Hon. Okom Okonkwo is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State and a former Chief Whip of the state House of Assembly.
In an interview with DICKSON OKAFOR,he stated that President Bola Tinubu was forced on Nigerians by foreign powers in the 2023 Presidential election to protest their economic interests in the country which according to him has kept Nigeria down.
The legal luminary charged the new Chief justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to see her new appointment as a mandate and challenge she must confront frontally in order to correct the current perception of Nigerian judiciary as being corrupt.
He threw his weight behind the call for a new constitution by The Patriots. He also spoke on other issues.
Recently, you narrowly escaped from being kidnapped in Anambra State. Why, in your view, has insecurity persisted?
It was an ugly experience, but I thank God for saving me from being kidnapped or killed. We were on our way from Port Harcourt and on getting to Uke-Nnobi road at Ideani Junction in Anambra State that evening, we came under gunfire by suspected kidnappers. I was in the car alone with my driver and I was seated in the front passenger’s seat. They started firing and the door was riddled with bullets. Yes, insecurity is a nightmare. But it is surmountable if we tell ourselves the truth and give accurate information to the military and other security agencies. Unfortunately, the more our security agencies fight to tame kidnappers, bandits and Boko Haram, the harder they come because of lack of cooperation.
What do you expect the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to do in order to free the judiciary from suspicion of being corrupt and restore the confidence of Nigerians in the Apex Court?
That is a mandate she must confront frontally. That is a challenge she must fight without looking back. Justice as lawyers say, must not only be done, but it must manifestly be seen to be done. The current perception of Nigerian judiciary in the public space is unacceptable. It has to change. Both as Chief justice of Nigeria and as the Chairman of NJC, she has a daunting task on her hand because the bulk at this time stops in her table. The perception that the judiciary is corrupt must change and quickly too. Our people say, “There is no smoke without fire”. Whatever is the reason for that perception must be addressed and if it’s addressed properly, and satisfactorily it will trickle down the line to the Court of Appeal, to high courts both federal and state, and even to the magistrate courts. The judiciary shall regain its mandate as the last hope of the common man and as the baton of justice. She should not afford to fail because this is a task that cannot be compromised.
A former CJN, Walter Onnoghen has resumed his legal battle to set aside the judgement of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), that ordered his removal from office. Do you see Onnoghen been reinstated as CJN?
I don’t think that was actually the purpose of the resuscitation of that legal action by Justice Onnoghen. The purpose is to rectify Onnoghen’s records for posterity. We know that the circumstances of his removal as CJN is still surrounded in a lot of irregularities that cannot be allowed to stand as a precedent hence the procedures used in removing him cannot be allowed as precedents. So, it is to change that precedent he can be seen that way. So, it is a step in the right direction and as it is perceived widely that his removal should be rectified as a way of repositioning the judiciary to restore public confidence in our judiciary.
Recently, The Patriots led by Chief Emeka Anyaoku called for new a constitution, but the Arewa Consultative Forum has tagged the call as a means for Igbo to actualize the creation of Biafra. What are your thoughts?
Every Nigerian inside his or her heart knows that Igbo don’t want Biafra. but Biafra pops up as a tool against injustice, maltreatment, deprivation, marginalization and against suppression of the people from the South-East. All these blackmail of those calling for Biafra is symptomatic of Nigeria’s situation of reluctance to do justice. Every Nigerian knows that any day justice in done in this country, Biafra will die naturally. But it appears that some powerful people in Nigeria don’t want to do justice and are strengthening the consequence of injustice. That is the way I see the blackmail of Biafra because if you want to talk of how to make Nigeria better, you talk of Biafra. And they know it, but a lot of Nigerian leaders are behaving like people who had gone to war and won the war and they want to enjoy the bounties. So, to them, let the South-East remain out there in the cold until they are satisfied. Unfortunately, an economist, Adams Smiths tells us that human wants are unlimited. So, when will these Nigerian leaders be satisfied that they have had their feel? That will be in eternity. They want to hold Igbos down out of inferiority complex and moving desire for injustice. Therefore, the spirit of vindictiveness will not allow them free Nigeria and set it on the path of progress. Any day justice prevails in Nigeria, Nigeria will regain her pride of place in the international sphere and everybody knows it. But holding all the measures towards pulling down the Igbos in Nigeria had put the country in a precarious situation where she makes one step forward and ten steps backwards.
