FG should not use second Niger Bridge as bait to win Igbo votes —Rear Admiral Osondu

Rear Admiral Raphael Onyekwere Osondu (retd) served in various capacities in the Nigerian Navy before bowing out of the service. He once served as the Chief of Naval Transformation at Naval Headquarters, Abuja, among other positions. In this interview with Group Politics Editor, TAIWO ADISA, he speaks on 2019 elections and the need for military men to go for further training to function well in a democratic setting.

Some former military chiefs recently adopted President Muhammadu Buhari as their candidate. Why were you not part of the visit to the Villa?

There is no political party for the military in the first instance. If there was one and I joined, yes, I would have supported the party’s candidate. When I was in the military, I owed my president and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces my total loyalty. Now that I am retired, I have freedom of association. Our Constitution provides for it. I joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). because I see its members are like progressive minds and I believe in the ideology of the party.

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Why is the Ohanaeze Ndigbo divided about its support for President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Abubakar Atiku?

The greatest problem of Ndigbo is that we failed to synergise in unity and we also failed to love ourselves. I will not blame them because we are metropolitan in nature. Our metropolitan nature did not give us the grace to have a king to dictate to us like we have in other parts of the country that is being ruled by traditional rulers. We only have a Council of Elders that was unanimously elected to represent us. If the executives of Ndigbo endorsed Atiku as their candidate, I see no reason why a lone voice somewhere should counter their decision.

Why are the Igbo excited about the Second Niger Bridge project currently being worked on by the Federal Government?

The Second Niger Bridge is an infrastructure that should not be toyed with politically. People are now playing politics with what is a necessity, but having the Second Niger Bridge is necessary and should not be politicised. Nigerians don’t really deal with cargo planes; rather we put the goods on the roads. The traffic on the existing bridge is much and as such it is weakened, thus reducing its lifespan and this poses a grave danger.

The Second Niger Bridge would connect to the South-West, South-South, down to Cameroon and to the South-East, which is the business hub of Nigeria. Therefore, the construction of this important bridge should not be politicised and nobody should use it as bait. They are not doing the South-East a favour, rather they are doing the country a necessity. I don’t expect people to get hoodwinked with playing games with what is a necessity.

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Do you think the Igbo would fare better under the Atiku administration, if he wins?

I am sure that the Igbo would have better prospects in an Atiku administration in terms of some policies that I believe would be friendly.

Peoples have said that persons with civilian background deepen democracy better. So, you agree with that by backing Atiku?

The background matters a lot and that is why you have different leaders with different styles. Nigeria is a complex country; a country within nations. Each nation has their peculiarities. So, anyone who is prepared to rule Nigeria should be detribalised; he should not be linked to region or ethnicity. These are attributes of a leader. A country is seen in the character of its leader. In my opinion, Atiku would make a better president. I believe that, as a military man, one should first school himself in politics to understand the friendly nature of the society. If not, you would still be dictating, instead of being democratic. For Atiku and his combination with Peter Obi, I see a better Nigeria.

As an indigene of Abia State, would you say that the criticisms of lack of performance being levelled by the opposition in the state against Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of PDP are justified?

It is on record that, shortly after he was sworn in, there were a lot of litigations against him. First was the one by the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) which was protracted for some period. Immediately after he emerged victorious in the court, there was a litigation by Uche Ogar from within PDP and Governor Ikpeazu was again back in court. There were distractions for almost two years, but notwithstanding, he still made commendable achievements and within the resources available. In Ikwuano Oboro Local Government Area where I come from, there are some positive developments; in the area of empowerment, the governor has done well. In the area of vocations for our teeming youths, he provided employment. In the area of infrastructure within the Umuahia metropolis, the Old Aba Road that takes you through the express, he is doing well. The resources might not be there as expected, but he is doing something solid. Also in Aba, he has being working on so many roads. He is not just doing a rehabilitation job, rather reconstructing some of these roads. He still has the blue print of revolutionising the state by taping from the potentials that are peculiar to each local government area. In all, I believe, if given time, all these objectives would be fully released.

How will you assess the quality of representation by the federal lawmakers who are representing the state in the National Assembly, considering the fact that most of the federal roads that link the state to other states are in a bad shape?

Talking about quality representation, Abia State is blessed with legislators with sound minds. When you look at our senators-the likes of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Senator Theodore Orji, even the late Senator Uche Chukwumerije and Senator Mao Ohunabunwa, these are very vocal senators in the National Assembly. Politics is all about negotiations; others are also negotiating from the same source. Negotiation means advancing your cause with strong reasons for considerations. I am aware that Senator Theodore Orji is a member of the Works Committee of the Senate and he was able to cry out, especially on the state of the Ikot- Ekpene Road and the Federal Government directed the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to do some palliatives and the road became passable. Before you know it, the road went bad again because of the presence of heavy trucks and traffic on that road. In other words, the road needs more attention from the Federal Government to be able to withstand the traffic.

Our representative in the House of Representatives for Ikwuano/ Umuahia Federal constituency, Honourable Onigbo, also drew the attention of the Federal Government to the menace of erosion on the road linking Obiohia to Cross Rivers State. The repair of the road has been approved. I know that it takes some due process to accomplish that. By and large, I will say that the lawmakers have done well.

What are your expectations if Governor Ikpeazu eventually wins a second term of office?

My expectation is that he should fulfill his campaign promises. He has started some good and commendable projects; we want to see completion of these projects by the end of his second tenure.

Do you have any fears about the possibility of the forthcoming elections as being free, fair and credible as projected by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)?

In these elections, if everybody performs their civil right and vote their candidates and also protect their votes, it would be difficult to rig. Nigeria belongs to God and not to any group or individuals. Let us do the right thing to have free, fair elections. My advice is that the youths should not die for anyone by being political thugs and for which they are paid peanuts. They should remember that the children of the politicians are abroad in safe havens.

What do you think should be the role of retired Generals in politics?

My advice is that they are senior statesmen, they should not be spectators. The Navy is the only arm of military that has a diplomatic training and so my retired colleagues should live by the standards of the Navy at all time.