Niger Delta delegates ‘ll walk out on another confab, if... - Clark

updated: Tuesday 01-07-2008

Edwin ClarkGroup Politics Editor, Idowu Samuel, recently engaged leader of the Ijaw nation, Chief Edwin Clark, on some pressing national issues, particularly relating to the government of President Umaru Yar’Adua and the lingering problem of the Niger Delta region of the country. Excerpts:

Just last month, the government of Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua clocked one year in office. How would you analyse its performance?
I am always very straight forward in whatever I do. The first one year by the president in office was hailed by everybody in this country. Nigerians say he has been able to do a lot of things. There was increase in oil price and that he corrected mistakes made by his predecessor. There was also the 100 per cent increase in VAT that he reduced. There were cases of corrupt practices by former government officials such as the sale of refineries which he cancelled. Many people believe he has performed very well.

Then, he set up three committees to discuss energy problem in Nigeria. He said at the end of the committees’ works, he would declare a state of emergency in the energy sector. The committees have, however, not been able to produce its reports. I think that the government is a bit slow. Already, the fall in the energy capacity is already impacting negatively on the economy. Something has to be done urgently. Again, contary to reports that the Attorney-General of the Federation has made it impossible for the anti-corruption crusade of past Olusegun Obasanjo-led government to be carried out, events I think, have proved that wrong. During the Yar’Adua-led government, most of the alleged corrupt governors have been charged to court. The government of Nigeria gave its British counterpart the go ahead to prosecute Nigerians in Britian who were found to be involved in corrupt practices.

There is no doubt that what is happening in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) today should be reviewed critically. Remember that some of the governors were very powerful and they had recommended the appointment of Michael Aondoakaa as the Minister of Justice.

One will not be surprised at the kind of changes that have been taking place in the EFCC today. I do not know the lady who is now there as the new chairman, but I know that she can perform. But my argument is that there should not have been any need for a wholesale change in the EFCC. The reason is that some of the officials were involved in cases that are in court against the former governors who stole money belonging to their various states. To think of bringing new people to handle this cases is a way of slowing down the processes.

What we want is accelerated hearing of these cases for those guilty to be promptly punished and those who are innocent to be left off the hook. We are in a tight situation in Nigeria in which case, crminals are treated as celebrities and politicians begin to run in whatever direction they go. They have so much money and security and so, they have been bribering their ways through. Our fear is that if the cases involving the former governor and other government officials who allegedly stole public money are not given accelerated hearing, the cases might continue to linger and remain unattended to for the next eight years. This is dangerous for the future of the country.

Coming to the achievement of Yar’Adua in the past one year, I would say I listened to him the other time on the plans he said he had for repositioning Nigeria and I concluded that he should be given enough time. Perhaps, his second year in office would be better. They need time to prosecute some of the plans they have in store.

You said the total overhaul of the EFCC was unnecessary. I remember that some Nigerians protested the removal of Nuhu Ribadu as the head of the commission. Are you, in essence, saying that Ribadu should have been left alone?
Yes, I had said so before now. What I said was that there was no need to remove him; I made this clear to the government before they sent him to Jos. I am one of those in the forefront of critics who opposed the removal of Nuhu Ribadu. I said his removal was masterminded by the Attorney-General of the Federation who had vested interest in corrupt cases. That was why I urged the president to sack him because he is not fit to be in the boat of anti-corruption crusade. I said it a long time ago. I still stand by the position I took at that time.

But the president did not sack him, what do you think?
Yes, he has not sacked him, but we shall wait and see. The truth will come out and I believe that God will expose those who have been milking Nigeria, those who are oppressing their fellow Nigerians and anybody who believes only in himself and has been enriching himself with public money. God will take care of all of them. I strongly believe in that.

There are reports that the circumstances that surround the emergence of Farida Waziri as the chairman of EFCC may not allow her to function properly and you had earlier expressed confidence in her ability to perform. Why did you differ on that?
When I said the lot that happened in the EFCC was not acceptable to a number of people, I was not referring to an individual. I am not going to take the case of Farida Waziri separately; she is an individual. I really don’t want to comment on that.

Apart from that, there is a case in court instituted by Chief Gani Fawehinmi on the validity and legality of her appointment. What do you think about this?
I don’t want to join issues on that matter.

Up till now, Nigerians continue to criticise the government of Chief Obasanjo, accusing it of much wrongdoing. What do you think has changed; are we still in the same boat?
I don’t think so. We shall be making mistake by comparing the two governments. I could not spot the difference between Obasanjo’s government and that of the military. Obasanjo was even better as a military head of state between 1976 and 1979. But he came in civilian garb only to parade himself as a military man. He never followed the rule of law like Yar’Adua has been trying to do and there was no adherence to due process. Toward the end of his administration, Obasanjo ruled as if nobody existed in this country. So many things went wrong with him and I disagree with a number of people who said we should leave him alone. I believe that Yar‘Adua has been ruling with the tenets of democracy and the rule of law.

Look at the cases of rigging that characterised the elections of last year. Some of the rigging were guided by the former government and when the court started to nullify the election results in some states, Yar’Adua had the chance to influence the court judgments, but he did not. So, as far as I am concerned, there are a lot of differences between the Obasanjo-led and Yar’Adua-led governments.

What have you to say on the alleged Northern domination of the government of Yar’Adua, most especially regarding the dominance by Katsina State people?
I don’t think that is true; I don’t have evidence to conclude that what is being said is true. Katsina State is one among the 36 states of Nigeria and if the president decides to create a cabinet filled with people from his state, then he would be digging his own grave. If people say he has a ktichen cabinet of the North, it is a different case. Anyway, I don’t believe Yar’Adua is doing just that. He has not yet behaved as a non-detribalised president. Every Nigerian is a part of this cabinet once he or she is found to be competent and duly nominated. Nobody should be excluded from serving because Nigeria belongs to everybody. If there is any kitchen cabinet that people are talking about and which I don’t think is true, my position is that those who constitute the so-called kitchen cabinet should withdraw and rather forge national challenges, rather than ethnic interests.

