Crime is reducing because politics is here again, Capt. Nwachukwu, former pilot to IBB

A retired pilot, Capt. Paul Nwachukwu, who was a former pilot to the ex-military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), speaks on insecurity and the political situation in the country, among other sundry issues, in this interview with BEN OGBEMUDIA

How was your flying career?

Well, I started flying at a tender age, graduated from the University in Washington, where I proceeded to Aviation College in Miami, Florida, and finished with the American Flyers, a subsidiary of American Airline Flight Training school. I joined the system a long time ago don’t ask me the date because I can’t remember now but I was one of the few Nigerians that was lucky, I was opportune whilst with the federal government of Nigeria, I flew Boeing 27 transcended 28, flew the 737 and retired on the 707 which is a four-engine aircraft.

You were once in the presidential fleet, what was it like flying the then-military President?

Part of it in a way, yes but for political reasons, I wouldn’t want to go there because my boss has too many enemies, so most of us that flew him are very careful, you know, it is just like Mustapha now, Mustapha is very careful with words, if you want to go that way, he will direct you this way but it is an opportunity to have worked with him, IBB, a very good man. He is a boss which I know if you go deep into him, he would have been one great President Nigeria would have. But this will never happen in his life anymore because old age has caught up with him, but if life itself could change the hands of the clock, if we have had him, we would have had a beautiful country called Nigeria today.

Even though you flew the presidential jet, how would you access the current aviation industry in Nigeria?

When we joined, we were happy but before I left, the aviation industry is nothing to write home about. Reasons being that one, we have so many people running the aviation industry that do not know anything about it, that is the gospel truth but they have all the money it takes. For example, I have some friends that would buy the best aircraft today, the first thing I ask them is ‘Ben, can you fly it?’ but you that is my best friend can you fly this airplane and the answer would be no. So if you employ me I am the one that will enjoy the airplane because once I get in there, and you make me mad and I pressurize that airplane, your life is in my hands. If I want to kill you, I will kill you and kill myself but because of all the money you have, you won’t want to die, So you’ll be respecting me that time telling me yes sir like a he-goat following a she-goat.

During the inauguration of Governor Charles Soludo as governor of Anambra State, there was an ugly scene involving the wife of the former governor, Ebele Obiano, and Ambassador Bianca Odimegwu-Ojukwu, how would you react to that?

If you ask me again, they were just trying to be funny, what are you trying to canvass. For example, it is like you asking ThisNigeria to break and I ask you if we break, where we would break too. I just told you about my mother being a Fulani woman from Katsina and my father being from Abia. If you check the map of Nigeria you will see the distance between the two, it is a long distance. So, if we have two prominent women assuming we have, will those people be the ones to run people like us and people who are not privileged? The answer is no, right now action speaks louder than words, you have seen it yourself, every Nigerian has seen it, so, the answer is left for anybody to answer. The two of them are a bunch of disgrace as far as I am concerned. One is supposed to look better, Ojukwu whose husband is a warlord should have known better than what she did, not that she was not aggravated in a manner that is a disciplined diplomat, and would she have gone to fight in Spain if she was still there as an ambassador and that woman had come to harass her there? She wouldn’t have done it so why the show of shame? And the woman who is Obiano’s wife, whatever she smoke or drink in her house, it is too much money that caused it. If they are like me and you, I don’t have money or your engine has knocked, how to raise money will be in our minds.

The political situation in the country looks shaky as the clamour for zoning the next presidential slot to the south has been heating the polity, what do you think is the way out of this?

Yes, you are correct. Everything has not gone right because one section of the country has decided to be the master of that bill and the other part of the country thinks they are too intelligent. They want to cheat everybody and the errand ones are double-faced human beings. If you want me to name them, I will name them, they can’t do me anything. So, back to what we are saying, I am not surprised, we caused it ourselves because it is even affecting our children now. You find a Southern child that went to university, probably came out with a 2/1, they switch the results and gave it to a Northern one that came out with a third class. There is no way you will verify because they are in charge. The one given a 2/1 is given a job opportunity he deserves but they swapped their results so that is what we are paying for now and the grade level as well is very high. Once you love money so much, that is what you get.

How do you think Nigeria can come out of this?

It is only God that can do it. Even the police are corrupt, that is the truth and that is why I don’t blame the President and Commander-In-Chief. When they keep mentioning his name, Buhari is this, it doesn’t do anything. It has gotten so deep, way below, they say “show me your friends and I will tell you who you are” So if those on top are corrupt, is that why I will charge Ben or my little cousin Emeka because I want to help him he must pay me when I know I am equal to the task to help him but now if he doesn’t pay me, I won’t help him. That is the truth.

