Chairman, Board of Trustees, Centre for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade (CHURAC), Alaowei Cleric Ebikonbowei, spoke to OBIRE ONAKEMU on why President Bola Tinubu should probe amnesty programme of the Federal Government and not interfere in the activities of the anti-corruption agencies.

What is your opinion on the spate of insecurity in Nigeria vis-a-vis the achievement of former President Muhammadu Buhari?
Buhari’s performance in the security sector, just like other sectors, was abysmally low. The spate of insecurity bedeviling the nation is as a result of Buhari’s irredeemable ineptitudes. In fact, there was a complete absence of governance in the past eight years under Buhari.
 
The former President promised to lead the fight from the front when he was campaigning for the election in 2014. He could not even lead from behind when he assumed office. He also boasted that as a retired General in the Army, he would defeat the Boko Haram sect within six months after assuming office. All that became a mere talk show as terrorists waxed stronger than ever before. Nigeria had its worst moment under Buhari’s government. He was a nightmare to the country.

How would you assess the efforts of the armed forces in tackling terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, oil theft and other security challenges?
In the fight against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping, the armed forces are trying, even though they are being confronted with corrupt practices. Corruption is one area that has weakened the morals of the armed forces. Some compromised personnel in the armed forces have used insecurity as a gamble to make wealth. The same thing also applies to some politicians in the corridors of power. These were some of the reasons the former NSA complained to Buhari about some top military personnel and their political partners sabotaging the government’s fight against insecurity.

   
As for crude oil theft, I won’t give the military a pass mark! I’m from the creeks of the Niger Delta region. The only person who has been sacrificing his everything to fight against crude oil theft is Chief Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo. If not for the intervention of Tompolo-led Tantita Security Services, which has been combing the creeks to ward off illegal bunkering activities, oil thieves would have taken over everywhere.
 
Thank God, the nation has overtaken Angola as the highest producer of crude oil. Former President Buhari did well to have awarded the pipeline surveillance contract to Tompolo’s firm. That was the saving grace to the nation’s oil sector.

Before Buhari left office, he deposited N1.5 billion in the bank account of a cooperative scheme launched for former Niger-Delta agitators. What is your opinion about the management of the fund? 
The people appointed to manage the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) mismanaged it. They turned it into a conduit-pipe to amass an undeserved wealth. During Buhari’s tenure, the PAP was barely functioning as an interventionist agency even if it was receiving budgetary provisions.
   
The programme is just like a means for some persons to feed fat. The managers of the programme are derailing it. Even the ex-agitators are doing the worst. I don’t want to comment on whatever Buhari might have budgeted for the programme. We know very well that such money will run into private hands. I wish President Bola Tinubu would carry out a forensic audit to audit the programme.

What should Nigerians be expecting from President Tinubu?
 Nigerians should be patient with him. The President should understand the peculiarity of the people. He should know that there was a complete absence of governance during the tenure of his predecessor. He has an onerous task of stabilising the economy.
 
Inflation has been biting so hard. The removal of subsidies on the downstream sector of the economy has heightened inflationary growth. We heard that oil marketers are planning to increase the pump prices of the PMS to N700. Mr. President should take urgent preventive measures to arrest the situation.

 
Nigerians also expect the President to fight corruption not minding whose ox is gored. It seems operatives of the anti-graft agency are now catching cold because they are becoming reluctant to probe politically exposed persons, especially people who served under Buhari or who are close to the President.
 
Buhari’s government should be probed and President Tinubu should not spare some officers that shortchanged Nigerians. In fact, Mr. President should insulate himself from the operations of the anti-graft agency. He should allow the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to do its work without interference.

What more should Tinubu do differently to address insecurity in Nigeria?
I think he has taken a step to prepare the ground for the fight against insecurity. What he should do next is to probe the defence sector and bring to book those who are culpable. Ridding the defence sector of corruption will strengthen the morals of the field actors because they’ll be treated fairly in that regard.

What agenda would you set for Tinubu’s administration on Niger-Delta and the nation?
He should immediately send an executive Bill to the National Assembly to amend the Petroleum Industry Act 2020. He should increase the host benefits to 10 per cent. The three per cent operational cost of the settlers cannot sustain the development of the host communities.
  
The President should not think of scraping the PAP. He should rather send a bill to the National Assembly to convert it into an interventionist agency. Similarly, I implore President Tinubu to sign the Maritime University Okerenkoko Act into law. He should commence the construction of its permanent site and move the floating dockyard to Okerenkoko in Warri South West Local Council.
 
Also, the President should award the coastal highway project together with the coastal railway line. He should declare a development emergency in the creeks of the Niger Delta.

How would you advise President Tinubu on restructuring?
President Tinubu is a product of restructuring. The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) movement, of which he was a leader, was a platform that did not only fight for the return of democracy, but also fought for restructuring. We expect the President to practice what he has been agitating for. Nigeria needs restructuring. The President should not waste time in balancing the political equation for us to run a competitive capitalist economy devoid of a lopsided political system. Nigeria needs both political and economic restructuring. President Tinubu should not shy away from this stark reality.
  
He should probe the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Control and the Ministry of Justice. He should not tolerate abuse of powers by security agencies under him, especially the DSS. Overbearing security agencies should not encourage disobedience to lawful court orders because that’s an antithesis to constitutional democratic practice.
 
Mr. President should look into Nnamdi Kanu’s case and comply with the judgment of the Court of Appeal and release the man unconditionally. Keeping the man in the dungeon is worsening the security situation. There would be no separatist agitations if the central government restructured the country and allowed every component unit to have a say in the affairs of the country.
 
Tinubu’s government should review the reports of the various constitutional conferences from General Sani Abacha down to former President Goodluck Jonathan. He can in the alternative send the 2014 Confab report to the National Assembly for codification. We need a new constitution that reflects the collective will of Nigerians. This military decree, wearing constitutional garb cannot sustain our unity in diversity.