How will you rate this present government and what’s your take on its policies? After more than a year in office, I think one can give a preliminary assessment of the performance of the Buhari administration vis a vis its campaign promises. Generally I think the government has failed to fulfill most of its campaign promises especially in the area of economy.
Even in the fight against corruption, as Rev. Father Kukah rightly said, the anti-corruption fight is targeted at individuals instead of empowering the relevant institutions to fight corruption and also address the factors responsible for corruption in our system.
On policies, from what we have seen wrong economic policies beyond the issue of reduced global oil price is responsible for the present poor economic situation. Also we can’t really point to clear cut policies and direction of the Buhari administration.
The government lacks direction. Even in the area of electoral reform which has suffered so much set back under Buhari. Elections now are hardly conclusive. Inconclusive elections are now the order of the day.
Do you agree with the notion that some regions are been marginalized in this government?
It depends on the issues involved. Nigerian politics is ethnic based but as President you have to make conscious efforts to balance it and give all parts of the country a sense of belonging. However, in the case of Buhari he is surrounded by only relatives and people from a particular section of the country hence most of his appointments are from the northern part of the country in violation of the federal character principle.
The distribution and execution of developmental projects would also follow this pattern. So to that extent some sections of the country are marginalized especially the south-south and south eastern parts.
What is your take on the current agitation in the Niger Delta regions?
The current agitation in the Niger Delta region is not new to me. This is so because I know that without addressing the fundamental issue of resource ownership and control, there would continue to be agitation in the Niger Delta region.
The solution therefore is for the government to summon the courage and address the resource question in Nigeria once and for all.
Do you think the Niger Delta regions are being marginalized?
I think it is better to address the Niger Delta question from the perspective of resource ownership rather than the general term marginalization.
Every part of the country can lay claim to marginalization. But what distinguishes the Niger Delta region from other parts of the country is that we carry the burden of producing the resources that sustains the entire country without commiserate return.
This is where the cry of underdevelopment, marginalization or whatever you call it comes from. There are reports that Niger Delta region plan to become a Republic as from August 1, can we get your reaction? I think it is important for us to get issues right.
If a particular group comes out to say we are going to declare republic; that should not be taken to mean a general position of the Niger Delta region. So I don’t think that it is right to say that Niger Delta region plans to declare republic by August 1, 2016 and I wouldn’t say more than this. President Buhari has maintained that the unity of the country is not negotiable, do you share same conviction?
I disagree with him and state that the renegotiation of the unity of Nigeria is now a necessity for the country to make progress. And like I said earlier to say that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable is an old fashion approach to resolving national problems. Buhari should face the reality of the present Nigeria which makes renegotiation a necessity.
The Nigerian Army has vowed to act should the propose dialogue between the FG and stakeholders in Niger Delta fall through, do you think this can restore sanity to the region?
That statement by the military is in the first place wrong and ill timed. Secondly it brings to the fore the mindset of the government which is to deliberately frustrate dialogue and launch unwarranted attacks on the innocent people of the Niger Delta region.
What do you think will bring an end to the agitation in the Niger Delta and restore peace to the region? Like I said earlier it is to address the resource ownership question in such a way that the local people would become stakeholders in the resources produced in their environment.
Recently a former militant leader Tompolo, said his father’s leg had been amputated as his family and associates were under siege by security agents, can we get your reaction on this? Yes, I am aware of this fact. It is condemnable that the family and associates of Chief Ekpemupolo are been harassed everywhere.
I advise government to have a rethink as this would not in any way bring peace to the region. The fundamental right of Tompolo’s family members should be respected. How do you think the FG should go about Tompolo’s case, knowing that he has been charged with money laundering?
The federal government should follow dues process in pursuing their money laundering case against Tompolo.
The anti-corruption war should not be used as an instrument of political vendetta. The IYC has been in the throes of crisis recently, what could be the reason for this? There is no crisis in IYC.
What is happening is that; because of the position that the organization has maintained since the coming of the Buhari administration, some political players from the Niger Delta region are uncomfortable and are the ones sponsoring people to issue those worthless statements of suspension or whatsoever.
These are inconsequential matters and we would not be distracted by their antics. We expected it and we have handled it the way it ought to be handled.
IYC is one under Udengs Eradiri. Can we get your reaction on the claims of six executive members of the IYC that the president, Eradiri and yourself have been suspended? Like I said earlier, they were contracted to do that and they did that to justify the money that was given to them they decided to issue the so call suspension notice.
I think having exhausted the money, they have gone to sleep. It is a worthless claim that does not deserve any response. I remain the Spokesman of the IYC and Udengs Eraidiri remains the President. Our tenure would end by the 1st day of March, 2016.
But let me add that that the IYC is the most organized youth body I know in Nigeria and one of the attributes of its been a very organized body is that it has a constitution which is followed in whatever we do. Under our constitution the mobile parliament, which is the legislative arm of the IYC is the one with a power to suspend or remove a member or officer of the council and not fellow executive council members.
Even the so call executive members know this fact but did what they did because they needed to justify the money that they collected from their sponsors. But unfortunately for them, the Ijaw people rejected their evil plan and expressed their support for the Udengs Eradiri leadership.
As an activist, how will you rate the state of the nation and what advice would you proffer to the federal government on the nation’s dwindling economy?
Nigerians are going through very difficult period and I would advise that President Buhari should set aside politics and take drastic and far reaching steps to address the present economic challenge that the country is facing.
It is only well planned economic policies that can take Nigeria out of our present situation which was partly caused by the Buhari administration’s wrong policies and in actions.
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