Anenih’s call for automatic ticket for President, Govs is satanic – Ihonvbere Professor Julius Ihonvbere is a renowned political activist, as a matter of fact one of those who fought doggedly in wrestling power from the military. He was the former Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo on Programmes Monitoring and Project Implementation. The Political Scientist was one of those who negotiated amnesty for Niger Delta militants and participated actively in ensuring the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan as President while he was in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Currently, the Iyase (Prime Minister)of IIuleha is the Secretary to the Edo State Government, following his decision to pitch tenth with the Governor Adams Oshiomhole led Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Edo state prior to the July 14, 2012 governorship election in Edo state and just last Monday, he decided to broke his silence to Saturday Vanguard as he reviewed the political situation in the nation which he described as shameful. Excerpts: Twice you ran for the governorship of Edo state under the PDP and lost the ticket, today you are SSG, a lot of Nigerians believe that the position does not befit you? Yes I wanted to be governor; it did not come to pass, not because I did not work hard enough, not because the people did not like me. But just because the party I belong to did not believe in merit, in hard work, integrity and track record. I wanted to be governor to serve the people of Edo state, that enough means that if I don’t become governor and if service was legitimately and genuinely my reason, I should be able to serve at any level, even as Local Government chairman, if that is where the people want me to be. So I have absolutely no form of regret at all. Being SSG actually enables me to serve the people the more because a lot of issues I deal with the governor does not even see them. I am like a stop gap for the governor, I have to deal with all the Ministries, departments and agencies. I take a lot of the courtesy calls on behalf of the governor who is busy with state and national issues. So for me, it enables me to really deliver for the people because you meet people of different opinions, agendas, class and even integrity. This position is a testing ground for how you are able to meander through the various interest and emotions in order to produce a clear sustainable, holistic and acceptable decision making process. So it has been quite exciting so far and I am enjoying it. I will say I have no regret whatsoever. I think leaving Edo PDP for the ACN is one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. And I believe I made it at the right time. It was obvious to me that a handful of the people in the Edo PDP led by their national leader, where bent on ensuring that I will continue to labour in vain for the party in the state. And I think I was smart enough, along with my supporters to recognize that we cannot continue in such a party. And moving from there, I have moved into a party that I have friends, Comrades, no god father controlling my movement, you don’t move in fear with anybody. So for me moving from the PDP to the ACN was a very good worthwhile decision, I have no regrets at all. You have persistently expressed your admiration for the Oshiomhole led government in the state but your former party the PDP don’t see it that way, they even refer Oshiomhole as a dictator what is your view about that? I think they should go and read the meaning of dictator and dictatorship, when they do some little reading they will be better enlightened. The truth of the matter is that they are not in government. Are they in our Exco meeting, or the Security Council meeting, are they in our decision making body, so they cannot know what is going on in there. But I can tell you without playing to the gallery that Oshiomhole is not a dictator. If he were a dictator I will not be there because having gone through what I went through in my life, there is no way I can sit down and tolerate a dictator. The PDP we are already use to them, they are always tooth aching and belly aching, finding faults and excuses. They never see anything good in the system. What hurts the PDP is that we are fixing the Edo state they ran aground. That is their problem. We are setting a standard that they can never keep. We are laying foundation that if they try to touch it they will face the wrath of the PDP. Let them go and solve the problem of their factions, let them go and solve the problem of leadership. They have not won any election in a very long time, that should concern them, they should re-strategize. Let them stop sitting down waiting for the day Oshiomhole will cough, so they can say whether it is a dry cough or a wet cough and what medicine they will use. Look at the amount of time they wasted debating whether he is 60 or 61, to whose benefit, we were just laughing at them. In ACN and the government there is debate, there is consultation, ideas are welcomed from people who are not even in government because I receive a lot of proposals and we invite such persons to speak on those proposals. Nobody has monopoly of knowledge no matter your level of education, we learn every day. So we are not disturbed by allegations from an already crushed and ruined party like the PDP which is in tatters. Let them face their own problem. What’s your take on Brazilian investors What is happening here is that Edo is becoming a virgin investor destination and for no other reason, because of the quality of governance, the quality of leadership, the total rehabilitation of the infrastructure, the refocusing and repositioning of the state and the new confidence that was given to our people. Dangote is coming here to put a multi billion naira fertilizer plant. We have Roxin Engineering coming to put in one, we have Oshomo Investment also coming to erect a Petro-chemical Plant in Ologbo. We have Ekae Industries we are getting about hundred thousand eckers of land to grow cassava to produce ethanol. We have Okomu expanding, we are getting a lot of proposals. The 30 person delegation from the Rio Del Sol, the 4th richest province in Brazil, is like the food basket of Brazil. So they want to invest in agriculture, housing and health. Some tentative agreements were reached and they have invited us to come to Brazil so that we can sign the necessary MOUs so that their investors will come in here