By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

Barrister Chidi Donald Amamgbo is a Californian-based legal practitioner. He also has business concerns in Nigeria. In this interview, he believes that lack of equity and fairness in the polity contribute to the agitation for rotation of presidency, he also says that until the issue of marginalization is addressed, agitations for secession will continue. The senatorial hopeful in 2023 advises Anambra people to elect someone with integrity and vision in the November 6 elections. Excerpts: 

What is your take on the clamour for rotational presidency?

The fact that we are talking about zoning of the presidency to geo-political zones, highlights the failure of Nigeria. If we are a country where we are truly a nation of one, we’re truly a nation of brothers and sisters, where merit as opposed to ethnocentric politics rises to the top, then you wouldn’t be clamouring for zoning of the presidency.

Rather, you will be clamouring for the best person to win. Why? Because you know, that person is a patriot and he has the best interest of the nation at heart. Unfortunately, our politics is very regional. It started in the 60s and it’s still so and because politics has become regionalized, a lot of people have been marginalised.

There is the belief that if you zone the presidency to a region, then the benefits of governance will come to that region…the people of the region feel empowered, they feel the president from their place can bring that development to the region.

They feel empowered because now their man or the woman is at the top. This is the irony of Nigerian politics. Having said this, we live in Nigeria of today. We cannot have one region to have monopoly of power. It has to be devolved.

This is the reality of Nigeria until we get to that point in our national development, where it doesn’t matter where you come from. The reality today is that, if you leave it the way it is, power will remain in one region. And that’s not fair to the rest of the regions.

READ ALSO: The position of international law on secession and self-determination

Ultimately, what you want is somebody who is a Nigerian, not somebody who is a novice, not somebody who is a South-East President or not somebody who is a South-West President. If you look at the history of all the other countries in the world, Presidents are known for what they have done for their country and not what they’re doing for their region.

And as long as we play into this role of geo-political zones, politics will always be regional in our thinking in our actions, in our thoughts and the way we operate.

But again, like I said, the reality today is that these are the cards we have on the table, so the south should produce the next president. If we truly believe in this so called zoning, then the south should take over the presidency next. Finally, I think our Constitution is completely flawed.

I have never seen a constitution drafted by a military man….this doesn’t happen. To draft a constitution, you take it to the people and they decide what works for the country, what the terms of the relationship will be. It (constitution) is a contract that should be agreed to, what we have right now was imposed.

For better or for worse, a lot of people believe that it was deliberately skewed to favour a particular region of the country. True or false, this is what many believe.

With a flawed constitution in order to have more of Nigerians buy into the geographical expression called Nigeria, you have to encourage them with such things as zoning the presidency to their region, so they feel like they belong, as opposed to people who are either conquered or marginalised.

What is your take on the secessionist agitations in the country right now?

I was old enough when the civil war happened in 1967. I remember things as a five year old will remember things. I lost uncles. Some of them, we didn’t even have the honour of burying them.

They never came back from the battlefield. The calls for session will always be there until Nigeria addresses certain issues. Today it will be Nnamdi Kanu tomorrow it will Okafor until we address the issues. The reason for the agitation is traceable to real or perceived marginalization.

When Gen. Gowon came to Aba back in 1970/71, I was in primary school; we all carried the Nigerian flag, lined up on the streets. We sang a song welcoming Gowon, ending with a line that we are one. But are we one even today? The answer is no.

A lot of things were said to make everybody feel good, but subsequent policies and governments made sure that you realised, that you are a conquered people. Until you change that perception, you will always have the agitation for secession.

Now the solution is how do you fix it federalism? Let each state or region be autonomous and we all contribute to the center. 

What kind of governor do you want to see take over in Anambra come November 6?

Anambra was seen as an example: good road networks, good educational institutions, industrious people and great capacity to generate IGR.  Today, if you go to Anambra, all those roads are now a network of potholed roads.

People might underestimate the value of roads, but if a road passes in front of my village, the price on land goes up. People will build houses, hotels will come and business will come. The first America did after the Second World War was a Marshall Plan to build network of roads everywhere in America.

Connect people and businesses, it was called interstate commerce. Goods and services will not fly. If I produce something in Ihiala, I have to transport to Ogidi, Zamfara or anywhere. Speaking strictly about the kind of what kind of person I expect.

First of all, I’m expecting somebody who’s not a thief, somebody who is not there, to steal money. If you decided you wanted to be the governor, or you’re willing to pony up N1 billion or N2 billion to run. We don’t owe you anything.

That’s your charitable contribution to Anambra because you decided to use that money to contest to win. And I’m not talking about a governor going to the treasury to collect money directly. We all know how it’s done. So, for me integrity is one thing the next governor must have.

We need somebody who is really about the people, not somebody who is really about the politicians who supported him financially or otherwise. Integrity is important because if you have no integrity you are just going to be a thief.

The second thing is: what is your vision? Vision is a word people throw around. Speaking of vision, you have to ask yourself where do you see Anambra in four years. What are the key things? You know, if every governor came into power and said, I will be known for one thing, and that’s the only thing I’m going to focus on, when you leave power, we will remember that one thing.

Let’s say you decide to be the education governor, for goodness sake, builds schools, get the best teachers, pay them the best salary. And four years later, those kids are going to have a better future. If you want to be the roads governor, build roads! So that’s your primary focus.

Of course, as a governor, you have all the secondary focus. So you’re deciding your budget based on your primary and secondary focus.  We need somebody who is a team player. Most times, our governors, like I said are maximum rulers.

You make somebody commissioner for Works, really, he’s a house boy, he is your SA. He comes in for meetings, and he sits down and he can’t even tell you that your policies are not working. You need to have a robust, vibrant cabinet.

Looking at your international exposure, why do you want to limit yourself to becoming senator?

I have zero experience in politics. You know, you can’t just wake up one morning and say, ‘I want to be President’, it takes a lot of networking and all. I’m old enough to be President, I am 59 years old.

But you know, it takes a lot of work, a lot of money, a lot of efforts, a lot of relationships, and there are people who are better qualified than me, who have been on the scene, who can do it better. I need to have a body of work to point to and say, look, when I was a senator, I did this, I did that.

And then can trust me with this higher position? If I show up and say I want to be president, what am I going to tell him? I am a lawyer, I practiced in the US and I run a business in Nigeria? So, you know, I believe in showing me, don’t tell me.

A lot of people will tell you all kinds of things, and then you give them power, and then you realise that you have entered ‘one chance’.

Vanguard News Nigeria