Few are the authors with the capacity and painstakingness to research and work on a book for ten years. When such a feat is accomplished, the depth a
Few are the authors with the capacity and painstakingness to research and work on a book for ten years. When such a feat is accomplished, the depth and revelations in the book are best imagined. That is the story of the new book by Ike Neliaku, PhD. According to a reviewer of the book, 7 Conspiracies of Power: Why Some Leaders Succeed and Others Fail, Neliaku embarks on a more comprehensive treatise of power play that applies to all times and climes and backs them up with practical instances. This is indeed a seminal work that will, for a long time to come, be a valuable companion to all who wish to have a better understanding of power relations – policymakers, students of political science and international relations, public analysts and anybody interested in power and politics. In this interview with Dr. Bola Adewara in Abuja, Neliaku explains why he wrote the book, the past and current realities of Nigeria, which he employed in the book and his verdict on the Nigerian leadership, especially as affecting the younger generation. Excerpts from the interview.
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Why did you write the book Seven Conspiracies of Power?
I think narrating my experience and trajectory in and out of government will help paint a picture of why I wrote the book.
I started as an entrepreneur in my university days and worked hard to make ends meet. I lost my mom when I was three months old and my dad when I was 12. That naturally brought on me the burden to succeed. My father was a highly disciplined carpenter who also instilled discipline in us. That became a culture I cultivated.
After primary and secondary school, I sat for JAMB and got admission to the University of Jos for my first degree. By the time I did my second year at the university, I had started doing business with some colleagues. We were doing campus shows to bring in additional resources.
After I graduated, I was sent to Imo State for my National Youth Service. There, God showed up. I was the best youth corper in my local government, the best in the state, and one of the best in the nation.
That gave me two automatic employment opportunities; one by the federal government, then under the leadership of General Ibrahim Babangida, and the second at the State level under the then administrator, Amadi Ikwechegh.
When I decided to honour the national opportunity, one crucial thing happened. When my eldest sister, who is now late, heard about it, she sent for me.
On seeing her, she said this automatic employment they had given you at the national level, where would you want to work? I said I don’t know. I leave it for them to decide.
Then she said when they ask you where you want to go, tell them you want to work in Federal Pay Office. I wondered why should I go to the Federal Pay Office. She said that is where they make money.
She should know better, of course, because she was a federal civil servant. I said how do they make money there? She said they put in the name of people, and they just find a way.
I said how did you know? She said I didn’t know, but that’s what I heard them say. I said okay, thank you. The fact that I studied theatre art did not matter to her. All she wanted was that I should seize the opportunity and ask for Federal Pay Office.
Eventually, I was posted to the Federal Ministry of Information, where the real journey of my life started. I worked at the External Information Services Department, where I had favour with my bosses. First was Comrade Uche Chukwumerije, whom I worked with as a protocol officer.
Then Professor Jerry Gana, who made me his Personal Assistant. Then came Dr. Walter Ofonagoro, who retained my services. After Ofonagoro left, Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu came, and he promoted me to be his Special Assistant. After him was Chief John Nwodo, who retained my services as Social Liason Officer.
When democracy came, Professor Gana found himself again at the Ministry of Operation and Integration in Africa. I worked with him as his Special Assistant and one of those that started that ministry.
* Ike Neliaku PhD
From there, I returned to the Ministry of Information and retained my service as the Special Assistant of social activities. From there, we went to the presidency when he became the political adviser of the President.
Thereafter, he left office, and I left office also and went into the private sector. In 2010, God showed up again when President Goodluck Jonathan allowed me to serve as Senior Special Assistant Administration in the office of the First Lady.
Throughout this trajectory and the privileges of seeing governance at different levels from when I was a young graduate, it got to the point that I was wondering why God took me through all these.
I started as an ordinary Information officer 2, then became a protocol officer, a personal assistant, then a special assistant, then a special and zone officer, a special assistant again and then a senior special assistant to the President.
What is God up to? Why would I go through all these? That was when I felt that I needed to put some of my thoughts together because it began to crystalise.
Sometime in 2009, I was walking upstairs when I had a revelation to write a book on Seven Conspiracies of Power. I stopped at the staircase to process what I’d just received. I asked, what is Seven Conspiracies of Power?
There and then, I began to receive the information. Initially, I thought I got eight, but when I looked at it again, I discovered they were seven, so I went to my office, sat down, and then documented the Seven Conspiracies of Power.
