‘The Renewed Hope Agenda is only way we can reposition this country for better’— Umenzekwe

Honourable Chief Modestus Umenzekwe (Onwa Achina) an All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain, in this interview with CYRIACUS NNAJI in Lagos, averred that the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the only way the government can reposition this country for better. He also spoke on other national issues. Excerpt:

Chief for quite sometimes now we missed your wise comments, analysis and counsels on national issues which are aimed at national growth and development. Now a lot has happened in the political firmament of the country, let’s look at the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, what is your impressions about the victories of APC in these two states?

Thank you so much. You know that these were off cycle elections, and the people of Nigeria particularly Edo and Ondo have shown  the acceptability of APC because if it were to be the normal cycle election, people will give it a different interpretation, and that shows that the Renewed Hope Agenda is working.

Admittedly there is hardship, but people have come to realize that the policies which are being propelled by the renewed hope agenda of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will yield good result in no distant time, that is what Edo and Ondo have demonstrated by making sure APC won those states. And it is going to happen in other states that have off cycle elections.

People have started realizing that Asiwaju government is not the cause of hardship; it is a global thing as it is happening in various countries of the world, even in the western world. So they are beginning to realize that before you repair, it will take time, the policies he has brought out will take time to yield fruits; that is what people have come to realize. I have received several calls from my friends from Edo and Ondo, to say Chief, we have been reading your interviews, we have been reading your comments, and it appears you saw tomorrow.  So I congratulate Nigerians for their patience, I congratulate the Edo people,  and I congratulate Ondo people also.

Recalled that in my publications in 2015, I said, APC will spring surprises, and since then they have been springing surprises. Yes there are criticisms here and there, which is good in any advancing democracy, and if there are no criticisms, the present administration may not know where they need to rejig in order to get what we want, so we welcome those criticisms, it is a welcome development and it is helping us to reshuffle the system in order to make it better or best, and Edo and Ondo elections have vindicated us.

Chief I am sure the next off cycle election will be in Anambra State, are you also strategising to also win that state?

You have asked me this question hundred times, and I have answered you we are strategizing, but I am not going to tell you the strategy we are going to use to win the state landslide in a very free and credible election.

Chief, for APC to will all the states, is it not going to make Nigeria a one party state?

I don’t understand you, I don’t understand it. You want to tell me that if Green Eagles or Super Eagles win all their matches they are the only football club in the whole world, is that what you are telling me? Answer. I don’t understand you. So I want to tell you that winning all the states does not mean it is a one party system because it is a game.

People have also expressed the fear that APC has devised a system of winning all these elections

Every political party has its own strategy, all I can tell you is that APC campaigns vigorously and their work in those states have vindicated them. Again the policies of the Renewed Hope agenda are propelling them to a greater height because that is the only way we can reposition this country for better and for best.

Our president, very healthy, very energetic, people were talking all manner of things, that he was sick and all that, but he is moving from country to country, recently he just came back from faraway India, and he was able to draw the Prime Minister down to Nigeria and it is evident that a lot of good things are taking place. Chief what is your view, are you sure all these will attract foreign direct investments (FDI)?

You have said it all, you asked me the question and you have answered it. Yes he is blazing the trail, to draw the man all the way from India is not a joke, and let me come to the issue of his health, I warned that time and I keep warning that you don’t use one’s Health to cast aspersions on him, because you don’t know what is going to happen to you talking about somebody tomorrow. And Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu never applied for concrete job, it is policy-making, and they were using computer to do all manner of things in the social media to portray him as a very weak and sick person, which I told you that time that it is not true, that the election will prove whether Nigerians accepted all those things or not. And during the presidential election it was proven that Asiwaju is healthy, hale and hearty, strong and prepared for the job he applied for. During the election, Nigerians came out to say, Asiwaju you have our mandate, you will lead us. And you can see him moving from one place to the other, very energetic, very strong, very eloquent, very robust, talking with emphasis and making policies, changing the cabinet, necessary reforms, that will take us to the promise land, it will take time but we will get there. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but I keep warning never use someone’s health to make caricature of that person.

Taking about the cabinet reshuffle, many were of the view that those that were relieved of their jobs were those that didn’t have godfathers, that going by performance, 85% of the cabinet should go, your take

Hold it there. Where were their godfathers when they put them there? It is the prerogative of the president to change whoever he wants to change. I know he has a benchmark, I know he has a way, remember that when he inaugurated them he said, we will assess, in as much as I have not seen the assessment result, because it is not even my duty to start looking for it, it is his prerogative, the issue of Godfather, Godmother doesn’t arise. And mind you that some of those ministers or cabinet members that were changed have come out to express their gratitude to the president and Nigerians for finding them worthy to serve in this Government of renewed hope agenda, so I don’t know what you are talking about.

