Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha is the National Publicity Secretary of Ijaw National Congress (INC). In this Interview with PAULINE ONYIBE, he speaks extensively on matters concerning the Niger Delta and some national politics
By 2027, there will be another election, I wouldn’t want us to delve into it much, but I want you to mention some of the policies you feel that the current administration placed on ground that you think has really not been favourable to Nigerians?
The major complaint is hunger. A hungry man is an angry man. The issue of fuel subsidy removal. The policy implementation was too abrasive, so it affected the country. If I was an adviser to the President, I would have advised him to take some time to study the system first and to understand why the previous government had not taken the courage to remove the subsidy. In as much as they said that some criminals were benefitting, if it were to defeat criminals, it would have been easier to arrest those criminals. Removing the subsidy, affected the whole economy. Dollar exchange rate went up like triple of its normal amount, the whole system just changed. Even the insecurity still remains. The East -West Road is still the way it is.
There are some little maintenance that is being done here and there though. So, expectations from Tinubu’s government are high. More so, with his slogan, “Renewed Hope”. There was hope that failed us. That hope of former President Buhari failed us completely, and somebody has come to say there is Renewed Hope, and when he gave people the renewed hope slogan. At least, they should really have that hope, but again, we still have two years before we talk about another round of elections. So, if I have the opportunity to advise the president, I will say that he used these two years to see that there are drastic changes. The fuel pump price has come down a little to N910 but where was it before it went somewhere and came down? These are the things we should use to compare. It was somewhere when he came on board, then it went to almost N1700 and now back to N910. So, you will not convince me that he has done magic. You cannot take my N1000, then later you give me N100. Should I thank you for that? So, we ask that they concentrate more on projects and see how they can bring employment to the youths and improve on security. That will help, not about playing politics.
When he came, he promised regular power supply, exchange rate would be stable and all that. Has he been able to achieve these?
Well, respecting the power supply that you mentioned, I think there is a little improvement, particularly in the state where I reside. There is an improvement in Delta State too. That I know, but as for the Dollar rate, citing what I said before is, where was it when he came on board, what was the exchange rate fate when he came on board as President and where is it now?
Generally, how do you rate his leadership in the two years?
It is really difficult to rate because we had clearly the worst government during Buhari’s era. That eight years was just eight years of setback. Now that President Tinubu has done two years, it may be difficult to say a particular figure but we expect that there should be drastic improvement because he has the promise as renewed hope. So, our expectations are very high.
Some persons have started campaigning indirectly towards the 2027 Presidential Election. What is your advice to those people?
It is too early to start campaigning now because the campaign should be on the performance of the present government. In as much as I one hundred percent support that this is the turn of the South, it should remain in the South. That I support 100 percent. The Presidency should remain in the South. The North has done their eight years; they should leave the South to do their eight years.
The South-South Development Commission was established recently. But up till now, we have not seen anything being done by that commission. Can you comment on that?
I’m also so surprised that after the appointment of some personalities, they are yet to be inaugurated. Some persons have been appointed from the various states of South-South, with the managing director as Akpabio. Some people have criticized that it may be a duplication of job from the NDDC but for me, if they create 20 interventionist agencies for the purpose of the development of the South-South region. It is not enough because there is a need for critical development of this zone.
The underdevelopment is so much so I applaud President Bola Tinubu’s government for establishing the South-South Development Commission, but my worry is the funding. It is not about establishing a commission. We should see meaningful development in the South-South by virtue of the establishment of the commission. It is clearly an interventionist agency. Some persons had also realized that there should be development in the region. Even Tinubu’s government should realize that there should be some intentional decisions to take to develop the South-South region. My submission is that they should do everything quickly to see that these people have defined jobs, not the traditional minor projects. There should be major projects linking inter -states like railway linking inter-states and roads that will link inter states within the South-South.
NDDC is over 20 years old and with so many abandoned projects. People are also saying that the board seems to be a cash cow but since this MD came on board, the story has changed. Now this is another similar commission, although some people are saying that it is a duplication of the board. What is your charge to those that will pilot that commission because all of them appointed are Niger Deltans?
