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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / We Have Very Weak Set Of Governors In Southeast By Henry Okonkwo (437 Views)
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We Have Very Weak Set Of Governors In Southeast By Henry Okonkwo by Collins2028(m): 6:39am On Aug 30, 2020 |
.Says “we have very weak set of
governors in Southeast”
Henry Okonkwo
Foremost nationalist and elder
statesman, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi,
has expressed fears over the
increasing clamour for the South East
region to produce the president in
2023.
In this interview, the vocal First
Republic Aviation Minister spoke on
the need for the Igbo to reconcile
with the North if they want to
brighten their chances of clinching the
number one position. He also decried
the brazen killing of Ndigbo in their
state by security, alluding that the
killers are emboldened by the set of
‘weak governors’ the region has.
Excerpt:
What’s your take on the recent clash
at Enugu between members of IPOD
and the police?
I really don’t know much about that
because I haven’t got the details. I
cannot say because for example, some
delegations that met at my house,
alongside the President of Ohanaeze
youths who were part of the team
told me that it was not IPOB that was
involved in the clash. I learned that it
was another group with a different
designation. And that they assembled
to say prayers and hold their meeting
when some security men went to
attack and dispersed them. But the
group defended themselves. Now the
scuffle had already finished when
more men in uniform arrived at the
scene and started shooting anybody
they saw. That was what the
Ohanaeze youths told me. So I really
don’t know what happened. But I
have told IPOB that they must never
resort to violence. It is their cardinal
policy, but that does not mean that
when a lion comes to attack you that
you should not defend yourself the
best you can. The scenario happened
at Oraifite and they defended
themselves, that was IPOB, but I
don’t know much about the killing
at Enugu because IPOB says it’s not
them. It is quite sad because these
security officials believe that they can
kill the Igbo without anybody asking
any question. And this continues to
happen because we have a very weak
set of governors in the Southeast.
The politicking of 2023 is already
heating up, what do you make of the
whole frenzy and clamour for a
president of Igbo extraction?
2023 is crucial to the unity and
existence of Nigeria, particularly as the
Igbo are concerned. If Nigeria accepts
to elect an Igbo president of Nigeria,
then we will be there to work for
Nigeria. We worked for the
independence of Nigeria more than
any other section of the country, so,
we’ll be there to work., but if in
2023, they still think that Ndigbo
should be treated as slaves or second
class citizens of Nigeria, then the Igbo
would give a second thought to their
being in Nigeria. We’ll give a second
thought to it. It’s not going to be
easy because it’s not going to be
violent. We’ve tried it with violence
with Biafra, it did not work, but this
time new strategies have to be
worked out. And that is the essence of
the Ohanaeze/ IPOB arrangement
which was made in my house. We
intend to work for 2023. But if in 2023,
Nigeria rejects us, then we have to
resort to the Igbo saying that Onye
ajuru anaghi aju onwe ya ( He that is
rejected doesn’t reject himself ). But
we hope it will never get to that. I
personally hope it will never get to
that because we are working to be in
Nigeria, and to be fully part of Nigeria.
There are great political, economic,
military, and power advantages in
being a big country. If we have a
corrupt system today, that does not
mean that it would not come to pass.
The world is moving around,
everything moves and comes around.
Looking back at your time, the Igbo
played better politics than our present
crop of politicians. Do you agree to
this notion, particularly in the ability
of the Ndigbo to woo other regions?
In our time we were nationalists. we
fought for independence. Nigerians
handed us power, and we continued
to rule as nationalists without
expecting any gain. We only thought
of the best we can give to Nigeria, not
what we can get out of Nigeria. We
only thought of how to make Nigeria
the best in Africa, and have a country
that can challenge the big countries of
Europe and Asia, until the military
struck in 1966. The Igbo were edged
out because of certain political
mistakes by military rulers in those
days that led to war. But from
indication so far, a great majority of
Nigerian people who are reasonable
are seeing the justice in our case, and
I believe we are going to have a
favourable result, but to have
favourable results, the Igbo would
have to work for it, nobody would
dash you independence on a platter,
you have to work, strategize, plan,
scheme; you have to do everything
possible to get it. You take political
power, it’s not given and I can tell
you that we are working on that.
I’m making my little experience
available to our people. God has placed
me in that father position, kept me
alive, and prepared me. I didn’t
know that was why God was
preparing me for when it was raised
to become the engine room of the
NCNC politically. I was the party’s
principal organising secretary, and
master of strategy and politics. Also,
God thereafter made me pass through
governance and politics of Nigeria,
both inside and outside the
government, both in politics and
outside politics. And so God has taken
a long time to train me for this. I
didn’t know that was going on in
the minds of God, and He has spared
me; at the age of 91 going to 92, I am
still able to go to work in my factory, I
drive myself within my compound and
around the village. I don’t drive
outside, not that I can’t, but I just
want to do it that way. God has given
me reasonable good health. My real
trouble is Rheumatism and waist pain.
and recently in 2017, I’ve been
having problems in my heart, but at
every stage when the thing is about
to come, God says ‘no it’s not yet
time’, and so I thank God. Now, I
realised that God has an assignment
for me, and I’m not going anywhere
until I have accomplished that for
Ndigbo and for Nigeria.
What if this whole 2023 project fails,
and the presidential seat is not given
to the Igbo, does that mean that
Southeast leaders and groups would
now back IPOB’s clamour for Biafra?
