₦airaland Forum

I remember all the thunder Sam Egwu made before clenching the position of being governor of Ebonyi State, but all of that went to shams shortly after he was able to get  his hands on the state's coffers. This man is no laughing matter; he is an extremely devious man. He never had any regards to carry out the agenda of the people and will never fill the need or urge to carry out the agenda of the people. What did he do during the times he was governor of Ebonyi State? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! As opposed to properly executing the disbursement of the state's funds, he used the state's treasury as his personal account. Where did all of the money go if it wasn't lavishly spent under Egwu and his crooked administration who helped pillage the state's coffers? This question would reveal a shocking response, because Ebonyi's money is being invested in his children education overseas, and buying off every property he can get a grip on world wide. Proof is even slapping us in the face here at home where Grace Court Resort , the hotel that was fraudulently acquired with the state's funds, remains in his possession, and nothing is being done about it.

People are fed up with what have become of the country, and whatever means it may necessarily take to combat corruption, exercise it! Sam Egwu is one of the reasons blacks' lives are doomed today, and our lives and future generation's lives are at stake. Nigerians world wide who have suffered from the aftermath crooked leaders like Sam Egwu have established for them are the ones who truly bear the burdens of their evil misdeeds.

In regards to how much is the salary of a president in Nigeria, we all should know the answer to that. For heaven sakes, the governors make more than the president of the United States due to corruption.

For what these former crooks have done to us- I hope they all pay severely! This can magnify to the 10th power when it comes to Sam and Eunice Egwu , you bloody parasites!

If Waziri has the nerves to say that, then this only means she's fully corrupted herself. That's it! We're doomed! They bought her out!

Everybody got away with it, why should Sam Egwu be exempted

Because the more we can collect back from thieves like Sam Egwu, the more we'll be able to put into our economy for the future of the country. We should never give up no matter what! Who ever knowingly implicated themselves with the looting of public funds should be hunted down to their generations. Embezzlement of public funds should not be taken frivolously, because it has a tremendous impact on our future that can cripple us as a nation. ALL EMBEZZLERS MUST BE STOPPED, AND SAM EGWU SHOULD DEFINITELY NOT BE AN EXCEPTION OR BE EXEMPTED!

This is a good topic to bring up. Respectively to the EFCC- what has been conducted with fighting the crime against corruption. The same old thieves are still running loose with the country's wealth while the masses continue to suffer.

$20m is nothing. I am just glad it is not $5bn like Baba Iyabo. Do we realistically expect our leaders not to steal anything when they need money to protect themselves after they finish their term? Yar'Adua came in by electoral thuggery so do we expect bad fruit to produce good seed?

That's pocket change compared to the whopping amount Sam Egwu stole.

This should not be a shock to anyone. After all, who are his friends? Who does he look up to? Greedy thieves that have robbed us of billions are the people he surrounds himself with. He's always been guilty by association, and now guilty by criminal intent and motive.

Religion is a mean of social and moral order. Countries that are able to move forward are society that are able to separate religion from the state. Religion becomes a personal matter while the governing of the state is left to elected representative who are bound by a contract with the people called the constitution. Society where religion override there life are backward and lost in the past.

You're absolutely correct. I think any kind of religious and biblical scripture as a manual script for human beings, a life manual. Had this manual script not been created how ever it was created, the world would have been more derailed than it is now.

Eclipse,
The question is how? We have no sense of community and when it does exist, its set up to get something from gov ts, corporate bodies, etc, all due to poverty, I'm sure,  But posterity is not going to accept that! So lets take stock and develop strategies for the changing the situation.

We first need a strong foundation to began with. Our background has been distorted through so many hardships we've encountered as blacks, and that fallacy has been plaguing us for generations. We will always have crooked leaders among us who will attempt to loot from us, but the key point is to have stiff punishments for those who dare double-cross us while in office. And collectively, the people have to be involve in this crusade. Right now we need to team up with other nations from different angles to at lease initiate a fight against corruption. It's always a bad idea when a nation does such thing, because other nations can be crooked, too, but that is the reason for teaming up with other nations from different angles of the world so the crooked ones don't get bought out with our wealth.

