Delta Central needs a senator who’ll surpass Ewherido’s achievements — Aguariavwodo Former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and member of the Federal House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003, Chief Emmanuel Aguariavwodo has opened up on why he wants to represent the Urhobo ethnic nationality in Senate among other issues. Excerpts; BY FESTUS AHON On the PDP crisis I am sure the problem would be solved, it is a family matter. I am sure that at the end of the day everything would be resolved amicably. Don’t you think is going to affect the fortune of the PDP in the 2015 general elections? No, I don’t think so. I believe PDP will emerge from the whole situation stronger. What informed your decision to run in the forthcoming Senatorial by-election in Delta Central? I have always fought for the interest of my Urhobo people and the interest of the state. Even before politics started as we know it today, there were serious issues of marginalization against our state. When Delta State was created and during the Chief Ernest Shonekan era as Head of the then Interim National Government, there was no Deltan at all in the Federal Executive Council. We as young people took it upon ourselves to make publications in The Guardian of October 22 and November 16, 1993 enumerating the various ways our state was being marginalized. That was even before the political era; so we have been fighting for the rights of our people in any area we are marginalized. And we went to the House of Representatives in 1999 and we became the Managing Director of the NDDC towards the end of October, 2003, where we became very involved in the different ways of making the lives of our people better; bringing development to them. Since then, I have been chairman of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority and then recently, Mr. President appointed me as Chairman of the board of Nigeria Council for Management Development. So, I believe we have the cognate experience to represent our people in the Senate today to their benefit and to bring in new ideas to the Senate. To make our contributions to the Senate for the betterment of Nigeria and of course help support policies which will be implemented by Mr. President to the benefit of Nigerians. How he would use the legislature as a platform to cater for the needs of his constituents Being a representative of your people involves many things and it gives you some tools to use. Of course, you can leverage and lobby the Senate President and your colleagues in the Senate, bringing issues affecting your people to their notice and fully being a member of the PDP will help. Also my experience in the Executive arm of government having served as managing director of NDDC, chairman of the Niger Delta Basin Authority, currently chairman of the board of Nigeria Council for Management Development gives me added advantage on how things work on the executive side. So I will be able to find my way better than anybody in reaching out and in the right places what our people need and then of course bringing things home successfully at the end of the day. The major cry of the Urhobos today is the absence of an Urhobo man in the Federal Executive Council. If elected, how do you intend to tackle this problem? Everything works within the ambit of the party. Most of the decisions are taken by the party and of course communicated to Mr. President as it were. So if it is the turn of the Urhobos to provide the Minister for Delta State, we will get it because I will personally fight for it. If you recall, the Urhobos have produced ministers before twice under the government of late Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. We also had a minister under President Goodluck Jonathan. Now it has gone to Delta South. That is not to say we don’t feel the pinch that we need a minister as an ethnic nationality. But I have always advised that the minister thing in Delta South is not only for the South, but for the entire Delta State. So also, if an Urhobo man is a minister, it is for the whole state. So we can go to that minister for work; for patronage. But again, the minister is also representing the whole of Nigeria. But don’t you think the absence of Urhobo man in the Federal Executive Council is as a result of the opposition they played in the 2011 general elections? Well that may be and may also not be a factor. Don’t forget that under Yar’Adua the urhobo were ministers; we had two Urhobos who were ministers for four year. So I don’t believe that we Urhobos should be ministers all the time in the sense that there are other Deltans who are also equally qualified to be ministers. What then becomes important is that there are also other areas through which the Urhobo nation can be empowered. So that is where the work of the Senator becomes important because the Senator is able to leverage on that by saying look we don’t have a minister, so give us this, give us that. The late Senator Pius Ewherido brought dynamism into the Senate through his empowerment and scholarship programmes. How do you intend to build on his achievements? We have always commended the efforts of late Senator Pius Ewherido with what he accomplished in the two years he stayed in the Senate and we hope to surpass what he has started because that is the lot of a public servant. You know, whatever you have you must give to the public as it were. So we intend to surpass what he has done God helping us. What will be your main focus when you get to the senate? My main focus will be first and foremost to make laws that will be implemented by the President Jonathan’s administration; to be part of that process to help make good laws and to make sure also that there is harmony between the executive and the legislative arm of government, because it is when there is peace that you can have development. Then of course, the other one is to bring development back home, as many projects as I can attract to my people, I will fight for them. - See more at: vanguardngr/2013/09/delta-central-needs-a-senator-wholl-surpass-ewheridos-achievements-aguariavwodo/#sthash.xWJCnSNk.wWMFmCLQ.dpuf
Posted on: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 10:46:55 +0000
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