Will you say corruption is so deep and has become a major problem?

Of course, it has gotten so deep, it is only God that can come down and intervene but I think God himself is tired because we have the biggest churches in the whole world owned by Redeem, Living Faith, Good Tidings, and everything. Instead of us sitting down and thinking of what we will do if you interview me now, this microphone we cannot even produce it, I cannot assemble this phone, what good are we and we are very intelligent people extremely intelligent! I have seen some of my colleagues that flew the King of Saudi Arabia, have seen them fly the biggest aircraft in America and they are still flying. Best doctors, lawyers just name them, they are all over the place, so, what is our problem that we can’t fix here?

Some have said in Nigeria today churches have turned into commercial businesses, do you share in that view?

Of course, it is commercial. If the owner of a church has four aircraft, what is he doing with them? Can he fly anyone? The helicopter, can he fly? So why are they buying them, their children can’t even fly them. If it is for missionary purposes then just own one aircraft and not four or five and pack it at the airport. I was a pilot, I know how much they are paying per day whether they fly or not. The parking fee alone and after owing the government so much money, you want to negotiate with the government to give you the rebate, why must the government give you? If you can buy four aircraft, then pay for it, so don’t come and cut corners. And they have schools that their church members cannot afford. That is what I am telling you, where did they get the tithe to start those schools from, is it not from their church members? All they preach about is salvation and how you buy one oil and be rubbing it in your head. You will just suffer. He said you will see good tidings, “na suffer go finish you” but they will make you buy that oil for N1, 000. So, you can imagine if they have 100,000 customers, how many millions is that. The pocket it every day then you will buy one pendant and wear it. You will buy stickers, I even have some on my door that people gave me, and they said I should put them there. Since I bought this thing, everyone has stopped coming to do business with me. Whether they come or they don’t come, so I am going to remove it and start selling beer again and when we are all done, they can send millions away from me, they won’t remember.

What is your view on the security challenges in Nigeria?

Can I ask you a question? Haven’t you noticed that they have gone down these days? Politics is here again. How many people have been kidnapped since the last two weeks tell me, where is it happening, in Kaduna? It is because (Nasir) el-Rufai is being stubborn but after this convention, you will see that everything will go down completely. They know themselves, they know what they are doing amongst themselves and God will punish all of them, their children will never do well no matter how much money they steal. The day this man wants to steal, he won’t tell you ‘Ben, I am coming’, come and just knock on the door whether he answers or not when you knock, so he won’t have time to write the cheque, they know what they are doing. You know Nigeria is a beautiful country, when I was growing up, everything was there, I was employed in America, and I wasn’t employed here. They came over there to do the interviews, they took all our papers and checked what we had, so it is not that maybe ‘Oyibo’ man did something, they went there and did the interview. For me, when I was coming back home, they gave me a business class for me and my wife and my children.

You just spoke about el-Rufai, can you tell us more about the el-Rufai you know?

They all need to change, they are behaving holier than thou. I have a friend called Jimmy Lawal. Now, I just read today that he is trying to get the Ogun State form to fill, he wants to become governor. Is this country only made for them? If they haven’t been able to fix this nation for over 60 years, is it when they are 80 years? It is like you telling me now that I can do better. I haven’t done it since apart from this one you are hearing now and if you look at my wall, it speaks for itself. I was a young pilot that went with MKO Abiola to go and buy form. I was a young person, I was working with NIA, and we established the NDLEA during the administration of IBB but what are these people doing. What would they say they have done? el-Rufai tried to bring sanity into FCT, but since he left, is anyone better than him, nobody, I don’t want them to kidnap me if they kidnap me and put me in a game of golf with this my big stomach, I can’t survive it. For example, look at our brother they detained him, he is going on the third strike now in this same bloody army that people are not even one-tenth as good as him in every ramification for this promotion.

Why? If you speak they will say something else, we know what we are doing, it is because you are Igbo. Why am I supposed to be here? I am not supposed to be here. Look, the history of this country knows who the Nwachukwus are made out of, I am not boasting. General Nwachukwu is my eldest brother, he served this nation victoriously so many times, three times as Foreign Affairs Minister and one time Labour, he started NDE, Director of Labour that Ngige is enjoying now and they’re not trying to improve on it.

Every day is strike, my little nephew, for seven years he is still in the university he’s just going to finish exams now. I don’t know whether he’s going to school or he is following women but one day I will catch him. All these are very frustrating. That is why Rotimi Amaechi, I will canvas for him anyway, he is just like me. If the Fulani or Hausa will not. When I was flying, Atiku was at the seaport, he was in the customs when I was flying, so what else does he want again. What can’t you change now until you become the President?