Hon. Charles Chindu Onukogu, an erstwhile students’ union leader and political activist, is the Eastern Union (EU) Coordinator, United States of America (USA). In this interview, Onukogu, now on a fact-finding mission to parts of the country, particularly the South East geo-political zone, spoke on the recent hike in pump price of petrol and tariff on electricity among other crucial issues. Excerpts:

Could you briefly tell us your antecedent?

I am from the Orlu Senatorial zone of Imo State, specifically from the Isu local government area of the state. I have been in leadership positions for several years. I was a student union leader and played key roles in the formation of the African Students Union in USA/ University of Carolina (UNC), Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, where I studied Political Science, with a major in International Politics. I am the Eastern Union (EU) Coordinator in the USA. Presently, I am on a fact-finding visit to Nigeria to consult with our leadership in parts of the nation as the country moves towards the 2023 general elections.

Very soon, the administration of Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State will come to an end. What would you consider his major achievements?

I can only give credit to Governor Willie Obiano for only one thing. That is making sure that the kind of hoodlums and criminals we used to have in Onitsha have been taken away. He has put in place a good security network to check crime right from the early days of his administration. Since then there have not been much reports of hoodlums activities in parts of the state compared with what have been happening in other parts of the country. For this, I give him credit. However, a good foundation was laid for Obiano by former Governor Peter Obi. But, apart from security, I cannot say that Obiano has done well in terms of infrastructure, like road construction and repair, rising unemployment, poor healthcare and a host of other things. But, without the foundation laid by Peter Obi, Obiano would not have done much. So, I do not see Obiano as a good performer throughout almost eight years he has been in power in Anambra State.

How do you see the fact that for about 18 years APGA has been in charge of Anambra State, its governments have not been able to give the state a befitting secretariat and Government House?

I think the party was not the problem, but those in the party who had been ruling the state. Governor Willie Obiano was not able to realise that to whom more is given, much more is expected from. As an indigene of Anambra State, he should have performed much better. APGA should not be blamed for Obiano’s poor performance. If Obiano had been doing well, APGA would have become more popular in the South East. But, we will not render APGA useless in the South East because it is the only party in the region we can bargain with. The only problem is that the Eastern politicians do not play the current politics of Nigeria. They still play the type of politics the past politicians from the former Eastern Region played, which has not helped the region.

How do you see the current view that having given their mandate to APGA for over 16 years, the people of Anambra State should give chance to another party, possibly APC or PDP, to rule them?

Those who talk of APC baffle me. Has APC performed well at the centre and in the states it controls? APC has not been performing well at the federal level. In Imo State, which has been under APC, Rochas Okorocha did not perform well. So, if power is to shift to any other party outside APGA, it should not be APC. In my view, the best choice for Anambra people is to continue with APGA, or to vote for PDP if the people of the state think that APGA is their problem.

As an Imo State indigene, how do you see Imo politics?

Imo politics is very interesting like the politics of Nigeria as a whole. In Imo, the citizens decide who their governor becomes. Unfortunately, every effort they make to choose those to lead turns out to be a disappointment by those they put their trust in to lead them. For instance, when Imo citizens thought that Ikedi Ohakim was not doing well, they single handedly picked Rochas Okorocha from where he was and branded him God sent. All turned out to be false and the people’s hope was shattered. This happened within the two terms of his governorship. Now, here we are. All efforts made by Chief Emeka Ihedioha to take over the reign of governorship from APC were thwarted by the Supreme Court. Overall, Imo politics is unique. The politics of Imo is a game of which area controls the more local governments. Out of the 24 local governments in Imo, Orlu alone has about 12. So, in Imo State, power has continued to remain in Orlu zone to the detriment of the other zones, which does not seem to be fair. But, we have to move away from zonal politics and look at individuals irrespective of what zone they come from in order to choose the best to make Imo great. This should be extended to the country. What is playing out in Imo is exactly what is happening at the national level. The North commands more representation in the National Assembly than any other region and it has more people in government.

Still on Imo politics, what is your take on the performance of Senator Hope Uzodimma as the state governor so far?

Even though it is still early to judge Uzodimma, however, he is yet to put in place structures and come out with policies that will show that he has the capacity to give Imo citizens joy. His performance so far is nothing to write home about. We expected him to have immediately looked at the things Ihedioha put in place within the short period he was there and follow them through. Ihedioha had a good plan which, if Uzodimma had followed through, would have made him one of the best governors Imo people had had. I think he is being naïve. His self-interests seem to supersede the interests of the state. When I say self-interest, I mean that he does things that seem to satisfy the Northerners and not Imo citizens. I wish he would get away from this and focus on the needs of the state. As long as he begins to do that, he will be fine.

What is your view on the agitation for a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction come 2023?

