My fears for Nigeria, by Princewill

TONYE PRINCEWILL, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart in Rivers State in this interview with media men, speaks on a number of issues, including the Boko Haram menace, unemployment and Nigeria under President Goodluck Jonathan, expressing his fears on some uncertain trends in the land. Senior Correspondent, DANIEL ABIA was there.

How do you think the religious and ethnic challenges facing Nigeria could be adequately addressed?

So many reports on these twin subjects have been prepared without any implementation. As a “victim” of this policy of setting up committees only to ignore reports at the end of the day, I am aware that many
true and real solutions exist if only leaders will listen. Suffice it to say, I believe that by positively addressing employment and other social issues we stand a greater chance of reducing this challenge that is itself a critical factor militating against the unity of the nation. In Rivers state, we encourage social integration. I hope we all start to become more accepting of each other. I think we may soon see a commissioner in our state that is not from our state. That is progress. We cannot stop there. Mr. President should take the lead in promoting harmony and reconciliation. Nobody is too big or too small.
They are all important. He remains the President of the good the bad and the ugly. Recent developments do not leave me with that impression. I hope I am wrong. Even bad people have some good within
them and vice versa. Having said that I must appeal to all those who believe that crawling back into an ethnic shell provides a cover for tomorrow to have a rethink. If we all do that, where is the future for
Nigeria? We need a Nigerian agenda, not a Northern agenda or a South West agenda or Ijaw agenda. There is no place for this in the mainstream politics.

One of the serious problems confronting the President Goodluck Jonathan government and the unity of Nigeria is the menace of the Boko Haram sect. How do you think this problem can be handled without the
unity of the country being threatened?

My philosophy has always been the philosophy of engagement. Even the governor of my State, Rotimi Amaechi and I disagree on certain issues but that does not in any way affect our relationship.  I don’t believe that everybody is a criminal. I believe there are people who have good intentions but pursue it through illegal means. My view on it is to isolate these people and then take on all well-meaning Nigerians and bring them on board. For me, that is the first thing I will need to do. If anybody denies that Nigeria is more divided than ever before, then that person is merely living in dream land. From all indications,
the fabric of the unity of the nation seems to be under siege. The Nigeria of today is perceived to be more divided than ever before and I believe the best way to heal these wounds is to show without
prejudice that the good, the bad, and the ugly from across the North, East, West and south are all stakeholders in the entity Nigeria. In this case, it behooves on all and sundry to work towards ensuring that
governance becomes participatory to encourage transparency and a capacity to accommodate different views and opinions. If we can’t do that we leave the people with no option than to rebel. Yesterday it
was us; today it is them, who knows tomorrow; a never ending story. I think Jonathan needs to be open and transparent.  Next thing he needs to do is to tackle the issue of unemployment and the only way he can do that is by power. If he tackles power then he becomes well on his way to tackling unemployment. If we take a closer look, we will certainly find that the majority of youths involved in violent pursuits do so as an alternative to gainful employment. If he does that and we start to improve on the social security of people especially those in the North, then we can certainly say we have found the way forward.

But as it is, I foresee that the resolution to the Boko Haram issue may likely end in Amnesty with the Boko Haram requesting a share of the amnesty budget. There is a lot to say for why any one group will be justified in requesting for the same treatment/outcome as was meted to a similar group conducting similar ‘business’ as them. And at the end of the day, we have a government whose overheads are firing out of
control because it needs to ensure the youths desist from violence.
This is not practical, this is not sustainable and this is not good for our government. Look at our budget and how much we spend on recurrent as opposed to capital expenditure and then ask yourself ‘are
we developing or maintaining poverty for the poor and riches for the rich?’ others have spoken and where ignored. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
has said the same thing. Let’s hope she would be listened to. Thankfully with the minimum wage, we will all be forced to rethink how we spend the people’s money.

Many fear that there may be some forces behind the insecurity challenges Nigeria is facing as a nation and that they seem to have vowed to make the country ungovernable for Jonathan. Do you share in this view?

It is not out of character.  There is every possibility. There is no doubt that there are some organizations that are hell bent on making sure the status quo does not favor the sitting president. But I think this goes beyond Jonathan. Even at the level of the state governments and smaller units of government, there are still attacks and these happened even before Jonathan became the President. I think the agenda is wider than Jonathan.  But as I said, the best way to tackle the issue is to isolate the radical elements. If you isolate the radical elements you can identify them and the way to do this is not to go from outside. Inside the communities is where you start this process of isolation. In other words the moderate individuals who are dissatisfied but do not subscribe to the violence need to be recruited and brought onside. To me this is where Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, and the likes need to be involved. If people who are
dissatisfied with this government are brought on board then absolutely we can eradicate the radical elements.

You earlier identified unemployment and power generation among issues confronting the nation. How do you think the President can effectively address them?

