ($3 billion).”
He said, “This fiscal and monetary-authority response was grossly inadequate to meet the magnitude of the challenge, and, in my estimation, at least 95 per cent of the 100 million Nigerians living in extreme poverty did not receive any support from the government during the lockdowns and the pandemic more generally. This indicates extremely weak state capacity.
“The second political response to Nigeria’s longstanding and escalating economic crisis should be the conscious selection and election of intellectually competent leadership for our country.”
Such leadership, with political will and visionary politics backed by sound economic thinking, he said, will identify and work with the best minds among our compatriots to create economic transformation.
He said said it was the duty of Nigerian citizens to ensure the emergence of this kind of leadership at the ballot box, while holding the government in office accountable for the performance of the economy as is the case in every democracy.
Niger Republic will be selling fuel to Nigeria. Niger Republic has no atom of oil, yet they will be selling fuel to a country that for the past 50 years discovered oil in a large quantity.
What happened?
They laid pipe from the place they called Niger Delta to Niger Republic. They said it was to sell gas and industrialize the North, but today we now know better.
It is not worrisome to people, even those in the so called Niger Delta that ordinary Niger Republic will be selling fuel to them.
I served in Bayelsa. I have never seen the type of deprivation I saw there elsewhere in this contraption. A people that for many years have contributed their all in feeding Nigeria fat.
I will never sound to please anyone.
It is unfortunate that what worries these people is to safeguard a meaningless name their slave masters gave them. They shout we are Niger Delta, while they are being raped mercilessly. Tell me why there should be refinery in the North and even faraway Niger Republic, neglecting those that own the oil.
They rape you and set you against your brothers. If we open mouth, you claim someone is after your oil. Which oil, I am forced to ask. Is it the same oil in my backyard? Don’t you know that there are oil everywhere in the places they erroneously called South East? And don’t you know that lots of places they called South South are inhabited by Ndị Igbo and those places also have oil?
I know you don’t know, because they have for 50 years denied you History and used their lying media to confuse your brains. Now instead of standing against those that have impoverished you and polluted your lands, you are there hating those that are demanding justice for everyone. You claim you are being begged. You are simply ignorant and unthinking.
Keep being fooled by the Foolani North with one Nigeria. You think they believe in One Nigeria. These people know too well that Nigeria will soon end and they are seriously preparing for that day. They are looting and seriously building the North. They are preparing for that day, while your own leaders are busy killing themselves over who will become a deputy to a Northerner.
At times I wonder if you guys think at all. I get it, Igbo is the problem. Are they not the people that made Nigeria to start buying oil from Niger Republic. Pity yourselves.
In a video flash ,some young men that claimed to be Niger Delta Youths have launched an attack against oil companies operating in Niger Delta region. The aggrieved Youths were seen via video shutting oil facilities down. BVI Reporter gathered that this sudden action is not unconnected to federal government signing agreement to be importing oil from Niger Republic.
The General Services Administration has informed the Biden transition team on Monday evening that the Trump administration is ready to begin the transfer of power.
GSA head Emily Murphy wrote in a letter that federal government agencies will now make resources available to the Biden team in preparation for the incoming president’s assumption of office. The GSA is an independent government agency that helps manage and support the federal bureaucracy.
President Trump has refused to publicly concede defeat in the general election, and up to now his administration has refused to work with the Biden transition team. However, the president wrote on Twitter that he had allowed Murphy to approve the transition.
“Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail!” Trump wrote. “Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.”
“I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official—including those who work at the White House or GSA—with regard to the substance or timing of my decision,” Murphy wrote. “I did, however, receive threats online, by phone, and by mail directed at my safety, my family, my staff, and even my pets in an effort to coerce me into making this determination prematurely.”
Murphy’s decision gives Biden around $7 million in federal resources to aid the transition.
The Biden team announced that they had received Murphy’s notice and would prepare accordingly.
“Today’s decision is a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation,” the transition team said in a statement. “In the days ahead, transition officials will begin meeting with federal officials to discuss the pandemic response, have a full accounting of our national security, and gain complete understanding of the Trump administration efforts to hollow out government agencies.”
