Chief Martin Onovo, a petroleum industry expert, an engineer and activist, is the 2015 presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP) and currently, the Head, Policy Positions, Movement for Fundamental Change (MFC). In this interview with EJIKEME OMENAZU, Onovo speaks on the performance of President Bola Tinubu so far, among other issues. Excerpt:
The year 2023 just came to an end. How do you see the life of Nigerians in the outgoing year?
Life in Nigeria in 2023 was terribly unprecedented. The ad hoc Tinubu regime set the worst records in all development indices, particularly when we consider the security and welfare of Nigerians. Public morality has been completely perverted. Lawlessness and impunity are now the norm. Corruption is celebrated. Unemployment is unprecedented. Insecurity is unprecedented and poverty is widespread. Nigeria is a failed state. Yes, Nigeria is a failed state, unable to maintain control of our territory, unable to feed our citizens, unable to pay our debts, unable to enforce our laws and unable to protect our citizens. After the outrageous judgment of the Supreme Court on the presidential elections, we published that the Supreme Court had initiated the collapse of Nigeria. We restate that by that nefarious judgment, the Supreme Court initiated the complete collapse of Nigeria. Currently, impunity is widespread and lawlessness prevails. The complete collapse of Nigeria is closer than ever. We must take deliberate actions now to prevent it.
Looking at all the indices at your disposal, would you say the year 2024 would be better for the country and its citizens?
No. We do not think it will be better. ‘Those that fail to plan, plan to fail’. The ad-hoc Tinubu regime is completely incompetent, plan-less and reckless. They are an ‘Emi lo kan’ regime of selfishness and lawlessness. The regime has continued with unjust, deceitful, divisive and dictatorial arrangements. Its economic direction is unpatriotic, wasteful and destructive. Its attitude to national security is irresponsible. Fundamental adjustments must be made urgently to mitigate the damage the ad hoc Tinubu regime is doing to the country. This year 2024, total public debt will increase based on the reckless and unpatriotic borrowing proposed in the Appropriation Act. Waste of national resources will increase due to the ostentatious disposition of the regime and the prodigal allocations to recurrent expenditure. Currently, insecurity is increasing and mass poverty is also increasing without any robust plan to tackle these challenges.
Gen Muhammadu Buhari left office this year after ruling for eight years. Would you say Nigeria is better at the end of the year than when Buhari left office on May 29?
Gen. Buhari ruined Nigeria. Buhari met one of the fastest growing economies in the world and left us as the world capital of poverty comparatively. Gen. Buhari met us with Boko Haram terrorists and left us with Boko Haram, ISWAP and Fulani herdsmen terrorists. Gen Buhari met us as a united country with freedom of religion and left us divided with his islamisation agenda. Gen Buhari met the Naira at N197/$ and left us with the Naira at N770/$.The only regime in the history of humanity that can be worse than the Buhari regime is this ad hoc Tinubu regime. They are both sponsored by the same unpatriotic ruling party.
President Bola Tinubu has been going round the world seeking foreign investors, while several businesses have been exiting the country. What would you attribute to this ironic twist?
Jagaban Tinubu is completely incompetent. His very weak education, his frail health, his octogenarian status and his moral character make him unfit and completely incompetent. He is used to profiteering and slush funds. He is incapable of properly appreciating the situation and he is unable to be productive. Simply put, he is unfit. He lacks the capacity and discipline to understand the situation, develop an appropriate recovery plan and implement it diligently.
The current administration has already ruled for seven months. How would you assess its performance so far?
It has been catastrophic these last seven months. From the increased crime and insecurity, including losses of security officials, to the hyper-inflation, increasing unemployment, the dreadful devaluation of the Naira, the reckless and unpatriotic borrowing, the ruination of the economy, the lawlessness of the DSS, the abuse of human rights, etc. Specifically, bandits killed about 36 military officials and shot down our military helicopter in Niger State. 19 persons were kidnapped in the FCT and over 200 were killed by terrorist Fulani herdsmen in Bokkos LGA, Plateau State. In the same period, food inflation is about 200% in reality: Please ignore cooked NBS figures. Currently the Naira is exchanging for N1,200/$ from the N461/$ in February 2023.
What is your take on the political crisis in Rivers State? Would you say the eight-point agreement President Tinubu led the Wike and Fubara camps to enter into can restore peace in the state?
Nigerian laws are clear to us. That ‘agreement’ cannot supplant our laws. The courts are there to clarify any issues. Nyesom Wike can face his duty as FCT Minister and stop his unlawful attempt to vicariously achieve a third term as governor of Rivers State at the same time as he holds the office of FCT Minister.
Some stunning decisions are being reached by the courts on the 2023 general elections matters. Would you say the Judiciary is really helping to stabilise the polity and by extension, democracy in Nigeria?
The ‘Supreme Court’ has initiated the complete collapse of Nigeria with their nefarious judgment on the presidential election appeal. That nefarious judgment has eroded the dignity of the judiciary. Afenifere stated that ‘the Supreme Court ratified brigandage’. We agree with Afenifere. Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister and Vice President of World Bank, called it ‘a judicial enthronement of criminality’. We agree with Dr. Ezekwesili. That nefarious judgment is a very bad precedent. It is also tantamount to a warrant to corrupt judges at all levels of the judicial system to deliver despicable judgments with impunity. So, many elements in the judiciary have joined the unpatriotic band of politicians and judges that put their corrupt personal interests before our national interest. Consequently, the public has completely lost all trust in the judiciary. The complete collapse of Nigeria is sure if we do not take deliberate actions now to prevent it.
Already, politicians are restrategising towards the 2027 general elections. Would you agree with the view that the South East will become a target of different political elements who would want to balkanise the region for their selfish ends, especially for the control of power at the centre? How could the South Eastern stakeholders and the Ohanaeze Ndigbo guard against this?
Manoeuvres for 2027 elections at this time are naïve and unpatriotic. The people are the sovereign. The ‘Supreme Court’ is not the sovereign. The people are constitutionally superior to the ‘Supreme Court’. The ‘Supreme Court’ cannot impose Jagaban Tinubu on us. This is not a democracy. It is a maximum dictatorship. There is no separation of powers. Jagaban Tinubu that lost the elections woefully is controlling the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. We reject this maximum dictatorship and we re-state that it is not sustainable. The Southeast has demonstrated patience, patriotism, vision and reliability in national politics.
To what extent is your group, Movement for Fundamental Change (MFC), rallying round like-minds and other groups to enthrone genuine democracy in Nigeria?
We have reached out to many other groups with similar democratic dispositions and we have established collaborative arrangements with many such groups. We will continue to reach out to other such groups. This maximum dictatorship is neither tolerable nor sustainable. We reject it as undemocratic. Aluta continua! Victoria acerta!! We will continue with our activities and arrangements to enthrone genuine democracy in Nigeria.
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