Chief Bode George, a former Military Governor of Ondo State recently told a group of journalists, including Segun James that the political situation in the country calls for concerted effort from all stakeholders
A revered man of God recently told his congregation and apparently Nigerians, to look for an alternative route of escape, that the way the country is that Nigerians should start to look for Plan B. He said even if you can take a bicycle to Cameroon or to Seme, that the way the country is calls for plan B, what do you have to say to that Sir?
If your house if leaking, do you abandon the house and go somewhere else? And you think you have succour there? Where you want to have the Plan B to run to, are they just starting up? If your house is leaking, as a committed and loyal member of that household, you will stay and repair it. None of us chose where we were born. If God wanted you to be born somewhere else, either in China or England, is there any part of the world today that is not in crisis? Let men of valour and principles rise up to defend and rebuild. Look at the children of Israel, God warned them that He would deal with them. He told them that, I brought you out of Egypt, made you to cross the Red Sea and you are still serving other gods. He scattered them and they went as slaves everywhere. Have you forgotten the Rivers of Babylon? But He said I have heard your voices again, I hope you have learnt your lessons? I will bring you back from all the corners of the world back to that Promise Land. That is when they got back to Jerusalem and met only ruins. Nehemiah started building the broken walls. If that is our mission here, I will beg him, he is my younger brother, we must remain here and rebuild the broken walls of this country. Running way won’t solve the issue which is just temporary. Remember what we did to Ghanaians. They came here for succour, they were very useful in teaching, our people, doing bricklaying and all those artisan jobs they were involved in. suddenly the government at that time said ‘Ghana must go’. They shipped them out in lorries. Who tells you that, that will not happen? With our population, anywhere we surge into becomes Nigeria. And you think those people love us? That giant of Africa called Nigeria, what happened to it? That is the travesty of life. You will go through the trough of life. But if you trust in God genuinely, you will pop out on the highway of triumph. What we are doing today, the present generation collapsed the system. It is not a one man something, call your house boy and send him on an errand to buy something for you , he will want to cut corners. Even those selling food stuff at the market are not different. So negativism, cheating, has become a national sport. I believe that the devil found a home in Nigeria. And he is spreading like cancer. We must go back to the almighty God genuinely, fervently and pray to God to forgive us our sins. I am almost 76 years, is this the first time Mallam will bring cows to Lagos? When I was a young man in Lagos Island, when they finish selling their cows they sell the urine. In those days there was so much convulsion for children, nobody used, gas or electricity for cooking it is firewood. And at the back of the house, they will hang the urine, we didn’t know what it was but once anybody is convulsing, they will run to the backyard and take the ammonia when you spread it over the child, he will wake up. We thought it was some medicine, until we got to secondary school to start doing Chemistry then we knew that it is ammonia. They made their sales and went and come back and they will come again. Why are you now killing people? For what? What is the Devil that has entered this nation? What are we managing? Crises. Let us be honest with ourselves. Nigeria is in dire straits, running away will not solve the issue because you will get to A. You want to run to America? They have crisis now. You want to go to England, you think they don’t have their own problem? Go to any part of Europe, but from the goodness that God gave us, we can still tap from the huge human resource that God gave this country. Today a Nigerian is the Deputy Treasury of State, that is the Deputy Minister of Finance, in the United States of America. Go to any known field in the developed world, you will find that you have one Nigerian there. So why don’t we tap those resources? God gave us so much but because of pettiness of mind, the lack of respect for human life, we are destroying ourselves. Whatever you are in life, it is not personal to you, God gave you that asset, to share so that when you get up, you pull others up. That is all about life. Have you seen anybody who will not die? There will be a day you would leave, what will they say about you? Today we still say Sardauna of Sokoto, Awolowo, they have done their own part, they have gone away. What they left we are rebuilding, we are destroying it. What is the essence of the fight between me and an Igbo ma or an Hausa man or a Fulani man? Even if we separate and destroy the whole thing, who can guarantee that even the man that speaks the same language with you will not start fighting you? We need a rebirth, a revisit to how we came together. What is the essence of life? Civic education, your responsibility to the state, your responsibility to your neighbour, your responsibility to yourself. The major problem we have is social economic madness. It has collapsed. I want to send a word to the Governor of Central Bank and his colleagues. There is an epidemic ravaging this nation and the world. The first thing that hits you when you come from abroad, look at our currency, filthy, dirty, that is a sign of what we are or where we are. Are they blind? What is the job of Central Bank? They are aiding and abetting and spreading the pandemic all over Nigeria. Look at the paper money, it is so dirty and stinking. Reduce the spread of this COVID-19, issue fresh mint notes, what are they doing there? I know him personally so I feel very angry. It is shameful, shameless people. Does it take the president to tell you go and mint new notes? What is the Ministry of Health telling these people to do? They should wake up and go and do something about these dirty notes.