Having received the inspiration, how did you process it to become a book?
The thought was novel to me. I’ve never heard of anything like seven conspiracies of power. As I began to put my thoughts together, I began to realise what as happened to me, to the nation and how this has continued to be a pattern and a culture in nation building and national development.
That was before I was now invited to serve in the presidency. While in the presidency, that work on the book had started, so it now helped me to test some of the conspiracies that have been identified, and I could see them on two legs.
Remember that I had left government before the idea came, but now back in government, I saw these conspiracies on two legs: how aides manipulate their principals to do things that suit them, how principals will not understand the needs of the aides and how to manage the aides, how people will come with religion to sway the principals, whether Christians or Muslims.
The pressure of ethnicity and clannish mentality on leaders in power, how their spouses would want to use them, corrupt them, how family members, including children, want to take advantage of their parents, and so on to get things from them.
How elites have become an ambush against the citizens and would not allow citizens to have their ways and their say except the elites, have decided how things will be done, how the elites are so untruthful and full of deceit, how they trade on lies, such that lies became products, and how they joke with the destinies of God’s creation.
Not only this, I saw how the international community could conspire for their interest but paint a picture to you as though the act is for your interest only.
With all your experience, if you hear people say Nigeria is a joke, what do you think they mean?
First, I will like to say that Nigeria is not a joke because our words are powerful. This is one of the greatest countries on earth. Nigeria is a wonderful country.
I don’t think I will be excited to change my citizenship of Nigeria with any other on earth except Zion. So long as we are here, I don’t think any country is better than this.
This same Nigeria that many people despise? Tell me why Nigeria is a wonderful country.
Nigeria is a blessed country. Let me put Nigeria’s problems in perspective to offer some understanding. I will illustrate our challenges with the parable of a mango tree.
Everyone throws stones at it because it bears fruit. If the tree has no fruit, nobody will come near it. In other words, it is only a tree that bears fruits that stones are thrown at. If Nigeria is not a blessed country, people will not be struggling to be part of it.
However, it is unfortunate that we have not been able to convert the numerous blessings the Lord gave from potential to reality. This country has no business with poverty. Look at the quantum of resources that we have, natural resources. How come Nigeria has not collapsed?
People have been stealing from this mango tree from 1810 to 1914, when Nigeria was amalgamated, to 1960, when Nigeria became independent, and then to now. They are still stealing, and the country has not gone down. There is no country like this in the world.
What has happened is that we don’t get our leadership right. The leadership should have managed this impressive mango tree so that the fruits would remain sustainable and equitably shared among the citizens, instead of one man just coming across and firing at it and collecting it. We have lost a lot because of leadership.
Leadership, for me, comes in three characters: John Maxwell says everything starts and ends or rises and falls on leadership. My friend, Dr. Komolafe will say leadership rises and falls on behaviour. The third version is that leadership rises and falls on culture. Culture is said to be a people’s way of life. If you have a culture of doing things right, excellence becomes the product.
If you have a culture of doing things wrongly, mediocrity results. And these are two things that are confronting us. If you do things right today in Nigeria, you will become an anathema, not those doing something wrong. You are the one that will be blamed, including your relations. They will be the ones to call you a fool and so on.
* Ike Neliaku and Bola Adewara at the interview.
So, I can tell you that Nigeria has a great future because it has gotten to that point when people will begin to look at things differently. I have implicit confidence in the restoration of Nigeria. This country is great. This country will manifest its greatness in a way that it will be the envy of the entire world.
Have you heard of Pa S.G. Elton? I am one of his grandsons. I’m one of those who believe that he is the father of Nigeria ….
How?
Because I know and am closely associated with some of the people he laid hands on and raised. I am, therefore, a grandson. I remember his prophecy concerning Nigeria that we will be known for corruption worldwide for seven years, but there will now be another seven years of greatness.
I believe that we have come to the end of that seven years because nothing is left that they haven’t said about Nigeria and corruption, including when a Prime Minister called us a fantastically corrupt country. So, I don’t see what is left. It is left for us to work into the new Nigeria that God has given birth to. It is the foundation of that new Nigeria that is being laid.
I thank God that the book, Seven Conspiracies of Power is one of the pieces of equipment relevant for laying that foundation for the new Nigeria. This is why I believe that Nigeria is a great country. I don’t believe that Nigeria is finished.