Take the 2023 general elections for instance, the reforms enacted by the National Assembly and signed into law by Mr. President, the Electoral Reforms that could have put an end to election rigging and irregularities in the electoral process were rubbished and thrown into the trash can just to be sure that the people they don’t want are kept down.
The Council of State recently gave Tinubu a vote of confidence. What is your take?
First and foremost, I saw those who attended that meeting and I also saw those that joined them virtually as those who belong to the class of people who brought Nigeria to where we are today. I won’t be surprise about whatever statement that comes from them. Those are the type of people who should be championing the cause being advocated by The Patriots. They should be at the forefront pushing The Patriots’ agenda of a new constitution for Nigeria. In fact, I don’t know what is wrong with some of our so-called leaders. Mere seeing themselves seating at the high table in a prestigious event and being addressed and respected is all they want and nothing more matters to them even where Nigeria is. General Yakubu Gowon, at his age, even though I don’t expect much from him anymore, is he still in the Nigeria project, “Nigeria Prays”? What is he praying for when he was in a position, even today to make a difference in a practical form, but he shies away from it. Nigeria is the more you look, the less you see. The body of the former Heads of state and Presidents which is advisory don’t earn the respect they deserve from Nigerians. So, whether they passed vote of confidence or not on President Tinubu, it does not matter to Nigerians because they have not lived up to expectations.
Former President Obasanjo has said that leadership crisis is the major problem in Nigeria, but General Banagida disagrees. Who do you agree with?
Obasanjo knows better than what he is saying because he is at his best ditching out precepts and examples which he does not represent. Obasanjo theorizes more than he practises. All that went wrong in the country including the mess in the government institutions was caused by Obasanjo when he was President. He killed the local government administration in Nigeria just because he wanted to run and win elections. He laid the foundation of so many things that went wrong and still going wrong in the country. But when you hear him talk, you will love him and you will think it is the way he behaves, but we know that he is not the way he talks. Former President Ibrahim Babangida, when he was at the helm of affairs, he did a lot of things that can be commended, but being the self-proclaimed “Evil genius” we know how he suddenly became a weakling before his own subordinate, Gen Sani Abacha and handed over power to him knowing inside his heart that Abacha had nothing new to bring to the table. IBB nullified a free and fair election won by Chief MKO Abiola and handed over to Abacha who overthrew Ernest Shonekan. He played in Abacha when he brought him into the Interim Government and made him by Decree to remove Shonekan and eventually we saw another round of rape by Abacha. Abacha was in government from 1983 and 10 years after, what money had Abacha not made? Abacha looted without common sense. So, today Babangida can never condemn Abacha. He will never regret or apologise. So, what do you really expect from them? Babangida knows in his own state, the level of insecurity in his state, Niger. They know that President Tinubu was a product of foreign powers and they know that the whole global political intrigues that is keeping Nigeria and other African countries down. But they won’t talk about it.
Don’t you think the nation’s electoral process needs to be reformed to prevent electoral fraud in future elections?
Like I told you earlier, I have to commend Nigerians for tolerating the conspiracy of political leadership backed by vested foreign interest which is mostly against people from certain area in the country. The liberation Nigeria needs will help her to assume her rightful place in the committee of nations. The foreign predators that are holding the nation on the throat, the kind of people that will truncate their firm grip on Nigeria’s economy and polity if such people are allowed to grab power. And they are working with people that are suffering from inferiority complex to hold Nigeria down and allow mediocre leadership on the country. That is why we had the rape on democracy in 2023 presidential elections.
What would you say was the reason Igbo did not join the last nationwide protest? Why was it turned into Northern affair?