You mentioned the security issues, to solve some of these problem that is why the Southern governors recently said there should be restructuring. They banned open grazing, when you read that, did you cheer them on? And also react to the Senate President said and the Speaker, who attacked the governors saying restructuring should start in their own state. So do you think the solutions the governors gave is okay?
I am totally in support of it. I am still looking at the nation when I was telling you what the problems are. These are the issues that are now bleeding this country. What gave rise to those problems? It is our system of governance. We have distanced government from the people. In a democracy, power comes from the base. We left the government to one man and his team, they give orders. The military handed that constitution over, looking at that image of the military and we have tried it, and it is over 20 years and we have been trying it, reasoning in the dark. It is not working. The Senate President and the Speaker are holding opposing view to what the governors said. Are they really impacting on the lives of those at the bottom? Gbajabiamila is my little brother from here, let him walk on the streets of Surulere and see the faces of the people. The education system collapsed even the social system is collapsed. When I was young Isale gangan was our play field, we go there from school. Where else can children go now to play and not be kidnapped? Their statement is very demeaning. So are these the people who are to revisit the constitutional amendment? They thought what the governors said was rubbish. They are too far away from the people. Let them come down from their high horse, it is not a perpetual thing, someday they are going to come back and report to their constituency. And we know what they do in their constituency, if genuinely they were elected? Do you think they will be talking like this? When was the last time he had a constituency meeting, including the Senate President? Those governors put their hands on the right button. And that is why we said if we want a democratic governance, devolution of power, not dissolving Nigeria. devolution of power means reducing the power at the centre and giving more powers to the state so that they can impact positively on the people that elected them. Why do we need that massive number in the National Assembly? You know how much money that is costing this country? Nigerian senators earn more than American senators. They are asking for N30, 000 minimum wage they have not agreed. Do you know how much a senator in America earns in dollars? If you convert our own to dollars they earn more here than Americans. Is that not a joke?
The point some of the people are making about the southern governors is that it is as if they have already taken sides and they want to divide the country. Are you not worried? It appears that the south is now united against the north?
That is how people will look at it. The agitation today in this country is national. Let us forget about tribes now. We are thinking and talking about how you will positively impact on the minds and hearts of Nigerians. You think the northern people who are not members are not suffering? The situation is worse, economic and social situations in the north are worse than in the south. And this is what I want to bring out to the minds of our people. if our people met, and you know this is the first time or probably the second time because there was a time we had a meeting in Enugu back then. They are meeting now again. How many times have the northern governors been meeting? So if they met and decided on what is happening to their people, they didn’t say in that their communiqué that they are going to start asking for devolution in Nigeria. They are saying the system of governance, what is impacting on them negatively, this open grazing. That it should be done as it done in those other civilised countries. What is wrong in that? We have had southern president, today we have a northern president, tomorrow we might a southern president. Is it a matter of your areas alone? What they said is not wrong. It is an observation and a suggested solution. I made a comment, I said oga should make sure that he invites leaders of thought from all the angles and the corners of this country for a two or three days meeting in Abuja because perceptions differ based on your culture and your norm, so they can meet. Let the president call for a national meeting, it is no longer just talking to the military. Military approach can no longer solve the problem on ground, it is a social economic malaise which brings you back to what the military can do which we call aid to civil power. There is a special operation we carry out in the military which is called aid to civil power. And that means if there is an insurgency and the police cannot cope, the Commander-in-Chief can invite the military. But this is a social economic malaise. That is what has given birth to the insurgency, the kidnapping, banditry. If you have a job that you are why will you have time to be looking for neighbours son to go and kidnap so that you can get ransom. If there are economic activities that are going on would you have time for that nonsense? But an idle mind is the devils workshop. So for me we created it. What we need to do is to go back to that drawing board and talk with ourselves. This is a democratic dispensation, when you have matters that are plaguing you, lets put heads together so ideas can be exchanged and out of all that, you can get brilliant suggestions. It is not a matter of supporting this tribe against that tribe, no.
A lot of people are asking for real change this time, and the available party is PDP, what is the state of PDP right now?
Normally, as a very senior member of the party from my own upbringing, because I am from a very solid home that has been involved in politics. My great grand uncle, Herbert Macaulay was the first Nigerian politician. You know he is like a grand uncle to my mum. So from the house I know what politics is about. Number two, because I was there when those founding fathers started, it will be incorrect for me X-ray our party publicly. I will just tell you that all is not well. How, when, where we will resolve it, we will go back if they mean well. All is not well with our party, that is why the APC is gallivanting and having a lot of fun. Where is the challenge from the opposition? It is like we are dead men walking. I won’t go deeper than that because it will be a self-inflicted punch on our personalities. But we are not yet ready.
