In a recent video on Channels Television, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), a prominent human rights activist and pro-democracy campaigner, has emphasized his commitment to nation-building over politics. In a recent statement, Ozekhome proudly reflected on his long-standing efforts to address Nigeria's challenges, dating back to the 1980s.
Ozekhome's argument against the subsidy removal, which remains a contentious issue today, centered on the concept of a "disarticulate economy," a term coined by Professor Claude Ake. "We are still fighting over the same issue today-producing what we don't consume and consuming what we don't produce," he noted.
According to him, "Do you understand me? I take pride in the fact that some of us are nation-builders. I am not a politician; I regard myself as a nation-builder, a human rights activist, and a pro-democracy campaigner. I sit down and think about the problems of Nigeria. Do you know that, as far back as 1986, I had taken the then-president, Ibrahim Babangida, the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), and the Attorney General to court against the removal of petroleum subsidy? The judgment was delivered on December 29, 1987, by Justice Omoregie."
"Just Google 'National Concord'-this was 37 years ago. The oil subsidy issue we are still fighting over today is what I argued against back then. My argument was that you cannot be made to pay for something that you have, like other people who do not have it. What Professor Claude Ake would describe as a 'disarticulate economy'-where you produce what you don't consume and consume what you don't produce-is the same issue we are still fighting over today."
"And guess what? I was the first proponent that June 12th should be Democracy Day, not May 29th, which is just a handover day. I fought for this for years, and later, in 2018, General Muhammadu Buhari, as president, made June 12th the official Democracy Day. In the same way, at the 2014 National Conference, I moved a motion that Nigeria should revert to the original national anthem. Although a lot of people disagreed with it, the entire 492 members reached a consensus, and we all stood up and sang, 'Nigeria, we hail thee."
Watch the video here
Watch the video from 25:49 seconds
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