Our situation is a big mess; financially, we're out of shape. A health care system is needed to provide our people with in order to tackle this aids crises that's dominating our nation. Most importantly, initiating the fight against corruption should be prioritized! The masses should be frontline when it comes to this, because not one other person can conquer corruption if we don't stand up for what's been swept from under our feet. Here you have millions of hungry children dying of hunger in our country, and then you turn your head and spot Sam Egwu (former governor of Ebonyi State) in his $100,000 vehicle cruising the streets as he blasts his air condition while the masses suffer due to the billions he hi-jacked from the people. This kind of abuse should be intolerable, and that's why the masses should start taking charge against all the greedy thieves who raped us!

ok So What Do Nigerians Need To Do?

WE NEED TO TAKE CHARGE AND STOP WAITING FOR A SO CALL GOD TO COME AND RESCUE THEM!!!

I do believe in a great powerful being that does exist, but I don't think that God has anything to do with ourlives in the manner we think he's involved in ourlives. I think we're on our own, and at the end every sinner is judged and punished individually. At one point, I had a great disbelief for the existence of a deity, but when you think of the existence of life you have to say to yourself that there is a great and powerful being out there. Similar to the theory of creationism vs evolution. I think through creationism evolution began. And being Catholic, I pray to the Virgin Marry as well, and outside of the Catholic ring I have other personal beliefs pertaining to the existence of God. Allot of religions question her existence the way it's brought out in the bible. We have to wake up and smell the coffee people! I simply don't see God being fully involved in ourlives the way we think he is. For him to let so many people suffer the way they have, I simply find it to be an oxymoron. Look at Africa for example, do you know how cursed we are with this HIV epidemic? The world is against us as blacks, and we're considered the most inferior. To top it off, look what we're doing to ourselves all over the globe. THE KEY IS KNOW THAT GOD IS WITH YOU, BUT YOU SHOULD TAKE THE INITIATIVES TO TAKE CHARGE! We're always sitting in a corner praying to a so call "God" to rid us of our problems while we have the answers at our finger tips all along. While we idolize a deity to come and rid us of our devilish leaders who looted so much from us and left us hopeless and worthless, these thieves are in their million dollar mansions laughing at us. Fake religious people use the "God" theory to deceive and cheat; they put on a show to simply pretend to be religious.

I do believe in a great powerful being that does exist, but I don't think that God has anything to do with ourlives in that manner. I think we're on our own while at the end every sinner is judged and punished individually. At one point, I had a great disbelief for the existence of a deity, but when you think of the existence of life you have to say to yourself that there is a great powerful being out there. Similar to the theory of creationism vs evolution. I think through creationism evolution began. And being Catholic, I pray to the Virgin Marry as well, and outside of the Catholic ring I have other beliefs concerning the existance of God. Allot of religions question her existence the way it is brought out in the bible. We have to wake up and smell the coffee people! I simply don't see God being fully involved in ourlives the way we think he is. For him to let so many people suffer the way they have, I simply find it to be an oxymoron. Look at Africa for example, do you know how cursed we are with this HIV epidemic? The world is against us as blacks, and we're considered the most inferior. To top it off, look what we're doing to ourselves all over the globe. THE KEY IS KNOW THAT GOD IS WITH YOU, BUT YOU SHOULD TAKE THE INITIATIVES TO TAKE CHARGE! We're always sitting at a corner praying to a so call "God" to rid us of our problems while we have the answer at our finger tips all along. While we idolize a deity to come and rid us of our devilish leaders who looted so much from us and left us hopeless and worthless, these thieves our in their million dollar mansions laughing at us. Religious people use the "God" theory to deceive and cheat; they put on a show to simply pretend to be religious.

The British High Commissioner, Mr. Bob Dewar has pledged the continued collaboration of the United Kingdom authorities in the repatriation of stolen money to Nigeria.

British High Commissioner, Mr. Bob Dewar and the EFCC Chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri

Dewar made the pledge during a courtesy visit on the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mrs. Farida Waziri, on Friday, June 13 2008, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja. “It is very important to have an independent, credible, and effective institution like EFCC for your country’s fight against corruption and your campaign against impunity”, he said. He further opined that for Nigeria to keep pace with development demand as well as attract more foreign investments, the present momentum in the fight against corruption must not only be sustained but strengthened.

Congratulating the Executive Chairman on her appointment, the British envoy expressed optimism that Mrs. Waziri would improve on the successes already recorded by the commission in the war against corruption. He pledged his government’s continued support to EFCC especially in the area of repatriation of stolen money to Nigeria. “The U.K will be committed to continue to work closely with Nigeria and EFCC. I think that close and constructive collaboration in this area is very important”, he emphasized.

