National President of Indigenous Igbo Youths Congress (IIYC), Chief Mayor Echefu has said that President Muhammadu Buhari has no excuse excuse not to release the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu
In an interview with Vincent Kalu, the IIYC leader noted that if Boko Haram terrorists and insurgents could be pampered, granted pardon and repackaged, then there is no justification for Kanu’s continuous detention and trial.
After Igbo leaders have at different forums pleaded with Buhari to release Nnamdi Kanu, the president said only the court will determine the IPOB leader’s fate. What is your reaction?
President Buhari is not fair in his statement on Nnamdi Kanu. Unless he is telling us that we have two Nigerians, the senior and the junior Nigerians, which is not true. We were all here when some terrorists or members of Boko Haram insurgent group were said to have ‘repented’ and were granted pardon. They were repackaged and sent back to the society. We heard that they were even placed on salaries. However, the interesting thing is that the same ‘repentant’ terrorists were giving information to their members in the forest, which led to ambushing and killing of soldiers fighting the Islamic sect. This is what the president has done to these deadly people. Yet, Kanu has not even dreamt of doing what this sect has done and is still doing, but he is facing trial.
We have seen instances where the present and past attorneys general of the federation have withdrawn the case files of those facing criminal charges in various courts. If we are a sincere country, and the president wants to solve the problem that is hinging on a section of the country, he would have instructed the chief law officer of the country, the attorney general, to enter a nolle prosequi (to discontinue the trial) for a political solution of the Nnamdi Kanu’s matter.
But IPOB has absolved itself of the sit-at-home order paralysing social and economic activities in the South-East
The sit-at-home was orchestrated by the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu. Whether IPOB is distancing itself or not, it is observed by the Igbo to draw attention to what is happening to their son and brother. The sit-at- home every Monday and other days the trial is holding is no doubt affecting the economy of the South-East. If the president feels that he is not concerned because it is only in that region, then he is wrong because the South-East is an integral part of the country, and whatever that touches the eyes also affects the nose. If the economy of the South-East is affected, it is also impacting on the nation’s economy. So, he doesn’t have any excuse unless he wants to live up to his accusation that anything that concerns the Igbo, he treats it differently, as a non-issue. It is this type of mind-set that fuelled the agitations in the region. Had he seen Nigeria as one and seen all Nigerians as his children, these agitations across the country wouldn’t have been in the first place. Ijaw are agitating to leave Nigeria. You have Sunday Igboho in the South-West. The greatest thing he will do is to release Kanu unconditionally.
The injustice in this country is heart-breaking. Bandits have taken over so many communities in the North-West. Every day, they are dispatching scores to their early graves, and we are told that the security agencies don’t know where these terrorists operate from, but Sheikh Gumi with his team has been going to the forests to meet and hobnob with these terrorists. The nation looks the other way. This tells you the type of country we have. If a Southerner does what Gumi is doing, he would have been in DSS custody. The bandits, as the government wants them to be addressed, blew up the Kaduna-Abuja train, killed some passengers and abducted many who are still with them. If that had happened in the South-East or any state in the South, the Tucano jets and other fighter planes would have been unleashed on that state. Look at what happened in Plateau State last month where herdsmen slaughtered over 100 persons and it was repeated in Benue State,the following day. Over 34 persons were allegedly killed by herdsmen. Was there any arrest made? The military is alleged to be killing youths in Igbo land in the name of searching for unknown gunmen, but everybody is keeping quiet.
Not quite long, the United Arab Emirates came out with names of Nigerians funding Boko Haram, but the Federal Government is keeping grave silence or shielding them, when Nigerian thought that they would be prosecuted and made a public show of them because of what they have caused for this country.
South-East leaders are insisting that the zone should produce the presidency in 2023. Are you in tune with that?
I would prefer Nnamdi Kanu’s freedom to the president coming from the South-East. However, it is the legitimate right of the zone to produce the presidency. Based on the political history of Nigeria, it’s the turn of the South-East to produce the president. While other zones have produced the president or the head of state for years, the South-East has only been there for six months and that was Aguiyi Ironsi. The North has occupied the seat for about 44 years, the South-West for about 12 years, while the South-South has had it for five years. So, if you are talking about equity, fair play and justice, every other zone should rally round to support the South-East to occupy the presidency.
But the argument is that the race should be open for the best and the most competent to succeed Buhari?
I have no problem with that, or I would have asked, is it now that they are talking about competency? The proponents of ‘competency,’ where were they in 2015 and 2019? Right, if they are talking about competent people, they abound in the South-East; you cannot count them, just as you cannot count the stars in the sky. How I wish that from now, everything we do in this country will be determined on merit, be it in the recruitment processes, employment and admissions into schools, etc. Like it was done in 1999, where the South-West was allowed to present the two presidential candidates, the APC and the PDP will do themselves a great favour by giving their tickets to competent people from the South-East.
Nigeria is asphyxiating, and very deep in the abyss, so it will take people who have seen the worst in life and who are afraid of failure to bring the country out from the abyss. We should remember that the Igbo were at the nadir of life or existence about 50 years ago, but that determination not to fail in any endeavour saw them bouncing back and doing very well. That is the type of spirit we need now to pull Nigeria out of the brinks.
I thank the likes of Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Edwin Clark, and Alhaji Tanko Yakasai and of course, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who are insisting that if equity, justice and fair play should be on our front burner, then the South-East should produce the presidency. These are elders and statesmen. Pa Adebanjo is about 93 years old; almost the same age bracket with Chief Clark and Alhaji Yakasai is about 95. What an elder sees while sitting down, the young ones cannot see it even if they climb the tallest tree in the community. They know what they have seen and why they are harping on the presidency coming from the South-East. From experience, a Southeast president will better the other regions than the South-East zone. He would like to prove to the other zones that he is very capable, while leaving his own area. So, it is in the best interest of the North to support the Igbo than keep insisting on occupying the presidency. They have been there for over 42 years, but they have not used it to lift the region from all negative indices of development. When they say Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world, it is mostly about the North. It is the same with out of school children. The Northern leaders should think differently this time.
In the event that the presidency eludes South-East, what will IIYC do?
We don’t foresee that because Nigerians are thinking rationally now because the way the country is going, there is the fear that it may collapse on everyone. Who is not affected by the excruciating poverty and insecurity in the land? As it is affecting them so, it is also affecting others.
If you don’t want equity, fair play and justice to thrive in a country, where Igbo will feel belonged, then allow them to go and be on their own. You have already said they don’t agree among themselves and they don’t love themselves, why not allow them to go, so that when they kill themselves, you then come and inherit and occupy their land. This is what I cannot comprehend. Allow them to go, but you refused; then allow them to stay by enthroning equity, fair play and justice; also you don’t want to hear about it. History will not be kind to any Igbo man or woman who tries to torpedo this president of South-East extraction project.