Nigeria Would Have Become The Protest Capital Of The World If ..   -Onyeukwu 

Sir Temple Ogueri Onyeukwu FCA, a retired military officer, public affairs analysts, politician, community leader, philanthropist, fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria; is the managing director of Turning Point Youth Empowerment Initiative. A non-governmental, non-profit organization training youths in skills acquisition free of charge. He had contested the Mbaike House of Representatives seat severally since the return to democracy in 1999. He spoke to Starpost Express correspondent in his office in Lagos on various topical issues. excerpts.

How is the South East fairing under the presidency of Bola Ahmed Tinubu?

The world can testify that the civil war which was said to have ended in 1970 is still being fought against the Igbo nation now not through bullets at battle fronts but through policies, appointments, infrastructural neglect, exclusion, economic stagnation, political exclusion. This systemic devastation of the South East is more brutal than the genocide the civil war engendered. The 8 years of Buhari presidency gave the “dot” in the circle 5% of capital projects, appointments, development and political inclusion. When president Bola Tinubu came, he promised to continue the policies and programs of late president Buhari. It appears to be an agreement in the APC to ensure the Igbo nation is held down on its knees.

What of the South East Development Commission this presidency gave the South East?

The establishment of the 6 development commissions spread in the 6 geopolitical zones is an indictment on the various governors of the states. What are the responsibilities of the governors if the Federal Government has to undertake the development of the states? Where are the Local Governments and their allocations? In the past 12 months or more Mbaitoli Local Government is said to have received a minimum of N350m per month from FAAC. Yet there is no single road that is motorable in the entire Mbaitoli Local Government Area. The development Commissions appear to be a strategy for the Federal Government to strengthen its grip on the grassroots while true federalism is consigned to the dustbin of political expediency.

What are the political leaders and the governors in the South East doing to attract the attention of the president to the plight of the South East?

The motto of our politicians appears to be “I, me and my family”. Their politics start and end with them and their families, it is pitiable. They cannot salvage the South East because they are not united. Every one of them is pursuing his own course. Many of them appear to have very high psychotic disposition for criminality, simply because they do not have a second address. Their entire livelihood depends on politics. They can betray their kindred, village and community to secure political appointment. The knowledgeable people in the society are frustrated, out of political contestations because of the level of violence, deceit, banditry and monetisation that accompany it. When these so called political leaders find themselves in the corridors of power; they perpetrate all manner of evil to hang in there.

The ADC coalition appears determined to defeat president Tinubu in the next election in 2027. How far can they go?

One of the greatest politician Imo state produced is Author Nzeribe of blessed memory. He once postulated before the election of 1993 that to win any election all he requires is INEC and the police. The question I have for the ADC and other politicians hoping to upstage president Bola Tinubu in 2027  is “Do You have INEC on your side? Do you have the police on your side? President Bola Tinubu is not Goodluck Jonathan. It appears to me that for the ADC to defeat president Tinubu in 2027, it must answer above two questions in the affirmative otherwise it must restrategize. Tinubu is a political master strategist whether in opposition or in power.

The scale of defections from the PDP and Labour party to the APC has rendered the opposition ineffective. Why in your opinion is defections still gathering momentum in favour of APC?

Generally politicians think of the next election not the next generation. All those defecting to the APC are doing so for their political survival. Many of them are governors in their first term who hope to contest for second term. Now the FCT minister does not pretend that he has the National executive of the PDP loyal to him. The National chairman by his actions, commission and omissions over the past two years has demonstrated that Wike is incharge. The National Secretary is also a Wike loyalist. Meanwhile Wike is working for the APC and for the re-election of President Tinubu. With the vicious grip APC appear to have on INEC and the judiciary, it only makes sense for opposition politicians who intend to contest elections in 2027 to defect to APC for accommodation. The BAT school of politics believes in destabilizing opposition, the Abure led labour party executives appear to be working hands  in glove with the APC to ensure the threat of Peter Obi is neutralized ahead of the 2027 elections. President Tinubu is a political master strategist whether in opposition or in power. Cast your mind back while he was governor of Lagos State, he built signposts for all bad federal roads, mounted them on the roads viz These roads belongs to the Federal Government. He never fixed any bad Federal Road and his strategy yielded positive results for him. These days opposition governors are building federal roads probably to escape from the sanction of the Tinubu led federal government. Ironically while Tinubu built Lagos State roads the present day governors are not building their state roads.

Honestly I miss president Tinubu in opposition. If he was in opposition today under this excruciating economic and dire security situation with corruption and hopelessness pervading the society, Nigeria would have become the protest capital of the world. We would have been protesting on weekly basis until the government surrenders. As a political master strategist, he recruited Wike who is said to have a very deep pocket and doing the yeoman job in the PDP while other potentially opposition parties appear infiltrated, intimidated and destabilized, by agents of the APC. That is politics. It is not the duty of president Tinubu to organize opposition to oppose his government continually and critically xraying his administration.

