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Vincent Kalu
Action Democratic Party (ADP) candidate for the 2019 governorship election in Abia State, Pastor Okey Udo, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari should form a government of national unity, as one of the measures to arrest the nation’s dangerous slide into perdition.
What is your view on the state of the nation with regards to insecurity, kidnapping, banditry, etc?
This question seems to me, an attempt to delve into multi hybridization of monsters targeted at the fabrics of Nigeria existence, which have been much more politicised than strategically dealt with.
Crisis is inevitable in nature and across nations but when not properly figured out can be a crippling force to any entity.
Insecurity poses as a bane of the nation’s socio-economic development. Insecurity predates existence of the state, and the state exists with prime responsibility of providing security to citizenry. It is specifically stressed in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that, “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”. But quite disheartening, the government of Nigeria has failed on this constitutional responsibility to provide a secured and safe environment for lives of her citizens, properties and the operation of business and economic activities. So much a degree that Nigeria citizens are also maltreated outside the shores like what is happening in South Africa today. When you lack honour at home, you may never get it outside.
It is unfortunate that the alarming level of insecurity in this nation has inflamed the crime rate and terrorists’ attacks in various nooks and crannies of the Nigerian territory. The corollary is this woeful tales on the nation’s economy and its growth as being manipulated by the bureau of statistics, an agent of the government.
The huge allocations by various governments have transmitted into private pockets leaving the level of insecurity in the country very high and dynamically threatening, and a confirmation of this is the low ranking of Nigeria in the Global Peace Index. It is also reported by the United Nations Children’s Fund that on daily basis, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age, making Nigeria the second largest contributor to the under-five and maternal mortality rates in the global statistical positioning.
As I have always stressed that government must be proactive in dealing with security issues and threats. This starts by involving active youths in the defence architecture of this country via contemporary approaches of intelligence gathering, and sharing among security personnel networks, training, corruption-immune logistics cum motivation, and the deployment of advanced technology in the management of security imbroglio. More sincerely, the basic solution is embedded in having leadership that accelerates the pace of economic development through creation of an environment with relevant socio- economic and physical infrastructure that encourages business and industrial flourishing.
What is your view on Buhari’s cabinet?
We should realise that Nigeria has not been so divided as before. The last election was the most heated, and it polarised the country the more along ethnic and religious lines.
At a time like this, whatever that is done to heal the wound or soothe frayed nerves should be encouraged.
Politics of winner takes it all should also be discouraged as it continues to get the polity overheated.
Buhari should have constituted a government of national unity, as a way of diffusing the tension in the country.
He should have looked beyond his party, the APC in constituting his cabinet. There are very bright people from other parties he could have picked. It is not yet late. What ever we have to do to diffuse the tension in the country should be employed.
The country is sliding, so, forming government of national unity is one of the ways to arrest the slide.
Why didn’t your party make impressive outing in the last election?
We actually made some relevant impressions nationwide as a third force among Nigerian political parties, and we are not relenting; we are currently organising nationwide youth summits to persuade Nigeria youths to participate in socio-economic development.
However, the negative influence of moneybags that use looted funds to manipulate the electoral process cannot be ignored as a dangerous trend affecting free and fair election in Nigeria. The old political parties, who had created poverty and its mentalities, use money to entice poor Nigerians to vote for them. Like the Esau’s mentality, they sell their votes for a plate of porridge. No money, no vote.
Are you satisfied with the way Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is running Abia?
I cannot be satisfied when Abia State is rated as the least developed state in the South East.
Aba, the commercial capital of the state was rated by World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the dirtiest environments in Nigeria. Health workers and pensioners are demonstrating for non-payment of their dues. It is really a pathetic sight to visit Abia, especially the Enyimba City, with all kinds of abandoned projects and deserted factories. It was the centre of trade cum industrialisation, which made it the envy of many other cities in Africa. It is expression of deterioration instead of progress. Though the problem with Abia State is not really about how Governor Ikpeazu is running the state, but a culmination of bad leadership over the years. It is very clear to all Abians that our state for sometimes now has not enjoyed good administration. The culmination of the deterioration of many years is what is staring us in the face now.
