Dame Blessing Nwagba, PhD, represented Aba North Constituency twice in the Abia State House of Assembly on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and later defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which gave her the platform to contest as the governorship candidate in the 2019 election. Nwagba ran for the Senate in 2023 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but lost to Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of the APGA and former Minority Senate leader, who was declared the winner of the Abia South Senatorial District poll in controversial circumstance.
In this interview with journalists, Nwagba said that it was early to condemn President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for poor governance, stressing that he has capacity to deliver democracy dividends but needs time. The former lawmaker also touched on insecurity, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s condition and cabinet appointments, etc.
Excerpt
You are a stong supporter of President Bola Tinubu and also ran a senatorial race in the last election. Are you satisfied with some of the policies of the president in view of the hardship in the country?
President Bola Tinubu took over on May 29, 2023; expectedly, being human, there are some of his policies that didn’t go the way he envisaged them ab initio.
Many Nigerians will say that the removal of subsidy on petrol was ill-timed. While the blame is on the president for not allowing the June deadline as the budgetary provisions for subsidy were provided for by the previous administration.
The question is: Was one month enough for planning and implementation of palliatives measures to cushion the effects of subsidy removal?
Another policy of the President, which some Nigerians also criticized is the floating exchange rate, which has ensured we have a single exchange rate in the country.
For me, there is nothing wrong with these policies, as it is a matter of time.
We are going to benefit from them. Once our refineries start functioning optimally, the FOREX spendings on the importation of refined petroleum products will be channeled to other areas which will help in stabilizing the economy.
Also read: Nigeria passing through wilderness experience –Blessing Nwagba
In all, President Tinubu’s policies so far are good, and there is need to exercise little patience.
Definitely no human being can get it 100 percent. I think we are headed in the right direction.
Policies still need time for implementation, growth and development.
Some Nigerians see the policies as anti-people. Do you share this view?
Unfortunately you didn’t mention the policies ‘some see as anti-people’. I would have loved to deal with specifics rather than assumptions. However, in my response to your earlier question, I did state how I feel about the two policies of the Tinubu-led government which seem controversial.
Sometime you don’t blame some people when they take certain positions.
Some take their positions from the point of view of ignorance. Some may criticise because they are in opposition.
For me, I think it’s even too early to get an adequate or correct assessment now. We still need some time as I pointed out earlier.
Could you comment on the President’s appointments which have been criticized by many as being lopsided, and favours more of his South/West constituency?
During the administration of the immediate past president Muhammadu Buhari, he was equally criticized for lopsided appointments. President Tinubu, while appointing his service chiefs ensured that the 3 major ethnic groups of the nation are represented in the leadership of the nation’s security architecture.
He also ensured that the two major religions are represented.
It is also on record that Asiwaju Tinubu is the first Nigeria President to appoint a Southerner the minister of FCT.
In the last administration the majority of the appointments went to the North and the then president claimed they are the people he was comfortable to work with.
President Tinubu as the Governor of Lagos State, selected his team from across the South West and even from the South East.
I don’t think it is right to bring ethnic colouration to some of the President’s appointments.
It is on record that most of these people are people the President has worked with over the years, and they are individuals whose competence are not in doubt.
As a former state legislator, what do you think could be done to make the states less dependable on the federal?
The issue of making the states less dependent on the monthly allocation has been a subject of public discussion for a long time.
Many have called for the implementation of President Jonathan’s CONFAB report of 2014 while some are calling for the convening of the Sovereign National Conference.
Issues of resource control and devolution of power have been on the front burner and many are of the opinion that the nation goes back to the regional system of government which enabled many regions to be less dependent on the centre.
During that period, regions invested heavily on the things they had a comparative advantage over other regions.
To make the states less dependable on what comes out from Abuja, a lot needs to be done, maybe we need a brand new constitution because I think the amendment and review hadn’t actually helped our course as a nation.
The responsibility lies on the National Assembly members to give us a better constitution that will devolve more powers to the states and other federating units as this will make the states less dependent on the federal government.
