Oru: Current security challenges are clearly orchestrated to bring down Nigeria

Chief Andrew Oru, a legal practitioner and businessman in this interview with OBIRE ONAKEMU, spoke on the state of the nation and proffered solutions to insecurity in the country ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Looking at the current economic, political, social and security challenges in the country, would you describe Nigeria as a failed state?
WELL, there is a definition for a failed stated and all the indices that account for it are dominant in the Nigerian state currently. Put shortly, ‘Yes, Nigeria is a failed state!’

Oru

Are the security agencies armed enough to contend with the nature of security threats and problems confronting the nation today?
Of course not! The bandits, the terrorists, the Boko Haram, and the killer herdsmen are clearly out-doing our security agencies. However, I do not really see it as a function of guns and machinery and all other equipment; it is a function of the political will of the government in place to even address it in the first place. What they are doing is just cosmetics.

As a matter of fact, there is every reason to believe that the government is the terrorist and it is the government that is orchestrating the insecurity, because of certain elements in government put in place to execute completely obnoxious policies and agenda. So, the guns and all of that are certainly in short supply, but the political will to confront the security challenges is what is really needed.

With the situation of things now, do you see any hope of Nigeria getting over these insecurity issues?
Well, with the current government, their direction and body language, only when it changes that posture or there is a new government with a different direction shall we overcome the security challenges in the country. As a matter of fact, I’m not a pessimist, but for quite some time now, I believe that the current security challenges are clearly orchestrated to bring down Nigeria as an entity. And we are not likely to overcome it in the light of the present circumstance if we continue like this; we will only make things worst.

In solving these security challenges, do you think the traditional institution has a role to play?
I don’t know what you mean by the traditional institution at this point, because I believe the so-called traditional institution when you talk about Obas, Ovies and all those traditional rulers, don’t forget they are at the beck and call of the state governments; they are even under the supervision of the local government.

In actual terms, the question is, do we really still have a traditional institution? The answer is ‘no’ we don’t. Getting them involved is like bringing them on board as lame ducks; there is absolutely nothing they can do. So, what are you bringing them on board to come and do? They are old and afraid already; they cannot fire just one gun. Most of them are not educated, so what are you bringing them on board to do?

The only thing they can possibly do is to appeal to those traditional rulers, who still have the ears of some of their subjects, especially in the north where the problem of insecurity is most heightened, to speak to them. If the traditional rulers can leverage their positions as the spiritual heads of that environment and talk to that terrorist, maybe they will stop. That’s the only way bringing traditional rulers on board will make sense.

So, what is the way out of this terrible situation?
First is to call a spade a spade; we have to look at the genesis of this insecurity. Nobody has agreed to address it frontally and to me, the main cause of the security challenges we are facing is because we are not one as a nation. There’s mutual suspicion and the agenda of a certain group a section of this country to overrun the rest of the country is at the very root of it. Unfortunately, they keep telling you Nigeria’s oneness and unity is not negotiable; that’s bored leadership.

Nigeria is not one and is not likely to be one, especially given the current circumstances. So, I believe that the situation that existed before the Amalgamation of 1914 whereby we have different ethnic nationalities, we should go back there. Call it The Benin kingdom, The Oduduwa Nation, Sokoto Caliphate, Ijaw Nation, Urhobo Nation, Biafra Nation e.t.c.

If we cannot remain one, let us individually respect ourselves, and go cap in hand before the United Nations reorganises Nigeria. Nigeria is not one; we should stop pretending. That is the only way to solve the current security challenges.

What are your expectations ahead of 2023 general election?
Which of the elections are you talking about? Do you mean the presidential election? I believe if you are talking about the presidential election that is about to take place in 2023? Well, if you ask me, is there actually an election that is due in 2023? That is the question you are supposed to ask. Why do I ask this question? The 2019 presidential election is still not yet concluded. How do you conclude an election? How do you go to the next one when you have not concluded the first one? You may want to ask me why I say that the 2019 election is not yet concluded.

Let’s face it, for any election to take place, there must be provisions to challenge the outcome both at the tribunal and up to the level of the Supreme Court. Until it gets there, the elections cannot be said to be over. Don’t forget there was this election petition that has gone to the Supreme Court; the Supreme Court just came out and said, ‘well, Buhari won the election, the reason for arriving at that decision will be announced at a later date.’ How many years ago was it? This was more than three years ago already, and they have not still given the reasons. That means, there is still going to be another court session to give that reason. And as long as that session has not taken place and they have not given the reasons, they have not finished that matter. That simply means that the election is not over.

Why are we now talking about 2023 as if it is sacrosanct? It is not sacrosanct! Until they give us the reasons why Buhari won the 2019 election, even if it takes till 2027 before they give that verdict, we shouldn’t be talking about 2023. It is four years from there that we should start talking of a new election. The 2023 elections are not due technically, spiritually and otherwise; that is the true position.