It may not be a duplication of boards and if we have 20 interventionist agencies established for the purpose of the development of South-South, it is a plus. What I’m worried about is, if funds will be released but like you said, for the past 25 years in NDDC, it has been ‘come and take’. Just to divide the national cake. Everybody that goes there will just go and collect their own without considering the purpose for which that agency was established.
Some people lost their lives. I’m 100 per cent aware, as per the struggle to establish NDDC but some people came from nowhere and started benefiting. Until Ogbuku came in and purposely became intentional and he had also been part of the struggle. I think he is aware that the Commission was established for a particular purpose and so far by my own records, he is the only person that has been very focused.
Some people had come from the same region. It was not as if people were appointed from another region. But it is unfortunate that those who were given the opportunity to serve the region didn’t perform as expected. So, my call is that these persons that are appointed for the purpose of the South-South Development Commission should focus and know why they are asked to be there, and for the purpose of history. It is good to make a better name than money. No matter how much money you grabbed, money will definitely come and go. So, I urge them to be focused.
Also, the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority is being manned by Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, a Niger Deltan. But nothing seems to be going on there after more than one year. What is your charge to the people there?
It was even there before NDDC came up. It has a defined outline of projects to carry out as an interventionist agency but I’m not sure if it is the issue of funding. The truth is that it has not made any impact, maybe due to funding and, I heard that they concentrate more on water projects but the impact is not felt.
Can we say that funding may be the major reason these agencies are not functioning optimally?
Funding should be a major challenge, because some of the persons that are in the positions of managing directors and whatever positions that we know are people that have reputation but sadly, the impact is not there. I believe that the funding of these agencies may not be sufficient. So, we’ll call on the Federal Government or whichever funding agency to properly release funds so that the purpose for which it was created would be achieved.
Recently, the Niger Delta women were calling for more women to be brought into politics. What’s your take on that?
My personal opinion is that anything that will be done to encourage women is good, because some persons described them as weaker sex and for the purpose of equality and balance, I think women should be allowed or there should be some specific constitution to encourage women but however, I think the women also have a weapon. By the census I have, the women are more in population than the men.
And politics is about numbers. I think there is a need to further orientate the women that they have what it takes to take over a good number of positions. But my own observation too, is that unfortunately, the women don’t believe in themselves. If a man is contesting a particular position with a woman, even the women will support the men. We have it on record when a woman contested for presidency. She got only one vote, herself. It means that all the women that were there, didn’t even vote for her. It means that she voted for herself. So, we encourage women to see that they believe in themselves.
There is this bill that is seeking to include Ooni of Ife and Sultan of Sokoto as co Chairmen of national Traditional Rulers Council. What is your reaction to that?
That we have strongly rejected, because it is not a constitutional matter. In as much as they are trying to make it a constitutional matter, it may cause a crisis. The Ooni of Ife is not bigger than the paramount ruler of other nationalities. In a situation where you want to make a particular ethnic nationality look bigger than the other one, it doesn’t end well.
By population, yes, some places may be more populated, but that does not mean that their ethnic nationality is bigger or stronger than the others. It is on record that the Ijaw language is the oldest in the history of Nigeria. We are the fourth largest people by population. Arguably, we may even be the third. So, why would you say that one particular paramount ruler is more important than the other one. So, it is something that we have rejected. We are praying that whoever is championing that particular bill should stop it because it is a way of creating unnecessary crises within the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.
The coastal road is gradually coming towards the Niger Delta from the Western axis. How do you feel as a Niger Deltan?
Well, I have not personally gone to inspect the extent of the project executed, but I think it is very necessary. If the government led by Tinubu succeeds in concluding it during his four-year tenure, or achieves a very great percentage, it will be a plus for him. Because, some politicians fail to understand that it is your performance that will get you votes. It is the impact that you make on people that will help you get votes, so if he concludes that particular project, we are sure that the whole of the region which the road passes through will definitely give him that support.
Of what importance do you think that coastal road is to the people of the Niger Delta?
Any means of easy transportation for us, will help by even improving the economy of our region, because you will see that some produce from this side will easily be taken to the other end. Everything that will make for easy inter- state interaction is something that is a welcomed development.
