Why Tinubu should reshuffle his cabinet now – Onoh

Former campaign spokesman of President Bola Tinubu in the south East, Dr. Josef Onoh, in this interview to mark his birthday on August 31st, points out the flaws in the 15 months administration of President Tinubu, noting that campaigning for Tinubu made him a leper in South East and insists that Tinubu has no more […]

Former campaign spokesman of President Bola Tinubu in the south East, Dr. Josef Onoh, in this interview to mark his birthday on August 31st, points out the flaws in the 15 months administration of President Tinubu, noting that campaigning for Tinubu made him a leper in South East and insists that Tinubu has no more than 20 supporters in South East.

Who would you say Dr. Josef Onoh is?

I’m a clinical psychologist and profiler, born and raised in Scotland, United Kingdom. I developed a passion for wildlife and nature from childhood with my late mother and Sir David Attenborough having a great influence in my life. That influenced me in my adult life to become a wildlife conservationist and eventually founded the woodland park, a zoo wildlife Educational Trust located in Enugu. It’s the only existing privately owned and funded zoological facility and wildlife charity trust in the South East and probably Nigeria. Prior to that, I worked in the Private Sector, rising to become an Executive Director (Personnel Management) of Eastern Bottlers, a subsidiary of (Limca Bottlers Plc) from 2000 to 2002. Currently I’m engaged in Wildlife Conservation, Hospitality and Real Estate Development. I’m a member of the Institute of Hospitality in the United Kingdom.

Has your family background ever posed a challenge in your life?

I come from a family of eight with six surviving children of Chief Dr. & Mrs. C.C.Onoh of blessed memory. While my mother was an Educationist and Conservationist, My father was a real Estate Lawyer, Activist, politician and historian amongst other things. What Awolowo represented to the South West was what he represented to the Wawa people of the south east.

He dedicated his entire life and finances in championing for their liberation from the oppression of then Anambra indigenes and he actualized the creation of Enugu State through his long endearing and affectionate friendship with Gen. Ibrahim Babangida which came at a great cost to him and our family. Despite all that sacrifice, not one single street or Government building is named in his honour in Enugu State and that gives you an idea of how the society can forget.

Did you learn anything from your father as Governor?

Yes. The Nigerian Politicians lack integrity, they don’t have a plan for the future; they live for the moment and next election. They only celebrate the office they occupy and once you leave they desert you like rats abandoning a sinking ship. They are carried away with the euphoria of their office with an arrogance of superiority to match, they become demigods. Once they leave office they become more humble than a church rat drenched by heavy downpour. They start to rebel against the same cage they put themselves in while in power, they start to seek old friends they didn’t help while in power. The most important lesson I learnt from my father was never to allow political office to ruin you. Build your private business, don’t change who you are, don’t ask for favours because they might ask you a favour in return that you can’t give and never confuse public funds to be personal funds. Finally politics isn’t about friendship, sincerity, honesty, or goodwill; rather it’s purely about personal interest and selfishness.

What have been your political life experiences based on the positions you have held?

I was elected a member of Enugu State House of Assembly representing Enugu North 2003-2007. I was the House Committee Chairman, Finance and Appropriation. I was appointed an Adviser to the Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Domestic Matters in 2015, later appointed an adviser on Security Matters, appointed a Senior Special Adviser on Special Projects, appointed Chairman Joint Task Force on Ministry of Environment and Capital Territory, appointed Commissioner in Office of the Governor and Executive Chairman Enugu Capital Development Authority 2019-2022 and re-appointed as Executive Chairman of Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA 2022-2023.

How did you transit from the PDP to become a presidential campaign spokesman in the APC?

My political life started with the Grassroot Democratic Movement and we had Alhaji Gambo Lawal as our Presidential candidate, unfortunately the Abacha interference truncated our dream.