Members of the United Kingdom Parliament on Monday took turns to lambast the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for the attack and intimidation of protesters who took part in the #EndSARS demonstrations.
They demanded sanctions on government officials and security agents such as visa ban, freezing of assets, and stopping the funding and training for the Nigeria Police Force.
The debate was sequel to a petition started by Silas Ojo which had garnered over 200,000 signatures.
The debate by members of the Petitions Committee, which took place at the Westminster Hall, kicked off with Theresa Villiers, a member of the British Conservative Party who served as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.
The Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet constituency said, “I believe the petitioners have a credible case for the imposition of individualised sanctions such as travel bans and asset freezes.”
She said the UK Government must explain the role of the government in training security agents who end up abusing the rights of Nigerian citizens.
Also speaking, the MP for Edmonton, Kate Osamor, described as undemocratic, the claim by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, that the killings at the Lekki toll plaza was fake news.
Osamor stated, “The Nigerian government says that it has disbanded SARS but the corruption and brutality of the security forces continues. The Nigerian government’s violence against its own citizens appears only to be intensifying.
The Nigerian government needs to stop freezing bank accounts of key protesters; it needs to stop illegal detentions of key protesters. The Minister of Information for the Federal Government went on record to state that the CNN reporting of the massacre is fake news. This is undemocratic conduct.”Osamor stated that the UK government continued to sell weapons and provide training to SARS personnel despite the fact that Amnesty International and other rights groups had accused the now disbanded unit of extra-judicial killings.
Member of Parliament for West Ham, Lyn Brown, said it was unfortunate that the Federal Government went ahead to not only accuse protesters of sponsoring terrorism and freeze their accounts but also blamed them for the increase in food prices.
Responding on behalf of the UK government, the MP for Aldridge-Brownhills, Wendy Morton, who is also the Minister at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, said the reports of intimidation of #EndSARS protesters were worrying.
Morton stated that the UK government was communicating with the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“It is a long-standing practice not to speculate on future sanctions as it could reduce the impact of the designations,” Morton said.
“We are aware that some protesters have reported facing intimidation and the British High Commissioner in Abuja continues to raise our concerns about intimidation of civil society groups and peaceful protesters with the Nigerian government,” the minister said.
As businesses and citizens continue to groan under the worst recession in history, members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) have called for reevaluation and reassessment of government’s economic and foreign exchange (forex) policies, among others, to rejig the economy.
Both the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) believe that the government has vital roles to play if the economy must have a quick return-around.
The LCCI Director General, Muda Yusuf, who said the news of the recession did not come as a surprise as the economic contraction was 3.62 per cent in the third quarter as against 6.1 per cent in second quarter, however said that with these numbers, one could possibly say that the worst is over as the contraction in the third quarter was much less than what was experienced in the second quarter.
He said: “Regrettably, the #EndSARS crisis may perpetuate the recession into the fourth quarter. The protests and the destruction that followed was a major setback for our economic recovery prospects.
From an economic perspective, 2020 has been a very bad year. The worst in recent history. We are faced with the double jeopardy of a stumbling economy and spiraling inflation. The October inflation numbers of 14.23% was the highest in 10 months. In economic parlance , this condition is characterised as stagflation. The effects of these developments are evident in business and in households.”
The LCCI boss opined that, to facilitate quick recovery, government need to restore normalcy to the forex market by broadening the scope of market expression in the allocation mechanism. He added the Ports systemshould also be more investment friendly as trade is critical to recovery.
In the same vein, the Nigeria Employer’s Consultative Association (NECA) has called for urgent economic recovery effort.
Its Director General, Dr. Timothy Olawale, noted that “with high level of inflation and unemployment, exchange rate and other macro economic indices, there is need for urgent reevaluation and reassessment of government’s economic policies,” he said
The NECA boss said there is urgent need to increase aggregate demand in the economy as a way to spark economic activities.
He said, “Government should give more tax cut to promote business capital investment while encouraging local and foreign investment. Government should fast track the implementation of policies to diversify further its export potential, mostly the huge stock of natural and agro resources in order to reduce pressure on the foreign reserves.
