Excerpts:
The former Police Service Commission boss during Obasanjo's regime has asked that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should release Nnamdi Kanu. This he said in an exclusive interview with newsmen at his Akartar Lodge Residence in Amichi, Nnewi South LGA of Anambra state. He also spoke on some national issues bordering on security, the Biafra agitation and the way forward for a peaceful and progressive Nigeria.
Let's meet you sir:
I am Chief Simon Okeke. I think before I start talking about the launching of my book and other issues, I wish Nigerians a happy 2024. I wish my Anambra state same,and the past year has been a year of turbulence both politically and economically. 2023 was indeed a turbulent year for everyone in Nigeria. It was in 2023, that we had the general election, when democracy was murdered and both the executive, legislative and judiciary came to judgement, but we leave it to the generality of the people and the country as a whole because we know how the three arms of government has endeavored. INEC disappointed Nigerians, judiciary also disappointed Nigeria, to come up with the verdict which with all intent and purposes was contrary to people’s opinion, as to the true state of affairs of the election. Well, I congratulate those who have been adjudged to have won the election, I also commiserate with those who although they won the election but were not adjudged to have won the election at the Presidency, Gubernatorial and the National Assembly. I hope that with time, justice will be done to our democracy that has been battered. The one that I will like to emphasize upon is that of the presidency, where Nigerians was part of, including me. It was an election, which in all intents and purposes was won by the candidate of labour, which is the general opinion. People saw it that labour won, but those whom the constitution gave the power to decide who wins an election, decided otherwise. It has to be noted that this is the first time, a candidate of Igbo stock had been voted across the country, and was known to have won presidential election across the country as he got votes from Igbos, Yoruba’s,Hausa’s and other ethnic groups voted labour candidate. H.E, Mr. Peter Obi, and one would have expected that he would have been given the mantle of governance but, the constitution was battered by INEC and judiciary to give contrary verdict. To my mind, me as an Igbo man, I believe that every Igbo man should observe 29th of May every year as a remembrance day, for a day an election an Igbo man won was taken away. Every lover of this country will need mark 29th of May as a day the whole country decided this is the person that won the election, but whom those the consitutution gave the power to do so, decided otherwise.
Sir, the present administration is almost 7 months gone, how can you access the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu?
Tinubu did say, that he will continue from where his predecessor stopped, that is General Muhammad Buhari, and in all intents and purposes he is doing so. Buhari made it to appear as if his government was that of the Fulani, Tinubu’s government appears so far to be the government of the yoruba’s. In other words, whoever wins election will enthrone its own tribe starting with Buhari, that is what Buhari started, so it’s a continuation of the continuity,anybody that wins election, enthrone your tribe, but it is a very dangerous trend, and I hope that this thing will be reversed for the sake of this country remaining one, because as it is today, one of the major ethnic group of this country are being excluded in governance, Buhari excluded the Igbos, Tinubu so far is excluding Igbo’s in governance, and this Igbo’s are the major undeniable tribe of this country. The danger of continuing with this trend is that the more the Igbos are excluded, the more one is supporting agitators of Biafra. Is that a good trend? One has to be very careful, the more you exclude Igbo’s from governance, the more you are emphasizing that one is supporting those who are agitating for biafra, because, there is no inclusiveness, and it cant continue like that. The trend ought to be changed. I will advise Tinubu to think twice. Yes, you will accommodate your ethnic group, but remember that there are other tribes that make up this country for the country to remain as one.
Sir, we expected the supreme court to affirm the ruling of the appeal court on the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, now that he is yet to be released, what should be the options available for the peaceful resolution of the impasse?
