APC Government Has Failed Nigerians, Buhari Should Resign Now – Nzeribe

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Dr. Sampson Nzeribe is a fiery activist from the foremost Nzeribe political and traditional dynasty of Oguta Ameshi in Imo State.  This Russian trained political pundit and public affairs analyst spoke to EVEREST EZIHE of The Authority Newspapers on contemporary national and state issues, just like Nzeribe’s, he was Maverickly controversial and point blank to a fault.

Sir, May you offer our readers the opportunity of knowing you more?


My name is Dr. Sampson Nzeribe, an internationally recognized Political Analyst. I lived both in Abuja and Imo State. I am a native of Oguta from Nzeribe’s political and traditional ancient dynasty. It is important in life that no matter what you do, and the height you have attained in life, you must be in touch with the home front, thus why, am in Abuja and am in Imo State.


As an Abuja based resident and internationally respected political analyst and social crusader, what is your assessment of the present administration of Nigeria led by Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari of All Progressives Congress, APC?

Honestly, the leadership of Nigeria as it is presently constituted and administer, I feel tired and disgusted to discourse. Why do I say so? From all intents and purposes and as a patriotic Nigerian, I have nothing personally against President Muhammadu Buhari, because he is our President.
However, it is important, I tell you the truth because at this verge of his administration, it is only few patriots that can have the boldness to tell you that they were against him from the beginning. In 2014, I was vehemently against anybody who said he wanted to vote Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari, Mai gaskiya.


why? 


Because I know, abinitio, that Alhaji Buhari has no capacity to rule Nigeria. I have said it and i will  defend same any where any time.
In 2016, when people were being deceived to buy into Buhari Presidential ambition by saying Sai Buhari, I knew he was not the messiah Nigerians needed. I knew he has no capacity and capabilities to rule Nigeria and fix the country.


Why do you think in all sincerity that General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) does not have the midas touch to rule Nigeria, considering his administrative pedigrees and antecedents?


Buhari was like late Major General Muritala Mohammed who came in as people have gotten tired of the antecedents of the previous governments, thus anything goes, anything will be better than the previous one. So in 1983 they were touting for somebody better as military government, so then Buhari after a successful coup detat saddled the nation’s leadership with Brigedier General Idagbon (Rtd). Nigerians then did not have the opportunity of knowing who Buhari is and his governance antecedents. Recalled their administration was short-lived but people clanged onto WAI (War Against Indiscipline), which was a landmark programme of the military administration, the essence was orderliness and discipline in private and public conducts. Let us tell ourselves in the gospel truth, in a normal society, is WAI a yardstick to measure an administrative efficiency and competency? Yes he came in then a locked up all the former politicians he perceived to be corrupt. Guilty or not guilty, they were all locked up Chief Alex Ekwueme, as Vice President to Alhaji Shehu Shagari was detained in prison while Shagari as a Moslem and fellow Fulani was under house arrest in Sokoto, his home State.
Sincerely speaking, Buhari did not start his injustice against the Igbos today. He is a clannish and petty leader. He has the natural instinct of being tribalistic, he first and foremost sees himself as a Fulani man before being a Nigerian. He has never being patriotic when it comes to Nigerian Issues. Put side by side Nigeria and Niger-Republics interest, Buhari I know will choose Niger-Republic. It is imperative to remember that Nigerians got tired of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s Presidential administration due to one reason or the other, thus recall that the man who had honour, respect and integrity for something as little as WAI which in a normal society, you don’t use WAI as an indexes of good, visionary and purposeful governance. I boldly told Nigerians in 2016, that they will forever regrets choosing Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari as their President. WAI is not enough yardstick to endorse the administrative capacities of Buhari ruling Nigeria of today.
Recall that in 1984, a Nigeria, one Mr. Peter Onu was Vying to be the Secretary General of OAU (Organization of African Unity) and another man from Niger- Republic, was in the same contest but simply that Mr. Onu is from South East Nigera, Buhari despite every persuasion voted for the Niger-Republic man simply because he is of Fulani ethnic nationality and a Moslem. Buhari threw nationalism to the dust bin of history in appreciation of another country. Other African leaders then like Julius Nyerere of Tanzania was shocked and surprised. Buhari just supported the man because of his tribalistic and religious belief. This tells you that Buhari never believe in Nigeria as a country even as a head of state of Nigeria, he sold out to a Fulani man from another country; he sold out against his own citizen. This is unheard off. If Nigeria is a country that respects patriotism and good governance, this issue would have been good enough to disqualify him from the 2016 election and any subsequent political office holding.

