Coordinator of Ijaw Monitoring Group, IMG, Joseph Evah has alleged that former President Muhammadu Buhari’s authorities was a depraved authorities that was worse than the Nigeria civil war. In this interview with DAILY POST, the Ijaw environmental activist spoke on a variety of points, together with what President Bola Tinubu should do if he desires to win the war towards corruption and kidnapping, amongst different points. Excerpts!
What is your evaluation of President Bola Tinubu’s authorities to date?
Well, Tinubu is saying that he has not clocked one yr in workplace, and that earlier than one yr, he would carry out magic. One yr is across the nook; so allow us to give him one yr. He has informed us to offer him one yr, and I want to look forward to that one yr earlier than I can assess him and his efficiency.
But, earlier than one yr, I need to remind him that one soul is essential. The manner insecurity is pervading the nation, if nothing pressing is finished to arrest the scenario, we are able to solely replicate the Haitian scenario; the Caribbean nation that’s lawless.
In much less than 72 hours, extra than 500 college youngsters have been kidnapped. What is the National Security Adviser (NSA) telling us? What is the Department of State Service (DSS) doing? The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Military Intelligence, what’s their work, for God’s sake? Why are they receiving salaries? That inside 72 hours extra than 500 of our youngsters have been kidnapped and our senate president is dancing? Mothers, and fathers are crying, but our senate president is dancing each day. What is our downside? Where did we go fallacious? Kidnapping is occurring unchallenged and since our youngsters will not be kidnapped, we hold quiet. And in the event you speak, one minister of data or presidential spokesman will come out to speak like a drunk.
How lengthy are we going to behave like this on this nation? What made us battle the army? What made us ask the army to return to the barracks? What is all this? Over 500 college youngsters kidnapped inside 72 hours? Between Thursday and Sunday, over 500 youngsters have been kidnapped and they’re within the forest? What are we going to inform Awolowo? What are we going to inform folks like Nnamdi Azikiwe, who fought for Nigeria’s independence? What will folks like Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa hear of their graves? What is fallacious with us? And they may bribe males of God to come back out and speak like drunk, on this nice nation?
What is the issue? Are we going the best way of Haiti within the Caribbean? What are the journalists doing? The journalists are celebrating Akpabio due to cash. The journalists are even guiltier than those that are kidnapping; the journalists are celebrating Akpabio, who’s dancing bare and insulting the intelligence of Nigerians. As we converse now, our youngsters are within the forest with uniforms; carried away into the forest as if now we have no regulation enforcement brokers within the nation; I’m confused.
The name for restructuring is getting louder and stronger by the day, what’s your tackle that?
How many instances are we going to say that that’s the resolution to Nigeria’s downside? We ought to return to the parliamentary system. One factor that provides me pleasure is that Obasanjo remains to be alive and I do know that he can be crying on a regular basis as a result of God launched him from jail to come back and repair Nigeria, however he failed as a consequence of his greed. He had the capability; he was the fitting individual at the moment, when he was launched to repair this nation, however due to greed, he wished a 3rd time period and when he didn’t get it, he was not able to pursue the agenda for the wellbeing of Nigerians.
We are simply begging the present president, who has been an apostle of restructuring to do it. I heard him saying that he was going to do it slowly. His Yoruba folks is not going to forgive him if he fails to restructure Nigeria. And let me remind him that the Yoruba folks will query his youngsters, if he fails to try this. If he didn’t restructure Nigeria, within the subsequent 100 years, Yoruba folks will query his grandchildren and nice grandchildren. The Yoruba folks have that capability. We mentioned we wish restructuring now and he’s speaking about doing it slowly whereas the enemies are calculating tips on how to derail something referred to as restructuring.
Many folks thought the kidnapping of college youngsters will finish with Buhari’s authorities. But, it seems it’s nonetheless with us, even on a larger scale; what’s your thought on it?
That is as a result of no one was prosecuted throughout Buhari’s time. You know, these criminals will first have a look at the physique language of the leaders earlier than they function. When they checked out Buhari’s physique language, they knew that he was not taken with something. We are listening to now that folks used his signature to gather billions of Naira. If we ask this present authorities to parade the folks concerned on nationwide tv in order that we are able to all know them, they won’t. If they’re paraded on tv, no one will attempt such nonsense once more, however they won’t parade them.