Pastor Ladi Thompson once said that Nigeria has no founding fathers but independent fathers, which is mainly responsible for the lousy foundation of the country. If you agree with this, at what point would you say this rot, corruption and hopelessness started in Nigeria?
I believe this did not start suddenly or something of today.
The foundation of Nigeria wasn’t correctly laid. I can understand Ladi when he says we don’t have founding fathers. Honestly, we don’t have founding fathers. What we have are liberation fathers.
There is this book, A Fatherless Generation written by a Nigerian in Britain. When you read it, you will understand that fatherhood is very critical and fundamental to every child.
It is the responsibility of a father to nurture a child into sonship. That is why the word of God says that unto us a child is born, a son is given. Whereas a child is born, a son is given, and it is the father that raises the son, supported by the mother.
So, those who raised Nigeria raised her for their interest, not the Nigerian interest. Their interest, in this case, was essential from the perspective of what will I do for my people because everybody was defending his territory. Nobody was defending the territory of Nigeria.
That was why we had political parties we had at that time, NCNC for Eastern Nigeria, Action Group for Western Nigeria, NPC for Northern Nigeria and the United of Middle Belt Congress UMBC for the Middle Belt. Obviously, everybody was protecting his territory.
What role did the colonialists play in this error?
The colonial history will show you how deep the conspiracy of foreign relations is. The intention of the British colonialist was not to develop Nigeria.
Instead, Nigeria was an outstation that would provide goods and services to the main station in London. Nigeria was an outstation where raw materials would be sourced, shipped abroad to be processed, and sent back to Nigeria to be bought at a higher rate.
So, with all these, Britain’s intention was not to grow Nigeria into an independent nation. Nigeria was raised to be dependent on Britain. So long as that was the case, there was this issue of intrigues and subversion between the ethnic nationalities.
Each person was trying to be used and ensuring that the other didn’t stand. The colonialists created a kind of internal colonial structure to ensure that Nigerians were not one. We didn’t promote Nigeria to become a nation. We are not integrated, not reconciled.
Now, corruption is as old as man because what happened in the garden of Eden is an act of corruption. But when the foundation of a nation is being laid, you can put what Ladi Thompson will call fireworks to ensure that corrupt practices don’t become culture.
Truly, we can’t completely eliminate corruption, but you can bring it to the point that it is not a popular theme. These are the things they have in China. If you are found corrupt, you die. So, there are enough state restraints that must compel you to run away from corruption, but even at that, it still happens but is highly reduced because they know once they are caught, it’s death.
In our system, right from colonial times, corruption was allowed as a negotiation. I will give you an example: I read that part of the challenges the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe had with the British at a time was when they discovered that Zik had some intervention into the purse of the Eastern Nigerian Marketing Board.
He used some of the resources to do certain things. Immaterial of what these specific things were because some account that it was part of what was used to build a political base for NCNC and so on and even to start the bank at that point. But when the British went into the records and saw it, it became fraud and an act of corruption. Zik would have gone to jail for that because the realities were there.
They had to make a deal that, Zik should support Tafawa Balewa in place of Obafemi Awolowo, and when the realities were before Zik, from what I read, Zik had no option but to play ball. If he had said no, they would embarrass him.
He would lose all. He was a man with so many people following him, people that have confidence in him and looked up to him as a model, the great Zik of Africa.
So, for that reason, he was forced by an instrument of manipulation, conspiracy, to accept that bitter pill which he did not want to do, but he had to. When you trace it, you can see that corruption has always existed.
As a matter of fact, Nigeria is a nation soaked in corruption as a way of operation because of our foundation, where we are coming from. But you know, I don’t believe Nigeria is irredeemable because it takes one leader to change the entire thing.
If you recall, in 2014, why was it said that Nigerians wanted President Buhari as a preference to Goodluck Jonathan? Because he said that he would take away corruption and people trusted him that he could do that. But corruption is more today than we saw before. So, every evil act is progressive, though unfortunate.
Once you don’t arrest evil, it will continue to progress. However, I don’t think Nigeria will go beyond what it is today by the grace of God and the cooperation of those who understand and are standing up to say, ‘thus far, no further.’
Please speak to the younger generation of Nigerians nursing the idea of leaving Nigeria out of the feeling of hopelessness.
