Prof Uzodinma Nwala, President, Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), is upset at the Nigerian condition, insisting that the state of insecurity in the land if not properly addressed will destroy what is left of the country.
He recommended community policing, regional autonomy as a way out.
The respected academic said the country, given the political structure in operation would not produce the expected leadership that would advance genuine development. He also spoke on the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and other critical issues.
Let’s start with the security challenge in the country which is escalating by the day. What is your take on it?
The escalation is a trend that has been escalated and worsened because of the poor management of security in this country and because of the collusion of security operatives, particularly, the army and the police. There is some collusion between them. Most of our security operatives collude with the criminals. It has been said over and over again that some soldiers, and policemen collude with some of those criminals, with the bandits and terrorists, supplying them weapons and classified information. Even those people, so called middlemen who meet with the terrorists and bandits for negotiations are using them as agents to make money. The other thing about the insecurity is that we have not been able to manage, and organize properly how to manage insecurity. You see, there are various levels of insecurity in any country. There are those levels which only the Federal Government can manage and handle and the states and the local governments cannot handle them. There are also those that the local governments and communities can handle. We should also bear in mind that communities by their nature have local ways of managing insecurity. For example, in those days in our communities, every able bodied man of age is expected to own a riffle or double-barrel gun and a sharp cutlass. With that you are expected to protect your family with it. So that culture whereby every man owns instruments of self defence for himself and his family must be returned and must be re-organised. In those days also, there was community vigilante, organized by the communities in a way that was so effective and they had a way of protecting the communities from criminal attacks. So, the government at the centre and the communities has a way of managing security which was not centralised. Now, if you look at our zone (South East) and even in other zones, there is the clamour to allow people to carry guns. Of course, you have heard the Miyetti Allah demanding having their security outfit, their community vigilantes established. We in the South East should also insist that whatever arms that are allowed for use by the Fulani vigilante must also be allowed for use for our people in the South East. If the Miyetti Allah Fulani groups are allowed to be carrying gun around, our people should also be allowed to carry the same type of gun around for their protection. We can’t leave our security in the South East to non-Igbos. Let me tell you, the problem we have in the South East is that security is managed by non-Igbos. Our security in Igboland is managed by outsiders, those who are not of Igbo origin, and that is a major problem for us. Let the communities organize
themselves because security is very important. State governments should encourage communities to have vigilantes to protect their community and should also decide on the type of arms they can legally carry. Vigilantes and the hunters should liase together to provide security. The hunters’ associations can protect the community and what they need is to empower them with all that is needed. Hunters are not only skilled to kill wild animals; they can also be part of the security arrangement in the communities.
ADF Youth league had a two-day summit recently in Enugu from 26th to 28th of January, and this issue of security challenge was properly dissected and was part of the communique released.
From what you are saying, you are in support of State police arrangement for the country?
Well, state police depending on how committed they are. Instead of leaving our protection for those who are not within your locality or zone, its better you allow those from the area, zone to police their community. They know better the bad ones in their community. We should ensure that police men are posted within their vicinity, within their community, within their state.
In all my interviews, I have always made my position known concerning the Nigerian issue and solution. There is disenchantment, there is despondency in the land today and we need lasting solution.
As I have said at different fora, the solution is to encourage and have self –determination for all the various agitating groups in Nigeria. The Hausas should be allowed to govern and organise themselves, just like others should be allowed to take charge of what is happening in their region or state. What we need is regional autonomy. It’s a federation system where the corporate units, the regions control their resources, their education, their security, their foreign relations etc, except relating on some broad basis because they are neighbours. Each of those states, no matter how small or how big takes a turn in providing the tutelary head of the federation. That is what should happen, that is what we should be looking for. The Hausas want freedom, the Yoruba, the Igbo, name them, all want freedom. They want to control their affairs. A situation where you find all the industries, the oil industries are controlled by one particular region and those in whose lands the oil is taken out do not get anything is unacceptable. It is a very sad situation. I still believe we don’t really have what one can call a government in place. I believe that what has happened in many other federations is bound to happen in Nigeria. Eventually, Nigeria will move into units of autonomous regions or states with common culture, common language, which is the natural state formation in the world today and if we are going to have a federation, it will be like OAU or European Union, EU, where any state can move in as a member or move out if they don’t want to be there. It is not a situation where one ethnic group will come from anywhere and dominate and take over the whole federation and they will now install governments that will sit over your region, they kill your people, maim your people, they lord it over you as long as they get your resources and control the resources.
Speak on the continued detention on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu
It has become so carnal, everybody talks about it, nobody does anything about it.
What do you expect the President (Tinubu) to do on the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu issue?
They should release him. The court said he should be released, so why are they still detaining him? They are holding him illegally, and this is lawlessness and shows that the government itself is lawless.
As you have observed, there is so much anger, hunger and killings in the country, how do you think we can get out of this quagmire?
I think the communities should be allowed to organise themselves and take back their communities back. The issue of government, it is unfortunate that what has happened in Nigeria is that, some people have seized power …And I can say people who were not legitimately elected by the people, they just seized power and they do not care. And if the people are so courageous enough, they should take back their power and it appears to me that is the way things are going and before long, it may be tough but they will take their power back and those who are capable of managing the human affairs will be given opportunity to take over. There is no way we can continue with this mess. But where do we go from here? The military cannot change this government because the military itself and their leadership is out of fashion, undemocratic too. it is only the people that can change the course of action and I believe that eventually that will happen.
So you do not think that the President-Tinubu-APC-led government will take the country out of the doldrums, the hardship it is presently facing?
Frankly speaking, with the way things are going in Nigeria you wonder if there is any government in place. It is a sad situation but there seems not to be any responsive government that is adequately addressing the Nigerian worsening condition. Who is listening to the yearnings of Nigerians? Who ? Which government?. The government is expected to take care of the security and welfare of the citizens and looking at what we are witnessing, could you say in all honesty that there is any government in control? We must be sincere with the Nigerian situation because already national anger is swelling.