Speaking earlier while receiving the envoy, EFCC Executive Chairman noted that her confidence regarding the task ahead was borne out of her years of experience working in the anti-fraud unit of the Nigerian police. She regretted that, “Most of the problems in the country are traceable to corruption. It is a very serious problem because monies meant for developments projects end up in private pockets.”

While acknowledging that high level corruption was being perpetrated by a cabal, the EFCC boss promised to tackle the problem head on. “The situation is becoming so bad that people are beginning to think it is a way of life. People are so desperate to do anything to corrupt or be corrupted, such that many other patriotic Nigerians seem helpless. We certainly cannot accept.” She further pledged that nothing would temper her resolve to take the war on corruption to a higher level.  “We have a mission to accomplish and if we cannot totally eradicate corruption, the least we want is to reduce it to the barest minimum and that is why I want us here to be very proactive so as to nip manifestations of the problem in the bud before they germinate.”

Waziri called for the United Kingdom government’s support in intelligence gathering, stressing that EFCC’s searchlight would be beamed on officials of government at all tiers, and in agencies and parastatals.

Mr. Dewar was accompanied on the visit by the political officer in the British High Commission, Mr. James McLaughlin while the Secretary to the Commission, Mr. Emmanuel Akomaye, was also on hand to receive the delegation.

http://www.efccnigeria.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=167&Itemid=34

Fabulous! They can start off by looking into the houses Sam Egwu purchased over at the UK. The ones purchased under his name and other people's names.

Some times i acknowledge it when this oyinbos call us monkies,we are not doing better than monkies at all.

This was meant for the cnn prostitution thread,but all the same.

Don't allow derogatory comments to penetrate your minds, people! Being black doesn't make us any more evil than any other race. Up to date, the whiteman has done more evil than anyone else combined. So by them calling us monkeys is a way to demoralize us, and to keep us in a mental state of being hopeless and worthless. As Nigerians, we have our own issues to deal with; corruption is one of our major issues that plagues us today. And leaders like Sam Egwu keep us hopeless and worthless, fullfilling the whiteman's agenda, burring us in poverty so we may never advance. That causes us to stay inferior. And it's quite obvious that there is no entity of a deity that Egwu actually acknowledges, being that he even took the liberty of quoting the scriptures of the bible to highlight and intensify his devious acts.

Obj, Iyabo Obasanjo, James Ibori, George Akume, Sam Egwu, Michael Aondoaka, IBB, and the list goes on and on.

Let's not forget about Sam Egwu from Ebonyi State!

Haven't you heard about Yaradua and AGFs' "rule of law and due process"?
Haven't you heard that the well mannered new EFCC is taking their time?

The new "well mannered" EFCC is ineffective indeed. We must rise up in defense of Sam Egwu robbing us of our billions. Sam Egwu is a crook and should go out like a crook in whatever means necessary. If anyone else doesn't have the courage to bring Sam Egwu to justice, then the masses need to take charge!

Things have been very calm lately on the subject of Egwu's stolen billions. It seems as if he's gotten away with a well premeditated crime that was carried out by him and his administration during his tenure. If this man really stole from the Ebonyians, why isn't he being probed? Is it really the work of his political adversaries that are trying to smear his image, or did he corruptly enrich himself with public funds? Hmmmmm, we all know the answer to that, but why isn't he no longer being  probed?

Things have been calm lately    But we'll see the result that will eventually come out of Sam Egwu's stolen billions.

Our nation is doomed. As former figure-head of the country, OBJ drained us to a complete zero and still draining us mentally. I really hope I live to see him and all of the other thieves to pay for every bit of hardship our country's going through. I personally deviate from thoughts of a so called God making these thieves pay for what they've done, but everyone knows what they've done, and OBJ with all of the other conniving leaders will have their turn for sorrow and suffrage.

denex comments does not save the purpose of this forum and should not be allowed on this forum please Mr moderator.

He or she is to naive and could be in disguise.

Denex is also another person battling self hatred. Denex is also black, but yet wants to pretend to be a white individual in order to start a racial argument in the forum.

I don't have time to trade words with you , but one thing i know is that God is for Egwu. Don't hate him for his blessings, instead be happy for him dear boy. Sam egwu is not a thief or a fool. He is a very smart and humble man. I can never forget the way this man rebult Ebonyi state, or how he helped needy people. If Sam Egwu doesn't win this election then we have an unjust God. But since God is a just creator i can proudly and boldly say that Egwu is the PDP Chairman. . I don't know Egwu but i say the truth whenever i have an opportunity to. Egwu is PDP Chairman, Egwu is PDP Chairman, Egwu is PDP Chairman.

