By PETER ANOSIKE

An England-trained Lawyer and businessman from Enugu State, Olive Udeh, says he was not surprised by the Federal High Court, Abuja, decision issuing an order restraining the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), from further denying issuing the NYSC certificate to the Enugu State, Governor Peter Mbah.

Recall also that the court fined NYSC N5 million for tagging Governor Mbah's certificate as fake.

Speaking in an interview with Daily Sun, Udeh who is also the Chief Executive Officer of CEELUX Group, an infrastructure development company, said that more than three months ago, he predicted that the Labour Party governorship candidate, Chijoke Edeoga, and his sponsors were just chasing shadows with such frivolities, malicious accusations and wicked lies that were well choreographed to tarnish the image of their own brother that is highly celebrated by well- meaning individuals within and across the globe over his remarkable achievements in the private sector.

He said now the Abuja Federal High has cleared Dr. Mba of any wrongdoing and awarded a cost of N5m against NYSC for allowing such an important government institution to be used for political purposes and called on well-meaning Nigeria to rise above partisan politics and ethnic divide to condemn the NYSC and, in particular, urge the Director-General of NYSC to resign with immediate effect for bringing down the institution to a rebuke and criticism by a Federal Court.

Ude said that it was only in a society like Nigeria that the head of such important government agency could come on national television tell lies and get rebuked by a federal agency, would continue to hold a public office.

“Justice Inyang Ekwo, in his judgment, that was devoid of political and ethnic considerations, held that evidence before the court showed that Mbah properly participated in the NYSC programme and that he was issued a certificate of completion by the NYSC. Justice Inyang Ekwo, in the judgment, held that the Director-General of the NYSC and the corps, who were defendants in the suit, were guilty of concealment of the truth and misrepresentation of material facts. This is the height of an injustice orchestrated and perpetrated against an innocent citizen of Nigeria by a federal government institution. The very institution that is meant to protect and defend the rights of the Nigerian is now a willing tool in the hands of political elites to persecute ordinary Nigerians,” Ude said.

In this interview, Olive Udeh spoke on the judgment, the giant strides that Governor Peter Mbah is making in Enugu State with regard to development as well as on other important issues.

Excerpts:

How did you see the Federal High Court judgment on Governor Peter Mbah Vs NYSC?

Well, for Justice Inyang Ekwo, Lord Denning famously declared that "if it were not for injustice, man would not know justice. It’s the denial of justice not to stretch out a helping hand to the fallen, that is the common right of humanity. Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right in a wicked world. The Court of equity, justice and fairness will always rise to the occasion to protect the rights of the innocent.” The Labour Party governorship candidate in the last governorship election in Enugu State, in collaboration with the Director-General of the National Youths Service Corps used social media to assassinate the character of the governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mba. They painted a picture that looked real to malign his character and represent an innocent man as a common criminal. Adolf Hitler’s chief propagandist, Josef Gobbel, was popular with the infamous saying, “say a lie, make it big, repeat it often and everybody would believe it to be true.” That was exactly what the D NYSC and Labour Party's Chijoke Edeoga and his sponsors did to Governor Peter Mbah. It was trending everywhere that Dr. Peter Mbah forged his NYSC discharge certificate. But at the height of all it all, I granted an interview where I stated that they were vilifying an innocent man, that Dr. Peter Mbah was mobilized for service, reported to the Camp, posted to the place of his primary assignment and did his national assignment and was cleared which NYSC affirmed and there was no letter from NYSC to the contrary. So on what basis should Dr. Peter Mba forge his discharge certificate when he deserves original certificate on merit? It doesn’t make any sense. It is not just enough to accuse somebody of criminal offence or wrongdoing, burden to prove an allegation beyond reasonable doubt is squarely on the accuser. A court of law and equity abhors injustice and would always presume an accused to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of competent jurisdiction not on social media. That is why someone like me who all along knew the truth was not exactly surprised by the judgment of Justice Inyang Ekwo though my only apprehension was let there not be a miscarriage of justice considering the country that we find ourselves, where anything goes. It is on this ground that I am commending Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal Court and his fellow justices for upholding the sanctity of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Legal norms irrespective of mundane promises and pressure to do otherwise.

