Mr. Fidelis Ogili is the President of an Enugu-based NGO, The International Dominus Vobiscum International Centre for Conflict Resolution. In this interview with CHUKS NWEZE, he urges the Nigerian youth to take their destinies in their hands to ensure that Nigeria does not go down the drain.
What is your view about the state of the nation currently?
Months before the #EndSARS, I was moved to address the media on the
dangerous direction Nigeria was going. During the press interaction,
I warned of the imminent danger that was coming fast against the
nation and I gave them some of the symptoms that were visible, like the
police standing on the roads and taking bribes, giving change to the
citizens, threatening the citizens who are their employers as if they were animals. I also mentioned that the political leaders were the originators of corruption in the police because police was not provided with uniforms. They were not provided with vehicles, no maintenance, fuel, etc. At offices, you cannot get anything done without greasing people’s
palms. Pensioners that served their nation are being owed for months, in some cases, years and many of them are dying of hunger and
diseases. Eventually, I was warning them to address those issues to
avoid the revolt of the citizens against the government but they did not listen, hence, the #EndSARS came. Then the #EndSARS could have been a good opportunity for the political class to learn their lessons but they mishandled and bungled the whole thing by using extensive force to the point of calling in soldiers against harmless citizens which led to the several degrees of injuries and deaths of innocent Nigerians. With the political elite denying the fact that they were responsible for the deaths, they were passing bucks, denying and telling lies which were bare before the International community. This woke the youths of the country up to get interested in who governs them as preached by Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and the hope of the youths were raised high as they were promised credible election by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu occasioned by the signing of the Electoral Act and the use of BVAS for the elections.
What’s your assessment of the presidential election?
I am afraid that this country is at the edge of a precipice now more
than before because of the unimaginable level of wickedness exhibited by the electoral umpire through the denial of the counting of votes as a promise that restored hopes to the youths. They bungled the whole election by selling the mandate to the highest bidder, thereby denying the citizens their mandate despite the sacrifices they made to make the election work.
In your view, do think the election should be cancelled?
My answer is no but the electoral umpire should bring to the fore the
original copies of the election results as witnessed by all the
parties in all the places where the elections were held without
hitch, and where there was a breach of the INEC regulations, they should cancel it and organise a re-run.
The Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere is insisting that Peter Obi of the Labour Party won the presidential election.
Do you believe their stance?
It is not that Afenifere said, it is as clear as crystal that Peter
Obi won. It is also clear that Prof. Yakubu voluntarily and knowingly tampered with results emanating from the states among which is the Enugu state results. That being the case, the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, should do the needful by righting the wrong or this country will explode any moment. The only saving grace now is the judiciary.
Do you then have confidence in the judiciary?
My answer is no and yes. No because the legal system in Nigeria is part of the government in power and can be bridled or overlooked.
Yes, because I know that there are still decent, upright, God-fearing
members of the bench. The disobedience to court judgment by the government like in the case of Nnamdi Kanu of IPOB leaves in doubt if the decision of the court will be adhered to in the case of
litigations and judgments of the courts concerning the elections.
How would you rate the performance of the security agents during the polls?
If I’ll rate them by percentage, I’ll give them 20 percent and the 20 percent is not for their offices but for the few individuals working in those outfits who for conscience sake did what was right.
In your estimation, why do you think the governorship and the State Assembly elections were shifted from March 11, 2023 as rescheduled on March 18, 2023 when it eventually took place?
The shifting of the March 11 scheduled election to 18th was a joker by the ruling party to kill the morale of the people who were yet to recover from the damage done to their psyche by the presidential and National Assembly elections that were manhandled and it actually resulted in voter apathy during the governorship and the State Assembly elections.
What is the way forward? What do you think should be the solution?
The first thing that should be done is to make this election that has
just been concluded is to bring out the results that the electorate
expect to assuage them for the time they invested in the election. In a summary, the peoples votes should be made to count and those areas with questionable results should be revisited in line with the
Electoral Act which is clear that the result should be uploaded from
the polling unit in real time and it is not possible now that result,
as assented to by all the party agents should be declared and where there is doubt, the result should be cancelled and a re-run held before the swearing in date.
What is your advice to the Nigerian youth concerning the outcome of
the election?
My advice to the youths is that the future of this country belongs to
them and that the thieves and criminals among the politicians who have taken over the country are not going to hand over the country on a platter of gold. Therefore, the youth should be resolute, courageous and untiring in the Obidient Movement that has started until the nation is recovered from them.
Do you believe in the call for an interim government by some Nigerians instead of handing over to the President-elect. They hinge the stance on the premise that the 2023 presidential election was flawed. What’s your take?
Interim Government is out of the picture. It is a dubious kite being flown by the people holding this country hostage. They are desperate and I think they are unfortunately influencing the security arm who should know better or how else will I view the situation where the people who are employed to detect and nip crimes and criminality in bud are crying wolf?
The Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is being accused of treason over a private phone conversation with Bishop Oyedepo and there are calls that he should be arrested. Do you share the same view?
The call for Obi’s arrest, if there is any such thing, is just another symptom of desperation by those who are unable to face the reality on the ground which is that the citizens have woken up and it can no more be business as usual. Those people in position of authority given to them by the people are yet to realize that their powers are gone back to the citizens. Having worked at criminal/security intelligence bureau of the police, it is obvious to me that the purported telephone conversation leak is fake and childish, it is aimed at denting Obi’s image but it was very poorly done, thereby making people to even love Obi more knowing that if he is one of them they wouldn’t attack him.
The Naira redesign and cashless policy remains a knotty issue in Nigeria. How do you view the policy?
The Naira redesign is a beautiful thing to be done but the motive of those implementing it seems to be flawed. If it is not so, how can we have shortage of both the new and the old currency? How come there is no clear statement on why there is shortage of both the new and old notes? It seems it is deliberate because there is no proper information on the shortage. Cashless policy is good because it has drastically checked some crimes like kidnapping and embezzlement to some extent because huge releases through banks can now be traced.