I guess we have an unjust God now

The country don't need EFCC or whatever crap its called.What we need is a proper police force which would execute the laws of the country.

Then this police force would eventually be corrupt with looters bribing them. Our problem is our mentality as black leaders. The blackman needs to deviate from such derailed mentality; we seriously hate ourselves. Why are all black counties 3rd world? You have to consider with us being a black nation, we are being deprived of other leading counties natural resources and support, and proving to these countries that we're not worthy of it makes it harder on us as blacks. Our country should be a paradise. As Nigerians, we should not be living in a third world habitat but should be like Italy, France, USA and so on. Name one white country that is third world? None is! The only white country that's known to existence to having constant fighting and disputes is Ireland, but they are far from third world. The evil blackman's mentality simply sees the needs to quickly enrich himself underminding his kinsmen, A SELFISH AND DEVILISH MENTALITY. But yet, what's our foundation as Nigerians? We were created with a very corrupt foundation to begin with. Nigeria should have a check and balance system that will oversee financial transactions that are being conveyed throughout the country in different locations opposing each other. It should not be a one source location, but rather spread out branches to convey the financial agendas of the country. Strict rules and regulations should be enforced when looters embezzle public funds. After being tried, they should be impeached, the embezzled funds should be confiscated, then they should be jailed for what they've done! They don't care about the public, so why care about them? And when I say "jailed", I'm not referering to them getting a slap on the risk like these looters (DR. SAM EGWU and others) have been getting. We should put into consideration that these looters are real criminals and should be treated as real criminals.

I will have a heart attack the day I meet a Nigerian public servant that is not a thief. It's the existing norm and we're all living and breathing corruption. Critics are those that hasn't smelt the corridors of power. Folks like Ribadu and Akunyili just has the decency to do some work but you bet they're doing some stealing on the side too. Hey, Tai Solarin started wearing trousers when he became chairman of peoples bank. Go figure.

Who cares who will becomes the next PDP chairman. Fixing Naija starts from Aso Rock.

Not all Nigerians have the same corrupt mentality my friend.

HaHaHa u are so funny Mr. You don't know me what do you mean by "lavish spending" ofcos don't get me wrong i am very impressed you can tell I am sucessfull, and would love to be as blessed as Egwu . My dear nija bro i am not trying to exchange words with you. I just hate it when people are jealous of sucessfull able men like Dr Egwu. Sam can not be chastised. He is an innocent man or why do you think he is so respected and loved all over Nigeria? You don't seem to understand that God is with Egwu. And you can't even sense that He is already the chairman of the biggest party in Africa. Are u that dumb?   . No hard feeling Mr man just stop hating. The fact is still that Egwu has a perfect reputation all over Nigeria, and people like you will never destroy it. God is with Sam Egwu who can be against him.

Sam Egwu well respected all over Nigeria? Ha! Don't make me laugh! He's not even well respected here on Nairaland. Your incompetence is going to cause you to miss out in life. Go back to the first page and read the forum again to see what the other viewers have written about your Sam Egwu. Now it's no longer a secrete that you are a family member or a close comrade who has decided to come to his defense. You're overwhelmed with anger, and you fear going back to living in the slums where you once lived in poverty, and reading about this pushes your panic button. But yet, Femi, you and Sam Egwu know what it's like to be poor, and this is what you've done to your own African nation. And please refrain from calling out God's name in vain. You are playing with a powerful God. DO NOT PLAY WITH GOD. God has reasons for letting evil prevail, but he always exterminates it when it's time. Sam Egwu becoming governor of Ebonyi state was evil prevailing, and him becoming PDP chairman would be more evil prevailing, but we'll just have to see how much evil Sam Egwu is going to continue to do before the wrath of God puts an end to his conniving deeds. And to set the record straight, I am a well respected citizen here in Nigeria, and every business I own has been acquired and established through hard honest work, so there's no need for me to be envious. Who in the world would want to have billions of Naira and for everyone to know that it was embezzled through dubious contract scams and diversion of public funds allocated to the states? ONLY SELFISH THIEVES LIKE YOU AND SAM EGWU WOULD FIND THAT APPEALING! I think I'd rather live an honest life sticking to what I've honestly accomplished instead of plundering my state's coffers than having people point their fingers at me as the man who stole from his kinsmen.