I later joined ANPP in 1998 and when I couldn’t clinch the ticket for the Councillorship election I moved to the PDP and ran for the same position and lost. I remained in the PDP and was elected a member of Enugu State House of Assembly representing Enugu North 2003-2007. And I contested for the Enugu North LGA elections in 2007 but lost the primaries in line with the PDP’s method of selection instead of election to my uncle. I was vocal in support of the then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to implement the doctrine of necessity both in media publications and pressure group support against the then cabal known as friends of Yaradua, I and late Prof. Dora Akuyili worked tirelessly. Nigeria will never see another of her kind in a very long time. She was a rare talented breed. I ran for the office of Governor in the 2023 elections but was schemed out by the PDP act of selection and majorly promoted by elders and statesmen from Nkanu who only wanted an indigene of Nkanu East or Nkanu West to be Governor to the detriment of the remaining four other Local Governments that make up Enugu East Senatorial Zone. It was after the kangaroo governorship primaries by the PDP that even Senator Ike Ekweremadu got only one vote that I knew how ridiculous the entire setup was and coupled with the fact that Atiku Abubakar became the Presidential flag bearer I knew it was time to leave the party as it was a sinking ship with soulless sails men sailing to their doom. I knew from the onset that Asiwaju was a candidate to beat and my worry was the APC Primaries because no one, not even APC members from the South East wanted him, they either wanted Senator Lawal or Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo who enjoys a good support in the South East because he was a Pastor and the entire Muslim /Muslim ticket was an issue in the South East. Everyone deserted me, I was seen as a failure and no single politician in the South East even amongst my fold wanted to be associated with me. Tinubu represented everything they feared and also IPOB members were ready to kill you if you dared identify with Tinubu. I threw caution to the wind, even my own kids voted for Peter Obi under my own roof. It was in London that Festus Keyamo the current Minister for Aviation sat with me and pointed out the importance of making an awareness breakthrough in the South East because nobody was speaking for the party, nobody was bold enough to create awareness and promote Bola Tinubu and their fears were justified because once Joe Igbokwe tried it, they burnt his house down and that created the ultimate fear. Even APC Governorship candidates were campaigning and never dared to mention or ask the electorates to vote for Tinubu out of fear I challenge them to bring their campaign videos. So I and Keyamo decided we had to push, same way we tried to dialogue for Buhari with prominent South East politicians and governors to achieve 25 percent votes in the 2019 ballot although we were betrayed but it didn’t discourage us and together we pressed on and I became the only voice prompting Tinubu and the APC in the South East. It’s just now he won that they are all giving him lip service loyalty. I must acknowledge Keyamo’s effort too. I simply believed in Tinubu, I believe in the Renewed Hope Vision and no matter the disappointments, I’m still standing on his mandate without apology and I have no godfather in the South East, so it’s obvious a lot of APC actors don’t like my position in speaking against their betrayals. By 2026 that’s when the President will realise he has less than 20 people in the South East that genuinely believes in him and support him.

What’s your motivation in making a criticism of the Tinubu administration?

The motivating factor is simple. We worked tirelessly at the detriment of our well being to support the President, we shared in his vision, most of us committed our soul to ensuring he wins and succeeds and immediately after his victory we were all shocked to our bone marrow how he started rewarding strangers who didn’t play any significant role nor believe in his mandate. Most of them were anti-Tinubu and hauled all sorts of insults at him, we engaged viciously most of them and once victory was won they became the prize. They never believed in him, they never worked for the position they were rewarded with, so it’s normal they have no loyalty to him nor share in his vision. I rode into battle with the President, I had my fair share of cuts and bleeding, I paid my dues, I didn’t abandon the battlefield while the fight was on and they were in the comfort of their homes while we were going door to door canvassing for votes. So it’s only natural I’ll react when I see their actions are working to the detriment of that same foundation we fought to preserve. I don’t blame them, they are only doing what’s natural to them because from the beginning they wanted to bring him down and failed only for him to bring them closer and what was far to achieve is finally in their sight. Only a useless child will fold his hands and watch his father be insulted.

Do you align with the belief that former President Buhari’s corruption mantra was fake and that he performed worse than his predecessor, Jonathan?

Former President Buhari as a person isn’t corrupt, unfortunately he came from a military foundation where you must obey the last order and if you go contrary to it you face the consequences. Sadly, he wasn’t equipped to deal with civilians and most especially politicians and in fairness to him he was out to fight corruption but couldn’t differentiate from appointing looters and corrupt characters to champion his War Against Corruption. It was simply a case of appointing criminals to chase criminals.

As a Chieftain of the APC, can you reveal where the former Governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello is and why he has refused to appear before EFCC to answer the corruption charge against him. Where is Yahaya Bello?

Ask the Nigerian Police!

What is your assessment and overview of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration so far?

So much to be done and so little done and limited window left to get things right. Most of his appointees are his greatest baggage; they are not doing what they were appointed to do. Unfortunately no one will be called for their failures, none of them will ever be remembered for their failures. It begins and ends with the President and I pray he gets it right this time around.

What do you think this government should have done but left undone?

Cabinet reshuffle