From Magnus Eze and Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
First Republic Minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi (Dara Akunwafor) is arguably the last of the titans; his transitioning in the early hours of yesterday, November 1, was actually the end of an era.
Until, yesterday morning, The Boy is Good, as he was popularly called, was the only surviving minister of the First Republic and member of the Zikist Movement. The Ukpor, Nnewi South Local Government of Anambra State-born nationalist was born on June 16, 1929.
The elder statesman who died in his hometown Ukpor at the age of 93 was pivotal to Nigeria’s Independence struggle.
A frontline trade unionist, Amechi was one of the young people of his era whose love for Nigeria never wavered.
He deprived himself the bloom of youth to fight for Nigerian independence. On several occasions, Amechi was arrested and detained by the colonial authorities and in more than two occasions, he preferred imprisonment instead of bowing to the oppressors. Other audacious youths who volunteered in that sacred obligation include Osita Agwuna, Nduka Eze, Mokwugo Okoye, Raji Abdallah, Ikenna Nzimiro, Anthony Enahoro, among others.
What added to Amechi’s mystique was that the more the incarceration, the more popular The Boy is Good became. It was a tribute to a rare courage, perseverance, uncompromising principle, sacrifice, stoic heroism, patriotic dispositions and extra-ordinary faith in the struggle for Nigerian independence that earned him Member of the Parliament at 29, Parliamentary Secretary and subsequently the Minister of Aviation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the First Republic.
As a true nationalist, he held on to his love for Nigeria to the end and was outspoken, speaking truth to power on issues he considered inimical to the unity of the country.
He cried and wept for Nigeria even at the very old age seeing the labours of the nationalists petering away in vain. In addition, he craved for a day that Nigeria will bounce back when a South Easterner would have taken over leadership of the country as the President.
At every point, those passionate, revolutionary, oratorical, edifying zest and robust intellect that characterize most freedom fighters were still very intact in the elder statesman.
Feelings about Nigeria
At the 60th Independence anniversary of Nigeria, Amaechi in an interview with The Sun said: “I won’t say I am happy, but I am grateful to God, first of all that I am alive and about the only living nationalist who has been around. But I feel that Nigeria as a nation even though we have not progressed, it has been 60 years of non development, development backwards. At our time of independence for example, the Naira and the dollar exchanged for 68 kobo, and in successive administrations, the dollar exchanged for one Naira. But today, the dollar is somewhere going to N500.
Knocks for military
He at every interview blamed the military, stating that “the military intervention in Nigeria destroyed so many things, destroyed the views and plans of the nationalists to build their country, destroyed values and introduced massive stealing and looting in the country. And there is no sign that the thing is going to end.”
His suggestions on the way out
“But if Nigeria is to go beyond this non progress, there must be sincerity and seriousness first of all in the recovery of what was stolen before. But the question is that with what the military has introduced in the country, we have the same thieves to catch thieves. For example, the Senate turned down the recommendation of the President to appoint Magu as the Chairman of EFCC two times and yet the President imposed Magu on the country until Magu “magued” the whole country himself. So, there is no sign, the whole future is full of danger and uncertainty. For example, those who are in government both at the legislative and executive, they are dominated by thieves. Go to the Senate, every governor who looted his state used the looted money to win a seat in the Senate. Most of them were arrested by the EFCC, charged to court but the matter ended there; nobody is hearing about their cases again. And so, in the next seven years or so, you find the Senate of the country having majority of the former governors, so how can you ever expect arresting of the situation in the country.”
On 2023 Elections
“There can be no peace in a country when a section of the country, a vital section of the country is selected out, mapped out and being treated as a slave in the country. Ndigbo are being treated as slaves in the country and unless there is a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction in 2023, I foresee serious crisis, I foresee very grave threat to even the existence of Nigeria as a nation.”
His last wish
Amaechi wished the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu was released by the Federal Government which was the reason he led some Igbo elders to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari in the Presidential Villa. Though Buhari did not accede to his request, he was still optimistic that the President and Federal Government would see the need for peace to return in the South East and release Kanu.
He also wished that a South easterner becomes the President of Nigeria come 2023 and gave his blessing and support to Peter Obi of the Labour Party. No wonder he said in July that if for any reason Obi loses in next year’s presidential polls, he (Amaechi) would conclude that God created Nigeria to suffer.
He had said: “I don’t think it was just an accident that Peter Obi emerged. I think it was God’s way. If anything happens to him, it would worsen the situation in Nigeria and the situation may degenerate to something non describable.
“If they’re afraid of Obi who is just a beginner, why should they not be eternally afraid? Peter Obi is the only governor who left office and nobody asked him any questions. Many other governors who left office have been arrested and charged to court but they ran into Senate or APC as a party and today their cases are closed. That’s the kind of rotten country you have. Yet people are suffering, and may continue to suffer.
“I don’t think God created us to continue to suffer. The 2023 election is an opportunity he’s provided for us to right the wrongs. You will see how the whole world will embrace Nigeria if Peter Obi wins the election and all the criminals and looters will melt away to Dubai.”
His resentment for political leaders in South East
Complaining of the present crop of political leaders especially the governors; he said: “I must tell you I don’t know what is happening; the present people who are in politics and in power in Igbo land are not reflecting the original Igboness in every Igbo man. They are afraid. Because of the amount of corruption and stealing that are taking place, they are afraid of EFCC, so they don’t want to talk, they don’t want to act.
“In Igbo land here, the cowardly people in government are afraid of EFCC and they don’t want to act or they don’t know what to do. They are educated, they are intelligent enough to see and to know what is happening but they are afraid to act. They don’t even want to consult those who can advise them on how to act without breaking the law. I want them to act within the law because as elected governors, they have powers, they can act, let them act within their powers but they don’t want to act because they are afraid of something.”
He also accused Igbo leaders of betraying IPOB and other Biafra agitators. President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Prof George Obiozor in a goodwill message to Amechi during his 92nd birthday, prayed that he lived to harvest the fruit of his dreams for Ndigbo in a united prosperous Nigeria that guaranteed justice, equity and fairness to all.