Nigerians will not forget the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, TAN, in a hurry. It was one of the major campaign groups that emerged during the buildup to the recently
concluded general elections. It rooted for the reelection of President
Goodluck Jonathan and continuation of his transformation agenda. The organisation that comprised Nigerians across socio-economic, religious and ethnic lines took the nation by storm with its aggressive and creative campaigns. TAN was the brainchild of Dr. Ifeanyi Uba, the youthful multi-billionaire owner of Capital Oil and Gas. In this interview, Chief Emma Ofodile, an international businessman and politician, who is Uba’s very close friend, explained why he did not support Uba and TAN. Ironiccally, he also suggested that TAN could be useful in mobilising support for the programmes of the incoming All Progressives Congress, APC, government headed by General Muhammadu Buhari despite not supporting the president-elect initially.
How do you assess the recently concluded general elections in the country?
To God be the glory; the elections have come and gone and thankfully, Nigeria did not disintegrate as many feared. Naturally, it had some hitches here and there but on a general note, it was a successful exercise. INEC did its best under the circumstances and Nigeria will soon have a brand new government, which the people had been clamouring for. By the grace of God, change will come and when it does, all Nigerians will experience it and rejoice. General Muhammadu Buhari is a disciplined man and can turn the fortunes of the nation around for good.
You are reportedly close to Ifeanyi Uba but surprisingly, you shunned his TAN. What happened?
I have often been asked why, despite my closeness to Dr. Ifeanyi Uba, I did not support TAN, his brainchild, during the just concluded presidential elections. I tell people that Uba remains my very good friend. My reason was because I had sympathies for APC and the President-elect, Genneral Muhammadu Buhari, whose victory at the polls had been revealed to me in a dream. Despite our different political leanings, we remained in close touch all through the campaign and are still in close contact.
Uba is better known for his multi-billion naira oil conglomerate; what could have motivated him to set up such a group as TAN?
Ifeanyi Uba is a critical thinker, who sees ahead of time. TAN is an outstanding body; it supports whoever asks for its services. It is not a political party but a rallying point for Igbo, to a reasonable extent. Uba thinks ahead of his peers and that is why he has achieved this much within his relatively young age. You may have money and all the wealth and everything but without ideas, you cannot achieve much. Uba came up with TAN in this dispensation but as an ideas man, he may come up with a different thing next time.
Despite all you said about Uba, how come he backed the losing candidate?
Uba is a man whose loyalty is unquestionable. Perhaps, that is why all the noise is being made about his support for President Goodluck Jonathan. For Uba, there is no middle-of-the road; it is either he gives you 100 per cent loyalty or nothing. Not supporting APC or GMB has nothing to do with hatred or survival instinct as people would insinuate.
People may think you are indirectly lobbying Buhari to rehabilitate TAN or better still Uba…
There is nothing like that; Uba, as you should know, does not need rehabilitation. The truth is that his support for Jonathan was circumstantial and based on conviction and the fact that his services were sought for. I am sure, he can put TAN to the use of the incoming administration if approached.
Are you sure Uba will take kindly to your thoughts?
Why not? It is not even a question of whether Uba will be happy with the idea I am canvassing or not. God used him to found TAN at the time he did but TAN is an independent body made up both eminent and ordinary Nigerians. It has gone beyond Uba as a person. My thinking is that since Jonathan whom TAN supported lost the election, nothing is wrong if the group channels its drive to see a successful new dispensation under Buhari if its support is requested. Buhari will find TAN useful in selling his ideas to Nigerians. TAN has proved during the campaigns that it is a great mobiliser and has wide reach across the nation. TAN is a formidable group and was also instrumental to the number of Igbo men and women that won elections to the state and National Assembly in the South-west. Uba is somebody I can support any day if he is contesting for anything because I know he is an achiever, who has got what it takes. He has comparative advantage of being eminently creative. There is first among equals and in terms of thinking and creating new ideas and innovations, Uba is light miles ahead of his contemporaries.
How come then Anambra State rejected him when he aspired to be governor?
No, Anambra did not reject him; majority of Anambra people actually accepted and wanted him to govern and transform the state but because of the evil political manoeuvrings in Anambra, he was schemed out. People should be allowed to make their own choices of who should govern them. If the people are allowed to go the way they prefer to go and learn along the way, we would not have the problem we have in Anambra today. But those that were not comfortable with Uba, those who knew they would never be able to pocket him, schemed him out. But then, it has backfired and is affecting ex-governor Peter Obi now.
How do you mean?
Obi was instrumental to emergence of Chief Willie Obiano as governor of Anambra State. Whatever is happening to him now is the fruit of the seed he sows. If I want to run for electoral office, I would devote time to prepare myself fully for the task ahead but if you just invite me and install me in office without having any ideas of what I am going to do there, or what it takes, how can I excel? That is the problem we have today in Nigeria. Godfatherism has done much more harm than good in governance of the country; people should be allowed to make their own choices. As regards Obi, he cannot eat his cake and have it. He nurtured Anambra State like his own child but he should have allowed the people free hand in choosing his successor; that should have been good for the state. He should have allowed a free, level-playing ground but he did not. Perhaps, he felt Obiano would be easy for him to dictate to. Unfortunately, it has not worked out that way. Credit must be given to Obiano. He is a more political model than his predecessors; he refuses to be a pushed around. So, Obi has only himself to blame for whatever treatment he is receiving in Anambra today, whether perceived or real.
Is it fair, how people turn around to attack their benefactors?
One thing I have discovered about Nigerian politicians is that whoever made you is the first person to attack. But there should be an atom of loyalty to the person that invested his resources and goodwill to make you. Unfortunately, in our clime, on no circumstance should there not be disloyalty because in seeking the office, they tolerate a lot of demeaning treatment, grovelling slavishly before their masters only to mount the saddle and refuse playing the same roles now they are oga in their own right. There is actually nothing really wrong in being your own man but devoting much valuable time and resources to demonise or destroy your benefactor is morally wrong. I believe if you want to go into politics, make your own money first so that you can play the music you want to dance. You cannot humiliate yourself to collect somebody else’s money and turn around to fight that person; it is fraudulent and morally wrong. The best thing is to back off from the very beginning; if you cannot stand the smoke, stay out of the kitchen.
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