"The Ijaw People Have Disown their Brother Jonathan"... - Says Prof Afejuku

                    

Tony Afejuku is a Professor of English & Literature in University of Benin and a former ASUU leader. In this chat, he says he is happy in his "little world of poverty", even though government has failed Nigerians.

You are a man of many parts. Why don’t you think of going into politics to help your people and Nigeria?Politics is not my calling. I don’t have talents for intrigues and lies. Every man has his gifts. Intrigues are not part of mine. I am a straight talker, a straight shooter. Bluntness is part of my talents. Betrayal, back-biting, back-stabbing in order to gain this or that advantage or to scheme a qualified person out of contention or a position he is clearly and eminently qualified for are foreign to my God-given peculiarities.

I am not Janus-faced. Let me use my present talents to the best of my abilities and to the glory of my Maker. Politics is not the only way to help mankind. Give Caesar his due, and God His. The typical Nigerian politician never says what he means, and never means what he says. Politics, Nigerian type? No way. I am happy in my little world of happy poverty. I can’t be a party to inflated and over-inflated contracts. Obviously, I must therefore be a danger to the Nigerian politician of the current dispensation. Leave me to be a teacher who never can be bribed with a manor house or a whole village. I am happy in my little world of poverty.

Governor Uduaghan did say, in his reaction to the crisis [between Ijaw and Itsekiri], that he will not take a decision on the crisis based on sentiments. What is your take in this?I support the governor. He also said that he will not negotiate under duress. I endorse fully his submission. But the governor should have gone ahead to ask: Why is it that this only happens in Itsekiri territories? What are the aggresors trying to prove? In Warri South-west, the havoc against Itsekiris is still very much green in our memories. In Warri South, we also know what Itsekiris are experiencing. As I said before, what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

What is the way forward?
The way forward is to preach the gospel of peace that borders on fairness, justice and the doctrine of do-unto-others-as-you-will-be-done-by. Might is not right and it will never be right. We have a lot to gain by toeing the path of peace that prospers all. Ijaws should let Itsekiris live and Itsekiris should let Ijaws live in their respective homelands as worthy neighbours committed to the great ideal of prosperous justice, love, fairness and togetherness. And we need to realize that he who is strong today is strong because who will beat him has not come.