“We call for more robust and comprehensive expansionary fiscal and monetary policy packages to expeditiously reflate the economy out of the current crisis.”
A Development Economist, Mr Odilim Enwegbara, described the second recession as worrisome, saying that the country may go into bankruptcy if it does not quickly exit the quagmire.
Enwegbara noted that given the unproductive economic system Nigeria runs, the frequency of the recessions would become shorter over time.
He said; “I have been saying it since 2016 that in less than five years, the country would witness another but longer recession. I have also said that if care is not taken, the country could during the second recession go into bankruptcy.”
Mr Olisa Agbakoba, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), gave fiscal authority tips on how to raise revenue.
According to him, “one of the good ways to realise money is to look within yourself, to see if there are assets you can dispose of. If government were to get out of a lot of things it shouldn’t be doing, it will be in a stronger position to focus on work in the economy. For me, government should take into account, the unions and privatise all the airports. Government’s best way of generating revenue is from taxes. Government is still borrowing money and putting into Ajaokuta instead of selling it. The number of businesses that government has across Nigeria can generate about N20-30 trillion.”
For the aviation sector, an expert, John Ojikutu, said government cannot keep sustaining the airlines as ‘they have always been in a recession’
He suggested that airlines should review ticket price upwards if they want to survive economic hardship.
“Does it make any economic sense to the airlines to be selling tickets to places like Abuja at a rate less than N40,000 or $100 now that dollar is N400+/$ which in 1989/90 was selling too at $100 when naira was N4/$? I often say that the business plans of the airlines from the date of the liberalisation of the industry in 1989 has serious faults and nobody, not even the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the National Assembly (NASS) have considered it necessary to know why they have been having short lifespans. What everyone is always thinking about is how to support the airlines with public monies that are not sufficient for major social services for the greater number of the citizens.”
According to the President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeri (PSN), the secondrecession is not uniqueto Nigeria.
He, however, lamented that “the consequence to the people is that when an economycontracts,it means that total output becomesless,everything becomes expensive because price goes up.. This will further increase the level of hardship, unemployment will increase,inflation will go up,increased hardship will cause social disquiet and disruption.
“Faced with the challenge of recession,governmentmust do somethingto reverse it as quickly as possible.”
Andrew Nevin, the Chief economist,of Pricewaterhouse Coopers(PwC) lamented that the second recession is very painful for the economy as more people slip into poverty and greater unemployment.
“What is requirednow is greater investment in the country from Nigerians at home, Dispoprans,and other investors.
“Key sectors need structural performance like the real estate, investmentin infrastructure,power,ICT,agriculture. We need to continue to work on a better businessenvironment,more coordination between the federal and state government.Focus more on state level developmentand engagementof the Disporans to get the funds we need.
.Uche Mefor , the Deputy to Nnamdi Kanu, has severed his ties with the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB after he was described as a traitor, saboteur and evicted from the private company known as Radio Biafra.
Uche Mefor, who has been Nnamdi Kanu’s co-traveler in his brainwashing, lying and blackmailing empire, is now crying blue murder after the same card he has been playing on innocent people has been served to him alleging that he has been used as a “Mugu”.
Mefor, in a zoom meeting with a yet to be identified group said his ousting from the private company; Radio Biafra is “the highest humiliation and insult on his person” stressing that he invested his time into researching about internet radio when it wasn’t yet popular.
“I worked for this thing for almost one year. When I was researching on this as far back as 2012-2013, internet radio wasn’t popular and nobody hears about it and it was so difficult to research. I set this up and today, somebody somewhere, I don’t know how many they are, is trying to tell me that I’m a mugu”.
Mefor went ahead to announce the formation of his own internet radio; Biafra Human Rights Radio (BHRA) insisting that; “Nobody can stop me from broadcasting on radio and talking to our people. I have been blackmailed, humiliated in so many ways.”
The disgraced deputy leader of the rogue organization enumerated how he was accused of selling the mobile APP of Radio Biafra even when he (Nnamdi Kanu) is in contact with the host company of Radio Biafra and understands what was going on with the APP.