I don’t think that is the reason Igbo did not join the protest that made some Yoruba youths to make that call. Again, when you talk of Yoruba youths, let us be mindful of what we say because a lot of Yorubas are fantastic people. Certain negative forces within them are working in particular ways to maintain their grip on the system. It is not enough to really categorise the entire Yoruba to the call for Igbo to leave Lagos. Do you know millions of Yorubas that feel bad by that call? So, don’t indict the Yoruba by that move. Few days ago I was Lagos where a highly placed Yoruba person was expressing her bitterness, her opposition to that call and highlighted the stupidity of that call. So, don’t say Southwest asked Igbo to leave Lagos, because there are good people among them who love Igbos from Afenifere to so many organizations. Peter Obi did not win Lagos because of Igbo votes, but mainly with Yoruba votes. Talking about not joining the protest, actually they have brought Igbo where they want. That is the situation the Igbo has found themselves because if they join the protest, government would say they are sponsors of the protests and their shops and property will be looted and destroyed. On why it turned into Northern affair, I wouldn’t say so even though there are strong reasons to suspect that. But instead of blaming the North I will blame the South for been insensitive to what is going on. Look at the areas in the North that were more active in that protest, they are the very states that are accused to have helped Tinubu to emerge. So, if this is their own way of expressing regret and trying to respond to their hurting conscience, I would not be the judge.
Why do you think the government is prosecuting some people who they tagged sponsors of the protest which they said was a plot to change government?
My take is what I have being saying in this interview. Was President Tinubu not in the rank of The Patriots calling for restructuring of Nigeria? Do you want to join a protest in order for Tinubu to restructure Nigeria? It is unfortunate. Who desired to restructure Nigeria more than Tinubu? The agitation for Biafra, what is it all about? Was restructuring not what Tinubu called for all along? The NADECO movement, he was not only part of it, he was one of the major sponsors. Suddenly he became President and anybody who talks about restructuring is a Biafran and wants to divide Nigeria. And those who know what is happening, instead of speaking out, will be chasing shadows. .
The National Assembly recently approved the purchase of a new presidential jet. Isn’t that a sign that government is insensitive to the plight of Nigerians?
I said it and I’m still saying it again, that the aircraft they purchased for President Tinubu is an effort to frustrate local refining of petroleum products, and the mortgage of our natural resources including advance selling of our crude oil for foreign interests. Are they not the ones behind forcing Tinubu on Nigerians in the 2023 presidential election when America, from their Secretary of State down the line, swallowed their vomit and suddenly went deaf and dumb about the records in Chicago State University or of drugs and sundry criminalities levelled against Tinubu. What do you expect? Are you still confused where these are coming from? The purchase of the presidential jet could be part of the bargain because whatever the foreign powers want from Nigeria they will tell the President to do and he will do it. It is not about Nigeria’s interest, but foreign interest. Because foreign interest wants somebody with baggage in Nigeria who could be vulnerable and who they will bring down with human effort if he is no longer playing ball. That is the basis of what is going on the country. European Union came speaking long grammar on report about election, but we see them emphatically declaring that Venezuela’s Nicholas Maduro is not recognised as President because of the nature of the election conducted there. What is the difference between what happened in Venezuela with what happened in Nigeria in the 2023 Presidential election? America is talking about banning some top government officials for electoral offences. Since the 2023 election, who have they banned?
What would you say about the petroleum sector in Nigeria?
I have told you that what they are doing in the petroleum industry is not in the interest of Nigeria, but in the interests of foreign powers. Former President Muhammadu Buhari was the Minister of Petroleum for eight years, what positive impact did he make? It is international oil politics which made America go to war in the middle East. But in Nigeria they don’t need to go to war, they just fire a shot and their collaborators here will comply. For example, if our leaders are sincere, what have they said about Dangote Refinery? They all know that it is foreign interest that is holding Nigeria down, but they are all committed to it. Could you imagine why Nigeria, the 6th oil producing nation in the world is still importing finished product because none of her refineries are working. A private enterprise, Dangote, built a refinery to solve the problem and nobody is excited about it. Rather, it is being held down by some international oil companies. Also, the crashing of the naira and scarcity of foreign exchange including the huge amount we are using to import petroleum product which is almost more than what we are earning from crude oil export.
What’s your view about the South-East Development Commission?
I’m not excited about the creation of the South-East Development Commission because it is a mere rhetoric. Every region has a development commission. What impact have they made in the development of those regions? The money coming to the development commissions is not from the Federation Account? There is a parable in Igbo “If your father is eating a corn, the sign that he will not share it with you is when he starts eating it from the tail” because that is the part he will give to you. Looking at Tinubu and other Nigerian successive leaders, do you see them as people who are really ready to develop the South-East?
