Factional leader of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress, Dr. Fredrick Fasheun last week addressed a close gathering at the Century Hotel, Okota, Lagos. He touched on the recent kidnap and later release of Afenifere Chieftain, Olu Falae and the selection of President Buhari’s ministers among others. GBUBEMI GOD’S COVENANT SNR reports.
Factional leader of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr Fredrick Fasehun minced no words as he reacted to the recent kidnap and later release of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Olu Falae.
“Those who kidnapped Olu Falae shall not see old age because Nigeria owes a lot to the septuagenarian; he is a principled person and his way of life is iconic. He doesn’t live lavishly. Occasionally you wonder when you visit Falae and you see the place he lives. He lives in a place he built before he joined the government.
“Falae is member of Afenifere and PRONACO and NADECO for God’s sake; you don’t find many people in leadership position like Olu Falae occupied. To treat him like the way he was recently treated we reject it. We are using this opportunity to warm those in power that enough is enough.”
Declaring that the herdsmen were working people under cover of their trade, Fasheun said they are not unaware of their sponsors.
“The Fulani helmsmen have been going round and round. It is not that we have no suspicions of the people financing them. How many of those wretched Fulani herdsmen can have money to buy cows? Cows must belong to the big ones. You cannot be more accommodating than the Yoruba people and Falae is a leader of the Yoruba people.”
Fasheun also saw a plot to annex some South-Western towns and cities into the hands of the cattle men.
“The opportunity of this crisis is a warning to them. It is not that we have no suspicion of what goes on, we do. But nobody in this country will succeed in annexing one inch of Yoruba land. Let the Obas fight for themselves. Nobody is going to turn any village of the South-West into Jos.
That is why you see it may sound irregular and annoying to those in power but it is like a pain.
“When you shortchange pain, you try to avoid the cause of that pain. That pain has warned you something more serious may come. So protect yourself. Those in power if they are interested in the unity of this country let them take precautions. The farmers of the South West will take their decision very soon.
And whoever tries to violate their territorial integrity will not live to tell the story. Enough is enough.
“We were aware of the involvement of ethnic people, even those in power. This type of incident happened in Oke Ogun once.
Nigerians should better make sure that nobody who thought that he has Abraham as his father can tread on the rights of others. This country belongs to all of us. One part belongs to you the other part belong to me.”
On Buhari’s Government of Change
“Many of us looked forward to his coming because of his shouted pedigree or antecedent. But we didn’t expect what is going on. He came and said nobody belongs to him and he belongs to nobody. We are beginning to think otherwise. See what has been going on.
“Who are those people he has been selecting as ministers? In a country of 170 million people you cannot find 36 decent people. That is an indictment on the Nigerian people.
“To the outside world now, 170 million people have been declared by their leaders as indecent people, crooks, rogues, looters. As a result the country has to wait.”
Is he regretting the result of the election?
“Everybody jubilated when Buhari came in; we thought it was going to be sweet, but it is getting sour. It is too late in the day to be experiencing what we are experiencing.
“But if you look at his selection of ministers, you would think decent people are only found in one area of the country. Decent people but I tell you that decent people are all over this country. Okonjo Iwaela is an Igbo woman, why are Igbo people not being selected?
“We have people like Oby Ezekwesili who has served the country meritoriously and those who have not served but are decent people. The presidential system of government is a beautiful system of government because of the division of labour and our constitution has always stressed the division of labour. That is why the constitution says federal character. And now we have the president but we have no Executive functions there is no legislature.
“The legislature has been in confusion since Buhari’s election. How do you contribute a check to the excesses of any of these chambers without regard to the constitution? But we are comforted by the fact that the upper legislature is aware of its functions in the scheme of things.
“Can you appoint a high public officer without subjecting such a character to the wish of the senate? Even if such a person appear before the senate to take a bow. And even then those who have been selected have been selected from one area of the country and people have been commenting that this is not fair. The constitution prescribed federal character. Nigerians did not vote for a sole administrator.”
On carpet crossing
“I knew it would come when satanic people were joining the angels before the elections. People abandoned their principles, manifestos and party constitution to cross the carpet.
When the conservatives were joining the progressives, we knew it would birth confusion. I personally made that comment several times.
“That satanic people were joining the angels and the angels were crossing carpet and joining the satanic ones. Who didn’t know that such an amalgamation is a mixture of elements but each of those elements has its own peculiar characteristics and it would not match with the characteristics of another? In order words, political amalgamation is the bane of the Nigerian factor.
Could the APC people have said don’t join us?
“Would you allow a leper to sleep in the same house with you? We warned them that it will not work. Nigeria is not a civilised country. No other country will be in a similar position we have been for almost four months and we are not going to have chaos.
“The government is listening to the people and it is the people who should chart the cause of government action. The people have not been commenting and government has been doing what it likes.
“When you are speaking to the devil you have to shout. It is a pity Nigeria is a very beautiful country those of us who have been fighting for the unity of this country we are disappointed that people are toiling with the unity for which people died.
“People were in trenches for years and they came out to die. We hope those in power will sit up and think that power belongs to God. You are only a servant of God to manifest its wishes to the people.
“They should constantly be remembered that nobody has a greater share of Nigeria than another Nigerian. I expected the various government leaders to have spoken to people in government but they are not doing that.”
Solution to pipeline vandalisation
“Do you know what Nigeria loses everyday on vandalisation? Nigeria loses N7 billion every single day. My people went there and for three months, there was no loss of anything. The oil thieves are insiders.”
