AMBASSADOR M. T. Mbu, First Republic politician, elder statesman and a member of The Patriots is one respected voice in Nigeria today. And whenever he speaks, Nigerians listen because his views are always as thought-provoking as they are instructive. Thus, it was such a rare opportunity to engage him, Tuesday, on a number of issues ranging from the onshore/offshore dichotomy abrogation suit to the Igbo question, 2007 general elections and Prof. Chinua Achebe’s rejection of a national honour conferred on him recently. Here are excerpts.
The debate for 2007 general elections has begun in earnest and agitations have been on on which geo-political zone should present the next Nigerian president. The Igbos even urge their people to go grab tickets of all the major political parties. Do you see this as being practicable?
Everything is possible in politics. Anything that is humanly possible is possible in politics. If any group in Nigeria aspires to the presidency and organises for it and gets the support for it, why not? All the groups in Nigeria are eligible if they produce the right candidate to be elected to the highest office in the land.
The Igbos, just like any other ethnic group, needs to produce the right candidate. They have to prepare themselves, work hard for it and get the support of others and produce a highly electable candidate. That way, they will win.
There’s a debate as to who among all the six zones except South-West will produce the next candidate...
That is why I put it clearly that any group or any individual that is eligible should contest and be voted for so long as it meets the requirement of the constitution and gains the support of the electorate. Nothing hinders such a person from becoming president or such a group from producing the president. There is no magic about it. It’s humanly possible. It all depends on organisation.
On the issue of rotation, it’s not a question of believing in it. There are many political promises and posturing. But how many of them live up to their words? If we are talking of what is equitable in politics, you can’t request it. Is there truly anything like equity in politics? It is a game of power. It’s not a game of equitability. If you can organise and get the support, you will get it. Politics is not wishful thinking. It is not going to church to pray. You work for it. You organise for it and get support for it. If you get it, you are there.
Beyond this issue of the scramble for the presidency in 2007, how do we, as a nation, resolve this conflict surrounding the onshore/offshore abrogation suit brought before the Supreme Court by the 19 Northern and two South-West states?
This is a challenge to the PDP which is the ruling party in Nigeria. The PDP has the majority in the National Assembly that made that law.
The PDP will be known to be confusing themselves if they made one law only to unmake it tomorrow. The onshore/offshore act is not a political judgement. It is not a court judgement or a legal judgement. It is the political decision of the ruling party to make that law. Why do they have to go to court if they want to change their mind and amend the law? It is within their competence but how would it posit them to create that problem?
The bill was intended to serve a particular purpose and provide a solution to a political problem.
That was why the act was enacted in the first place. Why do you want to change it? Now, what we should be asking is, how many of these petitioners are PDP? So, it is within the convenience of PDP to resolve it. It is not a matter to be taken to court. It’s as simple as that. It’s a political solution that is needed, not judicial solution. To go to court is just confusing the issue and creating more problem and anarchy in the nation.
Recently, labour called off its four-day warning strike over the issue of petroleum pricing but government has not shifted its position. Thus, labour insists that in two weeks time, we may be talking of another strike. Can government and labour find a way out of this?
I don’t think that any responsible government, and we have a responsible government, will close its eyes to a nagging problem. The problem of petroleum pricing has been off and on. It’s a recurring decimal and the government must find time to resolve it with labour and the civil society so as to avoid anarchy and in order to turn our attention to more productive areas of governance. It’s all confusing to keep this issue lingering, setting up committees. For me, the government must find time to get labour (to sit down) and resolve this issue. I don’t believe setting up a committee is the answer. And the said committee is too large, far too large to get a result.
Recently, the Federal Government and Alhaji Asari Dokubo reached an agreement on how to ensure peace in the Niger-Delta. Words in the last few weeks do not tend to suggest that one party may not be too pleased with the way things are going...
I don’t really know the issues involved in this matter but I think if an agreement had been reached, it should be binding on both the Federal Government and the Niger Delta Volunteer Force. It’s a matter of honour to stick to the agreement.
What hopes are there in 2007 when you look at the unresolved issues in our polity today?
I’m not a prophet and therefore cannot predict tomorrow. I can only hope that as responsible citizens of this country and having a responsible government, we should all resolve to work in a manner that would accommodate the interest of the electorate,