But are you satisfied with the changes that were made or are there people still in this government that ordinarily should go?

It is the president who knows who and who to change, who to bring in and who to relieve of his or her duty. So I am not in a position to say that, it is only him, he wears the shoe, what he is seeing, we are not seeing, what he is hearing, we are not hearing, what he is facing, we are not facing, we are only on the sideline talking, but in terms of real governance, the battle, he is the leader, he is the General at the war front, and he is in the right position to make certain changes where he feels so. I want to congratulate those that came in and those he relieved of their duties, I congratulate them. Because it is not even easy to go in there in the first place, because when people start talking that Mr A was removed and Mr B was removed, go in yourself and perform.

Another issue is the appointment of the wife of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Bianca Ojukwu, into the cabinet, knowing well that the woman is in APGA, was the President looking at 2027, is it part of the plan to take Anambra in 2027?

Which vote, what has that appointment got to do with governorship election? Mind you, mind you that Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu is an enigma, and I wouldn’t like to go into any controversy concerning his person or anything concerning Odumegwu Ojukwu, whether APGA, whether APC or PDP, all I am saying is that late the president bring in more APC members from Anambra, dedicated members into his cabinet, that is what I am requesting from him, but I wouldn’t like to go into discussing Ojukwu as a topic in relation to this appointment, whether he got it right or wrong, Ojukwu is an enigma, we should be very very careful, but let Asiwaju bring in more appointments from Igbo land into his cabinet because there are people ready to work.

The economy is still shaky, yes some are of the view that it is a global thing, but some other Nigerians are saying it is caused by policy summersault, do you think there is any area the government can touch so that the hardship in the land can be ameliorated?

The economic advisers are working, they are doing their best and we should give them time. That is the only answer I can give you, the economic advisers are doing their best, let’s give them the chance.

Let’s talk briefly about the late Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, what are you telling the family, the wife and children, the party, APC, where he belonged, what are you telling millions of people he offered jobs?

It is unfortunate, and it is painful, for whatever reason he shouldn’t die, but God is the giver and taker of life. The young man that God used to help so many people, it is a big blow to APC family at both national level and the subnational, because he was almost everywhere. We missed his ubiquitous political nature, we missed his political sagacity, and to the APC family where I belong, I appeal to all of us to give glory to God, God said in everything give him glory. We cannot question him.

To the wife and to the children, may God give them the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable and irreparable loss, and may the good Lord grant his soul eternal rest.

We have rounded off this interview, unless you have other things to say

In my usual way I am appealing to the federal government to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. We need peace in the South East for people to go about their businesses 24/7. I appeal to the president, the national assembly and the judiciary to do whatever they can to ensure that Nazi Nnamdi Kanu is released.

I also appeal to Nigerians to remain calm, pray for our leaders at both national and subnational levels irrespective of party affiliations, pray for all the ministers and all the presidential aide, and more especially members of the national assembly, pray for them to have the enablement and the wisdom to assist the president to make policies that would give us succour, that would give us comfort so that the poor can breathe as was said by Mr. President in one of his addresses. Let us remain calm, let us be supportive, Rome was not built in a day. As I said before, Nigeria is evolving, and it is still evolving and will continue to evolve until we reach there. Look at what happened in America, everybody was talking Kamala Harris, Kamala Harris, I say well, in my own little opinion, I don’t see that happening, and now Trump has clinched the ticket, so all these political permutations are neither here nor there, it is only God, after all people said Tinubu will not win, and he won, the same thing with Trump, Trump won.

So God is the finisher of all things; let us pray and look unto God, and advise government where necessary, starting from our families, the town unions, to local government and all that. In any little way you can, use it to support the government, use it to send message where you think they are not getting it right in a more constructive manner that is devoid of rancor and violence.

The Yuletide is around the corner, people wants to make it by all means, some want to ride the latest Jeep, so that they travel and show that they have arrived, your advice to Nigerians especially our Igbo brothers.

Yes, there were many Christmas in the past even when we were not born, and there will be Christmas periods in future, so my advice to everyone is, let us cut our coat according to our cloth, if you don’t ride the latest car today, you will ride it tomorrow, we are not competing, look at the signs on our palms, they are not the same, so based on that I appeal to all of us including myself, including yourself, to try your best in any way you can, to meet up with your genuine personal needs, but don’t go to the extreme, because you don’t know where it would lead you. You see one of Igbo High Life maestro, Oliver the Coque of blessed memory, he said any day I see food, I glorify God, if I don’t see food, I glorify God. Then my own father advised me that if something is not the way I want it that I should love it the way it is so that I can live longer. That is my advice too.