First, we need to acknowledge the challenges they face. The young people in Nigeria are incredibly cheated. People like Generals Yakubu Gowon, T.Y Danjumah, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule, Chief MT Mbu, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and others came into office in their youth.
Like some of the contemporary leaders, Generals Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, Aliu Gusau, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Muhammadu Buhari and others. Still, they have remained in control, thereby not allowing these young ones to see hope.
The Ghanaian writer Ayi Kwei Armah wrote a book, The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born. I usually respond that because the ugly ones have refused to die. They have remained there and constitute an ambush to the younger ones who are supposed to come up and have the opportunity.
Secondly, there is no process of equal competition. There is no level playing ground where excellence becomes the defining factor, such that once you come out of school with distinction, you have the opportunities. The reality today is a matter of your religion, ethnicity and who you know. The past efforts at national integration have failed, and the young people suffer.
Another example: today, we have the ministry of youth and sport. I can’t remember the last time the youth minister is below 50 years old. We have a national youth policy that says the youth of Nigeria shall be between the age of, I think, 18 and 25/30. You have a minister of youth that is 50 years. Some of them are running towards their 60s or even 70s. Are you making room for these young ones? If you look at your cabinet, year in, year out, they are the same adults.
So, we have failed the youth. It is only in situations where there is a God factor and act of providence that youth like me have the opportunity to meet men who fear God, who give youth a chance. What if I was not appointed by Professor Gana, Dr. Ofonagoro or Mokelu? What if Chukwumerije was not there?
* Dr. Ike Neliaku
I became a special assistant in my 20s to a minister of the federal republic. What if I was not given that opportunity? That is why I said we, including me, have failed the youth.
So, my message to the young ones is that the moment of truth is beginning to come. This country will come for these young ones because you cannot build a nation outside of the energy of the youth.
That is why I tell young people that we still need their collaborations, innovation, creativity, and energy to align with the elders’ experience and network to build this new Nigeria.
In what ways? Is there any activity by anyone to give them such hopes?
I work with an organisation called Nigeria Price for Leadership. And what do we do? Two things.
One, we are raising and grooming young Nigerians as credible replacement generations of leaders. The second thing is that we use that platform to recognise those who have been in leadership, and we are showing them how to do it, and they have excelled in what they are doing. So, we bring them out to recognised.
Unlike those who give awards, we don’t give awards. Ours is prize. And we measure performance based on ten leadership barometers that we put on the table, and then we now see how you can measure up on each of these. It was developed by a committee chaired by the late Professor Ibidapo Obe before he passed on.
We are beginning to make this effort, and I can tell you that some of the young people who have passed through us are beginning to make efforts.
Initially, some didn’t believe that Nigeria had an ideology. Still, by the time they went through the first module of our training, principles of national development, and they saw that this country had an ideology, vision, mission, and so on, they began to relax.
So, it’s no longer how it used to be, and as long as we continue to work hard, we are creating a future for these young ones. Running away may not be the best. I encourage them to get involved. And you can see that they are now getting involved.
As a person, I don’t encourage any of my children to go outside the country to school until they graduate. That is a law I put in place. Your primary education to the first degree must be here in Nigeria.
You can go outside for your post-graduate program because you need that international exposure so that when you become a leader in Nigeria, you can compete effectively with the international community.
And my two children are here, neither of them is abroad, and by the grace of God, they are fighting for themselves. They understand these issues and are not in a hurry to run away. I am telling the young people that it is not entirely hopeless.
I am praying that God will give them the enablement to see things differently, to know that there is a rebirth, a process of renewal. When the darkness is deeper, sunshine is about to kick off. We are at that critical moment. When the pangs of birth are so severe, that’s when the child comes out.
So, I believe, and I want to encourage them not to lose hope in this country. They will be shocked how this nation will turn around. Let those out there get as much knowledge as possible because we will need them here to do the work that should be done in Nigeria.
2023 is at the elbow. Some Nigerian youths are seeing a movement starting from the End Sars debacle towards what Peter Obi of the Labour Party represents. What is your perception of Peter Obi? I want you to synthesise the End Sars, the Peter Obi movement. Do you think these two are pointers to the dawn we are expecting?
I will say that it’s part of the process, but it is not the dawn. In transformation, you will always have processes leading to the dawning. So, I want to believe that the End Sars and the Peter Obi movement are foundations, but not it.
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