Eze (Dr) Alex Anozie is the Ezendigbo Nala Ibadan and Oyo State and Vice President, Association of Ndi Ezeigbo in Diaspora (South). In this interview with PMParrot.com/Parrot Xtra Magazine’OJO PETER, he discussed national issues and why he sued Chief Alloy Obi. Excerpts?
Sir, some youths in the South East recently called on President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint the Secretary to the Federal Government from the South East. What is your take on this?
It’s a positive demand and I do not see anything bad about it. If truly we are one Nigeria that we claim to be, it will be very very unfair that in any government called government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that a cabinet is set-up and an Ibo man is not there no matter whatever reason. If truly we are one Nigeria we claim to be and we are practicing it, for the good of all and for the good of justice, there is serious need for the Ibos to be given a deserving position. I don’t want to think about political affiliation or different political affiliations, we are all one Nigeria and to carry everybody along. I am of those that do not believe in winner takes all in politics. I am seriously against it. Winners should not take all. Winners should lead quite alright but he will need to bring in Nigerians from different ethnic groups at least. I even want it to reflect in our constitution that it’s not winner takes all. I am one of those that believe Nigeria is easy to govern. All we need do is to apply justice and fairness.
As the head of the Igbos in Oyo State, you sued Chief Aloy Obi for N1bn. What prompted this?
I am somebody who loves peace more than anything and you can only have peace when justice is allowed to play. If you want to run down justice, then you don’t want peace in the society, and everything I have done and have been doing, I always like to tow the line of that justice and to follow the rule of law. Already the matter is in the court, so I may not want to go further but the only thing is that, he made it to stand before the world; he made me to stand in the dock for two years as a criminal and the whole world was looking at me.
Every month, I was standing in the dock twice. People who were coming for other matters, who were seeing me in the court standing as a criminal, and as the head of Ibos for the whole Oyo State, chosen by my people, don’t forget that it’s the whole Ibo tribe that was standing there as criminals for two years plus without me committing any crime whatsoever. He embarrassed me for good two years plus. Some people who saw me then, anywhere they see now, they will be looking at me as a criminal and they may not even know that the court has dismissed the case but they have seen me once or twice before the court standing like a common criminal. I believe in God because he is the one that has been fighting my battle. I gave him room to see what will happen for about two years thinking that he should be wise enough to have a remorse by meeting with me so that it can be settled amicably but he didn’t do so, rather they are digging deeper into the crisis creating more problems. I won him at the High Court. Even though he disobeyed the court by parading himself, I continue to serve my people. I was expecting them to come after that judgment so that we can sit down and sort things out and be united again but he didn’t come. They went and appealed against the judgment and it’s still there at the Appeal Court. So, whenever I waited and he didn’t come, I had to go to court. Why should he expose me to such ridicule, rubbish, embarrassment and disgrace for two years plus? This is a problem that has been on for 22 years and they didn’t allow me to rest for no just cause except that my people choose me and not them. I didn’t pay a dime to my people to choose me. I did not for one day ask any Ibo man to choose me but they said if it is not Alex it is nobody then. When an Eze is chosen in Ibo tradition, it’s for life. It’s not only in Ibo tradition but also in other cultures. I want to use this opportunity to inform the whole world that that man they saw in the dock for two years plus is not a criminal. He has not committed any offense.
Do you wish to speak about the challenges you have faced so far as the leader of Ibos in the state?
We have no challenges except few of the people who do not believe in due process; who do not believe in the rule of law and they have continued to stampede us; stampede us from what we are supposed to be getting. We are living peacefully in the state.
Former head of state, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo recently cried out that President Muhammadu Buhari’s divisive nature will cause another civil war. What is your view about this?
I believe that the question should better be answered by Obasanjo. All I know is that it’s not the best to have a divisive government. If Buhari is doing that, he should make corrections. Buhari is just a human being, he is not God. If he makes any mistake, he should be corrected. We shout one Nigeria, we should try and put it into practice. The one that will bring more positive results is the one that should be practicalised. So, Obasanjo may be right or wrong. Maybe, he is raising an alarm because he doesn’t want the country to divide. We don’t want another war in Nigeria. All hands must be on deck to see that we do not experience another war because if we do, it will be very very devastating.
Do you see Governor Seyi Makinde as the Messiah that will take Oyo State to its expected heights?
First of all, on behalf of myself and the whole Ibos in Ibadan and Oyo State, I want to congratulate Engineer Seyi Makinde on his assumption as the Governor of Oyo state. He is a vibrant young man. The strength is there; the energy is there. If only he would be allowed to use his God-given wisdom and his good conscience to rule the state whereby whatever he wants to do and does it with truth and justice and stand by it, he will achieve so much in Oyo State. I don’t think he will have a problem. He has what it takes to succeed and we the Ibos in Oyo State are praying for him. There is one thing we do; any government that comes into power democratically, we always support it. If he does his first four years now and he has done well, I will be among those who will call on the people to give him another support to do second term because when one is doing well, encourage the person to go further and finish the good work he is doing. It’s only when one is not doing well that he should be discouraged from going further. So, as he has come in now, we the Ibos will support him like we supported his predecessor because whether we like it or not, the government he took over from tried its own part. I am not saying it was perfect, nobody can ever be perfect except God. We so much believe in the rule of law. The problem Ibos are having in Oyo State is that something that was discussed and agreed upon and enshrined in the constitution of the Ibos in Oyo state, some people derailed from it and they are carrying money about thinking that will save them.