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As a political analyst, you have sent President Muhammadu Buhari to the cleaner by  describing him as a tribalistic and clannish leader, but as a political analyst what other area or areas of leadership have you caught him short?


Remember that it took President Buhari well over six to seven months to constitute his cabinet after winning the 2016 Presidential election. The assumption then is that he was taking his time to select  Saints, however when the perceived Saints came on board, it became obvious that Lucifer was far better than all of them, that has been his style. This is a man who has no empathy for the nation. Even one of his Ministers has recently confessed that Buhari does not listening to anybody and does not read any document, even memos. It is an aberration to bring such a man to Head a country like Nigeria in this digital era. It is equally on record that Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari has no academic certificate outside recommendation letter of Primary 6 attempted from his then primary school headmaster.
Is this not an eyesore, that the most populous black country in the world, with harvest of intellectuals and geniuses, that a man of such academics pedigree and antecedents are piloting her leadership activities. This is sacrilege in a normal society. A country with high profiled interprenures, technocrats, professors, PHD holders, it is this same Muhammadu Buhari whose records showed that in all his military careers never passed any known military examination (s) and yet he’s overseeing and directing the affairs of the most populous black continent in the world. 
However, this is not a minus from Buhari as a person but rather, it is actually a minus to we Nigerians, who upon all the options given to them, choosed such man to led us. Ironically, the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and even General T.Y. Danjuma (Rtd), selfishly supported his Presidential candidature. Thus why, I laugh at Obasanjo with all the letters and criticisms he now and then gives to Buhari and his administration. What was he thinking then, what was he expecting rather than what Buhari is doing now? Obasanjo and Danjuma were simply thinking of their own personal benefits thus why they rejected President Goodluck Jonathan re-election. They taught Buhari’s administration will benefits them more. Honestly, it is annoying to see that all the socio-political and economic gains we earned since after the civil war, that the gains have been  sincerely speaking, eroded. With Buhari’s administration, the country is worst off, than it where, during and after the civil war.
For instance, the nation’s security apparatus has been Fulanized. How come in a nation with so many ethic nationalities, you find out that it is only one of the smallest ethnic groups you will concentrate for benefits in terms of empowerment and development, look the Hausas are bigger than the Fulanis. In fact people makes mistake by saying Hausa Fulani, the Fulanis are among the smallest of the nation’s ethnic nationalities. In Nigeria, you talk of the Igbos, the Yorubas, the Hausas and you as a leader think that it is only in Fulani you can find every sub leader needed in the administration of the country. It’s really unfair and a national calamity. Honestly, if you ask me, in this area, Buhari has not done this nation any good. 
Doc from all intents and purposes, President Muhammadu Buhari has served Nigeria as a civilian President for over 5 years now, in all the interactions so far, you have hit his administration below the belt, but as a political analyst can’t you tell us some area’s the President have patriotically done well?
Honestly speaking, i don’t want to be  economical with the truth. I would like to sit down with anybody who will tell me and convincingly prove it to me that this is the area or areas, this President has done well. You know, he came into power on the mantra of wiping out corruption, fighting Boko Haram insurgency headlong and reduction in the nation’s inflation rates. Today, this country is five times more corrupt than Buhari met it and under President Goodluck Jonathan.  Under President Muhammadu Buhari, corruption in Nigeria have grown wings and becomes a norm. it is not hidden, the nation’s judiciary under Buhari APC government is an embodiment of corruption. The nation’s judiciary is under cage. So my brother Everest Ezihe, were do you want to compel me to say that Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari as the President of Nigeria has done well? His administration has failed in all indexes of developmental and transformational assessment.  

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In view of all these, if by providence you meet President Muhammadu Buhari, what are you likely to tell him?


I will simply advise him to resign now because he has failed Nigerians and the global communities.


Lets come home, even though you are a national and global political player, you have earlier attested that every politics starts from the local, in view of this as a native of Imo State, what is your candid assessment of Governor Hope Uzodimma having celebrated one year in office about a month ago?


You are aware that towards 2015 elections, I wrote something in an online newspaper, were I painstakingly advised Chief Hope Uzodimma to run against Chief Rochas Okorocha. I said it point blank then, that if he run, he will win. Unfortunately, he chickened out thinking it was a herculean task to unseat an incumbent Governor, but I knew, if he had tried it, he would have won. However, the way he came into governance in Imo State in January 14th, 2020 according to him, he came in through Ben Johnson way. Honestly, I don’t know if the Ben Johnson way is good or bad for politics and governance in Nigeria, but the Supreme Court which is the apex court of the land declared him Governor of Imo State and I have no capacity or reason to query the Supreme court judgment and decision as they are the last arbiter of justice. The implication is that whether he is doing well or not, it is left for the citizens of Imo State to judge.


