Dr. EZEKIEL IZUOGU, leader of Imo State delegates at the on-going national conference, tells Assistant Editor, North, CHUKS EHIRIM, that the South East geo-political zone has been placed at great disadvantage at the confab, among other issues.
The national conference has entered the fourth week. As a delegate, how do you see events here so far?
Dr. Ezekiel IzuoguI think it is a good conference. When we arrived, we had two weeks of struggle between different components of the conference procedures, means of going ahead. All have been resolved. So far so good, one would say.
When you say that the controversial issues have been resolved, what about the 70 per cent benchmark for reaching decisions?
Certainly, I am not happy with the 70 per cent because it does not give our people a level-playing ground. Normally, all over the world, decisions are always taken based on two-third. It is either simple majority or two-third. To make two-third is not easy. When you now leave two-third and go up to 70 per cent, you are saying that no decision should be taken.
When the issue was put to vote, there was a resounding support for 70 per cent from delegates; but outside the chamber, most people appeared to be against the figure. So, what informed its support on the floor of the conference?
It was so because those who attended the committee, went round, campaigning for support, and the 70 per cent agreement was the result of their campaigns. But it does not mean that it is correct. The correct thing is the level-playing ground.
Do you see the South East coming out of this conference with any tangible achievement based on this 70 per cent agreement?
It puts us at a very serious disadvantage; there is no doubt about it. In a football match where there are two teams, one team has 11 players and the other one has 13 players, what can you expect? Of course, the team with 11 players can defeat those with 13. It happens. It could be miracle. We are here because we believe in miracles; that God can do miracles.
What capacity does the South East have in order to achieve this miracle you are talking about?
We have had some caucus discussions as a group which I may not want to let out. Every group has its own strategy. So we have our own strategy which is not supposed to be thrown open. I believe we will do our best.
As delegates from the South East, what are the core things you are looking for in this conference?
The core things are issues of proper federation, well-structured federation where everybody is free to contest. We are confident that if it comes to competition, our people will triumph. They will work hard and triumph. So, we believe in fairness and security, internal security at the state level. We intend to support state police because it will be good for our people. When you bring policemen from Maiduguri and so on, they don’t know our place, and they don’t know the tricks that these kidnappers use. If you take our people and train them, they can easily understand the tricks some of these evil people use.
We believe in a properly-structured nation; we believe in revenue allocation, proper revenue allocation that is structured in favour of owners of the revenue. We believe in regionalism; we believe that the country will be better administered as regions. So we should have regions, and under the regions you have states. Each region can now decide to create as many states as it wants, so that this complaint of some people having more states than others will not be there.
We want to, as much as possible, remove issues of competition, issues of some people outdoing the other people. Let us have a level-playing field, so we can defeat our competitor nations. We must come together as a nation and work hard, instead of competing among one another.
With this stringent condition, do you see the South East achieving any of these objectives?
It is possible. By the grace of God, by the mercy of God, we have made sacrifices for peace in this country, and we believe that God can help us succeed in other areas.
Some delegates are mooting the idea of having secession clause inserted in the constitution, so that if things continue to go badly for their zone, they could easily decide to pull out of the country. Does that go down well with those of you from Imo?
It doesn’t go down well with me. We believe that secession is not the solution to our problems. We must find a way to marry our resources together and remain one country. We must find a way to resolve our problems here and there and remain together because it is good to be a great country. America is great because America is big and properly-managed. Our country is big, but we are not being properly managed. If we can add proper management to our bigness, I am sure we will do wonders in Nigeria. Nigeria has the capacity to do wonders, if only we can get the right leaders who are not corrupt.
Another issue that is in contention has to do with what becomes of the report of the conference at the end of the day. While some people favour taking the report to the National Assembly for ratification, some argue that it should be subjected to referendum. Which one do you stand for?
Of course, you and I know that this is being done for all Nigerians. So the idea of taking it to National Assembly does not arise. The conference has been set up for all Nigerians, so that whatever decisions that we take here can only be taken to a referendum; so that the Nigerian people, for whom these decisions have been taken, can ratify them.
If you are taking the report to the National Assembly, then it is deceit; it means the conference was not necessary at the end of the day.