The agitation is proper. I see it as a wish. But, will that come to pass? The answer is capital NO. We, the Easterners, have not actually looked at how the Nigerian politics is being played. When I say Easterners, I mean the old Eastern Region, including those in Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, and not just the new South East. By the Eastern Region, I am also including the South South. The worst part is that our so-called leaders from the East have always been sell-outs. Politicians from the Western Region, now South West, know when to disagree and when to agree. But, it is not so with their Eastern and South South counterparts who should work together for the progress of their area and people. We only know how to tear ourselves apart. We do not bargain in one voice. This is a big problem. This is why it will be very difficult irrespective of how they try to do it. The recent trend is that you see a host of them like Rochas Okorocha, Orji Uzor Kalu, Rotimi Amaechi among others, gearing up for the presidency. One wonders why they cannot unite behind one person. For example, Peter Obi has been consistent. It is not about moving the Eastern Region forward, but the whole nation. In my view, Peter Obi is far better than any of them, they cannot match him in any way.

Since the Easterners cannot give themselves the presidency, which regions do you think they should align with to be able to get to Aso Rock?

Even though it is not important to think of which zone will align with the East, we still have to make sure that South South/Delta is always carried along. We cannot use the five states in South East to bargain for the presidency. We must carry South South along. We have to show leadership acumen by being able to tolerate our neighbours. It is impossible for the East to come to West or North to look for alliances without South South.

Will you support the Atiku/Peter Obi ticket, if South East fails to get the presidential ticket?

If we are to continue as one Nigeria, I will support that. It is better to focus on what we can achieve in the nearest future, than on a dream. In the absence of Igbo presidency, the Atiku/Obi ticket under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform is the best alternative and more realistic for the South East in 2023.

What is your assessment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration?

There is nothing to write home about the current federal administration. In every area of President Muhammadu Buhari administration, he has not done much. It looks as if the nation just exists in vacuum. There is no foreign policy, no domestic policy, no clearly defined economic policy. There is nothing that is guiding the nation. Look at Ghana and South Africa insulting Nigeria and the president of our nation or anybody cannot challenge them. It is surprising and appalling. Sometimes, we begin to wonder if we are still Nigeria. I am baffled by what has been going on.

In what areas would you say the Buhari administration has not been performing?

The administration has not performed in all the areas. For instance, in the area of security, everything has worsened. In fact, this is the worst. Look at the issue of Boko Haram. This is what Buhari promised Nigerians in 2015 that he would solve within six months. Today, where are we? Look at banditry all over the country. The Fulani herdsmen are killing people by the day all over the country. Kidnappers are holding the people of Nigeria to ransom. Members of the government are looting the nation dry when he is waging anti-corruption war. So, there is nothing to write home about the Buhari administration. Nigerians are praying that he should finish his second term and leave so that we can rearrange ourselves and rearrange the nation.

What do you mean by Nigerians rearranging themselves? Are you referring to restructuring?

Restructuring is part of rearranging ourselves. If true federalism will be put in place and mediocrity enthroned, Nigeria will be better. Nigeria needs a better leader with ideas, who will come up with better foreign, domestic and economic policies that will move the nation forward. We need a leader who will make the citizens proud of being Nigerians. We need a leader who will make the citizens enjoy the privileges of citizenship. That leader, I am sorry to say, is not Buhari. The current situation is skewed against the citizens, especially the masses and many have been lamenting, wondering how the nation got to this abysmal level. Everything seems to be working against the citizens under this administration.

What is your thought on the recent hike in fuel price and tariff on electricity?

That is exactly what I am saying. I think that it is unfortunate that we have leaders who can take such decisions without putting the necessary things in place for the citizens. There are no employment opportunities and millions of Nigerians are presently roaming the streets across the country without jobs. Inflation is high. The price of the Dollar against the Naira, what people call foreign exchange, is high. There is no infrastructure in place. Everything is dilapidated. The whole situation is absolute nonsense.

Talking about infrastructure, the Federal Government has pumped a lot on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Lagos Rail line among others. Don’t you think the government has been making a lot of progress in the area of infrastructure?

All these projects have been there for a very long time. Every year, huge amounts of money are budgeted for these projects by the Federal Government. It is a pity that these projects have continued to be at baby level after several years and nothing much is being done. The inability of the Federal Government to complete projects after several years is baffling and appalling. By all expectations, these projects should have been nearing completion as the administration will be wounding down sooner than later.

Are you bothered about the huge foreign loans the Federal Government has been taking in these few years, especially the ones from China?

That is the most baffling thing about President Muhammadu Buhari administration. It is indeed a disservice to this country and the citizens. I see it as the worst thing about the administration. The Chinese and other loans are not being properly utilised. We cannot see the impact. I can see these loans as stealing. Directly or indirectly, Nigeria is being mortgaged. The generations yet unborn will regret what this administration is doing to the citizens through several foreign loans. We have loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. We also have some loans taken because of the COVID-19 pandemic. My fear is that when President Muhammed Buhari will be leaving office in 2023, he will be leaving a bad legacy for the coming generation. After eight years in office, Buhari will be leaving huge debts for other administrations to pay. One of his ministers, Rotimi Amaechi, has said that the Chinese loans alone will take about 20 years to offset. That will be five tenures of other administrations. Why will they be leaving other people to clear their mess? Does the APC administration think that it will continue to rule Nigeria forever? Is the party even sure that it will produce Buhari’s successor? These loans are shocking and a big embarrassment to Nigeria and Nigerians. This is not what Nigerians bargained for when they voted in the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari. (Text, excluding headline, courtesy Sunday Independent)

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