Hon. Charles Anike is the National President of the Eastern Union (EU), a socio-political pressure group for the people of the Old Eastern Region. He spoke to EJIKEME OMENAZU on emerging trends in the new All Progressives Congress (APC) administration. Excerpt:

As the removal of fuel subsidies has been biting hard on the citizens, President Bola Tinubu administration reportedly plans to introduce tuition fees in public schools. How would you rate the performance of the administration so far in these areas?

The issue of subsidy and the recklessness in the way it was removed was a very good way for Tinubu to reconfirm to Nigerians that he actually meant to continue the heartless, mindless and anti-people government of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Otherwise, how would an incoming president carelessly announce such a sensitive issue during his inaugural speech? Just like that? He seemed to have casually announced such a very serious and sensitive issue without a second thought. In fact, it was just a repeat of how Rehoboam embarrassed the Israelites in the Bible Book of 1 Kings 12 vs 13-16. Of course, Nigerians should have naturally responded to such recklessness the same way the Israelites responded to Rehoboam. However, Nigerians may just be holding their peace, waiting for the court to do the needful. Talking about the administration’s plans to introduce tuition fees in public schools, I don’t think that should be strange because Tinubu is seen as a taskmaster, or rather a tax collector. His administration is, of course, the continuation of Buhari’s insensitive and sadistic leadership that had no empathy with the citizens. All the steps taken so far and those still being proposed by the APC government show no clear direction, but are anti-people programmes. What is the increment in electricity tariffs already in the offing? So, talking about Tinubu’s days in office so far, our rating is that Nigerians have yet wasted some unrewarded days under an APC leadership. It is pathetic that some ignorant people have been convinced by the APC professional propagandists that removing one ethnic group from the offices and replacing them with another and suspending or arresting former criminal allies are great achievements by Bola Tinubu.

Would you say that the appointment of an Igbo man as Chief of Naval Staff is a sign of good days for South-Easterners compared to what obtained during the Buhari’s era when there was no Service Chief from the region?

The truth is that Tinubu’s stay in office which some believe may be temporary is nothing less than a continuation of Buhari’s policy which smirked of tribal bigotry. So far, what we have witnessed is Tinubu removing Buhari’s Hausa-Fulani kinsmen and replacing them with his kindred in the spirit of Yoruba ‘parapo’. Tinubu has done nothing extraordinary by appointing the most qualified and most competent Igboman as Chief of Naval Staff. This action does not count because it was based on merit and not a favour. It is my view that whatever negative traits we saw Buhari exhibit in his eight years in power, especially in his appointments, will be doubled by Tinubu. He is seen from both ethnic and religious standpoint, just like his predecessor. To us, as far as the APC leadership is concerned, the South East does not exist since Tinubu and the party failed woefully in the South East during the elections. You can see how they ignored and humiliated those political charlatans from the South East that were singing their praises and licking their boots so as to be carried along. One of them even publicly shed tears. Bet me, many more will still shed their own tears. Also, remember a viral video that showed where a key member of the family chased away some Anambra APC apologists that went to their home to congratulate them immediately after the midnight announcement of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of its abracadabra.

It is believed that kidnapping seems to be on the increase in Enugu State under Governor Peter Mbah. What do you think should be the solution to this crisis?