“When Nnamdi Kanu contacted me to reconfigure both Radio Biafra and Biafra community radio to be in sync, I refused because I was removed immediately i did the first configuration. I gave him the details of the host company so that he can contact them and also told the company that Nnamdi Kanu will contact them which he did because the company told me he did.
“He was in contact with them and went on radio and was shouting that Radio Biafra APP has been sold, that the zoo has taken over radio Biafra, making reference to me”.
Mefor, who has been instrumental in the blackmail and exit of some other genuine Biafran from the organization wondered why he could be blackmailed in the manner the outlawed organization is doing currently despite on the prayers for Biafra.
“How can I be blackmailed in this way? We are praying on air, we are praying to God and at the same time, lying over the whole thing and lying to the same God we are praying to help us.”
Uche Mefor also threatened not to stop broadcasting via his new radio station.
“I will broadcast on a platform, I will speak to our people and I will air my views and there’s nothing anybody can do about it. Biafra Human Rights Radio has come to stay. The only way, if ever, the radio will come down is if IPOB community radio is down and we now have access to radio Biafra which nothing happened to.”
There’s nothing wrong if any region wants to break away from Nigeria –Gani Adams
I see APC, PDP breaking up and new party formed before 2023 –Gani Adam
Aare Gani Adams, the Kakanfo of Yoruba land, has said that there is nothing wrong in any region wants to go
How do you feel about the EndSARS protest organized by the youths?
It was one of the most peaceful protests in the globe. It was well organized and those behind EndSARS protest are not activists. They are young promising Nigerians who decided to agitate for their rights and fight for their future in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Even when they were fighting for democracy from the military we have never been so well-organized to protest like the one done by the EndSARS. I give kudos to them for making that protest very peaceful until when some urchins started attacking them from Abuja, Kwara and some other states. The protests of EndSARS is about their future, it’s about having a very good future, it’s about not allowing their future to be mortgaged, it’s about having a prosperous nation called Nigeria. Part of their demands is change of constitution, which is germane for the progress of Nigeria. When you are talking about change in constitution, without changing the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria there is no way Nigeria can move forward. When there is a change of institution, there will be a very good and balanced structure, when there is a balanced structure there will be a very good institution. Talking of the education sector, talking of health, talking of power and talking of different infrastructure. When there is a very good institution there will be a very good and organized society, a peaceful society, a prosperous society, so in the seven demands of the EndSARS, the remaining demands revolve around change in the constitution. Definitely, the protests of the EndSARS was well organized, very peaceful, and very orderly until when they were being attacked at the Lekki tollgate and when hoodlums hijacked it using it as an opportunity to loot and vandalize property. But those who looted and vandalized property were not the peaceful protesters.
Hoodlums went to the Oba of Lagos’ palace and took away his staff of office; as a tradionalists, what does that imply?
It’s unfortunate. It’s something we don’t pray for. It’s an ugly incident. The issue of the attack in Oba’s palace, even if you are not a traditionalist, you won’t encourage that. It’s an ugly incident that we don’t pray for. It was not only the palace of Oba Akiolu that was invaded, two other Oba’s palaces were also affected. It would have happened in other palaces if not for the intervention of our group, OPC, as we made valiant efforts to secure the palaces. In any community, there is no king that will not have his own enemy. What happened was that the Oba’s enemies now used the opportunity of the protests to invade the palace. The traditional rulers have a limited role to play in governance. Even the chairman of local government area is more powerful than some traditional rulers. They just have an influence, though to lay the blame of the country or the economy on the traditional ruler is uncalled for. It’s not accepted, so I sympathize with the Eleko of Eko, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu on the issue and I appeal to him that by the time he comes back to the palace, he should mend fence with those people that are not happy in Isale Eko because if they are happy enough they could have protected their heritage, but we noticed there’s a missing link between Kabiyesi and his subjects, but I condemn it in totality, vandalizing and looting the palace of any monarch. It is not the right channel to show your grievances to the traditional ruler.
