Dr Thomas Aguobiwuru Obiefule is the paramount ruler of Umudioka ancient kingdom in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, national president, Traditional Rulers Association of Nigeria and patron, Imo State Council of Ndieze. Eze Obiefule, who is currently the zonal chairman of Orlu Traditional Institute and community policing in the state, speaks to JOHN KENNEDY UZOMA on the spate of insecurity in the country as well as the clamour for secession by some groups.
What is your take on the level of insecurity in the country?
I think I am proper and in a good position to tell Nigerians and the world what and how I feel about the country today. You can call it the state of the nation. It’s very important to note that things are going very wrongly in our country today. Instead of moving in the right direction, things appear to be taking another direction. I have been on the throne for 40 years now. I was recognised as the traditional ruler of my community in 1981. This is 40 years I have been a traditional ruler and my age now is about 80 years. So somebody who has been in the country for 80 years and been a traditional ruler for 40 years is not a joke. At the forefront of politicking, I am doing my best to educate and champion peace in the country.
But without any hesitation, what has been happening in this country is terrible. The whole thing is moving very badly to the extent that people are killed and kidnapped on a daily basis. There is also banditry everywhere. So where are we heading to? Go to the North, the West and East, it is all about insecurity. So what do we do? In fact, I think what we need in this unfortunate situation is God’s intervention. I am appealing and calling on God to come to our rescue and bring remedy to the present insecurity in the land.
It’s unfortunate that even here, Imo State, where people from across the world, used to come to enjoy themselves, now witnesses raping, kidnapping and banditry. Look at the other time, the house of a sitting governor was attacked and set ablaze at his village, where ordinarily he is supposed to run to for safety when someone pursues him. Do you know that I even relate with my fellow traditional rulers in the Northern states such as Katsina and Borno, among others. I have been reaching them regularly as the National President of the Traditional Rulers Association of Nigeria. Whenever I contact them, it is the same report that I receive from there. We do send the complaints to the presidency. The earlier the Federal Government calls for stakeholders’ security meetings, the better it will be to find solutions.
The target of the attack has been government’s institutions such as the police stations, correctional centres. Are you not worried?
I am very much worried. The institutions such as police stations, correctional centres and other security apparatuses are key. If we don’t have them, where are we going? It means that the whole nation is gone. We must do everything humanly possible to stop it. I know that if there is peace in Nigeria, all these things would not have taken place in the first place. The rate of unemployment in the country is on the high side, a situation where graduates will stay for 10 years and above without a job. These things contribute to insecurity in the country. If you don’t know, it may be difficult to stop banditry and kidnapping if we fail to rise up to tackle some of these issues such as unemployment in the country.
Don’t you think if the situation is not checked, the agitation in the Niger Delta region of the country may resume?
Though we don’t call for that, the situation is dangerous. But with my experience, Nigeria is not going to break up. There would never be any secession at all. I have seen this country for many years. These things will soon stop. Boko Haram issue may last longer, but for the secession of the country, it is not going to be easy.
What do you think would be the negative effects of the whole situation in the country?
The negative impact is too clear. Go to the market with 100,000 naira, you can’t fill your polythene bag with goods, because of the high cost of food items. So it is already affecting the economy of the country and it has made the economy go down. It is affecting everyone and that is why I am appealing and praying that very soon, the whole trouble will fizzle out and become a thing of the past. Politically too, it affects every part of the country. Today, no school is functioning in the North. So if the cost of food is high in the East, what about those who do not go to school? They are the worst. I was born 80 years ago and since then, I have never heard of things like this in Owerri or in Imo State. Look at a local government area like Orlu that has been attacked severally with people being killed, shops burnt down, police stations being razed. In Imo State since 1976 till today, I have been on the corridors of power, I have not heard of it. If you are attacked somewhere, you would run to Imo State for refuge, but today Imo State is a war zone, especially my zone, Orlu. Nobody is finding it funny in the state.
The whole thing appears to be a crack in the unity and integration of our country. What is your view?
Yes, there is a crack in the country. In fact, Nnamdi Kanu was threatening that anywhere they see the Nigerian flag, it would be burnt. Is this not a crack? Don’t you know that some people listen to Kanu’s broadcast, especially some of these young boys, who are not doing anything? They can capitalise on his words and go to people’s houses to wreak havoc. So there is a crack and there are no two ways about it. If anybody tells you that the situation is rosy, tell the person that it is a lie. The situation needs a revolutionary approach in this country.
As a renowned traditional ruler in the country, what would you suggest as the solutions to the problems?
What I am praying for this country is peace through dialogue. I want a situation where IPOB, ESN, Ebube Agu, Boko Haram, Amotekun, would be summoned for a meeting to discuss issues. That is why I said that the federal government should call those people together to find a lasting solution. If we are together, I believe the solutions would be proffered. This is my belief as a traditional ruler, because when you kill all these people, who will you rule. When you set ablaze all police stations, what do you gain?. We are Nigerians and we don’t have another country other than this. So the best thing to do is to come together to discuss the problems facing us. It’s only by coming together that you would be able to know whatever it is the problem of another person. When this is done, you will know whatever it is the solution to the problem. Since these things started, I have given out this advice even to Mr President and to most state governors.
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