2 weeks Ago By Joy Anigbogu
Jake Epelle is the CEO/Founder of TAF Africa. In this interview, he speaks on the illegality being perpetuated by the sole administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas. He urges President Bola Tinubu to reverse the decision that he has taken because the action is injustice to Rivers State people, among others.
JOY ANIGBOGU brings the excerpts: What are thoughts about the state of emergence in Rivers State and the activities of Ibas? I’m not afraid to state my position. Truly, really, constitutionally, I think we need to re-examine his position, especially the fact that he is doing what I don’t think, except there is a hidden agenda. I think currently he is doing what he was not sent there to do.
The mandate is clear, make regulations, not law. Not arrogating to yourself, appointing people that have obvious connections with interested parties, and I think it’s something that we need to re-examine. He’s perpetuating himself and making himself more illegal than a legal entity.
Yes, the president appointed him. The fact that the president appointed him doesn’t make it legal, and so he needs to be very careful. I’m concerned because of the way and manner he is vulcanizing and dismantling all the democratic systems and processes.
It’s also very unbecoming. I heard, and I hope it’s not the one that gave that instruction, to remove the suspended governor’s photograph and portraits across the state. That is not what we need now when all of us are pushing and toeing the line of peace.
I’ve always said it on your channel and several that the Rivers people, the youths, women, are peaceful people and we will remain peaceful and law-abiding. There is no amount of provocation that will make us break the law because we are law-abiding people. We are people who follow the rule of law.
The same thing that Similaye was accused of, of not following judgment and rule of law, is exactly what they’re doing. And that is concerning to me. And it is absolutely unacceptable.
No matter how much power they have, money they have, guns they carry, we need to do what is right, what is needful and what is constitutional. I think, somehow, I want to believe that the president was ill-advised in some of the steps that he has taken. Well, as a leader, he can beat his chest to say, I made the decision.
That’s what leaders do. But also, leaders reverse themselves, when they know that the decision that they have taken does not go down well with the people. For heaven’s sake, we are talking about the people.
We’re part of the citizens that the president is president over. And when we say to him what decisions that have been made are not comfortable and convenient for us, we must be listened to. And I’ve always said that there’s an aspect of this president that I’m very a champion of, is the fact that he’s a compassionate person.
And that’s why many times I hold back in my criticism that some people have said, oh, well, you support the president. Of course, he’s my president. There’s no doubt about that.
However, if they’ve taken a wrong step, I will say it. And like I said, I respect people, but I don’t fear people, you know, and I’ll continue to let my voice count until the right thing is done. I believe he wants to do the right thing.
It’s probably most probably the people surrounding him are the ones feeding him with these somewhat wrong steps that he’s been taking. The River’s people are crying. The Rivers people will feel marginalised.
I can’t sleep. I feel this sense of injustice that is being done to us. And we can’t continue this way.
What do you make of the fact that Vice Admiral Ibas has actually appointed 23 local government chairmen, and he says that it is urgent to do this to strengthen grassroots governance? What are we talking about? Can you be strengthening grassroots governance when you’re on the trajectory to destroying the subnational? I mean, it doesn’t make sense to me. Now, I have made concerted efforts and sought the legal opinion of lawyers that I can trust. Not everyone.
I don’t trust every one of them. But those that I can trust who can give me a cogent but practical interpretation. I’m not a lawyer of the constitution.
And everyone says to me what he has done in terms of that appointment is unconstitutional. Period. And so if you go by that, whoever he appoints, and by the way, we know that the appointment is a script of somebody behind the curtain, because there is no doubt there are some people that have been appointed that we can trace to certain people, people of interest in this matter, and that also brings us to this level of nepotism and favoritism and political favors, you know, which is given to people and oftentimes, my concern is that it defrauds people with competence, as against to incompetence individuals.
So, let’s do an interrogation of the list of appointed people and see their connection with people of interest in this matter. And for heaven’s sake, stop insulting our intelligence. We’re too smart for anybody to bamboozle.
We’re too smart for anybody to feel that we don’t matter. You can say that I don’t matter behind me. But when you say that I don’t matter before me, that is a gross insult.
And many of us will not take it. I kept saying it, this state, that these individuals, and I said, both parties have turned into a laughingstock. We have become one day, several troubled states.
We’ve been in the news for the past two years, and negatively so. Must we continue like that? Must the state be pulled down because of two individuals that’s ego tripping, that will not come back together and see how we can resolve the problem. And it bleeds, my heart bleeds every time I remember what is going on with my people.
I’m in touch with them. And I’m going to stay in touch with them. Sometimes I jet out and just to feel their pulse, that people are suffering, there is anxiety everywhere, the children are asking questions, and I want to say this categorically clear.
This president means well, peradventure. However, let him not allow this to be part of his legacy. It’s not good for the country, it’s not good for him.
And like I said, I’m his fan in one area, in the fact that he’s a compassionate person. I know that he has helped many persons with disabilities, helped many individuals pay their school fees, and all that. I’m begging you, Mr.
President, to repeat what you did in Lagos. Repeat what you did in Lagos. And for heaven’s sake, you’re one that we know.
I know, growing up, how you fought for democracy, how you stood and gave your discomfort to democracy. And my question is, what has happened? Don’t allow these cronies to deceive you and erode the good democratic dividends and values that you have set for this country. I appeal to you.
I respect you. I love you as a person. But I will be bold to tell you the truth, the pain in my heart, the cry that I always, the tears that I always share.
You’ve mentioned that the one of the things, the major thing that you’re a fan of this president regarding is, is a compassionate person. We’ve seen how numerous policies that have come about by his administration have left Nigerians in a state that we’re basically a shadow of ourselves. Now, in the event that your appeals fall on deaf ears, what’s your next step? There’s no other next step other than to keep raising our voices.
They cannot shut us down. When good people keep quiet, evil will thrive. I don’t blame him for all the rules.
I don’t, to be honest with you. The thing I blame him sometimes is that his communication persons are not opening their mouths to admit that they inherited a dying economy from the past president. Just like they inherited this nepotism, appointing people that are, they said, Buhari did worse than he, than Bola Tinubu is doing.
However, must we continue on the wrong trajectory? No, we must come to a point where we, we just say to ourselves, tell ourselves the truth and reverse, reverse the course. Let me, I know that I don’t have that time, but let me, let me look through your lenses and ask my president, he is my president. I can’t run away from that and I don’t want to run away from that.
Mr. President, the day you were born, the whole world rejoiced. Only you cry, live your life that the day you die, you will rejoice and the whole world will cry.
People are remembered by two things, the problem they solved and the problem they created. We’ll remember you by the problem you solve. And I know you will solve it.
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