Our country is doomed.

First of all Mr, we have a just and awesome God. Thank God he gave a wonderful, humble and hardworking man like Sam a chance to make a postive difference in Nigeria. I still don't know why you are so jealous of this guy . Maybe you are mad that you still live in poverty while God has lifted people like Sam so high. Change your heart and the sun will also shine on you. God is with Sam and there is nothing nobody can do about it. I know he is not perfect just as you are not perfect too. Note many people are supporting Sam in Nigeria because of his heart. I am not Igbo yet i love this man so much that i wish he was my tribe. I am so proud of him. Nigeria need leaders like Sam. Dr Egwu will continue going higher and higher people like you will never see his back. God will bless him so much that he will be tried. He will never see poverty again in his life. His sun is shinning and it will never stop. Once again,Sam is PDP chairman in jesus name Amen.

It irks you to know that one day your lavish spending will come to a halt, doesn't it? You can yell out God till your lungs collapse, because God will not let Egwu or any of his cronies get away with the people's money. He shall be chastised! INCLUDING YOU!

I don't have time to trade words with you  , but one thing i know is that God is for Egwu. Don't hate him for his blessings, instead be happy for him dear boy. Sam egwu is not a thief or a fool. He is a very smart and humble man. I can never forget the way this man rebult Ebonyi state, or how he helped  needy people. If Sam Egwu doesn't win this election then we have an unjust God. But since God is a just creator i can proudly and boldly say that Egwu is the PDP Chairman. . I don't know Egwu but i say the truth whenever i have an opportunity to. Egwu is PDP Chairman, Egwu is PDP Chairman, Egwu is PDP Chairman.

Do you honestly believe the gibberish that comes out of your mouth? I'm beginning to think that you really do. And quite frankly, I think we have an unjust God for letting thieves like Sam Egwu get away with things for so long. God gave him a chance out of poverty, and he reciprocated chaos and devastation. Continue to take advantage of all these little smiley faces that you're displaying, because you'll soon be frowning. It feels good to rob the country of billions of Naira, embezzle money given to the state for infrastructure, and leave the poor citizens of Nigeria hungry and hopeless, doesn't it? Laugh now, cry later.

I thank you all for your views on this matter. This idiot, Fermi,  is calling out God's name in vain so this incompetent fool can finish us off.  All he did was steal during his tenure, and for anyone to like him, either they didn't really know about him or they benefittied from him. Femi is equally a thief! Femi is guilty by association, conspiracy after the fact! Life will change someday, and in God's name, all of these Greedy leaders like DR. SAM EGWU WILL PAY! GOD IS MY WITNESS TO THAT! SAM EGWU WILL PAY FOR WHAT HE'S DONE TO THE PEOPLE!!!

Please for God's sake, don't pray this kind of prayer. Always pray for something that will benefit you in life and stop calling Jesus name in vain all in the name of praying for evil men hovering around in Nigeria like vultures with their grand leader, Obj.

I thank you for your view on this matter. This idiot, Fermi,  is calling out Jesus' name in vain so this incompetent fool can finish us off.  All he did was steal during his tenure, and for anyone to like him, either they didn't really know about him or they benefittied from him. Femi is equally a thief! Femi is guilty by association, conspiracy after the fact! Life will change someday, and in God's name, all of these Greedy leaders like DR. SAM EGWU WILL PAY! GOD IS MY WITNESS TO THAT! SAM EGWU WILL PAY FOR WHAT HE'S DONE TO THE PEOPLE!!!

why do you hate sam egwu so much? You don't even know him, or are you jealous of how lucky God has made him. Let me give u a little piece of advice, when someone is progressing it is better to be happy for the person. Beause if you are not happy for people you will never progress in your life. Sam Egwu has never done anything for me, but i know from experience that he is a very good man. And i can boldly tell you that God will help him in this election, and he is already the PDP chairman.

