By Chukwudi Nweje
Osita Okechukwu is the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON). In this interview, he speaks on the need for ethnic and religious tolerance and harmony among Nigerians, the sack of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) bosses, as well as the change of service chiefs by President Bola Tinubu and other national issues.
What is your view on the clean-up President Bola Tinubu is currently doing with the sack of Godwin Emefiele at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Abdulrasheed Bawa at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the change of service Chiefs all just in his first month in office?
The issue of the sack of the CBN Governor and EFCC Chairman is as the old normal because every new Sheriff will announce his arrival on the scene. Remember that when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo became President in 1999, he sacked many military officers, including all the military governors who in one way or the other supported his victory and naively went back to the army barracks to complete their service years. This affected officers who had over 20 years in their service years remaining. President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of blessed memory repeated the same, and so did President Goodluck Jonathan.
The exception was President Muhammadu Buhari who insisted that those whose tenure were not due should remain on their seat even though he inherited them from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Jonathan.
Some analysts say the sack of Emefiele and Bawa did not follow due process, few have been bold to say these are early signals that the Tinubu-led administration is leaning towards dictatorship.
Methinks Nigeria has gone very far on the democratic route, that no one no matter how powerful will easily railroad Nigeria into dictatorship. The factors which encourage dictatorship are very scanty in our dear country.
Ironically one of those factors which impede the growth of dictatorship in countries like Nigeria is the same ethnoreligious conundrum which also impedes our development. It is a centrifugal force which, unlike centripetal force that facilitates dictatorship, repulses dictatorship. Secondly, the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria gave enormous powers under Section 5 to Mr President; however, it also provided bottlenecks to tendencies toward dictatorship. Thirdly, the Yoruba lifestyle abhors dictatorship and one doesn’t see President Tinubu distancing himself from his roots. We are all in one form or the tribalists by birth and President Tinubu can’t afford to push for illiberal democracy, which will lead to disaster.
Dictatorship and fascism need a coherent message which ignites centripetal supporters.
In my assessment, President Tinubu is a democrat, and at any rate, it is very difficult to pull such magic in Nigeria.
What of the process of the arrest of Emefiele and Bawa?
One doesn’t have details about it, but like every malady democracy provides a solution. Emefiele has already reached out to democracy’s handgun – the court. If you feel bad, please head to court. Luckily Senator Bulkachuwa has woken up our Honourable Justices to be careful of undue encroachment. This is why Winston Churchill graded democracy as the best among monarchy, aristocracy, and others.
Nigeria has adopted June 12 as Democracy Day, a change from May 29 which is the transition day and had served that purpose since 1999, what is your say?
June 12 remains a watershed and the most credible, transparent, free, and fair election ever conducted in Nigeria up to date. For instance, it was the first Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, but there was no rancour. The significance is that it demonstrated that Nigeria was not a mistake or mere geographical expression. It is for us to make Nigeria great, that’s the intendment of June 12, which was aborted.
Whom would you say are the true heroes of June 12?
They’re too numerous to mention in ten pages, so I will limit myself to just a few of those who died while fighting for the revalidation of the annulment. The heroes include Chief MKO Abiola, the main actor who died in detention; his wife, Mrs Kudirat Abiola, who was shot; Pa Alfred Rewane, businessman who financed the struggle, who was also shot; Bobo Wosisi, former Personal Assistant to late Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe and the one who took the picture of MKO and Chief Ralph Obioha at the famous Ipetedo Declaration; and Kalto Kalgo, a Kaduna based journalist who was murdered.
There seem to be certain policies targeted at the Igbo in some South West states, like the view expressed by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly regarding a proposed law that will regulate property ownership by the Igbo in Lagos. Is it a fallout of the perceived voting pattern of the Igbo during the February 25 presidential election, would that not contravene the fundamental right of freedom of choice, conscience, and association enshrined in the 1999 Constitution?
I will not want to comment on just a mere statement made by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly until it becomes law. As you noted the validity of the law will be interrogated visa vis its compliance with relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. For its trite law that any law which is at variance or contradicts the constitution is null, void and of no consequence since the constitution is the ground norm. One is too busy to discuss the hallucination of an emperor.
Could it then be a fallout of the perceived vote pattern of Ndigbo during the February 25 presidential election?
It will be hypothetical to deal with a mere statement, is it a bill, as far as am concerned, it is not. Therefore, we shouldn’t bother ourselves; all I know is that even if we have 36 independent countries out of the present Nigerian state, there will still be Yorubas in Aba and Igbos in Lagos. There must be other ethnic groups residing in all towns in Nigeria forever no matter our complexes and sentiments. This truism is a note of caution for all ethnic jingoists to bear in mind. We pray that tribalism or identity politics should not destroy our dear country.
Those who play identity politics should do a review and find out why the issue of regionalism failed after the serial creation of states that elder statesman and former Head of State Yakubu Gowon pioneered.
If one remembered vividly, the region as an important item was in the 1978/79 Constituent Assembly; the 1995/6 Abacha Conference; the 2004/5 Obasanjo Conference and the latest and famous 2014 Jonathan Conference but it crashed like a pack of cards. The weaker groups like the Wawa in the southeast rejected it, the weaker groups like Lagos, Ekiti and Ondo rejected it, same in the South-South and the entire North. Namu! Namu! Tiwa! Tiwa! Anyi! Anyi!; is the handgun of unpatriotic and undemocratic politicians.