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…Says he is pained by Nnamdi Kanu’s continuous incarceration
By Daniel Kanu
Prof Uzodinma Nwala, the president of Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), is piqued at the Nigerian condition, insisting that the kind of political structure in operation would not produce the expected leadership that would advance genuine development.
In this exclusive chat with Sunday Sun, he speaks on critical national issues, including the swearing-in debate of the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on May 29, the US visa sanction on election offenders, the politics of the Senate presidency, and the political structure that would be best for Nigeria’s unity. Excerpt:
The issue of the inauguration and swearing-in of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on May 29 is still generating controversy as members of the opposition political parties contend that it should be done after the election tribunal has concluded and delivered judgment. What is your position on this?
This is an opinion any honest and seasoned lawyer can answer. There is no doubt that some people are trying to force Tinubu down the throat of Nigerians as president. Some people are trying to force a fraudulent election on Nigerians and once they swear him in there is no doubt that, that will strengthen their hands in resisting the people from demanding justice and demanding the correct election result. They will do everything within their reach and power to frustrate justice. That is the main problem; otherwise, remember the case of Peter Obi in Anambra State. A number of times people were sworn-in and the judges, the court came out to say the truth. The court came with evidence of truth to correct the wrong. The court said and proved that those people didn’t win the election and Peter Obi was returned to the Executive seat. My fear is that we don’t have honest, independent judiciary in Nigeria that can do that anymore at the federal level. I repeat, some people are desperately determined to force a fraudulent election on the people, so if we look towards the courts we won’t get justice, that’s my fear. Therefore, I think it’s high time Nigerians began to demand and pressure for what is right, not just talking about it, but putting all political pressure possible to make sure they are not enslaved. That is what is happening all over the world now, and the people are not taking it kindly, they are resisting injustice by every means possible. You cannot do this type of thing in some other countries of the world and the people will take it from you. The people are ready to do anything possible to defend the truth and defend justice. The times are so abnormal; there are forces that want to take over this country by any means possible and if you allow them, at the judiciary they will cow the judiciary into giving them whatever they want. That is the problem. That is my fear. So, in the final analysis the people have to stand firm and defend themselves.
The United States of America has just weighed its big stick to sanction some of the individuals involved in the electoral fraud, those alleged to have compromised in the 2023 election. What is your reaction to this US action?
I think it’s on the right course. I know that at this point in our history, the US should remember that many countries are looking up to them to uphold justice and uphold credible elections. They have been accused all over the world of playing double standards some times, and of destroying some leaders of the people, so, I think, it’s high time they came out now and took sides with the people. If indeed they have done that it is the right course at this point in history.
As the politics of who becomes the Senate president gradually eludes the Southeast zone, considering the latest zoning arrangement of the ruling All Progressives Party (APC), what again do you expect from the National Assembly for your zone?
I have not started thinking about the Senate president yet. I am concerned more for now where we have a bigger stake (Presidency). I don’t think we have a legislature now, we did have before, but we don’t have any now. If we have a legislature all the ills going on in this country would have been stopped by the legislature. They are just there to share money, that is all. They are not there to defend the people, they are supposed to be the voice of the people, they are the soldiers of the people, but they are not defending interest of the people. They are elected by the people to go there and defend them, to serve them and work for them and make sure there is good governance, but it’s very sad the kind of legislators we have in recent times. To everybody who cares to look at what they are doing, their action is disappointing. Are they doing what they are supposed to do historically? Well, you can guess the answer yourself. They are not doing what they are supposed to do. In terms of expectations from them, there is nothing worth-commending.
The president is still requesting the approval of another loan of $800 million from the National Assembly…?
(Cuts in) It is still in line with what I was saying earlier that what we have as a legislature is disappointing. Have you seen them refuse anything passed on to them from President Buhari? They are just there for their selfish interest, it’s a sharing galore there, and it does not appear we have a government in the country. We just have a system that encourages looting, we have system of looters and even in our institutions it is nothing to write home about. Is it the military? Is it the oil industry? Is it the Customs? Is it the banks? They are looting everywhere, we are really unfortunate. What we have is government of the looters, for the looters, by the looters.
Given the disenchantment, the despondency in the land today, what exactly is the solution, what needs to be done so as to bring back hope again to the people?
The solution is to have self-determination for all the various agitating groups in Nigeria. The Hausa should be allowed to govern and organise themselves, just like others should be allowed to take charge of what is happening in their region or state. What we need is regional autonomy. It’s a federation system where the corporate units, the regions control their resources, their education, their security, their foreign relations etc, except relating on some broad basis because they are neighbours. Each of those states, no matter how small or how big takes a turn in providing the tutelary head of the federation. That is what should happen, that is what we should be looking for. The Hausa want freedom, the Yoruba, the Igbo, name them, all want freedom. They want to control their affairs. A situation where you find all the industries, the oil industries are controlled by one particular region and those in whose lands the oil is taken out do not get anything is unacceptable. It is a very sad situation. I still believe we don’t really have what one can call a government in place. I believe that what has happened in many other federations is bound to happen in Nigeria. Eventually, Nigeria will move into units of autonomous regions or states with common culture, common language, which is the natural state formation in the world today and if we are going to have a federation it will be like OAU or European Union, EU, where any state can move in as a member or move out if they don’t want to be there. It is not a situation where one ethnic group will come from anywhere and dominate and take over the whole federation and they will now install governments that will sit over your region, they kill your people, maim your people, they lord it over you as long as they get your resources and control resources. They control power over you on behalf of their masters. That is part of the problem we have.
But don’t you think that if we have a good leader, who is patriotic that can unite Nigerians that it’s possible to have a great country?
We can be one great country like the United Arab Emirates, UAE. But that leader will not preside over a situation that others are dominated and denied their fundamental human rights, where the country for example is dominated by the Igbo or Yoruba or the Hausa, where the Ijaw people are dominated and their resources controlled from the outside. That leader should be one who presides over the governance, freedom of the various units or states. The quality of such leader is what we are looking for. We should not have a union where the Fulani, or the Yoruba or the Igbo will dominate, no. And as you could see, the song of freedom is now raging in every nook and cranny of Nigeria, people; regions are agitating for their freedom and control of their affairs. This may be the last moment when anybody will come and organise this kind of fraudulent election and you expect that people should keep quiet.
What is the position of your group, Ala-Igbo Foundation on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu despite the pronouncement of the court he is still in prison?
Our organisation, Ala-Igbo Development Foundation was the first to visit him when he was in Kuje prison, we fought hard and eventually he was released. Even right now, we have been speaking, we have been demanding, but you can see raw dictatorship in action. I wish he will develop the spirit of Mandela who even when he was offered to become the president he refused, insisting that unless apartheid was going to go or abolished. What they are doing is to disorganize Nnamdi Kanu, but he knows where he stands and that is where he should stand. Will you release him and still be subjecting Ndigbo to slavery? The answer is in the womb of time. I am pained by his continuous incarceration.
