Ifeanyi Uba is the CEO of Capital Oil and the brain behind the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, the Goodluck Jonathan-allied group which went to great lengths to publicise the efforts and achievements of the current administration in the build up to the general elections.

Unfortunately for Uba, the president lost.

He granted an interview with The Sun newspaper, sharing his thoughts on a host of issues.

Below are 10 excerpts from the interview.

1. On why the Igbos went for Jonathan:

The Igbo voting for Jonathan was not unexpected. The Igbo had quite a number of opportunities in his administration. Even though Jonathan did some things for the Igbo, but most of the things he did as a president went to the North. He did more in the North, like the Kashbila Dam that remains the biggest project handled by Jonathan’s administration, even all the railways, Abuja, Kaduna and the rest of them. You know, the dams and hydro-power projects he built in the North are multi-billion dollar projects. Irrespective of that, the Igbo are still appreciative of the much he did for us.

Therefore, my position is that General Buhari should think of the Igbo, and please make them his friends, and if possible, do more than Jonathan did for us. That is my position on the voting proper. But strictly regarding voting, the Igbo was perfectly right in voting Jonathan. Why would anybody blame the Igbo just because Jonathan lost. When he won in 2011 with the Igbo voting for him the same way, did these same people cheer or clap or clap for the Igbo for voting right?

2. Uba was very pleased with the fact that Igbos won assembly seats in races in Lagos:

Some Igbo politicians won elective offices in Lagos, the first time after Zik in the 1950s. That is an achievement.

The Igbos have been in Lagos since the creation of Nigeria. Zik is the only Igbo man that has represented Lagos in the legislature. Since then, no other Igbo man has been voted into the Lagos State House of Assembly. For 16 years that AD/ACN/APC have been in power, they never cared about giving an Igbo man a slot to vie for an elective position in the Lagos State House of Assembly, or to represent it in the House of Representatives, while we have Igbo everywhere in Lagos.

So, if truly you claim that you are a democrat, you need to practice it. And if the APC has not given the Igbo that opportunity in Lagos, then we think there is still animosity against the Igbo. There are large populations of Igbo in many parts of Lagos like Surulere, Ikotun, Ojo etc, so it is expected that the political parties should factor them into their choice of candidates for elective offices. What we have therefore done is not something that we want the Lagos State government, or any person whatsoever, to be angry with. It is democracy in action.

They should take this as an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and see how we can be accommodated. That is all that we ask for: to be involved in the scheme of things. I want the parties to recognize Nd’Igbo as part of the government. Nigerians are members of parliament in the UK, why can’t people be elected in places in Nigeria where they have spent all their lives? We are not only talking about the Igbo, we want this for all Nigerians, no matter where they come from.

3. Here is what Uba feels about how the Igbos can be made to feel a sense of belonging in Nigeria:

The APC should first create the condition to give Nd’Igbo a sense of belonging by giving us additional states, making us to be like others, and stop marginalizing us. That is one thing that is very important. If they do this to Nd’Igbo, there is no way they will not be appreciated. Nd’Igbo are not asking for so much from government. We only ask for good governance, infrastructure development of Igbo land, a merit-based society, conducive business atmosphere, level playing field, and security of lives and property.

You know, they voted Jonathan because his government guaranteed them these…

The second way to assure Nd’Igbo and cultivate their trust, is to make them an integral part of the in-coming government. This is of utmost importance. In any case, I wonder how any government which excludes Nd’Igbo or ‘punishes’ them because they did not vote for the president will function? Such a government will unfortunately portray itself as petty and vindictive.

I however do not think General Buhari will be persuaded to exclude or ‘punish’ Nd’Igbo. He does not strike me as such a person. He is a great Nigerian with exceptional leadership qualities. Nd’Igbo have a special gift, which any government will be glad to tap into. You cannot do without the Igbo or indeed any ethnic nationality in the scheme of affairs of Nigeria. So, it is my opinion that General Buhari and APC need to show love to Nd’Igbo. And once you show any Igbo man that you accommodate him, you can’t imagine what he will do in return. Four years is a long time to reach out and make new friends.

