He is one of the politicians of the Second Republic during the NPN-led government. In this interview with JOY EMMANUEL, this elder statesman says all is not well with Nigeria.
As an experienced politician what are the likely things Nigerians are supposed to do that they have left undone?
Politically, there are certain things that have not been done. When you look at development, one is close to shedding tears because politics is no longer the way it was being played. There’s too much disharmony and vendetta now; very many awkward things are happening in Nigeria. Killings have become a weapon of politics. That alone is most disturbing. These were things that were not seen under Alhaji Shehu Shagari who just died. He was a peaceful man. There was a proper direction in the Second Republic. We allowed the ballot box to change leaders. A lot of things we were doing peacefully in the Second Republic are no longer taking place and it is a big pity.
At what point do you think this country lost direction?
When the military intervened, that became a big problem. For example, if you look at the Buhari /Idiagbon period, civil servants were massively removed from office. The process of discipline under the so-called War against Indiscipline (WAI) was one that had a good part but it bastardised the whole service. Many people were chased out of office without due process in the name of discipline. In the civil service or organised labour, you query someone maybe two to three times before you can take a final disciplinary action. Also, the way the military administered the country was quite different from what the civilians did. It was so autocratic until PDP came on board in1999. If a group of people get into office and they do not know how to spread development, that’s a problem. There was total lopsided approach to development and it is happening again.
Four weeks from now, there will be another election. Do you think INEC will conduct credible elections?
Well, I’m an optimist and I will like to give INEC the benefit of doubt. They seem to be showing that they are ready but they are also showing to us that they are not ready in a particular way. There are many signs of people who are ready to rig and they are already showing us the rigging instrument. A whole CJN is being tried without due process. The courts of the land have stopped the federal government from trailing the man twice but they ignored it, is that a democracy? So, except someone is a northerner he can’t be CJN? Let there be a level playing ground. Whoever wins election should go on. Those who feel they must win elections must remember that it is God that elects; it is God that appoints and I know that God is everywhere.
So you don’t see any free, fair and credible elections?
There are certain signs that do not make me feel comfortable.
Do you think that PDP will win the next presidential election?
Well, I am very optimistic about that especially now that the ruling party has not kept most of it promises. They promised to stop Boko Haram within six weeks of assuming office and it is over three years now. After two years, they claimed Boko Haram has been decimated but the sect is even stronger now than before. That is a failed promise. Talk about employment; let them show us the figures and statistics of employment and unemployment since they assumed office. The debt burden on Nigeria is so colossal. A lot of things have happened; the country has never been so disunited before. The amount of killings in the country has become a slaughter slab. This is not what we want in Nigeria. We want an administration that is civil, that respects the sanctity of human beings and rules in fear of the Lord. The aspiration of Nigerians is to live in a country that you do not fear what will happen to you in the next moment. People will be travelling along the road and for no just cause, they are attacked and killed. This is what is wrong with us now and we believe that if Nigerians know what better life is, they will vote for PDP.
You have been relevant politically since 1979 to date. What is the secret?
First of all, it is God. Secondly, I am not a man with inordinate ambition; ambition is good but when it becomes inordinate, you hurt yourself. There are people who are looking for offices for which they know they don’t have the capacity, but they are still aspiring. Like the office of the governor, you know that you cannot do that work, yet you want to be and when you get there, you can’t perform. Also, the idea of getting rich quick is not something that is part of my life. I believe that I have a God-given destiny and it is what God makes of you that will take place. So, I try to make sure I have peace of mind and get contented. Besides, I live a prayerful life by taking things in their own strides and so many governments identify with me and ask me to give support; that’s what I do sincerely. I am not a very wealthy person but I am very contended because with many children God gave to me, l am able to educate them. My emphasis is to educate my children because education is the key and as long as I am doing that successfully and clothing them and myself, eat well, that is okay.
Sometimes last month, the Bayelsa APC accused PDP of inciting the people against the police, in respect of Operation Doo-Akpo. What is your take?
That is a strong accusation. I think it is the other way around. It is the previous administration that had a slogan: ‘Kill and Throw Away’. That was their slogan. When Gov Dickson came, he preferred peace and called it ‘Doo-Akpor’, meaning ‘Peaceful Life’ and therefore he decided to give so many vehicles to the police. How do we incite them? Is it by making sure the police are fully equipped not only on land but even in riverine areas? There is one experience I will never forget. I was part of the Chieftaincy Review Committee. We went to a faraway place in Agoro area deep into the riverine area almost to the ocean. That’s Constituency 3 of Ekeremor local government area and we had problem. Two warring factions were now beckoning us. Suddenly, a boat we later found was filled with arms and was approaching our boat. I was bold at that point to say, “This is a government delegation; what are you trying to do to us?” At that point, I quickly called the Doo-Akpo control room. At a point, when the trouble became much, we decided to turn back but one of the engines gave way and we lost hope. Some of my members were already crying whether the end had come but before 15 minutes, a gun boat arrived and we were rescued within 15 minutes. You need to see the confidence we had; we could have been kidnapped or killed. So, that is what this government is doing with Doo-Akpo. They have a central system that shows where there is problem. Once the alarm takes off, they will move because they are strategically located. That’s the secret for peace in this place compared to many other states.
The opposition party accused the governor of siphoning over N80 billion in the airport project. What’s happening?
Is it that the airport is not being built or how? That’s how they said a road to Ekeremor will never be but today, we have arrived there. Soon, we will fly in and out of the airport. They can’t say that money was siphoned. You know why? The federal government promised to build the tower while the state government will construct the run way. We did our part but when it was time for the federal government to come, Ameachi and his master said they were not coming again. So, we went to borrow money. Whose money we siphon? Did they award any contract? What you see in the airport is all our efforts.
If you are to advise the president, what would be your advice?
First of all, he should be God-fearing. Secondly, he should respect life in the sense that no single Nigerian should be killed without any reason. I think that we should be just so that everyone will have a sense of belonging. It is written in the constitution that in the distribution of wealth, all parts of the country should be given a sense of belonging. Chief EK Clark has been crying over this. You constituted a board using oil money, yet, there is no Ijaw man as a member of the board. The president is the minister of Petroleum, there must be justice and equity. If things are not done properly, it causes problems in the country. PANDEF presented a 16-point agenda since two years ago. Out of the issues we raised, only one is partially considered and that is the maritime university Okerenkoko. Every other thing is ‘no’. Oil companies are supposed to be situated at the place the oil is being produced and that’s how it is in other countries but in Nigeria it is different. Once there is justice, then the people can have confidence in their government and a lot can be done and the government will enjoy peace. Let us run a democratic society, not autocratic one. We should not go back to military regime.