So, after they see that the folks weren’t paraded by this authorities, they may know that it’s enterprise as ordinary; the sport continues and that’s how each society operates. The second they weren’t paraded, kidnapping and banditry began, and assumed a larger dimension. Their agent will inform them that there isn’t any downside; that now we have a weak president like Buhari. We don’t need to have one other weak president like Buhari. You will see that the economic system will survive and issues will start to alter.
Why is kidnapping of youngsters taking place virtually every day? It is as a result of the brokers are telling the abductors that the present president is weak. And I would like the present president to show them fallacious that he’s not a weak president. That is simply the answer to the incessant kidnapping of youngsters; if he can show that he’s not a weak president, every part can be alright.
The labour unions are calling for an upward overview of the minimal wage, do you assume that could be a resolution to the employees’ financial challenges?
Not in any respect; that may’t be the answer. I don’t know what the labour unions are saying; they need to cease all these silly talks. Is all of it Nigerians which might be working? We are saying that inflation is inflicting issues for each household, and they’re speaking about minimal wage; what’s minimal wage? Minimum wage just isn’t even our downside once more. If we’re nonetheless importing completed oil merchandise, no quantity of minimal wage enhance will handle the employees’ downside. In reality, much less than two % of Nigeria’s inhabitants is working, in case you are speaking about minimal wage.
If the greenback remains to be making nonsense of the Naira; if we’re nonetheless spending {dollars} as our forex; if the world financial institution remains to be directing us on what to do, what can the minimal wage do? Nothing. Our downside is that we’re listening to foreigners who management us by way of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. We are nonetheless listening to them; we’re nonetheless borrowing from them. What is minimal wage?
If the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president comes out in a crowd to speak about that nonsense, offended Nigerians will bundle him, slap him left and proper, and throw him away; is he drunk? Is it the difficulty of minimal wage that we’re speaking about when there may be inflation all over the place? The crude oil we produce, we’re nonetheless importing it to run our automobiles and industries and shamelessly, our individuals are nonetheless going to different nations to search for buyers when corporations that have been in Nigeria earlier than a few of us have been born, are leaving the nation. Industries that have been in Nigeria earlier than Buhari and Tinubu have been born, are leaving the nation, and we’re operating to different nations in search of overseas buyers. Are these buyers not seeing the previous corporations leaving Nigeria due to inflation and poverty?
We have additionally heard that the gasoline subsidy that was earlier eliminated is again, what do it’s a must to say about that?
If subsidy is again, why are we in a worse scenario than we have been throughout the Buhari’s time? We don’t know who’s telling us the reality; we don’t even know the place we’re. How youngsters and wives is not going to die of hunger or commit suicide due to poverty within the subsequent two, three hours, is what Nigerians are speaking about now. If you ask the minister of details about this subsidy, he’ll say one factor; in the event you ask the President’s spokesman, he’ll say one other factor; and in the event you additionally ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he’ll equally say one thing else; are you able to think about?
What I’m begging the present president who’s a fellow comrade of June 12 is to place his ft on the bottom, make historical past for himself and provides us that satisfaction of place that comrades are in authorities. Prof Wole Soyinka did it as a comrade, when he headed the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). Beko Ransome Kuti did it when he was chairman of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Tinubu, we beg you within the identify of God, within the identify of these comrades who’re lifeless throughout the wrestle, to save lots of us; give us that perception that it was when a comrade entered the Aso Rock that Nigeria witnessed superb years.
Do you assume this authorities is severe about preventing corruption?
It is straightforward to battle corruption if the federal government desires. It is simply to encompass your self with males of Obafemi Awolowo’s integrity; males of Anthony Enahoro’s integrity and males of Aminu Kano’s integrity. That was why Yakubu Gowon succeeded. Before Tinubu assumed workplace, I had an interview, the place I informed him to go and examine the archives in Ibadan about Awolowo to know why the western area was the sunshine of Africa throughout the regional authorities. I additionally begged him to go to Gowon, and discover out from him, how he managed to prosper Nigeria throughout the civil war period.
