In his words:

My father wherever he is now would be proud of Nnamdi Kanu.

He was not a jealous person – he was always very free. If you remember exactly what he said: ‘I hold the torch, but my problem is that I am looking around for a young man to pass on the torch.’ So, if Nnamdi Kanu shows that he is the person that will bear the torch, I don’t have any problem with that.

The agitation of IPOB and MASSOB is a valid agitation. To fight for self-determination, I do not see anything wrong in that. It is like a marriage; there are times the situation will be rosy and pleasant, there are times there will be some upheavals. So, we must give room for those things. No one should say those boys shouldn’t talk. However, the agitation must be devoid of violence and hate speech.

I don’t think the tone of finality in the President’s speech is right. I have always said Nigeria is a product – a child – of negotiations. It is a child of negotiations in that when they started the agitation for the country’s independence — Zik (Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe) from the Igbo side, Chief Anthony Enahoro from South-West, and (Ahmadu Bello) the Sardauna from the North — they were all going to London. They had problems, but they patched their differences and, ultimately, without firing a gunshot, the British government gave independence to Nigeria.

For somebody to wake up and say ‘there are no negotiations’ is not in line with the fact that an agreement is susceptible to review and renegotiations. Since it is not really possible to see the future or what will happen in 50 years, agreements are subject to review and negotiations. An agreement over time requires reviewing or renegotiations. So, if we are all pleased with it, there will be no pocket of agitations or discontent. But the pocket of discontent and agitation is a throwback showing that we are having problems with implementation (of the agreement to remain as a country), thus calling for renegotiation. In that regard, it is important that everybody should be carried along.

Restructuring is a step in the right direction What I feel is that the last regime that organized the 2014 national conference did not do enough. You cannot go to the market to buy all needed ingredients, cook a meal and not serve it. Delegates to the confab were assembled in Abuja for about four months with each paid N4m. What was the problem in implementing their recommendations? Why would anyone play politics with that by saying ‘vote for me’ and the recommendations will be implemented? I should also add that we know the history of Nigeria; when did we start to feel bad about one another?

If we come to the conclusion that things were going on well until 1960 or 1963, then, why can’t we go back to that point and start from there?

Categories: Igbo news