Barr Ifeanyichukwu Obasi-Nweze (aka Mmuo) is the Principal Partner, Halleluyah Chambers, Abuja. In this interview with our correspondent, ABBANOBI-EKU ONYEKACHI, he advised Senators and the National Assembly to make good laws, even as he adds that the target may not the the poor. Nweze also shares views on the on-going discussion about state policing, among other topical issues. Excerpts:
What is your view on the on-going discussion on state policing by Mr. President and the 36 governors of the federation?
Some of us think that the level we are now, If we start talking about state policing, we should actually be talking about restructuring, because as we speak, if we have state police, I don’t think that it is the solution to what is happening. What is happening requires consciousness to do a particular thing, to do the right thing.
Once you do the right thing; if people don’t feel that they are being marginalized, and if people are not being sponsored. If you say that the police is corrupt and that is why you need state police, it isn’t ghost that will be working as state police officers, but the same Nigerians. If there is a problem of trust, the same problem will resonate, if you have state police, or any other apparatus.
But if people are true to what they believe and show it, everything will change. I always give example with the Minister of Works; he hit the ground running, without seeming to be marketing it. I give an instance; I was in the East on the Port Harcourt-Enugu expressway. What I saw, I marvelled, because it isn’t about speech; you are doing what should be done. He didn’t use improper materials, because this is the road for Nigerians. Nobody should be shortchanging.
The people who pepetrate insecurity are human beings and they live in our mist, and some of them are known and some of them are untouchable. And I believe that some day, there will be some balancing.
We want to know if you are for or against state policing?
I should be for it at all times and anything that will stop insecurity, everybody should be for it. I believe that everybody likes it, except those who are sponsoring it; those gaining from it and they are in the minority.
Who are the people?
How would I know? If you hear that there are people sponsoring terrorism and the rest of them, how would I know them? That is why everyone has his/her own job and you know that I am not a security agent.
In my village, once it is 10 pm, you won’t leave the village, without permission. All the points that you will leave the village through, are manned by soldiers. Till 6am, you can’t also leave the village. As you are entering, the people in the village have already known that you are entering and they also know that you are not a part of them and would like to know what you are doing.
Some even prefer community policing to state policing, while some don’t. What is your view on that?
Community policing is always the best, in its raw form and they mustn’t use uniform. In those days, they used to have age grade and they say this age grade will be in-charge of security from this time to this time and the other age grade takes over from this time to this time and each family brings out their people to come and secure their places.
And the problems we have is that some people are given some privileges which others don’t have. It is like you are going to fight somebody, they tie one of your hands at the back.
The fear some people are entertaining is that if not well handled, the officers of the community policing may be worse than federal policing. Do you agree to that?
That is what I said before, that even if we have state police, they are human beings; that there has to be a consciousness in doing certain things. Once you have that consciousness, and people imbibe it, things begin to happen.
I have given an example with my village. In my village, we have street lights and in the last three years, we haven’t recorded any theft and the reason is that the people have been told that these are their street lights. The people from the village own the street lights and even if you come from the government, and say that you come to maintain the street lights, you find it difficult, because they will need something to show that you are actually from the government. Immediately you stop your vehicle beside a street light in my village, any human being around there will like to know where you are from and what you intend to do. If this consciousness is raised, you see things change.
Do you share the view that if state policing becomes a reality, that states can’t pay their police, with reason that some are finding it difficult to pay their workers?
The states can pay the police. There is nothing difficult in the payment. Why I say that things should be done right; you see, so many people are over priced, because we have some kind of monetized economy and everybody is talking about millions.
In those days, if you hear about a million naira, you won’t sleep. Today, a million naira is just like nothing. You give your car to a mechanic, he will be calling one point something million naira for you with seriousness. I think we have a very fundamental problem, and if we want to resolve it, we go back to the drawing board. You have wound, everytime you put something on it, pretending that you don’t have wound. When you want to deal with the wound, you wash it with hot water and it will start to heal right from inside, that is what we need.
