.
The former Governor of the old
Anambra State Dr chukwuemeka Ezeife , proposes solutions to the disturb for Biafra, in this interrogation with Mr.
TOBI AWORINDE
He ask,What are the top five things which Igbos
are not happy about?
At the starting, President
Muhammadu Buhari made over 40 position to some people but there was not one person from the South-East
among those first appointment.
Secondly, the Igbo watched the
position to some people and allocation of portfolios and noticed that no
national protocol office, not even the small one, which is Secretary to the
Government (of the Federation) went to the Igbo (South-East), which is one of
the six political and geographic parts of zones in the country.
Thirdly, many in one case, an
Igbo person was given as the head of NIMASA (Nigerian Maritime Administration
and Safety Agency) and, just in three
days, the appointment was taking from him. another case is, that of the
National Security and Civil Defence Corps, an Igbo person was given the post,
but he was never called anywhere near the duty that is given to him. Somebody
else was appointed.
There was a pruning of military and most of
the people that was removed were Igbos
and Christians.
Today, in a parastpatal under the
Ministry of Tourism — National Nigerian Theatre — an Igbo man that is almost qualified for the job. But he (Buhari)
got someone from the North and when it became very notice, president buhari
replaced that person from the North with a director from the ministry, which is
very different from the things that are accepted by most people.
He further said that You can see
so many (Igbo) people removed from their offices and replaced with people that
is not from igbos. The Customs would nab containers imported by Igbos and give
the goods to existing displaced persons.
There is always acting in the same way and
comprehensive of showing disapproval and
non-recognition of Igbos.
We don’t want to fought Buhari. We want to pray for him he said . He
is the President. The Federal (High) Court granted bail to mr Nnamdi Kanu
(leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra) ;but Mr. President changed it. In every problem,
the President takes a position that is anti-South-East.
He is always acting in th same way in
anti-East activities. The President swore to uphold the constitution. The
constitution talks about federal character.
The President make known to us that he is nobody’s somebody and
everybody’s nobody.
But Today, not even the Igbo or Yoruba is a
leaders, but Hausa and Fulani leaders are talking about the unfair practice
by our President.
Ezeife is praying for him. In fact,
his (Buhari’s) is working against corruption that made me buy him totally. But
now, I found out that there is no
anti-corruption. Some people are into a heroic act in their offices for their personal interest.
Nigeria has failed he said. We cannot adjust it by closing our eyes to some people and
opening it widely to others he further said .
How
should President Muhammadu Buhari respond to these problems?
We should not be given any different
treatment, less by shy the damage done by ministerial act of giving a
particular job or position to some people. I want Buhari to make adjus.
Mamman Nasir is The only
northerner who understands the view well is Just.
He further said When I was listed
for elimination during the (Gen. Sani) Abachi regime, it was this man that
called me to a meeting in Lagos and we spent hours. At the end of those hours,
he said, ‘Go toyour resident and say to the press what you want.
I will tell Abacha that a nation
must have people who speak with a feeling that
something the have done is morally wrong. I have found that you are
speaking from your feeling that something the have done is morally wrong.
This is the man who has a quality
that causes people to like someone who
say they are northern elders that they should forget thinking only the North
exists.
It is
believed that Igbos don’t like Buhari and that there is nothing he does that
will make them happy. Do you agree?
It is complete nonsense and only
people that hate Igbos can say those rubbish . he further said that for instance (Chief Olusegun) Obasanjo was president of
Nigeria.
Was IPOB fighting him he ask? Was MASSOB
(Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra) fighting him? Was Biafra being
promoted? (Former President Umaru) Yar’Adua was also from the North. (Dr.
Goodluck) Jonathan spent over four years as the president of Nigeria. During
his time, did you hear of anybody fighting for Biafra? Why is Buhari taking the
South-East out of Nigeria? If one wants to appoint people and they are removed
f rom the offices they are in, does he want to make Igbo traders a person that
is unable to pay depts he ask?
He further said that the Last
time, Mr. President said he was coming to Enugu State. He didn’t go, neither
did he send somebody that represent him or a statement that says that he is
sorry about it. The President is expressing distain of Igbos and it does not
matter.
We are pleading with him because he’s President. We could say we
don’t care. But we must care because he is given out what belongs to all of us to some of us and
Igbos are not partaking from it.