and bring in cash and their skills. We are also expecting a visit from another delegation from China and another one from India. So Edo is open for business , they are coming in here to meet with us. Most of them are bringing in the finances, so we are not taking any loans in order to work with them. They will create jobs, this will also impact on issues of security and also promote infrastructural development in Edo state. Do you think celebrating Democracy Day is worth it? The credibility I have with which I make my comment, is that I was in the frontline of those who fought for this democracy. Whether at the level of the UDFF or the level of JACONS, with people like Enahoro, Akinade, Bolaji Akinyemi, Fayemi, Bola Tinubu, Bola Igie and others, this is not the democracy we all fought for. What is going on in Nigeria today is not democracy. Democracy is about people, it is about structures, institutions, and the ability of the people to hold those who represent them accountable on a consistent basis. Democracy is a system that allows for the process of democratization, to accompany the emergence of discourse and disagreement and institution building. A situation in which the will of law and the democratic principles enshrined in the constitution guide the conduct of people within and between political plat form. That is not happening in Nigeria, we are detracting from democracy. But in reality there is a lot of authoritarianism, a lot of distractions, a lot of manipulations, a lot of repression, a lot of political gangsterism and rascalism. We thank God the military is not back, yes we fought for that, but as a political scientist, I will tell you that no developing country in the world is coup free. But we thank God in Nigeria that our military is being civilianized and made to understand the tenets of democratic rule. Ihonvbere.. I don’t like to compare government because every government has its own style Today as we speak, the Central Bank and the Federal Ministry of Finance they continue to give us figures of growth, where is this growth. In my own family alone I can names of at least ten graduates who are unemployed, where is the growth. The private sector is not expanding, only banks are building new places and they are announcing huge stupendous profits which could not have been made from legitimate banking. Most people can’t go by roads because they are afraid of armed robbers or pot holes, yet you hear billions and billions being spent on roads. Go to our schools, hostels are still packed like prisons, the laboratories are dead. Then go to the prisons its self no water, no light no food. The Federal Government will set up an Army, Police, Civil Defense but they can’t even fund them, they can’t even buy vehicles for them to operate. Like in Edo state we have to buy vehicles for the Army and the police to operate. Then you take the question of manufacturing, the Manufacturing Association has made it clear that capacity utilization is still under 40 per cent. So where is the growth, where is the economic extension except in the oil sector where we don’t know who is stealing and who is not stealing. Even after 50 years, we still do not have full control of the statistics and data of how much oil we export. We have a DPR that is located in Lagos, relying on statistics supply from those who are stealing the oil. Every day you pick up Nigeria Newspapers billions and billions are being stolen and nobody is in jail. The truth of the matter is that we do have a government but I do not see any administration. Administration means the ability to carefully and selectively allocate opportunities, resources and politics in ways that will increase the productive capacity of a people, and move a nation forward. It is not happening here. They said they want to set up a new national carrier, is that the problem of aviation in Nigeria. Most of the airports have no perimeter fencing, goats, animals and beggars are entering the runway regularly. Some of them has no light like in Benin here 6pm you cannot land or take off. The basic issues are not being dealt with and I know we can do it in this country, we have some of the bets brains in the world. But when we politicize everything and corrupt and contaminate everything, then the possibility for growth, progress is compromised. NGF crisis is still hitting the polity, is it necessary? It is a question of oppression and abuse of the privilege of power and location of the Federal level. When this incident happened I did not make any comment, I wanted to be sure of what exactly took place. But when I saw the video, that one election took place, secondly that it was supervised by Governor Uduaghan and Okauro the DG of the forum and that the votes were counted and Jang scored 16 and Amaechi 19. I could not understand how a President who is in control of the politics of a nation will take the position that the President is taking at the moment. I would have expected him to even send Jang back and say you guys go and clear up your house and all of you come and see me instead of taking sides. But this whole charade started a long time ago when they formed the PDP Governors Forum with Akpabio as leader. Right now they cannot account as to why all the PDP governors are not in one place, how many went for the commissioning of the new secretariat, 16 the same number that voted for Jang. How many went to see the President 15 so where are the others they claimed that voted for them that they won. I am shocked at the infantile and the pedestrian nature of the interpretation of some of the governors. That because they signed a paper before the election there is no way they could have lost the election. Childish even the market women in Oba market will do better than this. So it is shocking and embarrassing and if this is a pointer as to what will happen in the future, I think it is a good thing for the opposition and it is a message to those in power that they have not done well. So no matter how many times you tell us you have done well, if we believe you have not done well what matters is our believe is not yours. So for me I think what is going on is troubling because the Presidency has a hand in it, they have not handled it very well, they are disgracing the country and disgracing themselves and disgracing the governors and I think the earlier President Jonathan takes charge and call the governors to sort this matter out in favour of Amaechi who won this election free