By Chioma Gabriel, Deputy Editor
Alhaji Balarabe Musa is a key personality in the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP.

He is outspoken on key national political issues and in this encounter, he insists that the Abuja blast happened because President Jonathan abandoned the post-amnesty programme for his own personal agenda and should tell Nigerians who bombed Abuja if he says it was not MEND or Henry Okah.

What’s your take on the aftermath of the independence-day bomb blast at Abuja and Henry Okah’s disposition?

I think we should avoid any interpretation. We should now concentrate in asking the President to name those he thinks are responsible for the bomb blast. That is very important.

If you recall, the President exonerated MEND from the bomb blast and he is the Chief Security Officer of the country. So, it seems the Presidency is aware of those who did it and so, he should tell us.

It is better for us to wait for the naming of the people who did this since it is not the people who claimed they were responsible that did it. Let us leave Henry Okah’s allegations out of this.

Balarabe Musa

But you cannot just leave Henry Okah out of this because he made an inciting statement that is capable of pitching the North against the South. He could have been sponsored to say what he said.

I told you. Forget about what Henry Okah said. We could accept those statement if the Presidency has not made a statement which is very fundamental in unraveling this.

Let us get that very clear first. This is a statement that the President should not have made but he made it and we should take it serious because he is the Chief Security Officer in the country and he said he knew those behind the bomb blast.

So, let us take him up on that. When we are done with that, then, we should look at other issues like Henry Okah. The independence day incidence is a serious matter. It is terrorism and we want to get to the root of this.

Henry Okah’s allegation should not be rated above that of the President of the country.

Let us hear from the number one citizen because he is the one to be held responsible for anything that happened or will happen and he said it openly that he knows those responsible. What are we talking about? It is not MEND or Henry Okah. So, let him tell us who did it.

But if you listened to Okah’s allegations, one can come to the conclusion that he could have been sponsored to say what he said to Al Jazeera?

The same Okah said they were responsible for the bombing. The President said they were not responsible. He said he knows those who did. If it was not Henry Okah and it was not MEND, let the Presidency tell us who. That is what I am saying. And that is why I said we should leave MEND or Okah out of it.

Investigations are still on. The area is condoned off. Maybe, after the report of the investigation is submitted, the whole country will know who did.

I think the President should have said that instead of rushing to say he knows those who did it, that it was not MEND. He should have avoided the embarrassment of having to trade words with the militant leader Henry Okah. He should have left everything to investigations and its outcome.

With elections very close, we should not be apportioning blames but working together to calm the citizens and build their confidence in the coming  elections  even as we  work towards ensuring this kind of thing doesn’t happen again.

That is why it is very important for us to hear from President Jonathan. He has to brief us while we wait for the security report to be ready because he said something that portrays that he knows something.

Are you blaming the President for speaking before the conclusion of the investigations?

Of course. And the time is too short . We have had bomb blasts in the past but none was as devastating as this one. And this is very serious. There was even a report that out of the nine who died on the spot, eight were security officers.

This was the report in one of the news media. So, it is very serious. It has never happened. When something similar to this happened though not as devastating was at Warri during a post-amnesty programme arranged by a media house. But that was not of this nature. So, there is something to this.

You think there is a clear target?

Definitely, there is a clear target. And come to think of it, the people who did this gave sufficient warning for the government to be prepared but nothing was done. We should not say they caught us unawares. We knew there was a function holding at Eagles Square and that was the only function taking place at a known place, Abuja and a known spot, Eagles Square.

The government should have made adequate security preparations.There should have been a first degree arrangement for the nation’s golden jubilee. The attack was targetted at a particular place but we left loopholes. We should get to the bottom of all these allegations flying around at least to assure Nigerians that life is safe and they are safe anywhere they are.

You know if this kind of thing can happen at Abuja with the whole world looking, then something serious should be done to ensure it doesn’t happen again. We must be told the truth of the people who did it and it is only the President that can tell us if he thinks MEND which claimed responsibility did not.

Are you saying we did not handle this matter very well  and should have done better?
Of course, the government didn’t handle it well because this problem should have been avoided, having been warned. They were warned three days before the event and a few hours to the event. Even the dumbest government should have done something but nothing was done.

It was a grave mistake not to take the Niger-Delta militants very serious because they have done things in the past and they are a well organised serious people. Nobody should take them lightly because doing so will have grave consequences as we have seen.

But as it is, government did not take seriously what could have been avoided. Government did not follow up on the post-amnesty programme that started with President Yar’Adua who succeeded in getting the restive youths in the Niger Delta to drop their weapons and get rehabilitated. The agenda for the youths was not followed up because Government is pursuing personal agenda instead of post-amnesty programme.

Amnesty programme was satisfying but somebody who should be part of them is not taking them serious.

It’s not a brother thing. It is aggrieved people taking action against government. They are focused, organised.

FG asked them to mention the aide that spoke with Okah but before then, I think government should tell Nigerians who they suspect to be behind that because presidency says it’s not MEND, that it knows who. They should tell us the who.

Henry Okah has alleged that a Presidential aide called him, pleading with him to tell his people to renounce their earlier statement that they were responsible. Now, the FG has asked Okah to mention the aide that said so.

I think this whole thing is getting funny because when MEND spoke and owned up, the FG said it wasn’t MEND, that it knew who did it. They should tell us who they knew because this matter is growing bigger everyday. Somebody said he did something and owned up to it but you said he didn’t do it, that it was somebody else who did it and you knew who.

That is serious. So, tell us who did. Let’s forget what Okah said for now and concentrate on what government said because Jonathan is the Chief Security Officer in this country and should be taken seriously. Nothing should be swept under the carpet. Nigerians deserve the truth.