What is your reaction to the plan by the Federal Government to establish cattle grazing reserve otherwise called Ruga or “colony” across the country to stem further clashes between herdsmen and their host communities?
The Federal Government should not deliberately court problem for itself. The Fulani herders are purely businessmen and what they are doing with their cattle in terms of breeding is private. So, I see no reason for Federal Government to embark on such issue like establishing colony for herders. However, Federal Government can assist business men and women including herders through subsidising or giving out soft loans to them but not acquiring land as a colony. I do not think anybody will accept an outsider to take over his or her personal land. If I may ask, what is special about Fulani herdsmen to attract preferential treatment from government? Well, if other ethnic groups in the country accept the establishment of cattle colony in their land, we will not allow such a thing in Igbo land. We vehemently oppose it. It is not in our interest as it means Islamizing us.
Ndigbo are also against the call for the establishment of Miyetti Allah Youth Vigilante in Southeast geo- political zone. Why?
In the first place, the duty of securing life and property lies with government. The essence of governance is securing life and property. And any government that is unable to do that is not worth answering a government. I am not aware that Miyetti Allah is a government except if they have displaced the government in power, so for them to secure life and property in Southeast probably shows that they are now the government in the Southeast or trying to displace the government in southeast. Nigerian people and the people of Southeast have been having a running battle with members of this group. They have been kidnapping people, raping women in farms, destroying farm land with their cattle, forcefully occupying lands that do not belong to them and committing all sorts of criminality. How can we trust the same people to safeguard our lives and property? It is an insult to Ndigbo and to the southeast for Miyetti Allah to offer to protect us when we have constitutional governments in the southeast and Igbo land. We have community vigilante, various youths and associations in Igbo land and Southeast. Besides, when has Southeast become centre of focus for Miyetti Allah and what purpose is their offer to protect us in our own land? What purpose does it portend? These people have their owns states, regions and lands, why have they abandoned their areas to come and protect us in our land. I am aware there is serious insecurity in the North and I though it would have been a challenge to Miyetti Allah. Boko Haram and bandits are ravaging the Northeast in particular and Miyetti Allah has not done anything about it. Ironically, Miyetti Allah is talking of coming to protect us. It is an insult and assault on the people of Southeast and Ndigbo in general. Yes, it takes a thief to catch a thief we know, but we do not deserve this kind of thief who will come and destroy your farms, rape your women and rob at the highway. It like telling a pussy cat to come and guard a house rat.
Do you not think that establishment of youth vigilant group is a way of fishing out bad eggs among the ones said to be perpetrating the evil?
We do not need Miyetti Allah Vigilante group to fish out bed eggs among them. What we need from their leaders and honest ones among them is intelligence reports from them to host communities and government as well as security agencies so that the bad ones will not be spoiling the good ones. So they do not need their vigilante outfits as it would amount to setting up parallel security outfit with community vigilante and they would be working at across purposes. So, I do not believe they have genuine reason for such establishment.
What are the fears Ndigbo have over such demand and what if the vigilante group is allowed to be established by Miyetti Allah?
I will take you back to history. There is a place called Kataf (now Zangon Kataf) where retired General Zamani Lekwot hails from, they were given portion of land to settle called Zangon. This community did it with all honesty without strings attached. By the time you know, the Zangon became Emirate with Emirs and the owners of the land became tenants in their own land. Today, Zangon Kataf is a theatre of bloodshed. Even their first class traditional ruler in a place called Adara was recently murderd. And this is the pattern in almost all parts of the Middle Belt. Even in Yoruba land, we have not lost the sight of Afonja treachery in Ilorin. The history is there and the facts are there. One popular musician in Igbo land called Oriental Brothers cautioned that one should be careful with who you invite to have supper with as the same person will accuse you of eating the largest portion of your own food. We are not saying that peaceful herders should not do their business if they have money to acquire land but not forcefully take over peoples land for purpose of cattle rearing and not to establish an emirate of colony of any sort.
What kind of compromise on the part of herders and Ndigbo do you want to allow for such demand to scale through and why?