and fair, then the nation will wait for the worst. One thing we must not ignore is that it shows very clearly how much more work we need to do on our process for democratic consolidation because the governors are the sub-managers of this democratic process and if this is what they are giving to us, they must learn that once you have submitted yourself for an election and there was no violence, you must accept the result. Now what has become obvious of course is that they met somewhere and 19 governors endorsed Jang and they expected the result of the election will match what they endorsed in-house and when that did not happen they began to protest and I think that is very immature. The other point is that Jang as a former military officer, should not allow himself to be used, he should have other priorities, I believe Jos needs stability, they need growth and development. Not running from a new secretariat to another, or one visit to the President or a thanks giving. He should go to his state and promote development because what he is doing now is very embarrassing to the nation. Finally, I believe that what Jang is leading now is a mini PDP Governor’s Forum because it is the same people that are being led by Akpabio in the PDP Governor’s Forum that are in Jang’s Nigeria Governor’s Forum. Hw many PDP Governor’s Forum are we going to have in Nigeria. I think it is time for Mr President who is the leader of the PDP should save us from all of these shenanigan and let us resort to the challenges of job creation, environmental protection and promoting the general welfare of the Nigeria people. What’s your position on Anenih’s call for automatic tickets for governors and Presidents? That is his style as usual corruption and contaminating the political process. When they are afraid of competition they look for short cut. It is one way of telling people don’t even bother. But that is not in the PDP constitution or in the constitution of Nigeria. And it does not help democratic development, it does not help democratic contestation, it does not help the strengthening of political institutions. If they have performed, their records will stand for them and they will win. In Edo state Oshiomhole performed to the point that across the three senatorial zones, across religious divide, across ethnic divide the support was over whelming. For the first time he did what no go governor has probably done in Nigeria winning in all the local governments in the entire state. So Anenih does not have the locus standi, he does not have the constitutional authority or the moral authority to compromise, to negate, to subvert that option for Nigeria people. And I think the PDP will be doing themselves a disservice if they listen to that kind of very dangerous undemocratic approach. That immediately tells you that the people he is campaigning for are afraid of competition. They are afraid to test their popularity which is what democracy and the Nigeria constitution calls for. But I am sure many in the PDP will not accept such satanic call. There is this fear that the politics of 2015 may disintegrate the nation? Nigerian will not break up, let them register the APC so that Nigerians can relax and make a choice between the APC and the PDP. APC is not afraid of free and fair election. We are the champions of one man one vote. Let all of us go out and play the politics freely and fairly, if they wins we will give it to them, if we win they give it to us and we will teach them what is true meaning of democracy, governance, transparency, accountability, social justice and responsible leadership is like. We will not break up. what we are witnessing are temporary intimidation like when two boxers are getting ready for the big fight. I don’t think Nigeria will break up, we have gone beyond that level. Let people who say they are politicians go and mobilize, let them respect the constitution, let them respect the constitution of their parties, let there be free and fair elections, period. You served under President Olusegun Obasanjo, how would you compare his regime with that of President Jonathan? I don’t like to compare government because every government has its own style. When Jonathan came in I worked for him, I counted his votes in the night of that primaries. I was in the Presidential campaign council and other organizations that worked for his election. And that was because I believed that as an enlightened person and a young person, he will approach the office with the zeal and energy and confidence and vision expected of some body of his generation. But so far I have not seen that. Not because he does not have the capability to do it but maybe he does not have the structure in which to actualize his potentials as a leader and I hope that those around him will spend more time planning for the progress of Nigeria than abusing and distorting statements. But Obasanjo was pertinently and pathologically focused on moving Nigeria forward. We had a clear economic agenda, we were taking off from a totally decayed situation. And I think at all levels we had achieved substantial progress. In a agriculture, our food reserve had more in stock than ever in the history of Nigeria the point that we won a price from the Food and Agricultural Organization. Nigeria was self sufficient in poultry and poultry products. We had also started to reserve cocoa farming. In every sector we achieved success. In the area of corruption Obasanjo brought in the ICPC and the EFCC and they did more work as at that time than they are doing today and that is because of the support they got from the leadership. Those agencies can only work when the environment is suitable and they have the support and encouragement of the leadership. So the point is that we had two different types of government, two leaders with different temperament, different exposure, different vision and different visions. And I think Obasanjo did his best for Nigeria, he was not perfect, he was not an angel, but I think when I was in that government, the energy we put in there, the zeal we put in there, the exposure we gave to Nigeria, the confidence we gave to Nigeria and the respect we generated around Nigeria Passport and identity is what laid to the foundation to what they are doing now. How well they are doing I think Nigerians are already compiling their score cards.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 16:12:43 +0000
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