Fidelis Nwachukwu, a former member of the Abia House of Assembly, former Commissioner for Public Utilities and Water Resources, is presently the Special Adviser to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). With his depth of knowledge in Abia politics, he speaks with SAM OBINNA IBE on Uche Ogah’s scheming, court judgments among other political issues on the front burner. Excerpts:
How would you react to the Abuja Appeal Court that directed the parties in Abia State governorship dispute not to take any step in the case pending its judgements on the appeals filed on the matter?
Laws should be made to have a human face.
The decision of the Court of Appeal on Tuesday July 26,2016 has done a lot to show that the people that took that decision are people of sound mind against the chaos created by Justice Okon Abang judgement in the state. We should not be seen creating problems for ourselves. As at today, Nigeria is fighting militancy in the North East, agitators are busy destroying all oil installations in the Niger Delta, Kidnappers are not left out in the naughty business of kidnapping in the South East, the Fulani herdsmen also descending on innocent Nigerian farmers. These are challenges too many for this country at this time. And these people are not gender discriminatory on whom they descend on.
They go there kill people at will. Why must a profession of learned men want to create another turmoil in a state that is already peaceful and that if anything should happen to our son, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, the governor as an Ngwa man, the magnitude of destruction would be very difficult to manage. Those cowards who are now trying to steal from the back door, the sacred mandate given by generality of Abians to Dr Ikpeazu should have a re think. Since the creation of Nigeria, no Ukwangwa man has ever ruled as a governor even in another state under military dictatorship in Nigeria until 1991 when Abia was created, in Abia charter of equity we agreed that that power should rotate. Abia North has ruled for eight years in the person of Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, Abia Central taken its turn for same 8 years through Chief T A Orji. Even when it came to Abia Central with Ngwa nation having three local governments of the zone, yet we allowed Umuahia man to complete his two terms of eight years.
We are grateful to our Umuahia brothers who saw wisdom that it is the turn of Ukwa Ngwa to produce the next governor. Aba as a commercial nerve centre of Eastern Nigeria has been lying down should be made to stand up firmly, the moment this happens; Abia as a state will get it right. Even one year of Governor Ikpeazu in office, he has done very well,needs applause and not this kind of attack from behind.
I thank our President Muhammed Buhari who said he is for the unity of this country, the only way to ensure this is to have respect for equity. I thank God for the type of good health which he has implanted in our governor which enabled him weather this storm. I want to tell the world that this particular abuse is not targeted only to our son governor but to Ukwa Ngwa nation and must be condemned in its entirety. In summary, no matter the kind of law we made,the law must have human face.
Ngwa nation has been accused of fanning ember of war insisting that Abia will be ungovernable if Okezie Ikpeazu is robbed of his victory. Why are your people creating this tension in God’s own state?
What Ukwa Ngwa nation is doing is not to threaten anybody, rather to react to this dastardly attitude of our brothers we own this state together. We are very accommodating people, what we are saying is let peace reign. Uche Ogah no doubt is a wealthy man if the only way to thank God for his wealth is to destroy Abia, he should know that if Abia is destroyed, he is not immune from destruction. The distabilization of Abia peaceful political climate by Uche Ogah and his cohorts may escalate militancy in the Niger Delta.
Why is it that your Ngwa people see it as their struggle rather than everybody’s struggle?
Thank very much this is the best question you have asked me. Yes, when our brothers from Abia North were in power, we supported and encouraged them, so do our brothers from Ikwuano Umuahia axis of Abia Central. When they were exiting power, their people will celebrate them upon return to home after a meritorious service, it gives us joy ,fulfillment that our son is now in the saddle as governor of the state.It will give us more joy when we perform more than other governors before him. We are happy that other Abians found us worthy to also ascend to this position but we are worried for our son to be given a chance to perform.We know how to advise him on the confidence reposed on him by Abians and resident alike. He is the governor of Abia state and not Ngwa nation. It is our pride that we have Ngwa man as governor and not what we intend to derive from it.
How do you react to the allegation that Ikpeazu’s government is dominated by your Ngwa people as opposed to other sections of the state?
The details are there for anyone to see. If it is true how many Ngwa people are holding juicy appointments in his government compared to when other zones were in power. If you know Ikpeazu PHD very well, very sound man he is not the man to behave that way. There is no local government that is not represented in the state executive council, so the allegation does not hold water; every section of the state is well represented in the state.
The fiery lawyer, Festus Keyamo was credited to have said that he would petition the Federal government to stop allocation accruing to Abia state on the grounds that Ikpeazu is no longer the governor given Justice Okon Abang judgement that sacked him in favour of Uche Ogah.Now Appeal court has directed all parties to remain as they are.What is your take on this?
Those who know Festus Keyamo will tell you that he is a very controversial person who makes careless statements. My advice to him is to first remove the big speck in his own eye before removing another person’s eye. He is not a person to be taken serious, let him go and address the anomalies in his own state.
The Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the state is said to be silent since this governorship dispute began. What do you think could be responsible for this?
The Attorney- General of the state, Barr Chief Umeh Kalu, I cannot speak for him because he is capable of defending himself. He is a friend well known to me. His is a very reliable person and character is very well respected. If he is silent as a very senior lawyer that knows his onion, his silent may be golden. When INEC denied they were not served, he talked and produced evidence of service. He knows when to talk or not.
He is well experienced in what he is doing. Umeh Kalu has very deep knowledge of the legal profession.
What will be your advice to your kinsman governor as he is going through the current challenge? Ikpeazu has been ordained by God to be the governor of the state. My advice is for him to remain focused holding on to God and maintain his diligence to make sure that with his eight years which God has ordained him,he will surely transform Abia state to an economic hub of Nigeria.
AS a Special Adviser to the governor on NDDC,what is the impact of this intervention agency to Abia state as one of the oil producing states of the Niger Delta region?
NDDC as a Commission is an intervention agency set up to address other organs of government, addressing the various emerging challenges in the nine Niger-Delta states. Established by NDDC Act of 1992 with special emphasis on the degradation of oil producing communities. Abia state has benefitted in several ways from activities of NDDC. Areas of infrastructural development such as: roads, water and energy.
Recently, the Commission also embarked on construction of multiple hostels in our universities like:Abia state University,Uturu, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture,Umudike. Even in agricultural development sector. NDDC has intervened by given out tractors to the farmers in the state. In addition, Training on skill acquisition, training of indigenes of Abia state based on quota due to our state and also based our output. NDDC also extended employment opportunities to the state. This has been made easier by NDDC localising state offices to enable us have direct access to the challenges posed by oil exploration in the state.
How many Abia youths are captured in the federal government Amnesty Programme in the Niger Delta region?
Amnesty programme came up as a result of activities of militants who took up the arms against the government because of the serious negative impact of the activities of the oil companies and the government itself within the region has taken for so long without government paying reasonable attention to the yearnings of the people.
You must note that the revenue base of this country is within the Niger Delta region but yet over the years, there is not much to show for the sacrifice made by the people of this region whose source of livelihood has been totally destroyed due to oil spillage,Vandalization of burst pipes.
I will say about 4000 ex-agitators have been sent abroad to acquire several educations skill and more than16,000 are still on the waiting list.This numbers cut across all the nine Niger Delta states. My office is now making effort to see how we can get a break down of Abia extraction.
