Former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has advised the Federal Government against bringing the sledgehammer down on the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, and his supporters for their perceived radicalism and excesses. According to him, invoking the wrath  of law on him won’t help in the search for enduring peace and resolution of the nagging questions of disenchantment that gave rise to the agitation he led.

Speaking with VINCENT KALU, the elder statesman pointed out that the issue should be on how to save Nigeria, which he said has failed woefully.

Now, the Federal Government appears set to crack down on Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB, with President Buhari’s order. Won’t the move be justified?

Invoking the wrath of the law helps nobody. What is necessary is that we, the elders of Igbo land, should speak reason in the head of Kanu. He has done great already, but he is overstepping bounds. For example, he said that the November 18 gubernatorial election in Anambra State would not hold. If that comes to pass, what does he think would happen? The Federal Government would declare a state of emergency in Anambra and choose whom they like to be the sole administrator of that state. Would Kanu like that, would any clear thinking person like that? That will be creating another opportunity for the Federal Government to devastate the South East the more.

The issue is that when a young man is making progress, especially being adored by the people, he may go beyond reason without knowing it; with all his good intentions, he may go beyond reason. Instead of castigating him, let us talk reason into his head.   

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How do you react to Generals Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Obasanjo’s alleged meeting in Minna, to determine post Buhari’s presidency in 2019?

  I leave that in the hands of God, 2019 is too far; the Nigeria we are running now has failed woefully. There must be a new Nigeria. Remaking Nigeria is the issue. Not even the APC, the PDP or any other party can save Nigeria, we must change, and it is not business as usual. We have failed God and man, and we have failed Africa, we have failed everybody and therefore, it must be a new chapter, if we are still going to continue, otherwise, this country, as you know it, may not exist again.With the country seemingly on edge, how soon do you think the much –clamoured for  restructuring of the polity should be done?

By middle or end of September 2017, the Federal Government should set up a body (perhaps Sovereign National Conference/Constituent Assembly) to work out details of a new Nigeria, based on improvement on our old durable foundations of the agreed Nigeria, aided by the report of the 2014 National Conference. Perhaps, the first month of the body’s work should be devoted to the participants from each zone working out their zonal constitutions, which will then go to the state/zonal Assembly for any further action. Then, the structure of a new Nigeria is adopted by mid-2018. A chunk of the conference/assembly time should be devoted to developing anti-corruption measures, with a view to achieving, as much as possible, a zero-tolerance of corruption in the new Nigeria. The body should also work out ways to empower women for electoral offices, in view of their special good qualities. This can be done by creating women’s exclusive constituencies.

C.  The new structure is fully implementable before the end of the first quarter of 2019.