To start with, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu shouldn’t have been detained in the first place. He shouldn’t have been detained. He is not carrying arms, it was only an agitation, human rights expect that people will have freedom to agitate for any injustice that appears to them. There is no bullet in the mouth, no bullet in the mouth with which you do agitation. Did any bullet come from Nnamdi Kanu’s mouth. Buhari detained him saying that he is a terrorist, a terrorist without arms, while those who have arms carried on with their own freely, but somebody and someone who haven't got any arms and was just talking was detained as a terrorist. I called the attention of government at the early period of his detention. I spent almost 2 hours with the then National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, to tell him that its was wrong to detain Kanu, because he did not have any arms. Detaining him made him an octopus. Why was he detained? I spent close to 2 hours with him in his office informing him of why he should not be detained, but they continued detaining him and making him what he is not, now I make it clear, I do not support Biafra, understand it clearly, am not one of those who support Biafra, I fought in Biafra war, I took part in Biafra war, I was in the Chairman of Directorate of Military Intelligence of Biafra in the 11th division of the Army Nnewi, where Brigader Patrick Amadi was commadeing, I was commanding Intelligence for 11th division, which covered the entire South East and Benin, that is delta and edo. It was my zone of intellegience, so you see I fought the war and I know what it takes , the causalities of the war, both human and resources are nothing to wish for again, but if you contiune to with the process of exclusion in goverance, you are encouraging agitation. I have advised those agitating for Biafra that it is not in our intrest that Ndigbo go for Biafra, Igbo are very vibrant, every part of the world you see them, not to talk about Nigeria, and you don’t limit them in an enclave called Biafra. I prefer a microcosm called Nigeria, than a microcosm called Biafra. So, I think wise counsel will prevail, politically, since the judicary have put final full stop to his release, the next is political. I think its adviseable that Tinubu will be better advised to play his part in getting nnamdi kanu released as soon as possible, so that he will go and treat himself, rather than dying in dentition, it will be very cathrospic if, but God forbid he dies in dentention for lack og treamemt. My advise to Tinubu is to use the power given to him by the constitution of Nigeria to get kanu released immediately.
2023 was a terrible year for Nigerians in terms of security, unfortunately the President did not make mention of it in his new year address to Nigerians, as a former security chief, what would have been your advise to the president to ensure that such is stopped in the future and solutions to avert such in the future
Its was a very serious omission from his new year broadcast, not to make reference to that very unfortunate incident in Platue state. Every human being makes mistakes, I think its one of them. He should come up with a very strong statement, denouncing the incident, over 160 people and the death roll is rising everyday, from those who might have been injured are dying and its coming to 200 of more, maybe more than that. That should not be tolerated in a free country like Nigeria. So, it is hoped that the error will be corrected and the military and police formations should be proactive to forestall future occurrences.
How do you access the security situation in the South East?
I must say that there is a relative peace now in South East. There is, that is an isolated case of insecurity that happened throughout the south east during the christmas period. South has been very calm to the glory of God. To start with, there is nothing like unknown gunmen, they are knowm. We know where they are hiding here and there, they are being confronted as efforts are been made by various state governments in the south east to unmask them and root them out. I must commend the efforts of various governors of the South East governors as the security in the zone has been tight, with only an isolated incidence in Uga. I am happy they have been able to contain the insecurity siuation in the zone but more will be done. I am glad so far that incident at Uga was the only incident that has happened in the south east. I for instance travelled all over the south east this period, unarmed and without police men, even though I am entitled to have them with me. I just wanted to feel the impact and heart beat of the south east, and I went incognito everywhere and I am please that everywhere is peaceful. I went to Abia, Enugu, all around Anambra, there is relative peace for which I thank the governors of south east, and there will be more peace, if the constitution of the country is amended to allow for state policing, which will allow each governor to become the true Chief Security officer of his state, by given rights to the governors to have state police. I have been advocating, being the reason I wrote a book, policing the the Nigeria police. A chapter was dedicated to state police, to be or not to be. My believe is that state police will ensure more peace in this country, if every governor is given the responsibility to be responsible for the peace in his own state, employ the police and the number of police needed. Unity in strength as the saying goes is better than working in different compartments.
The floating of the Naira and the removal of oil subsidy, has it in anyway helped the Nigerian masses??
I will ask you the question, has it? The answer is that it has not because the policy was ill timed and ill conceived. Its unfortunate that the masses are facing untold hardship because of these government policies. I pray that this year will be better and that government should put adequate palliatives in place to ensure Nigerians live in better conditions this year.