FG creating another ‘June 12’ scenario with handling of EndSARS panel probe – Dr. Ossai Edmund Ndudi

By Daniel Kanu 

Dr Ossai Edmund Ndudi, activist, international public health consultant, public commentator, and teacher of medical students, in this exclusive chat with Sunday Sun speaks on various national issues, including insecurity, EndSARS panel report controversy, Mkpurumiri siege in the Southeast, and the politics of COVID-19. Excerpt:

The Lagos State EndSARS panel report is out, but the state government is contesting it.

Even the Federal Government also is kicking against it. What is your take on the entire development?

This is a very unfortunate development and it further places the EndSARS protest in our list of unresolved scenarios. In any case, the Lagos State government deserves some commendations. One, the government did not interfere with the proceedings of the panel. Two, the panel concluded its sittings unlike what was obtained in some other states. Then, the panel made some monetary payments to individuals. At least, it is better than nothing. The issue of the white paper is a different ball game and I think the legal minds should focus more on that. For example, is there any basis for the government white paper, does it have relevance in law? If yes or no, then other steps can follow. I believe in the people especially civil societies contesting some issues with the government in the court of law. It is one way to enrich our jurisprudence. The only concern I must express with the EndSARS panel report is the-disconnect between the Federal Government and that of Lagos State. When the panel submitted its report, the Lagos State government promised that a white paper will be out in two weeks. Then there was this story that the report leaked. Remember, the Federal Government is not entirely against the EndSARS protest. Their major grouse has been the hijack of the protest by individuals described as hoodlums. I think the Federal Government could have waited a bit. Remember that during the visit of the United States, Secretary of States, the government has stated that it was waiting for the panels’ reports from the states. So, to come out so hard on the only visible report of the EndSARS panel even before the Lagos State government white paper may not have been good. Such an act is what may alienate the people from the government and this is not for the benefit of anyone. The people attached much emotion to the EndSARS protest, (youths said to be killed in cold blood while embarking on a peaceful protest with the national flag in their custody). Unfortunately, the Federal Government adopted the same approach. (You can see how the Hon. Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed has always reacted to the EndSARS subject).This was where we got it wrong and I think we should all learn from this experience. Well, whatever the civil societies and other individuals do on the legal platform on this matter, I think that the Federal Government has unwittingly created another ‘June 12’ scenario. This makes it possible that this EndSARS issue may outlive this present administration.  Unless the #EndSARS issue is adequately tackled by the government it may turn to become what the government did not bargain for. It will continue to elicit sad memory.

Recently, the court declared bandits including the Boko Haram group as terrorists. Do you think anything will change especially on the mode of engagement?

Yes, I think it will surely change. Bear in mind that both chambers of the National Assembly have pleaded with Mr President to declare the bandits as terrorists. Also, other well-meaning Nigerians share the same opinion. So, it is a welcome development and this should be commended even though as at now it is yet to be gazetted by the government. Obviously, the mode of engagement and tactics will change. Most importantly their activities will be put on serious red alert in terms of surveillance by other countries too. Remember the recently acquired Tucano jets from the United States are to be used only for terrorist groups. In fact, to an average citizen, it is as if the government wasted time in this declaration, but the fact remains that it is the prerogative of the Commander-in-Chief. Some people may express the view that even though Boko Haram has been declared a terrorist group, what has changed? But I will not share that opinion because the question is if they were not declared a terrorist group, what could have been the situation. I wish the government should treat these security issues as national emergency. Look at the number of lives lost to these groups and the number of abductions especially among school children. It is overwhelming. Moreover, providing security to citizens is a fundamental responsibility of the government. We should all support the government in the handling of these security matters. There is no need to assume a comfort zone in this regard. Recently, Sheik Gumi dissociated himself from the bandits. I may not know what that portends, but the most important thing now is for the government to restore peace in all corners of Nigeria. I continually pray for the realization of this peace. Finally, the fight against all forms of criminality in Nigeria should not be fought with guns only. The unemployment situation in Nigeria is alarming. The government should look in this direction. There is despondency in the land. No country in the world will make meaningful progress when a huge number of its youths are unemployed, hungry and frustrated. The government should see this as top priority. Then I think we should all come together and enact a ‘local’ solution to these problems. We should adopt a holistic approach. The Obasanjo group is meeting. The government can call in the National Council of States, the traditional rulers are available and then the governors. All relevant stakeholders should come up with ways of bringing about peace. This is very important.

With the outcome of the INEC conduct of Anambra governorship election, are you hopeful of the conduct of the 2023 general election in terms of transparency?

My yes is a complete one. First, I am an optimist, so I always hope and believe in the improvement of systems and situations around me. Also, I believe that Nigeria is a great country though what I may regard as teething problems are becoming prolonged. That has not changed my impression of Nigeria. The INEC feat in Anambra is commendable though it came at a huge cost. It is a pointer of good things to come. However, organizing an election in one state is not the same as a national one. INEC should see these elections as testing grounds like the ones coming up in Ekiti and Osun states. There is every need for us to have a credible electoral system and I think INEC deserves all form of support towards realizing this goal. The beauty of democracy is when the votes count.

How will you assess the conduct of Nigerian politicians in politics?

