Tinubu should assemble those that can help him fix Nigeria’s economy -Igwe Mbamalu

Igwe Gerald Obunadike Mbamalu, Eze Oranyelu 1, Eze Ojoto 111 in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State has stated that President Bola Tinubu inherited considerable economic burden from the immediate past administration which, he said, is responsible for the economic hardship in the country. He however charged the president to assemble those that would help him fix the economy.

In an interview with DICKSON OKAFOR, the monarch opined that the demand for new minimum wage for Nigerian workers by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is necessary, even as he noted that the current wages of Nigerian workers were nothing to write home about when compared to the state of the economy. He said, however, that the organised private sector would find it hard paying N250, 000 being demanded as minimum wage by labour. In his words, most companies would simply fold up if that minimum wage is implemented.
He spoke about other issues, including why traditional rulers are largely silent on certain national matters.
Many Nigerians have noted that traditional rulers have been largely silent on the economic hardship they’ve been facing face since the inception of the present administration. Why is this so?

The reason some of us are silent on some sensitive national issues is because our voices have been taken away by government due to fact that traditional rulers don’t have constitutional backing. That is why we are not heard and in most cases government does not take our opinions into consideration in finding solutions to the economic, social and political problem in the country. And because we are underrated, there is little we can do to bring solutions to some of the crisis in the country. So, it’s not as if traditional rulers are not concerned over the economic hardship Nigerians are going through, but our contributions or voices are taken seriously by government. That is why some monarchs have decided to keep quiet. Some are afraid to comment or take a position on certain issues that may be contrary to the decision of government and the monarchs bear the consequence. That is why some traditional rulers decided to sit on the fence and watch.

However, some of us still lend our voices to some of the misplaced priorities by government, which are the cause of the economic hardship the people are facing. Therefore, government does not spare vocal traditional rulers. Unfortunately, hardship does not spare the relatives of those in government. They may not be affected because they are still in power as the resources are available at your disposal to distribute. But when they leave the seat of power and get to their villages where are superintendents, they will realise that their relations are in abject poverty. Not until they come out of power that they will know what people are going through. So, traditional rulers are contributing their best by lending their voices to the plight of the masses. But like I said earlier, some of us are keeping quiet on sensitive national issues in order not to incur the wrath of government which is the yardstick for judging our loyalty.

The FG has sued the 36 governors over the autonomy of local government councils. What is your position on this?
Traditional rulers are not partisan and if we decide to take state governments to court we will be baptised with different names as anti-government. We are entitled to five per cent of government allocation, but it never comes to us, even though we have a whole lot of challenges in our communities ranging from youth restiveness to unemployment and insecurity. And our subjects will fall back to us as if we have financial allocations from government to meet their needs. In Anambra State, government constituted a vigilance group with 20 personnel in each community. In my community, Ojoto the 20 personnel are not enough, hence we have over 20 vigilantes and at that rate we are still subsidising it. These are able-bodied men with families and have children that go to school and hospital and wives that go to market to buy food as they must fend for their families. How can we get the best for the vigilante? It is through placing them on comfortable allowances so that when they are out there working, they know that government will take care of any exigencies that confront their families. So, this is part of what the five per cent allocation would have been used for. But since it is not coming to us, we don’t have the power to protest so we leave it in the hands of God, believing that one day somebody will come and do the right thing. However, my colleagues and I are in support of local government autonomy.

What is your opinion on the imbalance in the state structure in the country?
Traditional rulers can only make inputs because we don’t have the power to approve state creation, hence such power is not vested on us. It depends on the National Assembly, if they are sincere or just making a political statement, which is best known to them. But the balance of state structure in Nigeria is long overdue and the bill for the creation of Orlu State is the answer if signed into law. Unfortunately, it is not only the bill for the creation of Orlu State that is before the review of the 1999 Constitution committee. The 36 states in the country were distributed unevenly among the six geo-political zones. The South-South, South-West, North Central as well as North East have six states each. North-West has seven states while South-East has five states. And if additional states are created in the other zones, South-East must have more than one state to equate the state structure in Nigeria, otherwise the imbalance will still be there.

What do you think government should do to stabilise the economy, reduce taxation and electricity tariff?
Government is a continuum, and it is the same political party that has been ruling since 2015 that is still in power. So, if the economy is getting worse, it is the same party that is in the driver’s seat. What we have in Nigeria now is that the rich also cry. The rate at which people are struggling to survive calls for great concern. How can a worker who is paid N30,000 a month take care of his wife and children at the present economic situation in Nigeria? I advise President Bola Tinubu to retool and rejig the financial system in order to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal, and bring prosperity and relief to the people. Presently, most families cannot afford basic items because of the hike in prices. The food crisis is worse because you can stay in your house without light. You may decide not to go out because you cannot afford fuel or you don’t have transport fare. But you can’t stay without food. It is that bad without corresponding increase in salary and that is exactly what majority of Nigerians are facing. If nothing is done urgently, people will begin to fall and die because of hunger and inability to afford drugs for treatment when they fall sick.