So, what’s the way forward for Nigeria?
First and foremost, if we are going to remain one as a country, we must, first of all, do everything to cancel out ethnic bigotry and nepotism. We must go seriously for meritocracy and education and we must go back to the rules and recognise the equableness of every federating unit. Until we decide to sit down and agree on that, in fact, this constitution that we have is completely useless. Even if you bring the most powerful of all angels in heaven to come and operate this constitution, the country will still be governed at its own whims and caprices. As long as we have this constitution that gives room to a unitary system, things are not going to work.

We are actually just being called a civilian government; it is actually a military regime. That is why we are seeing so many renegades, so many useless peoples in politics riding the crest and becoming state activists and functionaries. Presently, we have too many nonsensical people in government. We must find a way to drive and chase all of them out of government either by way of appointment or otherwise.

We must begin to understand that a country must be run economically. How do you begin to print money as if we are back in the dark days of Zimbabwe and Uganda and think Nigeria will survive as a nation? Things don’t work that way; things just don’t work that way! And how do you begin to think you can carry the wealth from Niger Delta to the north through the pipeline, only for you to be building a road from Nigeria to the Niger Republic when you have not been able to build a road from Benin to Warri or from Benin to Port Harcourt? The nonsense is too much; the injustice is too much. This nonsense must stop! We must run Nigeria as a business that is driven by economic indices.

Are you saying there’s a need to renegotiate Nigeria’s unity and give a listening ear to the complaints of all ethnic groups in the country?
Of course, that is what I’m talking about; all ethnic nationalities deserve pride of place. Presently, only one or two regions are behaving as if they own Nigeria. This is nonsense, absolute nonsense; we must accept that there are more than one or two ethnic groups in this country. If we cannot remain as one country like the United States of America (USA), let’s go our separate ways.

What electoral reform would you suggest as Nigeria is matching toward the 2023 General election?
The present system is not a question of reforms; let’s throw it all away and start afresh. First and foremost, when you are talking of elections, you are talking of elections about people who have agreed to be together. Currently, we have not even agreed to be together. So, how are we going to be sitting down to elect people who will be leading us? The Urhobos have agreed to remain Urhobo together; let them do their own election and govern themselves. The Igbo have agreed to be together as Igbo, let them do their own election and govern themselves. We can then now say, as Urhobo’s, as Igbo’s, as Fulani’s as Hausa’s, as Yorubas, if we decide to become the United State of Nigeria, then we will begin to talk about elections and all that. As for now, there is no basis for any electoral reforms; it won’t work.

What is your take on Governor Okowa’s years in Delta State?
For Okowa, ordinarily, I would have thought by verdict of his long surgeon in the political landscape of Delta State, would have done much better. He is making an effort, he is trying his best, but I think the biggest problem Okowa have for which he has been identified is ethnicism. He seems to think he is there on a mission to make accomplishments for his so-called Agbor and Ika people; every other thing he does in every other place is cosmetic.

In fact, the most annoying one he did recently is the creation of about five universities. Honestly, I never thought that Okowa would fall that low; it was too cheap and he should just seat up and understand that he’s in modern society. We don’t need to behave in such a primitive manner.

Your mean he has not done well in meeting his promises of bringing prosperity for all Deltans?
Which prosperity has he brought? What are you talking about? When you are unable to fund even one university effectively, then you are making them five, is that how to bring prosperity? Prosperity is not by handout or giving cash or money to different people. Prosperity means creating an enabling environment for everybody to thrive and this has not happened in Delta State.

What’s your take on the state of Niger Delta region in general?
Despondence! Niger Delta remains the most oppressed environment in the whole world. And so unfortunate is the fact that our youths remain unemployed, and our elders will still go cap in hand begging for alms all because of state policies. I weep for Niger Delta!

Environmental pollution due to gas flaring and illegal refineries remains a major issue in Niger Delta, what’s your take?
Well, I don’t know what you call illegal refineries. The one in Kaduna, how legal is it? Is it because it was imposed on Nigeria? There should be nothing like illegal refineries. Any person who is able to come up with the science to establish what can refine crude oil into a product that can be used without damage should be encouraged and should be properly licensed. When you make peaceful change impossible, you make violent change inevitable.

You have pushed the people in such a situation that even the refineries that were proportionally, federally sited in their location, you make sure they don’t work. Products are not there and meanwhile, the people are wallowing in the property. What do you expect? So, forget all this thought about illegal refineries.

They should go and look for the people who are building these refineries and encourage them to improve on them and make them more environmentally friendly. They should make sure that they identify the people who have been able to construct those mini-refineries that are working when our major refineries funded at a loss have not even been producing. Illegality is not a function of government pronouncement; you cannot just by fiat of government pronounce them illegal.

In the first place, who are the people? Have you arrested them? Have you found out what they are doing? What makes it illegal? Must you give a license to go into science and production? So, all these are injustices. What is the real illegal? When you are talking about mining in Zamfara, gold and all of that, then you turn around and give them a license and say they should sell the same gold to Central Bank. Is that not illegality or nuisance as well? So, we should stop using this double standard and criminalise the activities of people who are trying to survive.

As for gas flaring, the only reason gas flaring is subsisting is because there is no real penalty for it and because the government has kind of resolved quietly to ensure the continuation of gas flaring because it benefits them individually. If not this is nonsense, where else does it happen in the world right now?