Former governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife has called for prayers to God, the creator, to intervene to solve the security challenges bedeviling Nigeria, insisting that war, which he described as a failure to dialogue, would never be a better solution to the problem than a round table discussion.
He, however, said that Igbo deserve right treatment in the comity of the Nigerian nation, who he said had a better advantage to remain in Nigeria because of their expansionist nature for the interest of generations yet unborn.
He noted that the agitation for Biafra by the young ones was occasioned by all the things done against the Igbo “and you cannot beat a child and ask the child not to cry.”
For Igbo to produce a Nigerian president come 2023, he said that it would be a collaborative effort between the Igbo and other entities that make up the country. Excerpt:
Are the Southeast governors getting it right in the area of security?
I don’t know whether the Southeast governors are getting it right or not on the issue of security challenges, but I know that all office holders in Nigeria are suffering from the same problem. Most office holders abuse their offices, and the EFCC captures the abuses. If they do not behave the way they want, if the Federal Government is annoyed with you, they open your file and tell you, you are going to be finished in one day. Because of that most office holders are not very honest. Let me tell you one small thing. I read a statement said to be made by me that I laugh when I hear Fulani threaten war with Igbo people that, Fulani never fought the Igbo, that the Nigeria-Biafra war was fought between Biafra and Britain. But that is not exactly what I said. War damages both parties. It damages one perhaps more than the other and in the end they will look for talk. War is failure. War is a declaration of failure. When you fail to agree, you go to war and eventually after you finish the war you again begin to talk and make an agreement. The Fulani should forget it, fighting Igbo. They get nowhere fighting the Igbo. Igbo should forget antagonizing Fulani. We get nowhere antagonizing Fulani. We will mount a prayer, a prayer of all Igbo for the Igbo. The God, Chineke, which we serve, will not allow us to be ruined. Anybody who wants to ruin us will ruin himself. I’m not talking about just Igbo, they are making it a religious affair, Christians and Muslims are worshipping the so-called God of Abraham, but the true Chineke is God in heaven, the only one God. In English they call Him God, in Arab they call Him Allah. In English they say He has an adopted Son, Jesus Christ. We don’t know about that in our language. And the Arab do not know about that in their language. But there is only one God and all the world agree on one God. Don’t misunderstand people who have all kinds of shrines. All the shrines they worship are hoping to lead them to one God, Chineke, the power that be, Chi-na-eke, which means God the creator. So, let Nigeria know that Nigeria is a gem of a country. Nigeria is a country more favoured than any other country, the way God favoured Israel more than all other people in the world.
How can this country Nigeria be secured. In the Southeast, they talk about Ebubeagu and there is Eastern Security Network (ESN). Specifically, how do you think Southeast could be secured?
All powers belong to God, Chineke. We shall pray to God to secure us not only us the South Easterners, but the Middle Belt as well, the Southwest, the Northeast and also God will secure the Northwest. This is what we want done and we must do. Only heaven loves us and that is the way it pleases the creator. Let nobody boast that he can do anything to any other. God has all the powers, he has all the powers. So, please as journalists, help save Nigeria, a gem of a country where we have everything. The weather is clement here, any grass that can grow anywhere in the world can grow in Nigeria, every animal too and human beings. Look at many gifts from many tribes, many talents from many tribes we have. This country will not die. I’m Igbo. The present government of Nigeria is pulling my people down and pushing them out of Nigeria. But we refuse to go. So, we are going to call for prayers. We will devout one day, dedicate some hours for prayers. And after that prayer you will see the collapse of all the plans of the enemy, in Jesus’ name.
Another thing that can cause problem now is Igbo not being allowed to rule Nigeria in 2023. What’s your take?
The Almighty God in heaven has agreed that come 2023, a South Easterner will take over power as president of Nigeria. But we as a people must work for it. We must work hard for it. We must beg the North, Northeast, Northwest, Middle Belt. We must beg the Yoruba; we must beg the South-south. We must beg all groups in Nigeria, lobbing them, beg them and if it demands kneeling down, the knees will not get stuck on the land. We want one Nigeria. It is the best for the Igbo because we need large space for economic activities. Our people want large space for economic activities. I understand the people who are fighting for Biafra. You can’t beat a child and tell the child not to cry. Yes, all the things done against the Igbo make fighting for Biafra justifiable. It’s not only the Igbo that want to go out. Federal Government is pushing the Igbo out of Nigeria and we are saying no. We insist to remain. But the younger ones mostly don’t know that we should look into long future not immediate because our great great grand children will enjoy Nigeria better than the present .