Follow Us on Google
• Calls for unconditional release of IPOB leader
From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The of Bishop of Egbu Diocese (Anglican Communion) of Owerri North Council in Imo State, His Lordship, Most Rev Geoffrey Okereafor, has expressed anger over the state of the nation.
In this interview with Sunday Sun, he that he is worried over the current debilitating economic situation, the auguish visited on the people, insecurity and danger of the continued detention of the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, among other issues. Excerpt:
This administration would be one year on May 29. Would you say that President Tinubu has lived up to his campaign promises thus far?
Thank you very much. Let me start this way, more or less in a lighter mood. There were comments made by President Tinubu during his campaigns that he would continue from where Buhari had stopped. Some people then felt he was being sarcastic and laughed over it, as if Buhari had done so wonderfully well, that he will continue from where he stopped. Others felt that it means we will face more humiliations than we had faced before. What we are seeing today seems to be playing out , whether the statement was correctly attributed to him or not . But suffice it to say that there is pain all over . People are passing through anguish, suffering , torture , humiliation, just name it, and every thing that is evil. For the very first time in this country the rate of the US Dollars to the Naira has never been like this. Even during the time of Buhari it was about N700 to the US Dollar , and people lamented that it was high. This time around it’s hovering between N1,500/ N1,900 and almost N2,000 to a Dollar. It is a way of completely killing our economy. The economy is in the shambles and nothing to write home about. Unfortunately, those that have the Dollars, that is, the powers that be , are rejoicing over it because the higher it goes the richer they become . So, for me , it is terribly unfortunate because we never bargained for this atrocious situation. Unless a miracle happens between now and May , I would say , the people are terribly disappointed in President Tinubu’s one year anniversary in office. I hope there is a change of gear in his handling of the economy, but from what we are experiencing it is not good so far.
Most people have said that the major cause of the current economic crisis was the removal of the subsidy on petroleum without any palliative measures put in place. Do you agree with that?
Indeed, the first and the most costly mistake this President Tinubu made was the removal of the subsidy. I am not against the removal of the subsidy on fuel, but it was ill-timed. There was no thought out plan by President Tinubu on how to cushion the effects. No proper arrangement was made, as it came out of the blues. And , as soon as he announced it marketers promptly adjusted their pump price and the suffering commenced from that very day. And, each day gets more and more difficult for the masses. As we speak now , without exaggeration there are families that go without eating for two days no matter how little. We are no longer talking about three square meals , but how to get something to eat for that day. If you can endure as an adult what about the little children. I don’t know if the government is planning for the people to die . The hunger is too much . I don’t know whether it is a ploy by this administration to reduce the population of this country through hunger and starvation. One strategy used in war is hunger and it was used during the civil war against Biafra by the Nigerian Government under General Yakubu Gowon, and hunger ravaged the people and thousands of Biafrans died of hunger and kwashiokor. During the time of Buhari people were committing suicide by either hanging themselves on the trees or jumping into the lagoon. Today , people are falling dead on the streets, others who have the means are jetting out of the country by every avaliable means out of frustration . Some have even gone to countries that are worse than Nigeria in terms of the economy, but they are doing so out of frustration just to leave Nigeria. May God help us.
If you’re to advise the president, would you ask him to suspend the subsidy removal pending when the Dangote Refinery and those of Port Harcourt , Warri and Kaduna come on stream following the ongoing turnaround maintenance on them?
It was on the news recently that the Port Harcourt Refinery will soon start operations. To the glory of God, if that happens it will be kudos to the government. One thing is this. If you speak out, swallowing it back may be difficult. It may be difficult to withdraw the subsidy or restore it or whatever. Recently, the president inaugurated his economic team. If they are focused and serious they could find a way to change this terrible situation. The economy as I said earlier is already in the shambles with the Naira almost useless , high rate of inflation , even the most basic necessities are already out of the reach of the masses. So, the most important thing now, is let people have something to eat . Nigerians are suffering and dying of hunger by the day . We are talking of realities of today , people are dying of hunger. A hungry man is an angry man . NLC is talking of protest and the DSS and the police are saying that they should not . But Femi Falana (SAN) susported the NLC, saying it is the right of the people to protest. I am not calling for the restoration of the subsidy, but you will agree with me that between June and now when it was removed, we had thought that the Federal Government would have introduced concrete palliative measures to cushion the effect. But nothing positive has been done to restore confidence in Nigerians that indeed we have a caring government.