The present IPOB may not be what
would emerge if Ndigbo is not given a
chance in 2023. We are not asking to
be given the position, we are asking to
be given a level playing ground, that is
all. So, the present IPOB organisation
is not the plan of Ndigbo in 2023 if we
fail in our objective. But I’m
confident that we would not fail
because of the reactions I get from
the North. The thing is that the Igbo
lost a chance when they allowed
themselves to be edged out from the
North. No politician in Nigeria can
succeed nationally and particularly as
far as the office of the 0resident is
concerned without the North. The
nlNorth is a very powerful section of
this country both in population,
experience, and positions. And each
time the Igbo work with the North
there was peace in Nigeria. But each
time the Igbo and the North break
away crisis comes. That was our
experience after the coup, even after
the civil war. In the Shehu Shagari
government, the original plan which I
made with Osadebe and R.B.K Okafor,
was for a Zik (Nnamdi Azikiwe) and
Shagari ticket. I led the delegation
while Shagari led the delegation from
the North and we always met in Lagos.
The northern delegation comprised
Shattima Ali Monguno and Sunday
Awoniyi, and my delegation comprised
Osadebe and myself; we worked out
an agreement that Zik would be the
presidential candidate in 1979, and
Shagari would be his running mate. We
also agreed with the man from the
northern side that Zik would work for
one term and step aside. And so we
asked Zik to accept that agreement
because by the time he has done one
term he would be about 87 or so, and
we thought that would be the
appropriate time to resign. But
suddenly people like Jim Nwobodo and
others came into the thing with their
own ambition. They went and
deceived Zik and told him to come to
NPP that they would push him
through as president. However, Zik
realised his mistakes after the election
when he lost the presidential
elections. He then agreed again to
work with the North by NPP and NPN
forming a coalition government,
sharing offices. This continued until
1983 when Awolowo and others went
to Nwobodo, Mbakwe, and said that
they are progressives. And the North
and the East fell out again till the 1983
coup. So, each time we were together,
there was peace in the country. Any
section that wants to rule this country
must recognise the importance of the
North. And the North must not take
undue advantage of this importance
God has given them by population and
spread, they must also recognize that
there is reciprocity in the whole thing.
It should be a matter of give and take,
and then there would be peace.
So, my advocacy is that there should
be peace and I want to take the Igbo
back to reconciliation. Right now, the
Igbo have no quarrel with the Yoruba
or the South-south people. It would
appear that the North is where the
problem lies, and I want to lead the
Igbo to effect a reconciliation with the
North so that we can all have a whole
happy family of Nigeria – North, East,
West, and South, all united in peace
and fraternal love and unity, that is
what I want to work on, even though
I’m working mostly from my home
because I can’t do much travelling,
but most meetings are now held in my
house and people come here for
regular consultations.
Political watchers always raise
concerns about the antecedents of
Ndigbo and their knack to refuse to
step down for one another. They cite
example at what happened in 1999,
where many believed that Alex
Ekwueme stood a better chance to get
block votes from the Southeast zone
against Obasanjo at the PDP primaries,
but Jim Nwododo joined the race. And
this divided their votes. So do you
foresee duplicity of Igbo candidates?
Do you nurse fears of betrayal by the
Easterners themselves?
That is a reality in politics. in politics,
you expect disappointments,
betrayals, disloyalties, opportunism,
careerism. So, these are the things you
find in politics. So, I will not be
surprised if as we go along there are
betrayals, disappointments. As Zik told
us, that in Nigerian society,
particularly Igbo society, if you want
to attend an area with 10 people, by
the time you get there, if you look
back, about three or four at least have
dropped off on the way. But it
won’t stop you from going to where
you are going to. Nwobodo betrayed
Ekwueme at that time, but also
don’t forget that at that time the
military who were handing over, and
who was handling everything wanted
to compensate the Yoruba for
Abiola’s issue. So, Obasanjo was the
favoured one. |
Re: We Have Very Weak Set Of Governors In Southeast By Henry Okonkwo by Queenlovely(f): 6:45am On Aug 30, 2020 |
wow |
Re: We Have Very Weak Set Of Governors In Southeast By Henry Okonkwo by Nobody: 8:22am On Aug 30, 2020 |
Exactly what astute Yorubas are saying about Igbos and the failed leaders that seem to be all they are able to produce since 1999. This thread will be avoided because most Igbos dont have the time or inclination to hold their own leaders to account. They are too busy in Abia, Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu and Anambra talking about Yorubas and their leaders while their own misrule, which they prefer to ignore, is the worst in Nigeria. They prefer to shout Tinubu up and down 24/7. Were this thread to be about Tinubu or Osinbajo it would be 200 pages now with 99.9% of response from Igbos and all contributions negative/insultive. Shior. 2 Likes 1 Share |
Re: We Have Very Weak Set Of Governors In Southeast By Henry Okonkwo by AngusTV: 8:29am On Aug 30, 2020 |
I may want to agree though. |
Re: We Have Very Weak Set Of Governors In Southeast By Henry Okonkwo by hajimosho(m): 8:39am On Aug 30, 2020 |
Their weakness is caused by a number of reasons. • They lack the capacity to fight on a common ground even when they meet in group. • Most of their youths spend gracious time outside of home but only return during festivities. They have little time to crave for better governance and representatives in their enclave. • They can only have a headway if they accept... Henry Okonkwo confirmed perpetual ass-licking of the Igbos for the North pre-independence. He also managed to accept continuous ass-licking till eternity for their political survival in Nigeria. |
Re: We Have Very Weak Set Of Governors In Southeast By Henry Okonkwo by RuddyFusion(m): 9:49am On Aug 30, 2020 |
Why was difficult for you to make this readable? |
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