The rising prices of goods and services are becoming a source of concern for many Nigerians. Does this bother you?
In September the inflation rate rose from 25% that it was in August to 26.72%. The high cost of goods and services is a source of concern to everyone. While many may attribute it to the high cost of petroleum products in Nigeria and the single exchange rate policy of President Tinubu, the truth is that in the last three years a lot of events has happened or is still happening in the world.
In the year 2020 the coronavirus pandemic hit the world and crippled the world’s economy, as the world was recovering from the effects of coronavirus, the Russia-Ukraine war started which has negatively impacted the West.
While we are still trying to contain the effects of the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Israeli and Palestine war started.
As a developing country, we depend a lot on the West, hence the reason these wars affect our economy.
Recall that within the first two quarters of the year, the poor management of the naira redesign policy crippled our economy.
I think with the calibre of men the President has assembled in his economic team, in less than no time we will navigate past this economic quagmire we are in now.
The South- East region has been under siege in the hands of unknown gunmen. What will it take to have lasting peace in the zone?
Saying that the South-East is under siege is very wrong. Everyday economic activities are going on in the 5 states of the region. If the region is under siege, there would have been a call for a state of emergency to be declared in the region.
What is happening in the South-East is a pocket of violence here and there which is not peculiar to the region alone. And these who are called unknown gunmen have taken the gorilla war pattern which has made it difficult for the security agencies to deal decisively with them.
The agitation started with the arrest of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, which led to the issue of sit-at-home and the violent enforcement.
For me, the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, will calm a lot of nerves and will also help the security agencies to separate agitators from criminals and give the criminals the kind of treatment they deserve. I implore President Tinubu to have a good look on the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu situation.
He needs his political sagacity at play here to douse tension in the zone, and by extension more support for our great party, APC.
Insecurity has spread to every zone in the country. How did we get to this point and what will it take to secure Nigeria?
The insecurity in the country didn’t start today. Remember the Niger Delta militants and the approach the late President Yar’Adua took in handling it.
In Abia State we had the Osisikankwu era when kidnapping and broad daylight robbery was reported on a daily basis.
The Boko Haram insurgency is over 15 years and recently the issue of banditry in the North Central and South West.
The approach President Tinubu has taken so far on insecurity is commendable. Appointment of Lt Gen Lagbaja as the Chief of Army Staff and the appointment of northern Christian from southern Kaduna as the Chief of Defence Staff.
Before now the killings in Southern Kaduna was given religion colouration, so having both Christians and Muslims in the country’s security architecture is a good one.
Also remember the immediate past administration didn’t have a South easterner in the country’s security architecture which President Tinubu has corrected.
Rather than asking how did we get here, the question should have been how do we get out of here? Because we have been there for a long time.
There’s hope that we will overcome the major security challenges bedeviling the nation, going by the steps the President and the service Chiefs have taken so far.
Do you share the view that Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable?
Nigeria is made up of different ethnic nationalities. Sometimes you hear things like – people from a particular region giving those from another region notice to leave their place. Sometimes you hear a politician telling people from a particular geo-political zone that supporting his presidential ambition is their shortest route to getting to the presidency.
If we are an egalitarian society, there should be equality amongst all the ethnic groups, be it the major ethnic groups or the minor.
A situation where some ethnic groups consider themselves to be in the majority and consider themselves indispensable in the Nigeria project calls for negotiation in the unity of the country.
There’s need to convene a Sovereign National Conference where issues concerning the unity of the nation will be discussed –issues of marginalization and secession will all be discussed.
Even in marriage which involves two adults agreeing to live together, at some point in the union, the parties involved come to the negotiation table to know whether they will continue or go their separate ways.
Many consider the amalgamation of the Northern protectorate and Southern protectorate by Lord Frederick Lugard as a forced marriage hence the need for negotiation.
Another question that needs to be answered is, as at 1914, what was the population of Nigeria and what is it at this time?
In conclusion, I feel there is a need for us to sit and talk, forestall those things that led to some of the violence we have experienced or still experiencing in different parts of the nation.
Our unity must be on equity, justice, and fairness to all.
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