Jonathan
was perceived as being unfriendly to the South-East but the region didn’t
oppose his government as much. Should Buhari be treated any different he ask?
He further said In Nigeria, no
person from the South-East has been president before. The South-East gave him
(Jonathan) all the votes it could give him. Even for a second term, they stood
by him without looking back.
He added that , our roads were not taken care
of, but we had our sons and daughters in
high positions of Jonathan’s government — and also we had Jonathan himself. At
Enugu, I brought the question when
Jonathan came for a town hall meeting: ‘Are you sure nobody is destroying
something deliberately so that it does not work correctly as far as roads in the East are concerned?’
All the roads were not good and these were the people that elected in the
president. I said it openly, but that did not stop the South-East and
South-South from giving ful votes to Jonathan. Obasanjo placed our son
(Jonathan) as vice president (under Yar’Adua). So, we are grateful to Obasanjo.
We must support our son and so we did.
Are you
satisfied with the performance of Igbos in Buhari’s government?
The constitution requires Buhari
to select a minister, whether minister
of state or full minister, but let it be per state.
He ask him to do what you have
been asked to do with that constitutional provision and selected one of us
Minister of Labour.
He selected another one, a former governor,
Minister of Science and Technology. Another was selected as Minister of Trade, one as Minister of
Foreign Affairs, etc.
Those are needed by law. Look at the 2016
Nigerian budget and look at the apportion for a specific purpose to the South-East.
The President wanted to take the sum of
$30bn. Look at the giving and see whether a kobo of it was originally
giving to the South-East.
Of any one available to be used when and how
you decide activity by the government, find out if any one is given to the
South-East. How can we dislike a person?
I ate food in Buhari’s house. One of his relations, who is my friend, took me
to Buhari’s house in Kaduna State and I ate food there. I have nothing against
Buhari; I am only praying that God will make him change his conscience about the South-East.
He said You cannot jump the gun.
The behaviors of your boss affects your
activities. If you know that your boss didn’t like your people, why make recommending him to help your people? he said That is what is
going on.
But how can Buhari get back our trust? He should make adjustment to his
appointments. Let treatment of people equal be
shown to the South-East. He further ask Those military people who were removed
and retired, why did president buhari bring them back?
How can
Buhari find common ground with agitators for Biafra?
The President of Nigeria needs to
take the South-East as a part of Nigeria and give them what is due for them the
way he is doing to other zones.
The President at it stand ,
selected the South-East for punishment and even have the mind to go to the
international press to say there are people who gave him five per cent
(support) and others that gave him 97 per cent.
He said that He is taking the
South-East zone as one of those that gave him five per cent and for that he is punishing the people from that
area, according to his scale.
The President who swear to protect and keep the Nigerian law, should
remember that the law contains provisions for federal character,which meaning that he should treat all areas
equaling .
He said that The President gave
over 40 opportunity at the beginning,
without any one of them coming from the South-East. The President gave opportunity
of ministerial positions as required by
the law, but only did as required by the constitution.
The weight of the ministries
appoint to the various areas was not
taken into careful thought . In order to take care of the issues, South-East
leaders move near to the President to
show a polite and friendly desire to avoid disagreement and argument resolve
the issues, only for the President to remove and push the South-East to pull
out of Nigeria.
He further said that (Chief
Olusegun) Obasanjo was the president of Nigeria for eight years.but Nobody heard about MASSOB
(The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra) or IPOB
(The Indigenous People of Biafra) then.
When things are treaded
normally, there will be no issue .
Even as I am speaking to you, there will
be a National Security Council meeting in Nigeria and no Igbo man will be among
it .
What
other peaceful approach can the pro-Biafra agitators adopt to gain closure?
people are speaking about change the basic organization because, without change the basic organization because , most
of the issues bring by the Federal Government in the regions would
continue.
He said In addition to greater
control of each (geopolitical) area by people in the zone, the zones have very
big population and an area of study that
deals with location of cities than the
states and they can give themselves all those things that are relating to a
subject in an appropriate way to them: power, water,
There is no moving near something
other than equal treatments . Only equal
treatment can give the Biafrans a
feeling of belonging. Those who are showing disagreement with injustice will go
back on protests. But as long as there is still unfair treatment, rejection and
no respect are allowed, then the problem of Biafra becomes a continue problem. The most fair and sensible
roads. Issue will be better
solved at the zonal level than at the state level
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