Despite the war, Nigeria by no means borrowed a kobo from anyone or wherever. Go and ask Gowon how he did it. He didn’t go to Gowon; not till lately, when the ECOWAS subject was embarrassing him that he consulted Gowon. I informed him that Gowon remains to be alive for a function; God remains to be preserving him alive for a function and that he ought to go and pay him a go to to learn the way he was in a position to handle a civil war scenario with out borrowing. Buhari’s eight years have been worse than the Nigerian civil war period. It was a authorities of wickedness; you can’t describe the wickedness of Buhari’s authorities. It was worse than the Nigerian civil war. I informed Tinubu to seek the advice of Gowon and learn the way he was in a position to handle the civil war, as a result of after the civil war, the Nigerian economic system boomed extra than another interval in our historical past. So, I suggested him to go and ask Gowon the key however I don’t assume he ever visited him. He didn’t go to Gowon; he didn’t go to the archive in Ibadan to understudy the secrets and techniques of Awolowo’s financial energy and knowledge.
If he desires to battle corruption, he should encompass himself with males of knowledge like Gowon did. Not those who introduced 500 luggage of rice throughout the election and all that. We have handed that stage. He ought to encompass himself with strong folks like Gowon. Gowon was the youngest individual at the moment. During the primary press convention after the dying of Aguiyi Ironsi, a journalist requested Gowon how a 32-yr-previous younger man like him was going to handle a fancy nation like Nigeria. Gowon informed the journalists to go searching and see the clever those who surrounded him. He informed them that with these males of integrity round him, he wouldn’t have any downside managing Nigeria. So, even when Tinubu is previous, if he has strong folks the best way Gowon chosen his excos and advisers, he would succeed. He ought to overlook about sentiment and search for the best way ahead. He ought to search for guys who will transfer the nation and who will inform him the blunt fact.
Recently, Nigeria misplaced one of many heroes of the June 12 wrestle, Frank Kokori. As a type of who have been within the trenches for the June 12 wrestle, what are you able to say about his demise?
Before his dying, I used to be on tv begging the comrades in authorities now to assist Kokori as a result of he was within the hospital mattress. I begged President Tinubu, who was a part of the wrestle throughout the army period, to mobilise his folks within the authorities to assist Kokori at that cut-off date. I informed all of the activists in authorities that now could be the time for them in authorities and that they need to help one in every of their very own, however all of them saved deaf ears and deserted him to his destiny.
I thank the Delta State Government for standing by him throughout his final days on earth. Now you ask, why did they neglect Kokori? The first authorities that uncared for and handled Kokori like a leper was the Buhari authorities, the place they made him Chairman of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Funds (NSITF) when Dr Chris Ngige was the Minister of Labour.
When Ngige was appointed to supervise a ministry below which Kokori was to serve, I protested as a result of I knew it wasn’t going to work. I do know that Buhari simply got here to energy for revenge. He was offended that Babangida locked him up and Nigerians didn’t do something to Babangida for that. I do know that Buhari didn’t come to the federal government to assist Nigerians. He was bitter with Nigerians. I knew that there was no manner Ngige and Kokori may work collectively as a result of Kokori was too first rate to work with Ngige.
And I used to be proved proper when Kokori was pissed off; he was by no means inaugurated as chairman of the board of NSITF. None of the comrades that have been a part of the June 12 wrestle got here to his assist. It was due to Kokori’s detention that I mobilised the riverine communities, together with the Ijaw folks, to be a part of civil disobedience in Lagos. I informed our those who they might kill Kokori if we didn’t come out to affix the Yoruba to battle for June 12.
Mind you, June 12 wasn’t a Yoruba agenda; it was a Nigerian subject. But, on the twilight of his life, when he most wanted his civil society household, he was deserted. All the human rights teams, together with the president, deserted Kokori. I’m not even accusing the president as a result of at present, the president is surrounded by those that name themselves civil society folks, however all of them pretended as if Kokori didn’t exist.
Shame on the conscience of all of the activists; disgrace on all of the activists which might be alive, particularly these parading the corridors of energy as veteran journalists. Who have been these making information for them? Was it not Kokori? Those who have been within the Tell Magazine, the News Magazine and all that, disgrace on their conscience. I’ll by no means blame the president as a result of these journalists who benefitted from Kokori are all discovering cowl within the identify of the federal government after their paper died. Who was making information for them to promote their papers in these days; was it not Kokori?
Today, they’re licking free ice cream and consuming free tea in Aso Rock they usually have all forgotten Kokori? I thank the Delta State Governor who visited him within the hospital and assisted him earlier than his dying.