You fought the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, to a standstill on corruption till he was arrested and detained by the EFCC, although he has regained freedom now. Would you say that the case you had against Ibori had been settled by his arrest?
It has not been settled. When I say this, I am of the veiw that the Attorney-General of the Federation should wake up to see that these cases against Ibori and other former governors are given accelerated hearing because the people whose resources they looted are very anxious to know what happened to the money in their possession. Whatever should be returned to the looted states should be returned. They did it in the Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha case and there is no reason other former governor should be spared. I don’t think the changes in the EFCC should affect the scheduled trials of these corrupt former governors who had been charged to court and are awaiting trials. Accelerated hearing of the cases against the governors is what we require to bring them to justice.

You attended the last political reform conference in Abuja where the South South delegates staged a walk-out over the issue of derivation. The call by the South South zone for 25 per cent derivation has not attained any result since then. Would you say you were right by staging a walk-out at the conference, now that the government has continued to pay 13 per cent?
We were very right. If we had another opportunity, we would do it again. We walked out because we knew injustice was done to us. If some of the members who are now in the Senate and who visited the Niger Delta were to go to the conference again, they would sing a different tune. I think that people did not understand what was going on within the Niger Delta. Even the 18 per cent that was recommended by the conference is not being paid. If we had the opportunity, we would walkout again. What we are saying is that the 13 per cent they are paying the Niger Delta should be increased to 25 per cent. Within the next five years, the percentage should increase to 50. Nigerians know that we are suffering in the Niger Delta, they only do not want to do anything to alleviate the suffering.

Western region is the most sophisticated part of this country; it did not just happen as such. It had money from cocoa and they spent it all alone. It used the money to build good roads, the Cocoa House, estates in Ibadan and Lagos, universities and polytechnics. It introduced free education, free medical services and brought television to the region, the first of its kind in Africa. The region built Western House and industrial estates in Lagos.

When the Midwest was created, we hoped to benefit from the Western region’s asset, but the region refused and told us that we did not contribute to the coffers of the old Western region. Therefore, we were not entitled to sharing in the Western region asset. What happened? Today, the Western region is a great beneficiary of the asset from oil resources from the Niger Delta.

When I was Finance Commissioner in the Midwest State between 1972 and 1974, I went to meet the Western region officials, specifically the region’s commissioner for finance and the governor, General Adeyinka Adebayo, in Ibadan, on the issue of asset sharing. They told me point-blank that there was nothing we could share from the Western region’s assset. They did not give us anything, contrary to the constitution of Nigeria. But today, what is happening? States like Ogun and Lagos are benefiting from oil. Ogun State alone has more than two universities and everything you can think of.

Now, Obasanjo tried to build the largest Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) in Ogun State. If Nigerians believe that this country belongs to all of us, they should allow us to enjoy what God gave to us. And everyone else should enjoy theirs and not take ours away from us.

I said the other day that Shell and Chevron had their headquarters in Lagos. Chevron in particular is building series of large estates in Gbagada, Lekki and other such places, whereas, their workers go to Delta State to work, collect their salaries and then return to Lagos to spend the money. The same thing is applicable to Shell; it even has more sins and that was why the expatriates would run to Port Harcourt during the Warri crisis. Today, they have seen that there is crisis in River State, then, they are saying let us go to Lagos. So, all of them are moving to Lagos.

The aggitation over the 25 per cent deriviation seems to have subsided because nobody is talking about it anymore. Is that the situation?
It has not subsided. The new president once said that every penny owed the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) would be paid. But after a while, he said the money had lapsed. Why did the local government account which was so similarly treated by Obasanjo not lapse? Why did Federal Government pay the local government funds? This is double standard and this has always been the problem. We cannot keep quiet. And so, we have not forgotten our clamour for 25 per cent. The opportunity is coming again for us to protest and when the constitution review committee starts its work, we will be there to make our positions known.

What is the political situation in Delta State now?
Still the same old situation. There was no congress in the state, but we did not expect anything less. The present governor was nominated and imposed on us by his brother, Ibori. I told Emmanuel Uduaghan that he was qualified to be governor, but not by imposition by Ibori. As far as we are concerned, Ibori was only out to protect his own interest. So, there was no election in Delta State. I could not vote in my place; the voting materials sent to my place are still in the police station till today.

There were no congresses at the ward, local government and state levels and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) discovered this. The officer in charge said he was going to stand by the report of the INEC, but after he had met Ibori, the situation changed. So, instead of harmonising the two parallel executives as recommended by the PDP Board of Trustee (BOT) under the chairmanship of Obasanjo, he eventually aligned with the state executive and said congress or no congress, that was where they stood. So, we have been fighting injustice all along. And the Alex Ekwueme-led committee report on reconciliation recommended that we ought to practise democracy at the party level. So, we are still opposing that election.

Has the issue of corruption subsided in Delta State now?
Corruption goes on everyday. The man who put Uduaghan there has cases of corruption against him and he put him there to safeguard his interest. Mind you, both of them were part of the earlier government for eight years. The present governor was commissioner for health for four years and secretary to the governent for another four years. Do you think a governor would be corrupt without the secretary to the government knowing? In any case, he was the de facto governor. Ibori was abroad studying law on part time basis. He stopped going to Britain because British people asked him to stop visiting their country. So, Uduaghan is part and parcel of the rot in Delta State.