Without any , unemployment is a major issue; it is a major challenge. It can be very destructive. We have heard about it and seen it in the North as was in the Niger Delta. I have mentioned this severally before now. The absence of productive employment is clearly an issue.
Power generation is also a clear issue that must be addressed to encourage business and diversify the economy but how many people can run businesses competitively while having to buy diesel to keep their
company running? This is a clear index that exposes the failure of government. Few serious companies can look at Nigeria as a serious entity if it can’t provide the basics for its people. We have the population, bright people, low labour costs, flexible labour laws and very adaptable people but we can see that the big organisations prefer neighbouring countries. What am I saying? I am saying that the more you encourage private investors to come and invest, the more likely you are going to provide jobs. So power is essential and must be addressed now.

Are you satisfied with post amnesty program in the Niger Delta region so far?

No. I am tired of talking about this. I can only refer to the Niger Delta Technical Committee report. We need to move beyond rewarding the youths that carried arms to also encouraging the ones that did not. What we achieved was a reduction in arms not a removal of arms. Recent clashes show they still exist. We are only delaying the inevitable. Only a multi-faceted approach will address it. The Niger Delta Ministry has no business being in Abuja.

When this is addressed, you will start to see the beginnings of a holistic solution.

What is your take on the Rivers ACN withdrawal of its Electoral Petition against Gov. Rotimi Amaechi and the Rivers PDP?

This occurrence at this time is evident of the ACN leadership commitment to patriotic ideals and that Dr Abiye Sekibo has shown himself to be a true son of Rivers State. Though the decision may not be an easy one to make given past allegations between all concerned, it is evident of Sekibo’s decision to cast aside differences for the good of the state. This withdrawal also serves to concur on a widely held opinion during the course of the electoral campaigns, when political pundits stated that Governor Amaechi did not have any formidable opponent. In this regard, I expect Sir Celestine Omehia to toe the path of honour and withdraw his petition in the wake of ACN’s decision.

Rivers State in hosting the recent National Sports Festival has raised the bar in hosting such a big event. What would you react to that?

The opening and closing ceremonies of that event including the facilities put in place during the meet were not only applauded as the most grandiose so far in the history of the games but the most organised. The event, if for nothing else had finally put to rest any fears and misgivings people had following the state’s decision to host this edition of the games. This is because at a time when several states in the country shied away from the responsibility of hosting the 17th National Sports festival because of the financial
implications it would have on their coffers, the Rivers State Governor Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, accepted the challenge of hosting the 27 event Sports fiesta at a time his administration was also involved in
widespread capital intensive infrastructural development around the State. We have through hosting this sports fiesta gained international sports facilities obtainable in any part of the world if you have witnessed the 37 hectares expanse of land along Igwuruta road where the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium and Sports Complex is situated. The Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium Complex is an impressive architectural
masterpiece comprising a FIFA-standard 26,000 seat capacity main bowl stadium. Within the complex is the Garden City Sports Centre home to a handball court, a hockey court, four tennis courts, two outdoor
basketball courts, two Olympic-size swimming pools, four squash courts, one mini sports hall, two volleyball courts and the football arena made up of two artificial turf training pitches, one standard
football pitch and a synthetic running track to provide the athletes with the best of facilities that conform to the highest standards the world over.  Apart from the discovery and exposure of new talents which would hopefully add a new lease of life to our performance potentials at International Sports Events, the event demonstrated the sheer doggedness in Governor Amaechi in meeting targets he sets for himself and the state. Also, the Presidency’s endorsement for Rivers State as venue was a vote of confidence for the State of Security in the state. As you may know the National Sports Festival took place at a time wrong signals where coming from certain parts of the country with undertones of instability.

What is your take on the two ministerial posts allotted Rivers State?

The inclusion of Ms Ama Pepple and Barrister Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike as Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a laudable step and significant leap towards redeeming the promises Mr. President made to the Nigerian people. I must commend President Jonathan for keeping faith with the Rivers State people and appreciating the state with two great Ministries which will be the turning point for his
transformational vision for the country.

The two Ministers will come to the cabinet with antecedents that would add value to the cabinet. In Ms Ama Pepple’s case, she has an enviable record as one of the few Nigerians to have held sway in both arms of governance at the National level as the Clerk of the Senate and the second woman in our history to serve as the Head of Service of theFederal Republic of Nigeria while Barrister Nyesom Wike’s appointment
as Minister having previously served in two tiers of government as two term Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government and Chief of Staff of Rivers State Government for four years is a fitting transition which
he would no doubt justify.

How would you react to the handling of the new national minimum wage by government and the organised Labour?

The decision by Labour to shelve strike over the issue was not only bold and commendable but a demonstration that dialogue is the key to any disagreement. Truth be told, all Nigerians would have been hard hit if a strike had taken place over the issue. The negative multiplier effects would have been evastating to commercial and economic activities. The events surrounding and leading up to the
threat of strike and also Labour’s decision to shelve the action should serve as a lesson to administrators and all elected officials at the different tiers of government. A lesson I hope will give them the much needed impetus to realise the importance of delivering on promises made to the people.

What is your impression on President Goodluck Jonathan so far?

I have watched Mr. President’s body language and his words and I can see where he is going. He will be very difficult to stop if things go according to what I perceive his plans are and hopefully we will have
a new order where merit will have precedence. His greatest asset is the incompetence of those who came before him. His greatest liability will be his next four years.