4. On how TAN was funded

First and foremost, Ifeanyi Uba is the CEO of Capital Oil and the brain behind the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, the Goodluck Jonathan-allied group which went to great lengths to publicise the efforts and administration of the current administration in the build up to the general elections. was not funded with government money. TAN is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and we have a lot of friends that have been supporting us. Another important point to note is that TAN was not formed for Jonathan’s campaign. It just found a duty in the project because that blends its ideals and objectives. TAN is essentially an awareness group to champion Igbo emancipation in politics, economy, culture and other areas. Yes, political campaigns cost money, so it is natural to expect that we spent good money on our media and grassroots campaign. We are glad that our members and supporters were very supportive in contributing towards these campaigns. But all boldness, I say it again that TAN was funded by me with little financial contributions from few friends and huge supports in good will and manpower from other people too.

5. On what TAN will do now that GEJ has lost.

Our primary objective is to advocate good governance and the transformation of Nigeria. We will continue to stand on the legacies of President Jonathan and watch from the stand to see what the president-elect will offer Nigerians. I want to however, note that we will support him in every form that his government delivers on his campaign promises so that our people continue to enjoy the dividends of democracy.

Apart from this, TAN will embark on its other objectives which are establishment of industrial parks in six geopolitical zones of the country before doing the same in every state of the federation. As we speak now our foreign partners have shipped equipment for the first phase of the park which will be installed at the regions that are ready. The industrial park will also serve as vocational training centre for the youths on different things among which is waste to wealth mechanism, business management and entrepreneurship.

TAN will also engage in humanitarian activities – reaching out to the less privileged in the society to see areas we can help. Also TAN will be involved in sports development because youths are very much active in this area.

6. So what is the update on Uba’s indictment by a committee over the fuel subsidy scam?

The Aig Imoukhuede committee, without giving me the right of fair hearing, declared that it had indicted me for fuel subsidy scam. The committee claimed to have indicted me even when their findings show that we didn’t import the products in issue. It was a farce. The committee clearly had a mindset of what it wanted to achieve.

I believe, there was a bit of conspiracy, against me. It was all geared towards taking over my company. I stood firm in resisting the injustice. I took the federal government to the House of Representatives and insisted on a public hearing so that they can prove their case to the whole world. The Committee was shamed during the public hearing. They made mistakes, you know, looking at my lifestyle or the things that I have achieved within a very short period of time, they thought, I had my hands deep into the scam. I have always insisted that anyone who has anything against me should show it to Nigerians.

Up till now I am talking to you, I have never been charged to any law court for the so-called subsidy scam. I have in fact been cleared by the relevant security agencies, after very intensive and rigorous investigations.

7. On whether he can ever accept Buhari as the president of Nigeria?

Why not? He is a man I respect a lot. The fact that I supported his opponent does not take anything away from the tremendous respect I have for him. He will be our next president. We have no choice in the matter. We owe him the duty of respect and obedience. We will pray for him. His success will bring about further growth and transformation to our nation.

8. Hear Uba brag a bit about being the cleanest Nigerian businessman.

Honestly speaking, I am a fanatical member of the Jonathan’s political family till tomorrow. I want to make this known, I have a business that Nigeria needs, I don’t go for contracts, I have never done government contracts in my life, I have never touched any federal government contracts. I have never enjoyed any government waiver, I am one of the cleanest Nigerian businessmen, and I can prove it. If you are a big man in this country, and say I am better than Ifeanyi, I want you to say that in public and I challenge you. I am a very contented person. And I am not saying this for what I will gain, the friendship I will make tomorrow. I am always here. If I get to understand General Buhari better than I understand him now, I will be closer to him. If he needs me, I will be there for him. He will be our president. I have always had my respect for him. Let me be, and let him be. And I wish him well. I have an open mind, my doors are always open.

9. On his first advice to Buhari and what he will say to Jonathan:

My advise to Buhari is to totally deregulate the petroleum downstream sector, and take the state governors (APC and opposition) to a retreat, chart a course for Nigeria’s economic growth and management, waste management and competition in governance.
May God bless and care for Jonathan.

10. On what he likes the most about Buhari?

I love his respect for his wife, children and the grassroots people. I also admire his doggedness and perseverance. His refusal to give up after failing for some time is great lesson in not letting failure distract you from your objective.