Prince Ayo Manuel Ajisebutu, a US-based peace activist is the Founder and President of MansMark Records, an entertainment outfit and A.Y.ZERO clothing brand in Los Angeles, California.
In 1995 he organised several rallies to save the Nigerian human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni 9 from being killed by General Abacha. He later joined forces with Nigerians in Oakland and San Francisco area to form Free Nigeria Movement.
Their activities received the support of organisations such as Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and Rainforest Action Network. He was also the producer and presenter of Voice of Free Nigeria, a weekly radio show that urged Nigerians to take charge of their destiny.
The radio was used to protest the annulment of the election of June 12, unjust imprisonment of oppositions and other atrocities committed by the junta regime of General Abacha. His history of activism and constant call for love, peace and unity date back to the 80s, and are reflected in his songs, like “Save Nigeria” (1991), “Africans Unite” (1991), and the current single “Make a Change.”
What is your reaction to herdsmen/farmers clashes which have created tension across the country?
Let’s first look at word which is… herdsmen terrorising farmers. The farmers are stationary and the herdsmen go to people’s farms to feed their animals at the expense of the farmers and if the farmers refuse to cooperate, they get killed. You can’t say it is armed robbers and home owners’ clashes when home owners fight back at an intruder. The situation is very disturbing and dangerous to the unity of Nigeria.
Abolition of open grazing has been offered as solution to the crisis. Do you agree?
I agree wholeheartedly. Any primitive form of commerce that does not conform to modern economic systems should be reformed. Nigeria has more than enough capable people to turn her into something like Dubai but the process of electing managers (leaders) in the country are faulty. Good managers find solutions and create systems that enable continuous growth.
Agitation for self-determination, especially by the Igbo and Yoruba continues to gain momentum. Do you support breakaway as the way forward?
I do not support breaking of Nigeria into pieces but I support the reasoning behind the agitation for self determination. Let’s use three business partners as an example. Each partner used to operate their own individual successful business at a point of time and one day a business magnate discovered them and packaged them as conglomerate in order to generate more profit for all. As time went by, two of the partners felt they were not getting equal share from the profits generated and decided to go back and run their small shops individually. You can’t blame them.
How would you react to the way President Buhari has handled this crisis?
The nation is in crisis because there’s a leadership vacuum. It’s either the load of running Nigeria is too heavy for President Buhari or he is not that concerned. Because if the President is concerned about the citizens’ well-being, he would have been more vocal and engaging with the people. Nigeria needs an active leader with compassionate heart that can inspire unity with his own deeds and actions.
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