Transcript Of Henry Okah's Interview On Al Jazeera | Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog

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Thursday 7 October 2010

Transcript Of Henry Okah's Interview On Al Jazeera

Read the transcript after the cut...

Henry Okah: On Saturday morning, just a day after the attack, a very close associate of President Jonathan called me and explained to me that there had been a bombing in Nigeria and that President Jonathan wanted me to reach out to the group, Mend, and get them to retract the earlier statement they had issued claiming the attacks.

They wanted to blame the attacks on northerners who are trying to fight against him [Jonathan] to come back as president and if this was done, I was not going to have any problems with the South African government. I declined to do this and few hours later I was arrested. It was based on their belief that I was going to do that that President Jonathan issued a statement claiming that MEND didn't carry out the attack because they were expecting a kind of retraction from the group

Aljazeera: So just to be clear, why do you think that political aide was asking you to ask MEND to make that retraction? What was the reason for that?
Henry Okah: They don't want it to seem as if Jonathan does not have the support of his people, you understand? For months now they have been lying to everybody that everybody is so pleased with Jonathan, that he is going to bring peace to the region which is entirely false.

This attack now was actually going to be a great smear on his aspiration. They just needed the group to retract that statement which was why I was contacted. But I declined to make any such move.


Aljazeera: As far as MEND is concerned, what is the situation with MEND, because Goodluck Jonathan is trying to say that this group is not a problem anymore; the previous president had tried amnesty and rehabilitation programmes, can you give us a summary of what the situation is with MEND?
Not just with MEND, with everybody who is fighting and to whichever way they are fighting. You don't just give people an amnesty and ask them to forget about the reason why they are fighting. Every one of us is fighting for something and if what we are fighting for is not addressed, it ushers problem in the area. You understand. It is not about Jonathan being president or about an amnesty being given. I mean, why will you steal my land and you give me an amnesty and then you expect me not to continue fighting you? Why would that happen?


Aljazeera: Are you saying none of these concerns you have are been addressed by the government?
Absolutely none. With Yar'adua it was much better. He had a good understanding of the problem. And regardless of the fact that he was from the north he was making good attempt at addressing these problems. But with Jonathan it is entirely a different story. He doesn't know what the problems are and is also being tele-guided by other people, you know, who are giving him very bad advice.


Aljazeera: So Henry what do you think is going to happen to you now?
I don't care, I really couldn't care. But one thing I tell you for sure, is just like I was able to talk to you, it only shows that South Africa is not like Nigeria. In Nigeria I was held for one year and four months in solitary confinement. I didn't kill anybody, I had no books, no newspapers, no TV, no radio, not even electrified. But the fact that I can speak to you on phone, even though I am being detained, shows that I am in an entirely different country from Nigeria.

And I am arrested here at the instance of Nigeria, which threatened the South African government with diplomatic action if they didn't arrest me. That is the only reason why I am in detention. All those people I learnt have been arrested in Nigeria I have no contact with any of them, I don't even know them.

They are just trying to do this thing, to point the finger at other political opponents in order to scuttle their attempts at being president. But as you see I am not a politician and I have no any business with any of the other aspirants for the posts of president in Nigeria. I have no connection with them. The story that I have been given a lot of money by different politicians to do one thing or the other, but I promise you I don't even have that kind of money myself. I don't have money.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

i hope this gets published. its so disguting here Henry Okah says it was better during Yaradua .
Question why was he causing trouble then.
This sounds like a script to descredit Jonathan.

If the president is bad who is better .
IBB or Atiku or Buhari common.

Henry should come and contest since he has all the answers.
Afterall Ribadu is contesting

IDIOT.............

like i always say "EVERY MAN HAS A PRICE"
This man has been bought.

Anonymous said...

u r right o jare everybody haz a price ......... he is the greatest fool alive........... his soul has been sold to the devil........ i just cant wait to see him go down. a man that cannot manage his region, na nigeria e wan mange? he shd come out and contest...... like asari said on NN24 he is out to bring down goodluck by all means.his fight and struggle is baseless. kidnapping, rape,
imagin the big fool asking for oil block???? haba HENRY GET A LIFE...... I HATE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU U WILL DIE ROT IN HELL, ALL THE CURSE ON NIGERIA BE UPON U AND UR SUPPORTERS.

Anonymous said...

Linda, I can't wait to see the day when we as Nigerians will sing this song: "Eti muwa gbagbe o baba, ibanuje igba kan/2ce. Ase were nise oluwa, oba ti a pe tonje/2ce".

JUST BEING ME said...

Ha! episode 1 of the most suspenseful soap-opera in 2010!...getting more interesting... oh! my pop-corn is low....wait let me get more with a can of soda...

Unknown said...

Henry Okah is simply a bastard...what a show of shame.How much was he paid? Na for South here we go kill am before him go cause more problems.

skankmypeaceofmind said...

nice script..........i'm still not falling for it. they are all connected and want to fool us all.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why you all find it hard to believe Okah is telling the truth. I mean MEND gave a warning before the bomb blast and even issued an apology after. Why did uncle Jona say otherwise nationally if not because of some sinister plan of his? Just asking?

Anonymous said...

hey guyz why are u abusing okah while na tru he de talk. Na jona want make the thing 2 became politics bcs he want say na Ibb nd Gusau don do that in order to stop them from contesting.

John said...

Its a pity that our sentiments have beclouded our judgement but the truth is the president's actions and utterences after the blast confirmed what Okah is saying here.We may not want to hear it but its the bitter truth.Its stupid to be coming up with conspiracy theories and turning the other way and blaming perceived enemies when we all know who the culprits are.They are the only group who has done it before and will do it again.Yet the president want us to believe otherwise, little wonder Anenih is his henchman?

John said...

Its a pity that our sentiments have beclouded our judgement but the truth is the president's actions and utterences after the blast confirmed what Okah is saying here.We may not want to hear it but its the bitter truth.Its stupid to be coming up with conspiracy theories and turning the other way and blaming perceived enemies when we all know who the culprits are.They are the only group who has done it before and will do it again.Yet the president want us to believe otherwise, little wonder Anenih is his henchman?

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