Restructuring is very broad, can you expantiate?
What I mean by restructuring is that everybody should develop at his pace. Like, if they give this state policing, the police in Anambra state may be receiving N20,000 as remuneration, while the one in Lagos may be receiving N100,000. That is restructuring, they are growing at their own pace. In this our legal profession, a person in Abuja is expected to charge differently from the person in Port Harcourt and that is economic reality. Our own charges should be different from that of those from in Enugu, because we don’t pay the same house rent. Whatever you derive from your area, you use to contribute to the centre. If you reduce the power of the federal, the eyes at the centre will no longer be there. So let us go back to true federalism, like what we did during the first republic.
Do you think that parliamentary system as as a way out for this country?
You see, what I know; I gave an instance one day, I said that those who will help for the poor man to be okay, are those benefitting from the sufferings of the poor man. For instance, rent was monthly before, and as a civil servant, when you receive your salary, you bring out the house rent and pay. But today you pay a year in advance and they tell you to pay agency fees. In fact they don’t do it in quantum merit. It is not; the people don’t want to succeed and we have gone back to primitive aspect of life, which is survival of the fittest.
Nigeria has practiced parliamentary system of government, and now the practice is presidential, which one, on your own opinion is better?
Both are neither good, nor bad. Anyone you handle properly will be good for this country and that is what is run in America and it is working. Parliamentary is run in Britain and it is working. There is no one that is good or bad, but if you pick anyone and do the right thing, it will work.
How do you see FG’s plans to force traders who are hording food items to make them available at affordable price to the masses?
You see, those things don’t work. Forces of demand and supply is called markets forces. If you hoard food and you have nothing to eat, you will definitely bring out the food. We don’t need all those things, because they are superficial things. You see, as I am now, if I am hungry, I will look for food to eat. The person who have that food, may require medical attention.or even has legal problem. Somebody is taking him to court and he requires to go to court. He doesn’t have money, if he doesn’t sell the food. So, it is a natural that there is the demand and supply and that is the market forces.
If people decide to hoard food, there is a time when you will bring out certain food for sale, it will be flooded everywhere and nobody will buy it. I remember some people who bought oil last year; it turned out that all the people that went for election in the South-East bought palm oil from wherever they went for the election. But by the time they came back to Abuja, oil flooded Abuja and there was no sale.
How do you see the move to enforce price control?
It isn’t possible. What you do is to allow the forces of demand and supply to determine the prices of goods and services.
Don’t we have law on price control?
We have and there is even a court order from Femi Falana SAN for its enforcement. But let him implement it, lets see.
With regard to state policing, community policing, restructuring, among others, what is your advice to Nigeria’s 10th Senate?
It is in the interest of the Senate and the National Assembly to make good laws. A time will come when there will be anarchy in this country and nobody will be safe. For some of us who are small men, we may not be the target.
Having been having meetings with the concerned authorities and stakeholders to stop insecurity to the barest minimum, would you say that the Senate is doing enough in the fight against insecurity?
Nobody, including the Senate has tried in the fight against insecurity. It is not the issue of having a meeting, but when we are going to sleep now; I am sorry, I will also mention another name. Ben Igwe is every beat, a policeman. He is now the Commissioner of Police (CP) in the FCT. You will notice, just this little time he became the CP, you haven’t been hearing of those insecurity things, because when you work with him; since I have known him, as a lawyer, we work and see people. Since I have known him; I have known him to be a performer. By 1 am, you will see him. Even as a Deputy Commissioner of Police, you will see him inside one bush or inside one village. Even as a CP, he is still moving because we are seeing things on television. Give him little time now, insecurity will end in the FCT. It is about doing, not talking up and down, it doesn’t work
Are you not singing praises for him?
No! If he does wrong, I will tell him. You know that I am that blunt and everybody knows. He doesn’t even know that I am talking about him, but the truth is the truth.