The way the party is and one critical issue which is even beyond the party and affects Nigeria is the zoning issue. And I remember the last time we were here, you made the comment in passing, but for me it was critical. When you said that if APC zones the president to the south PDP should also be zone to the south otherwise we will divided the country more?
In fact if we try that now, it will be suicide because the scenarios now are so bad. The perceived hatred, the tribal imbalance, when you go out and see somebody, you hear his voice and it is not your own, instantly your biases are there and you are ready to fight. If we now say pitch this against that, how do you now go and campaign in your various areas? Look at what is happening in Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos also now. So we need the usual practice, which is for the party to get to that round table. We will debate, we will discuss, that is how the founding fathers established this party. Based on activities external to you and then you now come to a conclusion.
I knew at a time some people were pushing for you to contest for the presidency, let us assume the PDP is zoned to the south, are you still interested?
You know in two years I will be 78 years old. Already my children are saying daddy, so it is not new, Biden is there. Because of the state of the country he said he was going to come out and that America was veering away from the norm. So if it is God’s wish, why not? To do a very short run to get us back then they can continue. That never again are we going to start veering away. Because all these crises just didn’t start today. It is a little of a build-up of greed that resulted in all these. Collectively we must pull and push and carry the load of this nation so that the future generations too will say this is what our fathers did and we must continue in them. Otherwise when some people build, some others will come and destroy it. We should be at the level of Singapore, Malaysia now. Where is that giant of Africa? Even when they have G20 now, you know they don’t call us again. We liberated South Africa, liberated Namibia, Angola, Mozambique, Siere Lone , Liberia, Somali.
Talking about crisis, in 2023, many people have expressed fears that if the situation worsens would there be a 2023 election?
That is my fear. I also have that fear. Who would you go out to campaign to? When you do they will ask you the votes we had that time has become of it? So like I said a couple of weeks ago that oga should please, I am appealing to him, one, to save our profession, to give a good name to our profession – the military. This month will be exactly two years to 2023. So we have effectively one year to revisit this anomaly. So that if he comes down to look at it passionately, honestly and sincerely, with God on our side, it is still possible. This system is not working. Like I said a report has been submitted, so Omo-Agege is not going to start from zero. Nigeria wasn’t created yesterday, reports are already existing, let him go and turn those reports. They either add to it or subtract from it, but that is a starting point. He has a template to work with. Holding another town hall meeting is a waste of time, they should use that money and employ some people. people are angry and if they get to certain places they might just beat them up. Is Omo-Agege not a Nigerian? Doesn’t he feel the temperature of the people? For me exactly two years from now, if we go back, we are not saying dissolve Nigeria, no. Let the system we are going to run make more sense so that it can positively impact on the people. The governance must be close to the people, it is too far away. The state governors too are waiting every month for money from Abuja and when the money comes from Abuja, you don’t know. You think if what you will get from your state is what will sustain you, do you think people will still seat down? They will get up and look for ways to harness what they have and still contribute minimally to Abuja, so that our international relations will be there and then of course secure our borders by the military. But what we are doing now is not working, we have tried it for 20 something years, it is degrading, it is bringing us to the bottom of the river. We are sinking. And oga can do it within one year. That report is very, very cogent. I was part of it, I saw it and read it and it is still very relevant. So don’t let them think that you have cut Nigeria into two. What about the Middle-elt governors? They have declared that they want to go with the south. It is not a matter of going with north or south. Look at the governor of Zamfara shouting about the insurgency. Look at Kaduna, is Kaduna safe? Look at the governor of Niger state. I was looking at this young man, he was howling and saying that they have put their flags in three communities in Niger. That they think it is far from Abuja, it is a stone throw. He is an APC governor. Look at the governor of Borno state, look at the governor of Yobe state, so does it have anything to do with party? No. this is a national concern. All the security meeting the president is having with these people, military solution cannot resolve social economic problems. That is the basic thing.
Is there a score to settle between you and Asiwaju?
How and which score? You know I am from Lagos Island. When you go home, you see those boys and girls jobless. The state of the schools, and you wonder what s going on. If we genuinely have crisis that we cannot meet then you will start suggesting solutions. But when you know that the financial resources are very heavily available and one man in one year stole N34.7 billion from our coffers, think of how many children that will benefit from that if it was used in the state. From primary school to university. Or spend money on their behalf for skill acquisition. An idle hand is the devil’s workshop. But he is there sitting, he is the one who appoints who will be chairman, speaker, are we running an emperor system? I have absolutely nothing personal between me and him. If for example he has factories like Odutola company, you will know he is making his money. But he us stealing our money and you say we should be quiet.