In Your opinion do you envisage APC fielding the Muslim Muslim ticket in 2027?

Rather than do what works, we spend countless hours in prayer and fasting, not in innovations, not in apprenticeship, not in manufacturing. We spend quality time in prayer neglecting the other important aspects. The role Imposed religion is playing on the psyche of the Nigerian is unimaginable. Both the Christian and the Muslim religion have been weaponised by politicians to divide and conquer the masses. The twin factors of religion and ethnicity continually play divisive roles in our political trajectory. The politicians are experts in manipulating religion and ethnicity to their advantage. In 2027, it will be more difficult to try a muslim muslim ticket than it was in 2023.

The President recently extended the tenure of the comptroller general of customs by one year to the detriment of other officers under him. What is your take on this?

Firstly, the president elongated the tenure of the Inspector general of police and now the comptroller general of the Nigerian customs. The resultant effect of the tenure elongation is the usurpation of the opportunities of those under them who hoped to be promoted to the position with the exit of those ahead of them. The most logical and equitable thing to do is to extend the tenure of service of all officers/personnel under those that have enjoyed presidential tenure elongation by the same period of the elongation. Why should a sixty five years old superintend the retirement of a sixty years old in the same service? Many have attributed the tenure elongation of the comptroller general of the customs as a calculated attempt to deny the next in rank who eventually is an Ibo lady from being elevated to that position.

Having attained that position on merit, there is nothing the present comptroller will achieve that she would not have achieved. Is this not a continuation of the civil war by other means?

What in your opinion, are the greatest problems facing Nigeria today?

One of the greatest problems Nigeria is facing today is Technical glitches. It was first ascribed during the presidential election and the effect was monumental. Even the Supreme Court could not decipher what constituted technical glitch. Since after the presidential election it has re occurred twice. This time targeting the youths. Once in the 2025 UTME examination and again in the 2025 WAEC examination. Apart from the technical glitches present day Nigeria is bedevilled with executive corruption, judicial corruption, legislative corruption, political corruption and all manner of corruption with impunity hitherto alien to our country. The corruption is so perverse and opaque that one hundred EFCC will not be able to curb 50% of it. Where do we go from here?

Despite the technical glitches, the minister of Education who should know better want WAEC and NECO to migrate to computer based tests in 2026. Suffice it to state that over 70% of schools in Imo State are not equipped with computers, many do not have electricity, many are cut off from the headquarters of the Local Government areas by erosion.

The general perception of the political class is that the founding fathers of Nigeria were more patriotic and worked for the unity of the country. What is your take in this?

I have always taken exception to the clitch that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable. There is nothing that is not negotiable. It is better to negotiate and reach an agreement than to war. Fundamentally it is only Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe of blessed memory among the founding fathers that believed in the unity of Nigeria. Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory described Nigeria as a mere geographical expression. Consequently in this geographical expression he decided to consolidate the south west and fought for the good of the south west for which he is still adored till today. The sardauna of sokoto Sir Ahmedu Bello, the first prime minister of the federation described the unity of Nigeria as a mere aspiration far from reality. The unity of Nigeria has remained a mere aspiration till present day. This led to replacing the people of the south east in employment in the northern civil service with even foreigners to presumably avoid the domination of northern civil service by south east indigenes. The politics of the founding fathers set the precedent to the political behavior of the different major tribes in Nigeria till today while most people of south east origin take Nigeria as their home, live and invest all over the country, people of south west believe in the solidarity of the south west while those from the Northern part continue to ascribe the monopoly of ownership of Nigeria to themselves. The solution is the total political, economic and social restructuring of the entity called Nigeria.

Fortunately president Tinubu has been a staunch advocate of restructuring the country. This is now a golden opportunity to implement what he has always advocated.

The frequency of off circle elections, the enormous resources deployed for  each and hijack of victory by ruling parties at the federal level has become a threat to our democracy. What is your take on this?

The need to harmonize all governorship elections has become very imperative. The national assembly must incorporate this in the current amendments to the constitution. There is no gain saying that at any point in time, the ruling party at the federal level employs all manner of intimidation, cajoling, frustration, violence, manipulation, coercion  and outright brigandage to appropriate victory to itself in any off circle election. For any off circle election, about 30000 or more police men and other law enforcement agencies are deployed to the particular state.

May 29 has no historical or national significance to Nigeria. The hand over date should be 1st October which is the Independence Day. The amendment should be such that the next swearing in for all governors and the president should be harmonized to 1st October 2027. Any governor that has not completed his 4 years tenure should sacrifice the remaining in the interest of national interest. The tenure of every executive arm should be fixed for one tenure of 6 years and the tenure of the legislative arm should be set at 2 tenures of six years each. The tenure of all off circle elections must end on the same day as the tenure of the original circle. May 30th annually should be recognized as National Day of reconciliation given its significance in the annals of Nigeria.