There will be no compromise as long as setting up of Miyetti Allah Youth Vigliante is concerned. Except if they are now government. If so, let them tell us. The compromise is for them to respect the laws, tradition, customs and values of their host communities. That is the only compromise we need. However, they can have a monitoring group to monitor the activities of their members to ensure that they do not fall foul of the laws of their host communities. I understand that they have been given N100b to buy land for their business in the South. Although it is still an allegation but surprisingly the group agreed that they demanded such money from the Federal Government as a solution to the menace of some of the herdsmen. On the part of the Miyetti Allah, the leaders should listen to the fears and views of their host communities and respect it. They should do their business without running foul or compromising the security of lives and property of their host communities. There is vast land in the North for cattle rearing. The Sambisa forest is three times the size of the entire Igbo land, Borno State land is bigger than Britain and France combined in land mass. So, I challenge Nigerian Scientists and Northern leaders to turn this vast land in the North to arable land for both farming cattle grazing. For instance, Lake Chad was more than 75,000 square kilometers but today, it less than 3,000 square kilometers. What are our scientists doing amidst all these professors. What is the government in the North doing to stem desert encroachment and ironically, most of our past and current leaders are from the North. When it comes to education, they say they are disadvantaged but when it comes to sharing juicy positions, they hold on to them. Are they saying for instance that the Northerners read law more than the Easterners which make them to take over the judiciary. It is their total failure in leadership that they want us to suffer. For instance, recently, our leaders like Chief Rochas Okorocha, Rotimi Amaechi and Senator Orji Uzo Kalu accuse Ndigbo of playing myopic politics because many Igbo voted for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the last general election. I want to challenge them to tell Nigerians what the political sagacity of the North has translated to? Is it Boko Haram insurgency, is Amajiris syndrome, is it kidnapping and banditry, is it endemic poverty despite taking lion share of national cake every month? The trio should apologise to Ndigbo because they became whatever they are in politics on Igbo platform.
Let us talk on the quest for Igbo presidency. Strictly, is a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction feasible in 2023?
Well, some people call it Nigerian president of Igbo extraction. I believe it is feasible if Nigerians believe in equity and fairplay Some people say there is no morality in politics but I disagree. Politics is all about justice, morality, equity and service. Other blocs have had their own, fair share of political power on basis of equity and fairness. I see no reason the case of Ndigbo presidency should be different. What Ndigbo need is combination of political tact, bridge-building and networking. Other ethnic nationalities and political blocs should support Igbo cause just as Ndigbo supported them in the past. Ndigbo on their part should be united and put their acts together and reach out to other ethnic nationalities and their political leaders. The dominant and indeed all the political parties should zone the presidency to the Southeast on moral ground. It enhances political stability. It was through zoning that produced Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Jonathan. It was the alteration of the zoning that made the North to one go against Jonathan in 2015.
In the 2019 general election, Ohanaeze Ndigbo openly supported Alhaji Atiku Abuabakar to realise his presidential project. Is there any regret from the Ohanaeze flank for taking partisan position?
We have no regret for standing on the side of Ndigbo as the Igbo have been agitating for restructuring of the country. Ohanaeze did what Ndigbo aspired to have. Ndigbo are marginalised. We have the least number of states, least number of local governments, least opportunities at the centre which is affecting us badly. So, among all the presidential candidates, it was only Abubakar who had the working paper on restructuring, he interfaced with Ohanaeze leadership. Atiku Abubakar agreed with Ohanaeze position on restructuring. Did you want us to support a candidate that mentioned 2014 confab report? No matter the outcome of the poll result, Ohanaeze has no regret. Remember the Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum, Northern Elders Froum, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDELF) and Civil Society groups agreed that Nigeria needs restructuring. We still believe that Nigeria can never move forward unless Nigeria is restructured. What we are experiencing is business as usual which will take us nowhere.
What are your expectations from President Muhammadu Buahri’s second tenure?
Well, if he succeeds at the tribunal, he should take a new leaf and become President of Nigeria and not President of Daura or President of Northern Nigeria. He should carry along all sections of the country and listen to yearning and cries of the people. He should revisit the 2014 National Conference report and implement the parts that are germane to building a progressive and prosperous society, with the cooperation of other arms of government. The Ohanaeze has made it clear that there are Igbo in All Progressives Congress (APC) and if he (Buhari) wants to be fair to all, he should form government of national unity with merit as premium. President Buhari should spread appointments and run an inclusive government. What is wrong if he picks Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) from the Southeast? The Second Niger Bridge should go beyond rhetoric. They should stop playing politics with Second Niger bridge and Akanu Ibiam International airport, Enugu. We in the South East are expecting President Buhari to actualize the additional state in the Southeast through an executive bill. If he can do it for MKO Abiola, he can do it for Ndigbo if the political will is there. It will put to an end the perception that he hates Ndigbo.
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