Restructuring is now on the front burner, in which area of the polity would you want to see restructured?
It is by two ways, if the government does not want to listen to agitations for restructuring, people will be thinking about secession. But I believe the first choice now is for Nigeria to restructure to regionalism. We don’t need to deceive ourselves. We have to trace where we are coming from, how we got our independence in 1960. The agreement we made to come together in 1914 was not with people’s consent. Before then what we had was the northern protectorate and southern protectorate, after Lord Lugard brought us together for amalgamation. Even with the amalgamation, everybody runs his government based on self-government. In 1960, we got our independence. Now, how should we run a peaceful and prosperous nation where there will be no crisis or rancour, but mutual respect and love within different major tribes and ethnic nationalities? As it is now, it is very obvious that Nigeria cannot move forward. We don’t even have money to fund our governance. Now, Nigeria is borrowing money from Brazil, $1.2 billion. There was a time Nigeria gave Brazil money in 1976. Now, Nigeria is borrowing money from Brazil. How much is $1.2 billion with the potentials given to us by Almighty God? But the structure we are using now turned everyone lazy; turned our governors to governors going to Abuja to collect allocation from the Federal Government without looking inward. The solid mineral is getting rotten in most states. The Northwest has not less than 25 to 30 solid minerals, Nasarawa has more than 30 solid minerals, Kano has about 33 and Plateau has about 34. Recently, we leant that Zamfara has 22 carat gold. So, the majority of the Northwest have their own solid minerals even though they don’t have oil. Apart from solid mineral they have agricultural advantage. So, what are we yearning for, when you have your own region you can’t generate money to the centre? Definitely, it’s either restructuring or let us go peacefully through referendum. These are the two options. I can’t keep on shouting restructuring for the past 32 years without result and still shouting restructuring without thinking of alternative. I can’t continue to be a toothless bulldog in the media, shouting restructuring without giving an option to the people that build the obstacle to that restructuring. People will not take you seriously when you continue agitation.
What is your take on what happened in Oyigbo in Rivers State?
I think the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has come out to debunk it that he didn’t give any instruction to the army. However, my take on the earlier statement credited to the governor where he said he’s giving executive law to proscribe IPOB, I must say I disagree with that. I must advise the governor that he should be careful. He should look beyond as governor of Rivers State, one day; he will finish that tenure and will be aspiring to have a national position. If there is crisis in your state, don’t use every force in your power to descend on that crisis and you don’t act as a military. He should remember that he is a civilian governor in Rivers State; he should not talk as if he’s talking to the opposition. Orders are very sensitive on how you handle issues with diplomacy. And to make sure as a leader you weather the storm. Even if the Federal Government called IPOB a terrorist group; it’s not in your power to say you will insert the law to call them terrorist in your own state because there’s a slight difference between the Igbo and the Rivers people. I understand during the state creation, part of Igbo land was cut to join Rivers State. When you build enmity between the major tribe it will count on you as a politician. Maybe in 2023 after his tenure he would want to be a president or vice president and you want to go and campaign in the Southeast, they will remember what you did to their own brothers. Even though not all the Igbo share the ideology of IPOB, but they won’t be happy when you instigate or instruct Nigerian army to kill their sons and daughters. But he has come out to debunk it. He knows the implication. But he said one thing that he won’t care of future ambition; he has to protect his own state. But he should understand that same issues that happened in Rivers, happened in Ebonyi, almost all the states in the South, in the aftermath of killing in Lekki, turned to violence and most of the governors managed it without using executive power. Even within the crisis of the EndSARS, there was crisis between the Yoruba and Hausa, but the Lagos State government and the security agencies managed it so that there won’t be two crises at the same time. I don’t see him managing that issue very well. He should talk less, on the crisis in the media. He should allow his commissioner for information to talk on his behalf. If you notice the statement has boomeranged you can debunk it as a governor. That’s why a government has different ways of communication, when he tests the waters with the statement and the statement did not go down well with the people, he should now come out as the principal to debunk it and say something in a diplomatically way that will not cause tension. I will appeal to him that the issues in Oyigbo should be managed very well. This is race that are business people, scattered in different places in Nigeria. What happened in Oyigbo can cause a reflection of interest of the Igbo all over the world today and we don’t want something like that to happen in future.