I prefer to view issues like this  from the system viewpoint. We are products of systems and very few people aim beyond the boundaries of the systems they belong to. This explains why Nigerians tend to behave differently when they find themselves in different climes. So, with few exceptions the Nigerian politician is a Nigerian politician and a policeman in Nigeria remains a policeman in Nigeria. You then ask me, what about the politician in Nigeria. Let us look at the political system. The average politician knows that the votes may not count so he goes the extra mile to capitalize on the weaknesses of the system, so he may employ the services of political thugs. I believe you understand the implications of that decision. I will not want to judge the politicians based on utopian standards. He is not different from the average policeman or the civil servant in the government ministries. What then is the solution? We should reform the electoral system and bring back power to the people and not to the politicians. Once the politician realises that votes will count, the game changes. The present administration should aim towards genuine electoral reforms and with that our electoral system will become better and a new order will emerge. Another will be working for a credible and unified national identity system. This will also improve the electoral climate and will help to improve security.

The Southeast region is alarmingly witnessing increase in violence in recent times. What do you think is the cause?

The cause is multi-factorial and requires a multi-dimensional approach. I will rather prefer to see it as a national problem rather than limiting it to Southeast Nigeria. There is despondency in the land, so many youths including university graduates are unemployed and with no hopes of the jobs coming. This is in the face of worsening economic crisis. Then unfortunately, the peoples’ perception of government changed melodramatically affecting even the traditional institution. There emerged a gulf between the government and the citizens. To worsen the whole thing, there is fear of the unknown. It was as if the people are concluding that the economy is not going to get better. Then there is the threat of fuel subsidy removal by government functionaries with its attendant economic consequences. So, you can see that the average citizen has a lot to bear and this is not good, it leads to frustration on all fronts. The government should aim towards restoring hope and confidence among the citizens. This could be achieved through well thought out economic policies. Government should reduce the unemployment situation in the country and it is high time we included entrepreneurial studies in our educational system. Again, we should strengthen our educational system so that our children could compete with their peers anywhere in the world. (labour is becoming globalized).The situation appears very dim but we have to start from somewhere and collectively we will succeed.

The Mkpurumiri ugly development in the Southeast is becoming worrisome. What could the government do to salvage the situation?

Information has it that two labs manufacturing methamphetamine ‘Mkpurumiri’ were discovered and destroyed in Enugu about three years ago. Perhaps after that the individuals concerned went underground. Today, they have adopted a new approach. Suffice it to say, that in monetary terms, Mkpurumiri is a relatively expensive drug when compared to others of its kind and arguably more dangerous. Now, the drug is in the communities and streets which creates an alarming and emergency situation. It could be that it was within few hands during that first time that it emerged or that it was manufactured for other destinations. The implication of this is that we have a huge problem in our hands. It could be said that the governments of the states in Southeast Nigeria have not responded adequately to this situation. There is the need to bring this to their attention because it is the gap created by the response of government to this situation that necessitated these community responses that we are witnessing. The community response is purely physical including beating, harassment and induction of fear. Honestly, I do not over criticize this community approach as everyone acts within the limits of his own knowledge and understanding. So the community has responded in the way they could because the development was purely novel and they could feel the adverse consequences of the drug on the youths. The government should now step in. There are lessons to be learnt from the experiences of other countries who may have been faced with similar or even worse situations. There is the wisdom to tap from experts who have been involved in the management of similar or worse situations.  Remember this situation is not entirely new; it is just that we should adopt the right approach. The psychiatrists have been involved in the management of drug addicts; I think their national association should be contacted. For the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, I do not think that this situation took them entirely by surprise, so they have a role to play. The efforts of other law enforcement agencies are needed at least to forestall the establishment of more labs and track the main dealers. The community members including the traditional institutions are also of relevance here, they have a good role to play. By the time the government engages all the relevant stakeholders, a more reliable and practical solution to the problem will be made. Again, it is important to note that the idle mind is a devil’s workshop. The need to engage the youths in meaningful ventures cannot be overemphasized. The high unemployment rate in Nigeria as I pointed out above and its impact are alarming. All efforts should be in place to address this problem. Finally, we should bear in mind that we are dealing with a cartel. If we continue to hunt this Mkpurumiri situation using the community physical method, we may achieve temporary success, but certainly it will re-emerge after the temporary success and by that time we will be overwhelmed. The victims of this Mkpurumiri episode needs help; they deserve to be rehabilitated while we walk together towards ending this menace once and for all.

Nigeria was placed under red alert by Britain over Omicron variant of COVID-19, which was reviewed later. Do you see international politics in all this playing out?

The COVID-19 is one of the burdens of President Buhari’s administration, while it is doing its best based on global best practices to contain the virus, the people have the opinion that COVID-19 is not a problem in Nigeria.  In fact, some people ignorantly see it as fraud personified. In this light, the ban may be viewed with any manner of spectacle. Some people have called it travel apartheid and all sorts. However, issues of this nature deserve further introspection. How come that people who tested negative here for COVID-19 became positive for the Omicron variant almost immediately outside Nigeria. This means we have some work to do on our own part. In a way, the COCID-19 issue creates more controversies and these add to the burden of government especially in convincing the people to accept the vaccine. We are told to wear face masks even after vaccination, from two doses of the vaccine, a third dose is now recommended. That not-withstanding, variants of the virus continue to emerge. Some people hold the view that the already manufactured vaccines may not be effective against these new variants. Somehow, there is vaccine hesitancy in Nigeria and all of a sudden we are talking about expired vaccines in the country. This is not good especially at this point in time. The government should adopt the diplomatic option to resolve these issues. There may not be the need to overheat the polity. However, the Federal Government of Nigeria has promised that we will soon be vaccine self-sufficient. It is good to make that a reality soonest. There is always international politics at play in all this and it is left for the country to know how best to play own politics too, but without compromising your health standards.