Let them put him forward then we will campaign to the people, they will hear. If we continue the manipulation of the system with the money, didn’t you see what happened during the last election with the bullion van? Was it carrying food or carrying drinks to his house? These are the issues building up these time bombs in Nigeria. People may not talk but they are building up the anger in them. You think they are not seeing and because they haven’t gone to the streets you think all is alright? No. they are not happy. Who the hell is this boy appropriating all the resources of the people, things that they should use to benefit the people, because they are not reacting? And that leads me also to the system of the electoral process. They are all interconnected. Because of the rubbish we are doing, is this an election? If the people cannot have an impact why are you saying you are running a democratic dispensation? It is their votes that keeps you there. But if you manipulate the vote in four years when you come back they know that they are going to right it. You think they are happy. Let Mrs Tinubu and I come and walk on the streets of Lagos.
You are the only one that come out openly to criticise him
Even if there is only one voice shouting in the wilderness it’s okay. And there are some of our elders who have share the money with him, they think we don’t know them. We will be shouting their names. They connive with him, they are his lieutenants, instead of telling him the truth, they don’t. This is God given resources for our people, you must do something for them. Only you, your wife, your daughter, your son in-law, and where do you come from? You are not from here. He is from Osun State and you think Lagosians are stupid. The definition of politics is the management of the resources of the land for the benefit of the people. What he is doing is politricking. That is why he is stealing the money to enhance himself.
What is your thought on INEC as we move towards 2023?
If we do not go modern then it is a joke. We are just groping in the dark. I know that this Professor has been struggling. The President should sign the electoral bill, that is when you will know the facts. There are young Nigerians who can write the software. You can just employ them to supervise it. Let the professor come and do what is done in every part of the world. Look at people in the riverine areas, they will be waiting in the collation centre in Abuja and they are coming, physically carrying the results. If they don’t stop manual voting some day it will blow up this country. Whatever they want to do, we have exactly two years to do it, otherwise it is a joke and waste of time.
The social economic policy I was talking about, one government will come and look at certain policies passionately, and fix them. Another one will now come, even if you are going to change that policy, you have to visit the lawmakers. One of the most brilliant things that this country has done was the free trade zones, to allow companies to come in to the free zones so that the encumbrances like unnecessary taxation, bottlenecks, bureaucracies will not be there, so that, that is an incentive for people to come. What do you think Dubai is? Look at 20 years ago, you know what Dubai was like and what it is now. they have established. Agencies of government will now go to those free zones and be harassing them that they must pay subscription of ITF. And quickly they went to the industrial court without consulting those companies to let them know they have a case in court. They garnishee their accounts. The judiciary is on strike. Now if you are the investor , that is one of those areas that creates jobs for you people. They pay the local income tax to the state. Now what is ITF looking for in those companies on the free zone? We are self-destroying ourselves. Look at Ghana, they copied the free trade zone from us, Ghana now has in their free trade zone in Accra 130 billion dollars cocoa manufacturing company. I was privilege to have been governor of Ondo state, the largest producer of cocoa in this country. What has happened? All the cocoa factories in Ikeja that Awolowo and co started, in fact I was told that they have sold the building there. You look at that and you wonder what is going on with us? The social economic destruction of the country is what has given rise to all these insurgency, kidnapping, rape and all those vices. It is not a military operation alone that can solve it. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) headed by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, she served Nigeria. look at the young lady on CNN, Zain Asher, she is a Nigerian. She is now ringing the bell that Africa is not just a throw away, that we can contribute. That she is proud to say on the international scene that she is a Nigerian. We are everywhere, in medicine, even the Coronavirus, Nigerians are part of the research. The brain drain now is to Canada, all our kids are running to Canada.
QUOTE
Oga can do it within one year. That report is very, very cogent. I was part of it, I saw it and read it and it is still very relevant. So don’t let them think that you have cut Nigeria into two. What about the Middle-elt governors? They have declared that they want to go with the south. It is not a matter of going with north or south. Look at the governor of Zamfara shouting about the insurgency. Look at Kaduna, is Kaduna safe? Look at the governor of Niger state. I was looking at this young man, he was howling and saying that they have put their flags in three communities in Niger. That they think it is far from Abuja, it is a stone’s throw. He is an APC governor. Look at the governor of Borno state, look at the governor of Yobe state, so does it have anything to do with the party? No. this is a national concern. All the security meetings the president is having with these people, a military solution cannot resolve social-economic problems. That is the basic thing
ThisDay
