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By Dickson Okafor
Igwe Gerald Obunadike Mbamalu, Eze Oranyelu 1, Eze Ojoto 111 in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, has said the Homeland Security Law enacted by Governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo is a right step in the right direction, saying the law is not only for Anambra State, but for the entire South-East to curb insecurity in the region.
As the custodian of tradition and culture of your people, what is your take on the Homeland Security Outfit signed into law by Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo in order to curb insecurity?
The law is second to none and I strongly believe that the law shouldn’t be addressed as Anambra State Homeland Security Law, but should be South-East Homeland Security Law. Our home is our home because we don’t have any other home. I attended a lecture recently and somebody made a valid point which sank into my brain and ever since then I have been thinking about it. He said, in 1993 when we had June 12 MKO Abiola political quagmire which made Igbo in different parts of the country ran away. Where were we running to? Home. Where is our home? South-East. Now, if such a thing should repeat itself, where will we run to? Home. And now the home is not secure. The reverse is now the case because people at home are running out of the villages and towns in the South-East to different parts of the country. Before, we see home as a safe heaven where we can run to hide. For example, when you are pursuing a small child, if he sees his mum or dad he will run to seek shatter under the mum. It is not that the mum is very powerful, but you have to respect the mum if the child run and hide under the mother as an elderly person for protection, she needs to be respected. So, you leave the child alone. That is how it should not only be to the South-Easterners, but to the South -South also. If that law works perfectly in Anambra State and we are able to flush out all the bad elements in the state, we are still not safe because they can come in from anywhere and operate and leave. They can come in from Imo, Enugu, Abia or Ebonyi states and operate and go. So, that is why I said that the law is for the entire South-East.
Were the traditional rulers in Anambra State consulted before this law was enacted by Governor Soludo?
Very few of us were consulted because the state government could not consult traditional rulers as a bloc, but very few of us were consulted to make inputs. So, a lot of consultations were made before the state government reached a conclusion of this marvellous, and second to none law and it was signed into law by Governor Soludo.
Do you see South-East governors adopt the law in their states?
Any South-East government that fails to see the quality and embrace the Homeland Security Law completely, is definitely going to have problem. The law took the administrative norms and security of the state or region back to basics, back to villages and to the Umuna which is what the law is doing.
With Agunechemba as the vigilante arm which is to complement the Police and other security agencies, many have expressed fear that it may end up like the Bakassi Boys security outfit introduced by former Governor Chiwoke Mbadinuju which became a force the state government used to chase their political opponents away, what is your take on Agunechemba security outfit?
I will tell you one basic truth about governance, no matter how well you do or you perform as a governor, once it gets to election year, there will be a lot of negativities. There is no way the whole state will come out and say you are wonderful because the opposition must look for one thing or the other to discredit you. Opposition is always looking for what to campaign with. They can’t be campaigning to become the governor of Anambra State by applauding the Homeland Security Law. Do they have something that can be better than the law or do they have something better? They may not have. They won’t say I will start from where Governor Soludo stopped, rather, they will look for a negative aspect of Soludo’s administration to campaign with. And if they look for such thing, they don’t see it, they will manufacture one just for voters to listen to them. As traditional rulers, we are not politicians, we don’t play politics, but we call a spade a spade and not a shovel. When you see something that is good that will benefit the community no matter where it is coming from, key into that project and save your community. Because if everybody is safe, their community and Anambra State is safe, South-East is safe and Nigeria is safe.
What is your take on the order by the Senate to INEC to conduct bye-election to replace the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah who represented Anambra South before his death?
Late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah was a friend and a brother, he was like a younger brother to me. I have not come to terms that he has departed this world. So, calling for his replacement at the Senate is like wiping his memory away from me. Even though his replacement is inevitable, but I don’t like discussing it or hearing it. It makes me to feel his absence more. But it is normal and it must be done, hence, I don’t follow it because it grieves me the more. So, the people of Anambra South will decide who replaces the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah in the Senate.
