North produces nothing...Can’t talk of 13% derivation –Clark
From EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, Warri
Sunday, May 06, 2012
From EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, Warri
Sunday, May 06, 2012
Elder statesman, Edwin Kiagbodo Clark is not a political appointee of the present administration but is a member of President Goodluck Jonathan’s kitchen cabinet is not contestable. That among power brokers in the country today, he is one of those who call the shots is also not in doubt.
It is also common knowledge that former minister of information is a major supporter of President Jonathan and does not mince words on the injustice meted to the Niger Delta over the years in the country.
Even when Jonathan is yet to complete his first year in office, he tells whoever cares to listen that he has the right to seek a second term in 2015. In this interview, he speaks on a wide range of issues. Excerpts…
It is also common knowledge that former minister of information is a major supporter of President Jonathan and does not mince words on the injustice meted to the Niger Delta over the years in the country.
Even when Jonathan is yet to complete his first year in office, he tells whoever cares to listen that he has the right to seek a second term in 2015. In this interview, he speaks on a wide range of issues. Excerpts…
As someone who played a prominent role in the election of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, did the North get any commitment from him not to seek a second term in 2015?
There was no time that kind of commitment was sought and got from President Jonathan. Let us make it very clear. This country belongs to all of us and anybody without a defect had the right to rule this great nation. It is not the exclusive right of certain people to rule this country forever. Nigerians for the first time unanimously voted for President Jonathan. So, they expect so much from him and he knows it.
The issue of another term or whether he will run in 2015 or not has not arisen. Jonathan has three more years to go. For God’s sake he has the right to decide whether he will contest for a second term or not. And, he has advised his functionaries (Ministers) that nobody should talk about politics of 2015.
But some of them are accusing the President of insincerity with regards to the 2015 election In fact, some of the Northern leaders making these false statements against President Jonathan are just being vicious. They just want to create problems for him. I remember some said earlier that if he contested, they would make this country ungovernable.
Dr Jonathan has not told anybody that he is going to contest in 2015. The truth is that he has a right to contest. If Chief Olusegun Obasanjo served for eight years likewise state governors, what forbids him from doing eight years? Nobody can force Jonathan out of office because he is performing.
So many will not agree with you about his performance
There is a conspiracy against Jonathan. People saying he is not performing should remember that he has only been in office for one year. All the things the Obasanjo government could not do is what Jonathan is doing now. They should stop harassing him.
God has put him there and he is working. Jonathan is not an island and he has to work with other Nigerians to succeed. Imagine some people are just out to frustrate him out of office so that they can ruin the nation’s economy. We have all voted for Jonathan and he should be given a chance to perform. People should not harass him. He is a Nigerian and a human being too. It is unfortunate that you (media) are one of those harassing him.
Do you think the aim of Boko Haram is to remove Jonathan from office?
Nonsense. That cannot be. Government is doing everything possible to curtail Boko Haram because a lot of their leaders that have been killed are also Nigerians. It is not something one should be happy about. So, government is looking for a way to stop them because Mr. President cannot go to their enclave to beg them to lay down their arms.
Do you support calls for dialogue with the sect?
Yes, dialogue should be applied but the leaders should come out because it is not possible to negotiate with faceless people. When late President Umaru Yar’Adua decided to negotiate with Niger Delta militants, the leaders came out and he fraternized with them. So, let leaders of Boko Haram do the same thing and I am very sure President Jonathan will negotiate with them.
As an elder statesman, you must have spoken with your counterparts in the North. What assurance have they given you on this matter?
Well, the assurance they have given is that we should all join hands together because many of them believe that Boko Haram is now an ill-wind that blows nobody any good. Whether you are a Southerner or a Northerner you will not discriminate. So, they too want settlement and very soon the leaders from this axis will meet with our Northern brothers to discuss because this Boko Haram issue is really affecting Nigeria.
Few Northerners may think that Boko Haram is a plot to truncate Jonathan’s administration before 2015, but majority of them are not thinking that way. Haven’t you read the interview given by Senator Kanti Bello in one of the national newspapers about some politicians that are professional presidential candidates like Atiku Abubakar? He said that some people have no principles but have ambition only for presidency and that those are the people who believe that unless they become the president, nobody should rule.
What is your assessment of governors of Niger Delta states?
First, I must commend the Akwa Ibom Governor, Dr. Godswill Akpabio, who has turned the state into a small London. For instance, the construction of the airport, which he is trying to turn into an international airport. I must not fail to commend Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State for his infrastructure development strides.
In Bayelsa, former Governor Timipre Sylva, who failed us, has been thrown out by the people. In my own state, Delta, we have been fighting the governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, to do more but he has just three years to go. We need projects that will transform the state. For instance, Warri no longer looks like the oil city we used to know. There are bad roads everywhere, no potable water, and erosion is threatening parts of the state. We want him to do more in the area of infrastructure development.
Another good example is Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State. He has transformed Benin City, the state capital, and other towns into a viable state.
Do you support the clamour for sovereign national conference?
