Onwe Jacob Jackson Gezy (aka Angel Agila Adoba) is a 1988 Language and Linguistics 1988 graduate of the University of Calabar. Adoba, an English language teacher of many years standing, plans to rule Nigeria in 2019. He speaks with AGI ONDA and PATRICK ANDREW. Excerpts:
The push to rule Nigeria
I really want to run for the highest office of the land because that is where the problem is. I believe that, unless the head is well, the body is finished. Our problems in this country are many but they cannot be solved from bottom up; they must be solved from up to bottom. When the leader leads by example and shows impartiality, transparency, accountability and honesty, the people under him will be forced to follow the steps of leadership.
But when the leadership is not transparent and is not doing what it preaches, then you don’t expect anybody to take him serious. The country is where it is today because of the absence of genuine, credible and honest leadership. That is why I want to take the shot at the highest office, because I feel God has sufficiently prepared me for this office.
Experience and highest office
If you take my not having political experience to mean I don’t have training in corruption, you may be right. But I don’t think I need political experience to do the right thing at the right time, for the right people in a right country. For goodness sake, Nigeria has everything to make everybody a multi millionaire. But why are we not so? We are not so because of bad leadership and corruption.
Platform for presidential ambition
Right now, I don’t have a political party. It was my intention – if I had been able to do that -to register or mobilise people to register what I’d like to call Angel Party of Nigeria (APN), but in the absence of that, I can comfortably run under any party that will willingly and in totality adopt what I call “The Angelic Manifesto for Nigeria,” which I have painstakingly prepared.
Unfortunately, mis-education in Nigeria has made us to believe that without money you cannot win any election in this country. I don’t think so. What wins election is not the money but the idea. I can comfortably stand against the current President, Muhammadu Buhari in his party- the All Progressives Congress (APC)- in the primaries and beat him hands down, because my ideas are novel. What I intend to do for Nigeria are what he cannot do.
Selling points
Good! My blueprints are these; the problem with Nigeria is the North. The North is not only greedy, it is too large and it is too arrogant. I intend to restructure Nigeria in 2019. First, I will abolish the 36-state structure and create the Middle Belt region, to make it the 7th region in the country.
I will also abolish the two arms of the National Assembly and put something slightly different at the state, because the National Assembly as it is today is a colossal waste of money, time and energy. I will also want to create more local governments in this country so that we can have a total of 1000 local government areas in Nigeria.
Powers shall rotate between two tiers of government (Federal and Local Governments) instead of the three tiers of government, with each local government having the powers and authority to maintain and train its own police force. That will address the invincible issue of herdsmen or Fulani killings that will come, attack and disappear into thin air without being traced.
Besides that, at least every local government will have a contingent of 200 soldiers on permanent stand-by for any eventuality. The chairman of every local government shall be the chief security officer of the local government area. There shall also be a middle cadre level of police department, a provincial police department and then, the larger police department headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP). That way, security will be maintained, using off course the vigilantes.
Between APC, PDP, and CNM
Honestly, I will go with Obasanjo’s coalition, because I believe I owe a lot to former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Without him I wouldn’t be speaking English like this today. I happen to be one of the lucky persons who enjoyed his Universal Basic Free Education programme, the UBE of the military era and I believe he has a lot to give to Nigerians. Obasanjo’s Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) will be my think-tank. It doesn’t matter his neutrality or active involvement. I think he has played his part in the centre of the Nigerian politics.
As a father now, directing the affairs of the country from the sidelines, I think he is doing exactly what everybody expects him to do as a statesman. He doesn’t have to come to the forefront before people know that he is involved. He wants the best thing for this country and that is what he is doing.
Education policy for Nigeria
First, I want to start where I began. I would give back to the Nigerian children what I received from Nigeria; that is, free education from the primary up to secondary school levels, with some slight modifications, because when I enjoyed mine, the population was not as large as it is now. Things were not as difficult as they are now, but then I shall give opportunity to the very serious children of this country who are children of poor parents who cannot fend for themselves. They will study up to any level.
Besides, I intend to establish a unique, world-class university at the Obudu Cattle Ranch which I intend to call International Angelic University, so that one university in this country shall be counted when they are counting universities like Cambridge, Oxford, London, Yale and Harvard in other countries. I feel ashamed. Our educational system needs a thorough social and academic panel-beating.
Resource Control
My own view is very, very simple. I do not see any reason why somebody should be busy tending the fire all his life and another is busy eating from the same pot on the fire. I feel the people to whom God gave this natural endowment should enjoy part of it. 50 per cent of the resources should go the people that own it and 50 per cent to the federal government. That is simple enough and I don’t think that is too much. That way, there will be peace.
Unemployment, health, and infrastructure
Part of the unemployment problem in Nigeria is traceable to the absence of working capital; finance. If you make cheap money available to the Nigerian youth who are very creative, very industrious, very visionary –many do not want to work for government per se – they have ideas of their own but they do not have the financial wherewithal to promote these ideas. They need money. How do you borrow money from the bank at the interest rate of 30 per cent and you expect to break even?
That is disastrous. On healthcare, I Angel Agila Adoba, if I become the president of this country, I shall not go abroad to seek medical treatment. And if I don’t go, nobody else in any service of this country shall go.
If we shall not treat ourselves here in this country, then we shall look at each other, eye-ball to eye-ball and share in the blame together. Why can’t we bring experts here? If all the money they steal and bank in other countries are brought back, we shall have enough to treat whatever ailment that confronts us as a people.
Passion for Nigeria
I speak with passion because of who is inside of me; God. If I don’t have God on my side pushing me on, I wouldn’t be speaking like I do. I speak with so much conviction because as I speak to you now, I see myself as the next president of this country already. My honest wish is for the people to buy into my vision because God has been teaching me on how to rule this country for the past 20 years.
My parting word for Nigerians is, therefore, for any Nigerian of voting age to please go and get your Permanent Voter Card, because that is the weapon for 2019, because the coming election shall be the mother of all elections. It’s going to decide so many things. It is either we get it right now or Nigeria shall be swept by the tide.