I have no time for your rubbish shenanigans. You're obviously someone who has benefited from Sam Egwu's illgotten wealth. And trust me, I know Sam Egwu better than you think I do.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/feb/23/406.html

Former leader of the defunct secessionist Republic of Biafra, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, in this interview with ADELANI ADEPEGBA, speaks on the furore over his pension, the crisis of confidence in the apex Igbo organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, his assessment of President Umaru Yar’Adua and, Olusegun Obasanjo. How would you assess Nigeria’s democratic experience so far?
File
Former Biafran warlord, Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu
We haven’t had much. It’s very much in the realm of rhetoric. I think we are expecting a lot of em, You called it a democratic experience, which means I can think what I like. I can form or join any group I want, think of a group, organise it. It means that anything that has to be done, number would be counted and numbers will count. It’s quite a long way off, particularly at a time when in our minds, we still think very much of the last elections or attempt at elections; because I don’t think what happened them was anything to be called an election. It was quite a charade. Yet, because you asked the question, we mustn’t lose hope. We just started. We’ll see. I want to take this opportunity just to warn that we mustn’t expect too much from situations that were created directly from the previous government. What I mean by that is this: one, I don’t expect too much from the Yar’Adua government. I don’t expect much from Prof Iwu’s INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission. I don’t expect much from a PDP still headed by Obasanjo. I don’t expect much from men in positions who were themselves not products of democratic practice.

Comparing the last elections to the others in the past, was there any marked improvement?

No, it was worse than anything we had ever seen or imagined. We had always worked on the basis that we knew elections could be rigged, but we didn’t, at least I didn’t ever imagine that the entire election results would be faked and mandates would be stolen totally. I didn’t believe it was possible. Thanks to my good friend, Obasanjo, I have learnt that it is possible and therefore I am more wary this time and for the future.

Now, with the way the political system is operating, do you believe democracy has a future in this country?

Oh, democracy has a future everywhere, why not? It’s just that if it isn’t coming fast enough, you work harder, that’s all. But, certainly, it has a future. What is more, Nigerians actually are a people who innately exhibit democratic traits everywhere. Our culture is democratic. All the tribes, leaders, how they get there and how they discuss things and so on. We are by nature democratic. But our political leaders, not all of them, they need a lot of work and they haven’t done enough. That’s all.

Nigeria is ranked as one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world in spite of its growing foreign reserves. What are your misgivings about governance in the country and how can they be addressed?

That’s part of your democratic dividends. In Nigeria, we need for all Nigerians to count. We need also for those who are counted to count. I hope am clear, because if you say majority and it doesn’t mean anything, then they haven’t counted. Their numbers should count; they should be made to be important. They should get the government leaning to their wishes. I believe that in Nigeria, people are not accountable and anything can go wrong. What we’ve been hearing for these past months, nearly a year, is figures that are mind-boggling. You start to ask yourself how people manage to steal so much. When you reflect further, the problem is that administration is so porous, you can get away with so much without accounting for what has gone on. We have to tighten up our system of accountability. We must.

What’s your take on the departure of the Peoples Democratic Party from the vision of its founding fathers?

To start with, I don’t know about the PDP. I didn’t even know they have a vision. But if you say they have, I would not argue with you. What I would tell you is it is one of the worst things that has happened to Nigeria. The Obasanjo-led PDP is a nightmare, and I hope we would be able to come out of it properly still standing on two feet.

Do you think Obasanjo as a former president has the moral right to be the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees?

He can always want anything. If you go to his house, he would be praying and expecting that he would go to paradise. That is a human attribute. I don’t judge, but my opinion is he might want anything, but he wouldn’t get it.

If you were in his position as a former president, would you want to retain the BOT chairmanship?

If I were 10-foot tall, would I get through this door? I don’t like hypothetical questions, because I can’t imagine myself in the position of Obasanjo (chuckles). I would never descend to such depths. I don’t know how his mind functions. All I know is that am witnessing a phenomenon, a man roundly hated by everybody wanting to continue to hold on. It has been said, and it is said with some justification, that it would seem that what is going on now is an Obasanjo third term, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s quite as bad as that.

Are you saying Yar’Adua cannot hold his own?

I would not be a headmaster. I have never met Yar’Adua, so how would I know? How can I judge him? Am hopeful; very much hopeful. But Yar’Adua, who is he? How did he get to the point where some people think he is president of Nigeria? I don’t know. It is in the context of my own belief that I look at things. I don’t expect much from him because he came rather fraudulently to (lead) Nigeria. I don’t expect too much from him.

Do you support the calls by civil society groups that Obasanjo should be tried for corruption?

Oh yes. The only problem is that, you know that I say it as it is. I had said it before and I would say it again and continue repeating it that Obasanjo should be dragged out and shot for the havoc he has wreaked on Nigeria.

What about other leaders who were also indicted for mismanaging public resources?

They should all be shot all the same.