Attacks by bandits have continued across the country. In fact, that of Plateau State which started on Christmas eve, December 24, 2023 has continued unabated as hundreds of innocent persons have been killed and their homes burnt . Is it that the security agencies have been overwhelmed or there is more to it?
The government should search itself and be alive to its responsibilities . They should look inwards. Are there some bad apples within the armed forces and the security agencies? Atimes you see these people wearing military uniforms and police uniforms, do they have their tailors? How did they procure them? So, the government generally should look inwards. Who are these bad apples within the system? There can be no smoke without fire. So, for those bandits to plot and succeed all the time is worrisome. Sometime ago, the same so-called bandits attacked Nigeria Defence Academy , Kaduna. For them to continue to have this kind of bold access, there is something playing music for them behind the scene. The Federal Government should think deep and find out where this is coming from. Until that is done, we will continue to witness this unmitigated killings. My heart goes out to the people of Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa and Borno and all over the country who have been facing attacks by bandits. They even warned the governor of Plateau. There is fire on the mountain. Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder and the government should be more realistic and begin an internal cleansing. And, if it cannot address this insecurity, then, they should seek for external assistance from countries with more experience in tackling terrorism. But for now we have not got it right.
What is your take on the call for state police, which many have argued will help in tackling crimimal elements in the states as those going to be incharge are indigenes of the states who know the terrain as against the current practice where police commissioners are posted to states other than theirs? The bill to amend the constitution has already passed the second reading at the floor of the House of Reps?
I will look at it from two perspectives. Having a state police is a welcome development, it depends . It is also a great error, it also depends. What I am saying is that they should tread with caution. When the state police comes into existence, let it not be a situation of who pays the piper dictates the tune . The governors should be made to know that the state police is not going to be their personal security guards to be used to achieve their whims and caprices or hijack it for their selfish reasons. If the state police is eventually established, let there be stringent rules against being hijacked by the state governors because they pay them. And, start using them against their political opponents and their perceived enemies in the state. By that it will become counter-productive . However, it is a welcome development if it is not going to be used to witch-hunt opponents and for politics rather than to be used to secure the lives and property of citizens of the state.
Some people have said that the continued detention of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is the reason insecurity has continued in the Southeast as hoodlums have been hiding under IPOB to carry out their evil trade. And that the release of Nnamdi Kanu will expose who are the real Biafra agitators and the criminals. Do you agree with that?
I have earlier said at our synod last year that the first gift that Tinubu would have given to the Southeast would have been the release of Nnamdi Kanu from detention. I kept asking the question, what is Nnamdi Kanu ‘s offense? They said that he allegedly committed a treason or whatever they call it . But the Federal Government has not been able to prove anything . The high courts, both the states and federal, including the Appeal Court, have quashed the treason charges preferred against him by the Federal Government and discharged him and ordered that he should be released. Yet, the Federal Government has continued to disobey these judicial pronouncements. You see , we live in a country where the rule of law is not observed . There is too much of impunity on the part of the government where they chose to obey which court judgements they want . If we really have a democratic system where the rule of law is obeyed judicial pronouncements must be obeyed by the executive arm of the government. Let me say this , I’m not a prophet of doom , but if Nnamdi Kanu dies in detention it will not mean well for Nigeria and there will be trouble in the country. I think the best that should be done is to release him from detention unconditionally. Keeping him detention for this long is very undemocratic. If they, Federal Government thinks that they have a strong case against him, they should prove that in the courts. Sometimes I don’t know whether we are in a democracy or military dictatorship. Right now , we don’t know where Tinubu is taking us to . But we are calling for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu from detention.