As a citizen of Imo State and political elite, what then do you think?


My thinking is based on the fact that I was  recently in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, every office I want to enter; they were under lock and key, even the state Assembly complex and the State Secretariat. I don’t know what actually is happening. I need to reach out to the Governor to ask, Onwa Oyoko, your Excellency what is actually happening in Imo State? Definitely I need to know what is happening before I know what to tell him.


Sir, obviously it seems to me in this area of governance of Imo State  you are definitely at  reasonable extent economical with the truth, but be that as it may, earlier in the course of this interview, you did talked about the Supreme Court and its landmark judgment, can you give critical view of Nigeria judiciary viz-vis being the last hope of a common man?


The problem with Nigerians is that they hate seeing blood because they love their blood so much. A true Nigerian will render go home and sit down in  agony and anguish than seeing blood spill anywhere. Thus why, politicians have been taking them for granted. In fact, it was something totally different with this Endsars protest. It has never happened in Nigeria before. NO body could believe Nigerians could do that. The Endsars protest was like a fresh air to Nigerians. Irrespective of the way it ended, when you talk of Nigerian judiciary, you recalled how the former Chief Judge Onnoghen was disgraced out of service, just because the Government in power have a hidden agenda and they needed a like mind to execute their hidden agenda (s) , this is why they rubbished a man who served this country meritoriously out of office and brought in a puppet who is Sharia Law Specialist as the nation’s Attorney General and Chief Justice of the Federation. Today, we are all suffering it. There is nothing to write home about Nigeria Judiciary system under Buhari’s administration. A lot of prophets and prophecies are condemning the judiciary. The same way, the Government is  comatose, is the same way the judiciary is in comatose. If the head is not in order, how can the rest of the body be in order since it is the head that controls the rest of the body.

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Since in your own candid assessment, the nation’s administrative and judiciary  system have been in “Comatose” what then is the way forward?


Sincerely speaking, the way forward for the country, has nothing to do with the judiciary alone; this country needs total and wholistic restructuring. You may call it restructuring or true Federalism, we must reintroduced the regional system of governance or autonomy as it was before the military truncated the system through series of coup detat and held on to power. It is a gospel truth that throughout the reign of the military in Nigeria, it only favoured one section of the country, that is the North. This is because the Nigerian military was like a political party instituted for one section of the country. The Nigerian military while at the helm of affairs was like a political party ruling us for overall interest of the Hausa Fulani ethnic nationalities. Thus why,all they did, favoured the North. Apart from the first coup detat in Nigeria, all the other coups were master minded by the Northerners and for their selfish interests.
Can we know your academic dossiers?
Well, my Secondary School, I did here just adjacent my house here in Oguta, that is Priscellia Memorial Secondary School, Oguta. I left the shores of this country in 1987 to Mosco capital of Russia, former Soviet Union on a Scholarship secured to me by my maternal uncle, Senator Peter Umar Maduagwu. I studied in the world foremost and People’s Friendship University Moscow, as I got my M.sc Journalism there, that was 1987-1993, after then, I travelled round the world and came back to Moscow in 1998 and enrolled myself into Russian’s Academy of Sciences Institute of Africa Moscow where I did my PHD. The first job I got was in New York board of Education, the offer was to teach in what they called inner schools. I was about commencing the job when fate and destiny turned it around and I find myself in Nigeria. I considered the move as part of  my contributions to the nation building. However, it was not bad even though it could have been better, but we are still at it.


Sir, considering your wealth of experiences, what message do you give to Imolites and Nigerians at larger?


I will be the last person to keep on asking people to keeping on praying and hoping in God, because it seems to me that Nigerians believed so much in prayers than taking their fate in their hands. When it comes to governance, there is a saying in international relations that says no morality in international relations what comes first is the interest of the nation, every nation in international arena has their national interest and that is what they vigorously pursue with sanctity of purpose. Here, morality does not come into it. Methinks, Nigerians have prayed enough. We must take our own fate in our own hands. One of the lessons of the Endsars Protest is that you cannot be beating the people all the while and yet you asked them not to cry. One day, definitely they will cry and when there tears become so big, it will turn into a flood and it will erode everything on its path and these includes those in authority.   

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