On the minimum wage issue, Labour is insisting on N250, 000, but the federal government says it can pay only N62, 000. What are your thoughts?
When you talk about the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), you are talking about Nigerian workers. Now, you ask yourself, what is the percentage of the organised labour when compared to the population of Nigeria? What percentage of the organised labour is in the private sector? How is the private sector surviving? How are industries and companies surviving in Nigeria? Because they have no subvention from government, so how are they surviving? So, when the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) talks about minimum wage, they should also include their counterparts in the private sector. Yes, everybody knows that what is obtainable as salary is nothing to write home about compared to the state of the economy. Our problem is not minimum wage; our problem is that the economy is not managed properly. If our economy can be fixed, the price of goods and services will come down and there won’t be demand for increase in the minimum wage. Because if the government succeeds in increasing the minimum wage to N250,000, the crisis will shift to the unorganised labour. They will ask for a rise in the minimum wage from the companies and industries where they work. And if that happens, some of the companies and industries will close down because they won’t have the resources to run the cost. There is no steady power supply and to run a company you need energy. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, companies and industries are run on generator from 8:am to 5:pm every day. On daily basis, if you map out N700,000 for diesel, how can such company pay N250,000 which NLC is demanding as new minimum wage? Before now, minimum wage was N30,000 and workers were happy working, but because of increase in prices of goods and services, workers can no longer cope with the amount. So, if government can push back things as they were before the inception of the present administration, there won’t be agitation for wage increase by workers. Therefore I’m on the side of increase in the minimum wage, it is necessary because of economic hardship.
Recently, some soldiers were brutally murdered in Abia State following the sit-at-home order by the

Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). What do you think should be done to end sit-at-home in the south-East?
I sympathise with and console the families of the fallen heroes. I want to let my people in the South-East know that attacking the police and soldiers and killing them is not going to solve our problem. Because they are normal human beings like us who were ordered to come and protect us, and they can’t say no, they won’t come. If they had option, they would drop their guns and follow you because they are facing the same problem we are facing. We can achieve whatever we want without killing ourselves or killing security operatives. And if we continue to kill ourselves, we will get to a point when we won’t see people who will join us to continue the agitation. We can’t continue to cause more problem to ourselves and you expect government to fold its arms and watch you kill trained soldiers and police officers. That is not what we want. As we speak the Army is combing everywhere, searching for the killers of the five soldiers and some innocent people may fall victim of what they don’t know about. I appeal to the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa to direct his men to ensure the killers are found so that innocent people won’t suffer for what they know nothing about.

The reinstatement of the former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi is causing an uneasy calm in Kano, as Emir Ado Bayero has refused to vacate the throne. What is your take on Emirship tussle?
To me, Kano State is ridiculing the traditional institution. They should stop ridiculing the traditional institution. The Police and Army that besieged the state to protect both Emirs are government instruments. They are given orders and counter order against the same traditional institution they are trying to protect. In the first instance, why was Sanusi deposed? What was his offence? Was it justified? What goes around comes around and that is what is playing out in Kano. Somebody wants power and somebody wants to penalize somebody because he has the power. And he wants to use his authority to remove somebody and put another person on the throne. So, what they are doing is political. Kano Emirate is a respected Emirate, and if they politicize it, it will not be good for the traditional institution.
Some political heavyweights in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-East have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), especially in Anambra State because of next year’s governorship election. What are your thoughts on the development
The South-Easterners are businessmen and every businessman is looking for survival and consolidation. If you look at a brand marketer or developer, if he develops a brand and it is accepted in the market, he will not stop at that, but he will try to see if he can develop another brand. And people will say the brand marketer has developed several brands that are acceptable, therefore he is a good marketer. That is what is happening in South-East politically. Their intention is to achieve their political goal and to get to elective position. And the vehicle that will take them to the elective position is what is making them to run from one political party to the other. Look at their history. Where are you starting from? I will rather tell you that Nigeria used to be a one-party state because all these gladiators are offspring of PDP and they keep on moving. The Governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo once contested the governorship position under PDP, but today he is in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) where he won. Governor Hope Uzodinma was a Senator under PDP. Senator Dave Umahi was governor under PDP and Emeka Ihedioha was Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Governor of Imo State under PDP. So, it is just like a vessel and they enter whichever vessel that will take them to the Promised Land. All the political parties in Nigeria are the same and you just join the one that will take you to where you are going. It is not a political party that wins election, but individuals. Governor Alex Otti contested on the platform of APGA, but in the last governorship election, he contested under Labour Party and he won. He is doing marvellously well in Abia State. It is not about Labour Party, but it is about Alex Otti, hence 80 per cent of those that won election went into Labour Party because of Peter Obi’s credibility. They were not members of LP, but an amalgamation of people from different political divides because they are looking for easiest way to get to the promise land.

What is your assessment of Tinubu’s one year in office?
President Tinubu has a very big problem because he inherited economic burdens from the immediate past administration. As he ascends the presidency he did not believe that his party, APC, didn’t do well in eight years. Trying to cover up his party through which he rose to become the president is his greatest challenge. Because before he became president, he said his party was doing well, so that he will not incur the wrath of the party. So, he has decided to repair the economy and he cannot do it alone because he has never been president before, but only governor of Lagos State. All he needs to do right now is to assembly people who will help him fix the economy. Because the people he could vouch for are those who worked with him 18 years ago when he was governor. But how many are they? And it is the same people he is recycling, but you find out that it is a different ball game from the state level. We might not be able to assess Tinubu within one year because he is trying to understudy people he is working with to see if they will help him move the economy forward.

What is your take on the replacement of the national anthem with the old one?
When we were singing the initial anthem which President Tinubu has brought back, the official car of government officials was Peugeot 504, but now government official cars are SUVs. The way they changed the national anthem, they should also reduce the cost of governance.