No, no, no, I don’t support it. In fact, people do not know the meaning of sovereign national conference. What we should clamour for is national conference, where all Nigerians will meet to discuss the issue of living together peacefully. It is only those who want Nigeria to break up that talk about sovereign national conference.
The gains of a national conference is to come together to discuss the problems of this country as it affects everybody. But why should a man from the North talk about 13% if I may ask, what are they producing? The North should look inward to develop their area with whatever resources they have. I know that agriculture is the mainstay of their economy; they should develop it. If they want to discuss the issue of derivation, offshore, onshore oil, let us go to the national conference.
There was no time that kind of commitment was sought and got from President Jonathan. Let us make it very clear. This country belongs to all of us and anybody without a defect had the right to rule this great nation. It is not the exclusive right of certain people to rule this country forever. Nigerians for the first time unanimously voted for President Jonathan. So, they expect so much from him and he knows it.
The issue of another term or whether he will run in 2015 or not has not arisen. Jonathan has three more years to go. For God’s sake he has the right to decide whether he will contest for a second term or not. And, he has advised his functionaries (Ministers) that nobody should talk about politics of 2015.
But some of them are accusing the President of insincerity with regards to the 2015 election In fact, some of the Northern leaders making these false statements against President Jonathan are just being vicious. They just want to create problems for him. I remember some said earlier that if he contested, they would make this country ungovernable.
Dr Jonathan has not told anybody that he is going to contest in 2015. The truth is that he has a right to contest. If Chief Olusegun Obasanjo served for eight years likewise state governors, what forbids him from doing eight years? Nobody can force Jonathan out of office because he is performing.
So many will not agree with you about his performance
There is a conspiracy against Jonathan. People saying he is not performing should remember that he has only been in office for one year. All the things the Obasanjo government could not do is what Jonathan is doing now. They should stop harassing him.
God has put him there and he is working. Jonathan is not an island and he has to work with other Nigerians to succeed. Imagine some people are just out to frustrate him out of office so that they can ruin the nation’s economy. We have all voted for Jonathan and he should be given a chance to perform. People should not harass him. He is a Nigerian and a human being too. It is unfortunate that you (media) are one of those harassing him.
Do you think the aim of Boko Haram is to remove Jonathan from office?
Nonsense. That cannot be. Government is doing everything possible to curtail Boko Haram because a lot of their leaders that have been killed are also Nigerians. It is not something one should be happy about. So, government is looking for a way to stop them because Mr. President cannot go to their enclave to beg them to lay down their arms.
Do you support calls for dialogue with the sect?
Yes, dialogue should be applied but the leaders should come out because it is not possible to negotiate with faceless people. When late President Umaru Yar’Adua decided to negotiate with Niger Delta militants, the leaders came out and he fraternized with them. So, let leaders of Boko Haram do the same thing and I am very sure President Jonathan will negotiate with them.
As an elder statesman, you must have spoken with your counterparts in the North. What assurance have they given you on this matter?
Well, the assurance they have given is that we should all join hands together because many of them believe that Boko Haram is now an ill-wind that blows nobody any good. Whether you are a Southerner or a Northerner you will not discriminate. So, they too want settlement and very soon the leaders from this axis will meet with our Northern brothers to discuss because this Boko Haram issue is really affecting Nigeria.
Few Northerners may think that Boko Haram is a plot to truncate Jonathan’s administration before 2015, but majority of them are not thinking that way. Haven’t you read the interview given by Senator Kanti Bello in one of the national newspapers about some politicians that are professional presidential candidates like Atiku Abubakar? He said that some people have no principles but have ambition only for presidency and that those are the people who believe that unless they become the president, nobody should rule.
What is your assessment of governors of Niger Delta states?
First, I must commend the Akwa Ibom Governor, Dr. Godswill Akpabio, who has turned the state into a small London. For instance, the construction of the airport, which he is trying to turn into an international airport. I must not fail to commend Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State for his infrastructure development strides.
In Bayelsa, former Governor Timipre Sylva, who failed us, has been thrown out by the people. In my own state, Delta, we have been fighting the governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, to do more but he has just three years to go. We need projects that will transform the state. For instance, Warri no longer looks like the oil city we used to know. There are bad roads everywhere, no potable water, and erosion is threatening parts of the state. We want him to do more in the area of infrastructure development.
Another good example is Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State. He has transformed Benin City, the state capital, and other towns into a viable state.
Do you support the clamour for sovereign national conference?
No, no, no, I don’t support it. In fact, people do not know the meaning of sovereign national conference. What we should clamour for is national conference, where all Nigerians will meet to discuss the issue of living together peacefully. It is only those who want Nigeria to break up that talk about sovereign national conference.
The gains of a national conference is to come together to discuss the problems of this country as it affects everybody. But why should a man from the North talk about 13% if I may ask, what are they producing? The North should look inward to develop their area with whatever resources they have. I know that agriculture is the mainstay of their economy; they should develop it. If they want to discuss the issue of derivation, offshore, onshore oil, let us go to the national conference.
No comments:
Post a Comment