In words of Lord Denning, he said, "the duty of the judge is to make the law live and breathe. But the purpose of the law is to see that truth is observed and that justice is done between man and man.”

How do you see the N5 million fine. Do you consider it enough?

Well, in monetary terms, no amount of money can be enough compensation for character assassination. Do you know what happens when your character is assassinated? Everybody would begin to run away from you. Even your wife and children would begin to show some kind of resentment and doubts. The reputation you have built in decades will evaporate within minutes. Your businesses will begin to cast doubt on your credibility. Your business empire will crumble and your business associates will start showing resentment. You would become a loner in a world of more than eight billion people. How much money do you think can compensate for that? So, for me, it is not about the money. It is about the truth prevailing against evil. The most unfortunate thing in the whole of this unfolding wicked drama which Justice Inyang Ekwo of Federal High Court has laid to rest is that it was authored, orchestrated, choreographed and played by Dr. Peter Mba’s own people. The very people he trusted and refers to as his own people. The sstory of Dr. Peter Mba is like that of the biblical Joseph who was betrayed by his own blood brothers out of envy and jealousness. It is beyond politics but act of wickedness, envy and jealousness. I am part of this fight and struggle so l can vividly testify to the goodness of God the entire truth regarding Dr. Peter Mba ordeal, the men behind it and their sole objectives. The entire story of certificate forgery is a mere facade but the God of the innocent is with Dr. Peter Mba and will continue to guide and protect him against unnumbered foes.

How worried was the Governor over the certificate forgery issue and other mundane accusations?

To tell you the truth, he is a human being just like you and I. He is flesh and blood like any other person. He was not really bothered about the malicious accusations because he knew that he did nothing wrong and that evidence at his disposal especially the very documents of NYSC will serve as his defence and clear his name but he was greatly disappointed that his own people he was working hard to give good life are the very people after him to destroy his reputation and image for no good reason. However, the magnitude of his achievements within the first six months of coming into office would tell you that he was not distracted rather he was emboldened to fight for the good people of Ndi Enugu. Mbah is somebody who does not give excuses and again he does not take excuses for failure. He is a man on a mission. He came into office with the mindset to right the accumulated wrongs in Enugu State. He had expected his people to embrace him with an open arms but he was fed with poison, betrayal and character assassination. The economy of Enugu State was just about $3billion and he wants to push it up to $40billion within his terms of office. So, he is bent on achieving that and would not allow anything to distract him. From onset he knew that he was been wrongly accused and that at the end of the day, the truth will prevail and it has prevailed. So, he was simply carrying on as if nothing was happening.

What advice do you have for the people of Enugu State, especially now that the issue of certificate forgery has been settled?

The vision of Governor Peter Mbah transcends Enugu State. His vision is for southeast, Nigeria and Africa as a whole. He has started with the transformation of the economy of Enugu State in particular and south east in general but l urge him to look out for broader economic expansion beyond southeast and Nigeria. Africa as a continent is yearning for leadership and it will not be out of place to tell you one is here with us in the person of Dr. Peter Mba the Executive Governor of Enugu State. The $40 billion economy that he is building is for the revamping of south east economy for the greater good of Ndi Igbo and I am appealing to Ndigbo worldwide, no matter the state of origin, to key into the projects and visions of Governor Peter Mbah. For example, the Oji River Industrial City project that he is building at Ugwuoba, just one kilometer away from the popular Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka is designed to integrate the Enugu state and Anambra state economy and foster trade and commerce between neighboring states. On completion, it would be the biggest trading centre in the whole of Africa. The Oji River Industrial City would be situated on 5000 hectares of land and would have more than 150,000 shops and businesses premises, malls, housing developments, schools, hospitals, recreation centres and a lot of other things that would make life worth living. Again, the Governor has concluded arrangements with stakeholders and investors in the aviation sector to make Enugu International Airport a reality and not just on paper. With the court cases fast coming to an end, Ndi Igbo will soon wake up to a new dawn.

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