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| Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife |
The Third Republic Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, in this interview with Emmanuel Obe, says President Goodluck Jonathan is being criticised unfairly by the opposition
You once called on President Goodluck Jonathan to suspend the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Now that he has been suspended, how would you react to the criticisms his suspension has elicited?
The criticisms were bound to come. It doesn’t matter what Jonathan does, the merit is of no consequence because those who are assessing him are not objective. They have programmed themselves to criticise Jonathan irrespective of whether he rains manna from heaven for Nigerians to eat; there has been a pre-programmed mindset to say whatever he does is bad. Yes, I was surprised that it took a long time to suspend him (Sanusi). Suspending him was a reaction, not even a pro-action. Pro-action would have been suspending him years ago because you saw the direction he was going and the lack of discipline he was showing. Now, why did I say the President should suspend him? I read in the newspaper when Jonathan criticised Sanusi for saying something close to $50bn was missing. Eventually, it moved down from that to $10bn. Later, he took it up to $20bn. The Central Bank Governor is supposedly the most conservative person who would say one thing and it is the gospel truth. But with Sanusi, anything goes. So, if you let him go, who is now the President of Nigeria? Is it Sanusi? Who is the most powerful man in Nigeria? Is it not Jonathan? Is he (Jonathan) less powerful than Olusegun Obasanjo and all the other former presidents? Is the constitution different for him? But Jonathan chose to be mild and to go slow. And he’s being pummelled undeservedly. I didn’t have any surprise about the criticisms. And the direction is clear. These are people, who said they would make Nigeria ungovernable. But they are finding it almost governable and then they are seeking for any straw to hold. Nigerians are weak. Nigerians have fallen for falsehood. They couldn’t think that a person who plans to make the country ungovernable or people who plan to make the country ungovernable will not see any good in what the President does. So, Nigerians are judging by the quantity of noise made instead of the truth. I’m not surprised that the All Progressives Congress is criticising Sanusi’s suspension because he seems to be their member.
Some of those who seem to be in support of the suspended CBN governor are saying Sanusi played the role of a whistle blower.
He did not blow any whistle. He said it was $49bn that was not paid back. Eventually, he changed it to $10bn. Is that whistle blowing? Now he has gone to $20bn. Which one is the correct whistle? Is that whistle blowing? He was not blowing any whistle. He should have been correct. Whistle blowing is good, but a central bank governor is not a whistle blower. He is somebody who makes statements that are assumed to be correct. He’s not an unstable electron. A central bank governor is more like a rock; a solid rock.
Many have criticised Jonathan but you have not hidden your support for him. Why is that?
I know the beginning. I was there and I understood it. Therefore, I can’t deceive myself. Some people said he should not even be acting President. Later they said he shouldn’t contest for the Presidency. They went further to say they would make Nigeria ungovernable if he contests. Then one of them came out to contest along with Jonathan and said he had already won. He said if he didn’t win the election, then it means it was rigged. He spoke to uneducated people; his emotional followers. When results were announced, he did not win. His followers took it that he had been rigged out. They started killing people; youth corps members, all kinds of people. When that was not enough, they brought Boko Haram. Boko Haram has continued to kill people till today. Somebody called me from Kogi State and said, ‘Can we continue with these people?’ I said, what do you mean ‘with these people?’ He was referring to the sponsors of Boko Haram. From the statement made by some people about taking (Lt. Gen. Azubuike) Ihejirika, (former chief of army staff) to the International Criminal Court, we now know who the sponsors of Boko Haram are. Boko Haram is doing everything to make Nigeria ungovernable, when halfway, it was not making enough progress, they started a ‘Political Haram.’ The ‘Political Haram’ was unleashed on Peoples Democratic Party. Seven governors of PDP started visiting military, former military Heads of State and also (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo, who is both military and civilian. Of the seven, six were Muslims. The direction was clear. Eventually they zoomed into APC. Three months ago, I told them that the completion is coming. The completion is Atiku Abubakar’s Peoples Democratic Movement zooming into APC. I don’t know how much they spend on the media. But the noise they generate in the system is so deafening that you will wonder why the President, who has more money, does not use the press to attack them. So, I have no difficulty understanding what is happening. The other day, I was going somewhere; I saw a train zooming past. Train? I was told it was going to Kano. Do you remember when that happened last? Look at agriculture; you find revolution there. There is a book coming out soon by some young men, who are surprised by the bad press the President is getting. They came to me to help them organise the launch. I said, ‘Yes if you have hard facts like you do, let’s give it to Nigerians so that they know the truth and the truth will set them free.’ Since I know that there is a sworn attack on the President, to point out only bad things about him, I decided there is no point joining the attack on Jonathan. Let me see what is right and praise it. I will also attack the things that are wrong.
What are the President’s weaknesses that you want him to improve on?
I see President Jonathan as a tool in the hands of God to bring about God’s design for Nigeria. As a man I thought he was too soft and too slow. But maybe, if he had not been, the whole place would have been on fire. Can’t you see what is happening? Some people have predicted that this country would collapse. Some people, even our own people, have said they were leaving. Now, Jonathan has convoked a national conference, which may have the ultimate result of making one Nigeria permanent. And of course, for that, he will be the most celebrated President in future. Future generation of Nigerians will hold him high and call him the man who made it possible. I wonder why anybody will say we will break up so easily. We will not. Why must we? Nobody wants to go. If we can make Nigeria work, nobody would want to leave. There are areas even I cannot give enough excuse for President Jonathan. An example is the area of corruption. Corruption has not been fought. Jonathan can be as clean as anything, but if the whole place smells of corruption, he cannot be absolved of it. Corruption is one area where I think he should do more.