During that period of EndSARS, there was a notice that all Igbo should leave Lagos, how did you see that?
That statement came from one lone ranger who wants cheap popularity. The guy resides in London. The statement is not accepted even by one per cent of Yoruba people. I don’t know his motive, when he wants to talk he attacks the Igbo, I don’t know who built that hatred in his mind. I don’t know when he left Nigeria, but we, the Yoruba, don’t have any problem with the Igbo. Immediately different statement condemned it, Wole Soyinka condemned it. Most of the socio-cultural groups in Yoruba land condemned it. Somebody who sits down in his comfort zone in London cannot just do video and Igbo people would listen to him. The guy in question is not even up to 40 years. He always wants to jump into controversy; the statement is not from Yoruba leaders. We in Yoruba land don’t have problems with the Igbo. I lead a grassroots organization, for the past 26 years, that OPC has been in existence, I have never seen any street that the Igbo confronted us directly in Yoruba land. Other ethnic nationalities have confronted us, but not the Igbo. Immediately there’s crisis, they call us to manage it, but they have not confronted us. Even when they bought land if the Yoruba people give them problem most of them come to me for settlement to the extent they will pay money for peace to reign. So, why are we having problem with them?
Nnamdi Kanu always claims that you are his friend, is this true?
Yes. Nnamdi Kanu is my friend too. I salute his sagacity, I salute his courage and I will be the last person that will condemn his belief in self-determination. Self-determination is in the charter of the United Nations and African Union. You have the right, just 10,000 people and say we want to have our own nation in United Nation, if you document it very well, fight it intellectually; you will get a whole nation. So, if someone says he is tired of this country, there’s no crime in it, inasmuch as you are not pursuing that struggle on violence, you are not forming a guerilla warfare, you are not attacking the public and private property and installations. So, when you are agitating the government of the country needs to negotiate with you, it’s not by calling that person or the organization names, it can’t solve the problem. Even though you kill the messenger you can’t kill the message. There’s no way you can bamboozle someone who has the conviction and the spirit that he wants to liberate his people. We must learn from history. As a government we must prepare to dialogue. If you don’t want to give him all the demands, you give him some. That’s how civilized countries behave. Kanu has internationalized his struggle. Those who call him names in Yoruba and Igbo, he is moving. Conveniently he runs his broadcast twice or thrice a week.
A lot of people believe Nnamdi Kanu is talking rubbish sometimes, even some Igbo,do you agree with that?
I don’t believe that. Anybody who says Kanu is talking rubbish, that person did not learn from history. So, you now say Ojukwu is wrong if Kanu is taking rubbish; what Ojukwu did in 1967-70, you now say he is wrong; there’s no any living Igbo will abuse Ojukwu. They now see that since he lost that civil war, they have not become the president. Even Ekwueme by accident became the vice president. It was just ceremonial, he was not given power. You now see someone that says he cannot be a second class citizen, if you don’t want to give us power, we want to go. That person is not a good Igbo person, he’s a slave within the Igbo, he’s somebody we call a coward that allows his economic interest to cow him within the society. He is not talking rubbish. I have never met Kanu one on one, but that notwithstanding, last time that we spoke I told him not to abuse Yoruba people again. Continue with your struggle, don’t abuse our people, and since then he has stopped. Let the Igbo face their own problem and let the Yoruba face their problem. Even the statement he made about Tinubu, someone has corrected him, we know how to resolve our problem in Yoruba land, and you should not abuse Tinubu. Face your Igbo people and we will face our Yoruba. When somebody made a mistake we correct the person. Human beings are born to make mistakes. Somebody that makes mistake can do a better thing tomorrow that is leadership. He has been corrected is not enough to disorganize the unity between the Yoruba and the Igbo people. People are looking for a way to cause disunity between Igbo and Yoruba and it can’t work, we have learnt our lessons even with the Niger Delta, we can’t afford not to be together.
