Kalu: Buhari Should Address Agitation for Selfdetermination
Former governor of Abia State, Mr. Orji Uzor Kalu, at the weekend spoke to journalists in Lagos on the nation’s numerous challenges and the ability of President Muhammad Buhari’s administration to deliver on its promises. Excerpts
What is your take on plans by some state governors to either sack on cut down salaries of civil servants? This time call for deep reflection and serious financial re-engineering by managers of public sector. This requires creative strategy and visionary leadership because the reality is that the resources from crude oil sales are dwindling by the day on account of falling oil price in the international market. Above all, leadership is about the ability to take the right decision at the right time by putting the people first.
State governors should cut down on frivolous expenses in order to meet their financial obligations especially workers salaries and payment to pensioners.
If it means converting a portion of the security vote to fix serious responsibilities, it is worth it.
We must learn to live within our means to sustain a decent life. Governors should leverage on other revenue sources to complement the federal allocation.
The era of depending on a mono product economy is over. In fact, any casual observer of the Nigerian economic situation knows that things are not looking up. As some observers have put it, the economic house is falling, if urgent steps are not taken, we may be heading for trouble economically. I feel strongly that it will take the president the next two to three years to sort out this problem, Nigerians are always in a hurry and change don’t come easy.
I don’t expect Buhari to perform miracle, there is no miracle in this business, and he has to take his time.
What is your take on efforts by the Buhari administration to recover looted funds from the officials of the past regimes? I think President Buhari is on track in his effort to retrieve looted funds by the past administration. The anti corruption measure is not a drawback as some critics may want to see it. Given the malfeasance that took place in the last regime, the president is handling the situation very well.
Our country comes first, so if Buhari perform below expectations, I will caution him but Nigerians should be patient with him. He might not do much in terms of infrastructure but he will clean up the cobweb, there is a lot of cobweb in the system.
This also calls for serious re-engineering in policies to rework the economy. We need to move away from dependence on crude oil receipts. I have been shouting for eight years that there is need to diversify the economy.
What is your take on the current administration’s approach in fighting corruption? I am convinced that the president is sending the right signal on how to fix the country by coming all out to fight corruption. Though his approach may need some modifications. I think Buhari should adopt the process method and not the hate model. So, I think he should be just in his judgment, he should be thorough.
Are you comfortable with the strategies adopted by government in fighting insurgency in the North? I think President Buhari is on track because he has adopted the right strategies by engaging sub regional efforts to tackle the challenges of insurgency.
As part of the transnational strategies he adopted on assumption of office, he visited heads of states of neighboring countries, including Chad, Togo, Benin Republic Niger and Cameroon to secure the commitment of leaders of those countries on how to cooperate to stamp out insurgency. Buhari has secured the friendship of these nations to enable him get their supports to fight insurgency .This is the way to go in tackling this problem.
What is your reactions to lingering agitation for self determination by Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra ( MOSOB). First, I think the signals we are getting from the agitation are quite intriguing in many respects.
But government should not disregard the agitation. But the violence strategy of the agitators should not be supported because violence in any form has never been known as the way to resolve issues of agitation for self determination. As a patriotic Nigerian, I believe in the unity and indivisibility of this country. As an Igbere man from Abia State, I love this country and will continue to push for its togetherness. To be honest with you, those boys are right in their quest to agitate for self determination.
They have a right to demonstrate for what they consider to be their right as recognized by the United Nations Charter for Human Rights. But what I do not agree with is the violence associated with the demonstrations and the alleged killing of soldiers by the agitators. Nobody no matter how disenchanted over agitation should think of killing any soldier or police in the name of agitating for their own republic.
The United Nations charter gives right to ask for self determination, but it is not a right to go and destroy peoples’ properties, to go and attack armed forces. The quest for self determination should not be used as an avenue to commit serious crime.
The agitators could express how they feel about self determination. But, the question is: are those rights really worth it? If I were the president of Nigeria, I will like to annex Benin Republic and other countries to become what I will call the United States of Nigeria including some West Africa countries.
So, why should any government allow any part of the country at this material time to clamour for being allowed to separate itself? So, why do you want to remove some parts now? President Buhari should be very familiar with this development, because the agitation by MASSOB people has been there from time immemorial, it is not something new.
If I were the president, I will consult and engage some high profile traditional rulers and some political leaders to go and ask the boys what they really want, what is really their problem, what can we do to stop them from asking for this. What is the reason for this agitation?
If we take our minds back, that was how the insurgency of Boko Haram started, this was how kidnapping started when I was governor, they were kidnapping white people and I spoke out, I said when they finish kidnapping white people and there is no more white man to kidnap, they will kidnap us and that is what is happening in the country today.
So, I will advise the Federal Government that as a federation, it must be properly managed to resolve agitations by some people, who are seeking to opt out as a republic.
Government cannot stop people from such agitation, what is critical is how the issue concerning such agitation is handled.
President Buhari as a matter of fact should set out to engage traditional rulers and leaders of thoughts with security and intelligence agencies on how to resolve this potential trouble.
Resolving the agitation for self determination needs an all inclusive strategy, not use of force, or carrying guns.
I must advise security agencies that are using force to quell the agitation for self determination that it is not the best strategy. Recall what happened in Eastern Europe, they used engagement strategy not force.
What do you think about the parlous state of roads in the South East that the MASSOB agitators have alluded to as evidence of neglect of the region by successive administrations? Honestly, the state of the roads in this region is not good at all. Consider for instance, the Enugu-Port Harcourt, Aba- Umuahia Express Road that have not been constructed .
If I were the president, I will fix these roads in the next two years to quell this recurring agitation.
What about the Oka - Onitsha Expressway , it is not yet constructed , what about the Umuahia - Ohafia - Arochukwu Road leading to Cross River , government should fix these roads within a short time as part of measures to resolve the agitations .
What about Arondizuogu - Okigwe Expressway, the road has not been fixed.
The government should also consider fixing Enugu - Makurdi Road , it is not good that people are dying on these roads everyday . I quarreled with the Obasanjo’s administration on these roads in 2001.
I consistently drew his attention to the fact that roads in the South East, in particular federal roads were very bad and government has taken this for granted.
Look back at what I said over ten years ago, they are still recurring today and government is still playing politics with it. To sustain the unity of this country, which is foremost, government should look at these issues and resolve them.
Could you clear the air on insinuations that you are planning to defect to the APC ? Well I will tell you the truth, my mother is in APC, you know Buhari is a family friend, he is a Chieftaincy holder in Igbere in our village, he was awarded a Doctorate degree when I was governor in Abia State. Which party you belong to does not make any meaning, what is important is that the president is a friend of the family and if he handles Nigeria well he will run for a second term in 2019, I will support him but, that is not a condition to join the APC. Membership of any political party is immaterial at this time.
If I were in Buhari’s position, I will run for second term, there is no Nigeria president who didn’t ask for second term but it also behooves on Buhari to treat Nigerian people very well so that he can gain their endorsement for a second tern bid.
The era of depending on a mono product economy is over. In fact, any casual observer of the Nigerian economic situation knows that things are not looking up. As some observers have put it, the economic house is falling, if urgent steps are not taken, we may be heading for trouble economically. I feel strongly that it will take the president the next two to three years to sort out this problem and Nigerians are always in a hurry and change don’t come easy