Well, the truth is that insecurity in the South East predates Mbah. Therefore, the situation is due to both internal and external forces. We can trace some of the security challenges in the South East to the inability of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) to control its overblown followership. The arrest and incarceration of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, resulted in the proliferation of the group into some factions. Some criminal elements misrepresented the group and took advantage of the situation to unleash terror and mayhem on the innocent citizens of the South East. Then another angle to it is the outcome of the desperate activities of South East political gladiators, who in their desperation, go to any length and most times involve their external allies and equipping their thugs with dangerous weapons. They have over the years made the South East a mass killing field. The rising cases of kidnapping and other criminal activities in Enugu State can also be traced to the fraudulent 2023 general elections. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) all over the country as a party, is a potential danger. It has become a house divided against itself, which of course, can never stand. It has also become a party that does not obey its own constitution. The truth is that once you impose a leader on any society, the end product is a sustained crisis and criminality, as in Imo State. Mbah should tell himself the bitter truth. Did he really win the governorship election? To many, the answer is ‘No’. Whether he accepts it or not is another thing. We must always understand that whatever goes around will always turn around. Once you subdue the people’s will and aspiration by imposing a leader on them, then be ready to contend with a lot of forces, both physically and spiritually. Recall Nigeria under Buhari and compare it with Nigeria under Goodluck Jonathan. Nothing good came out of Buhari’s eight years. He virtually started with blame games and falsehood and continued that way till the end of his administration. Did Buhari actually win the 2015 general election? The answer is also well known to many, but Jonathan out of fear, surrendered power. What was he able to achieve in eight years? The analysts say Nigeria became a failed state under him. So, let the governor of Enugu State trace the security challenges to how he came to power and if he does that, the solutions will surely come. You cannot rob the people and expect to enjoy a peaceful reign.

With the election cases at the tribunals, what do you think should be the role of the Nigerian judiciary?

The task before the Nigerian judiciary is a great one. It is a task to either stand out to dispense real justice at any cost, or compromise. Their tasks are both spiritual and physical. The Nigerian judiciary is seriously on trial now more than ever before. This is because of the brazen, reckless and abuse of the people’s will displayed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2023 general elections. The INEC chairman’s poor conduct of the general elections has further put the country’s judiciary under intense pressure. Since its inception, the APC government has made a caricature of the judicial arm of government, hence the slogan of the APC and its INEC counterpart has always been ‘Go to Court’, obviously expressing their firm grip and control of the judiciary. This situation was re-echoed and reconfirmed by the Septuagenarian, Sen. Bulkachuwa, in his valedictory speech confession. The Nigerian judiciary therefore is left with just this one opportunity to re-enact the confidence of the Nigerian people by proving to the illegitimate APC government currently in power that it is no longer business as usual. The bitter truth is that the judiciary is seriously on trial as Nigerians are just holding their peace and waiting to see if the judiciary will live up their sacred mandate and responsibility, as to indeed still be seen as the last hope of the common man or compromise like INEC and then be seen as the lost hope of the common man. It is important at this juncture to remind the judiciary and the APC that the silence of Nigerians since the declaration of Tinubu by the INEC Chairman, must never be taken for granted or be mistaken for acceptance or surrender. Nigerians are just being law-abiding and must never be pushed to the wall. But, if the people’s silence, patience and lawfulness are taken for granted, whatever we see we take. We cannot continue to be hypocritical by continuing to build on faulty foundations and expecting miracles. There is a popular saying that it is only a mad man that does one thing over and over again and expects different results. No bad tree can bear good fruits. Some few lawless individuals should not be allowed to continue to waste the lives and destinies of 200 million citizens. The point we are making is that the Nigerian judiciary should brace up and show courage to redeem the image of the country and restore the hope of Nigerians, especially the Nigerian youths who are almost fed up with the belief that nothing good can come out of Nigeria.

How do you think President Bola Tinubu should reduce the cost of governance in Nigeria?

I don’t really want to comment much on Tinubu until we see if the Nigerian judiciary will affirm him as the winner of the 2023 presidential election. Otherwise, how would any right thinking person think or dream that Tinubu can reduce the cost of governance? Tinubu will rather increase the cost of governance in Nigeria. Ordinarily, Tinubu is a ‘Ghana must go politician’, a first-class money bag politician, who already has upgraded from using ‘Ghana must go’, to using bullion vans to move cash. Tinubu believes in politics of godfatherism and compensation, whereby he constantly and consistently reportedly embarks on recruits and sustains a large number of political thugs among others. We must understand that anyone who enjoys sustaining large political followership consistently mainly of idle men, women and other professional political bootlickers, such a person cannot talk of reducing costs of governance. Tinubu will rather expand the costs of governance to accommodate his large political followership, currently spreading across the country. You have also heard that the new Speaker of the House of Representatives has just appointed about 33 Special Advisers/Assistance. So, what are we talking about?