How do you assess the electoral reform panel? Can it come out with solutions to , (cuts in)

I don’t think they can, because they come from a government that is illegitimate. I don’t think they can. They are badly chosen. It’s the same thing I hinted at when I said that somebody like Iwu’s Independent National Electoral Commission cannot be expected to run any other election. The only way to reform the system is to run transparent elections when the votes count. And that is why some of us are in the tribunal and in court. I hope the court would give the right judgment and nullify the elections and we start again.

Would you say the Igbo are being reintegrated into the country?

No, there is a lot to be done yet. When I say no, I thought whether we are already re-integrated. I think about it and what you’re saying is that we are being re-integrated. Yes, it is too slow. And no pace would be fast for me, because I wear the shoe and I know where it hurts.

One of your critics said you should have turned down the retirement benefits from the Federal Government , (cuts in)

Come off it. Are we on that still? The drivel that came from Achuzia? You might as well say that Igbo should not go back to Port Harcourt to collect their abandoned property. It’s the same thing. I do some work, I accumulate certain results and after so many years, finally am able to collect them, and you say I shouldn’t. When you come out, you shouldn’t accept your buildings too. It’s the same thing. I like the way you put your question; you said my critics. They would criticise anything. It is Achuzia, isn’t it? Who is he? Why should anybody listen to him? The fact is that it doesn’t affect him. He never fought in Nigeria. He was never a Nigerian Army officer, so he shouldn’t expect any pension from Nigeria Army. That’s all.

He was hinting that he fought along with you, but that you disappointed your officers by accepting the pension.

Yes. How many times has he rejected being called a colonel? That is a rank bestowed upon him in Biafra by me. He should reject it as well. The only rank he can claim in Nigeria is recruit, that’s all. He was never in the Nigerian army. He came into the Biafran Army as a militia.

What can you say about the leadership crisis in Ohanaeze? People say you have not taken the leadership roles expected of you in solving the problem within the organisation.

If I take it, am supposed to be clutching at leadership all the time.

How do you see the crisis in the organisation then?

Ohanaeze again is an organisation that is trying very hard to mobilise Ndigbo and protect them; protect their interest. It was formed in an ad hoc manner, and some Nigerians, particularly those who love the old politics of Nigeria and hanged on the Igbo man’s neck. I don’t know when I last attended an Ohanaeze meeting. I don’t know why anyone would expect me to do some wonders in a meeting that I hardly ever attend. I don’t attend because I don’t like the way they do things. I am certainly not a stalwart of Ohanaeze. I am an Igbo stalwart, yes, Ohanaeze, not quite. So, I wouldn’t really know what they are doing, but I have APGA. I know what to do with APGA. I have the Ibo Union; they know what to do. But when you talk about Ohanaeze, between you and I, I don’t know what is going on there. All I can tell you, I’m not very hopeful about Ohanaeze and I am certainly not one of those who pray for the day Ohanaeze would come into its own. I don’t think so, because I don’t think it can the way they are going about it.

Do you think Ohanaeze is still relevant to the future of Ndigbo?

Anything would always be relevant depending on the form it metamorphosed into. Ohanaeze can be very relevant if it mobilises Igbo opinion and stops reflecting the opinion of a group of elite. That is what I don’t take really. If it is fully democratic, of course, yes. Because we need democratic institutions and organisations that would mouth our grievances and enunciate our aspirations.

Why do the Igbo find it difficult to speak with one voice?

Oh, the reason is very simple. It’s the same reason the Yoruba find it difficult to speak with one voice politically. The Yoruba have never been able to speak with one voice politically, why must you insist that Igbo speak with one voice politically? When did you last see the Hausa speak with one voice? We all love the Americans. Now you’re hearing about their elections and all that. But when last did Americans speak with one voice or Britain for that matter? The point am making is that a people can speak predominantly with one voice, but never do a people speak with one voice. Whenever you see it, suspect it.

What solution would you proffer on the Niger Delta crisis?

There is a lot of room yet for dialogue. Once we embark on dialogue, intensify dialogue with the people there, we then follow on from the results that come out. But certainly, I don’t think shooting them is the answer. Locking up their leaders is not the answer either.

What is going on in your party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, particularly the leadership?

There isn’t. I am the leader of APGA, and the chairman is Victor Umeh. If for some reasons you think some thing else, that’s your problem.

What would you like to be remembered for?

Outspokenness, truth and foresight.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/feb/23/406.html