Apart from corruption, are there other areas you think he should act more swiftly?
Jonathan should act more swiftly on every area. These people plan to give him bad press. Anytime he delays, he helps them. If anybody should be removed from office, he should be removed promptly.
Do you agree with those who believe that nothing good will come out of the proposed national conference?
Those who are saying nothing good will come out of the national conference are in fact hoping that everything will come out of the national conference. Remember I told you there is a predisposition to say no to everything Jonathan does. Even when they should be dancing, rejoicing and praising him, they will criticise him. Why is national conference necessary? Our country is at the brink and we have been moving backwards. All those nations with whom we started the development race are miles ahead of us. And we find ourselves, even with our oil, going backwards. If we didn’t have oil, what would have happened to us? Maybe, we would have done better. We need to grow our Gross Domestic Product and fulfil God’s mandate for Nigeria. By the way, the British were only tools in the hands of God to bring about Nigeria. God has a purpose for Nigeria. That purpose is called ‘manifest destiny.’ What is Nigeria’s ‘manifest destiny?’ To grow into a superpower and bring up the respect and prestige of Africans everywhere they are. And that is what God purposed for us. Nigeria has the best climate; no extremes, no tornadoes etc. Nigeria has a geophysical structure that is friendly. We don’t have volcanoes, we don’t have earthquakes. Nigeria has great endowment for material growth. Then if you talk about the human beings, we have great human resources. God gave us many talents from many tribes. The endowment of Nigeria shows that we should grow into a major power. Anybody who says nothing good is coming from the conference is among those who want Nigeria to remain backward, and on the precipice. The conference will yield a unity in peace and stability and we will have one Nigeria as a permanent entity in the world. No group will happily walk away from the Nigerian system. We’ve been fighting and begging for the national dialogue, now this man has offered it. We have been craving for all kinds of goodies, which he is bringing back. I mentioned railway, I mentioned power, I mentioned agriculture. Now people from the South-East are enjoying it.
Do you subscribe to the common position that the Igbo are presenting to the National Conference?
We have agreed with the people of the South on the position to hold at the conference with minor differences. One of the positions is to have the geopolitical zones as the federating units. The position is that the 36 states are unviable. Some states felt they didn’t get good treatment during the regional days. So, we approached this issue realistically. We said all the states in the zone should design their own constitution. We may have a federation within a federation. The states should work out how they want to be together in their zone. Some states may say let’s have one governor at the zone and premiers at the states. Some may say let’s have common services. Anything is better than not having zonal arrangement. But there must be unanimity. The popular view is that we go back to the parliamentary system.
How will you react to the position of former Ohaneze President-General who said there shouldn’t be no-go areas during the conference; that the constitution should give the units the right to secede from the federation?
The problem in politics is that you don’t always go the way you want to go. You go left when you mean to go right in order to have agreement with people. I think it was totally unnecessary to say there are no-go areas. No Nigerian ethnic group wants to leave. I think what the former Ohaneze President was saying is that the no-go area was unnecessary and it is attracting the wrong attention. Everybody knows about Ethiopia. For years, Eritrea was fighting and they left. After they left, the constitution of Ethiopia now provides that anybody who wants to go can go. But nobody wants to go again.
After 100 years, would you say Nigeria is at a crossroads?
In Calabar, I was given a chance to speak for a few minutes. I got up and said a new Nigeria is in the offing. This conference will work. Do you know what is good about the conference? If the conference does not work or is very slow in working, 2015 election would not be there. You have to secure a country before providing it with a government. An existence of the dialogue or the conference covers up for everybody. When it is clear that we cannot hold the 2015 election, the conference can metamorphose into a summit without interrupting the terms of office of the incumbent and longevity in office of incumbent office holders. Then all incumbent office holders can continue in office for two more years. You pay for it by not contesting any other election. Either way, Jonathan will be the greatest President Nigeria ever had.
What outcome do you foresee of the national conference?
A beautiful Nigeria, a Nigeria that is permanent, a Nigeria that is growing forward in peace, in unity and stability.
How can we get out of the Boko Haram imbroglio?
It is by proper religious and civic instruction; counter-propaganda. There is something called suicide attack. Do you know that some people think that if they die in suicide attacks, they will be given some compensation for fighting for God? Firstly, we have to teach them that God fights for us. We can’t fight for God; and it is so bad that if you die in suicide, you are going straight to hell. There is no looking back because you are dead. There is no forgiveness in the grave. But the person who ideologically manipulated you into suicide may go to heaven because he’s still alive. How can you kill God’s children who are sleeping, who are unarmed and therefore innocent? I was reading one of the releases, ‘God was almighty today, He helped us to kill.’ I don’t blame those who are implementing Boko Haram. The minds of men can be easily twisted. It is only counter teaching that will redeem the people. Tell them it is not true that they are working for God, killing God’s people. Let our preachers talk about goodness.
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