‘Jonathan is displaying desperation for 2015’
THURSDAY, 30 MAY 2013 00:00 ALEMMA-OZIORUVA ALIU FEATURES - FOCUS
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Reverend David Ugolor, a rights activist, is the Executive Director, African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ). In this interview with ALEMMA-OZIORUVA ALIU in Benin City, he spoke on the raging crisis in the Rivers State PDP involving Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the 2015 general election build-up.
WHAT is your stance on issues relating to the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) and the Presidency?
This is another Abuja magic in display, we are in trouble. Femi Falana recently released a statement where he said there is a gradual move to dictatorship in Nigeria and attempt to muzzle opposition groups and free speech. You know Falana cannot just make a statement out of the blues. I raised the alarm that this government is not willing to listen to alternative voices, every attempt to demand justice, has been frustrated and the level of impunity today in Nigeria is alarming, it cuts across government sectors and institutions.
If you look at the just released human rights report 2012, it is the same message and the response of this government has been very bad; yesterday it was me, today is Amaechi, tomorrow it could be Adams. The Niger State governor also said so recently. So you can see that there is a gradual trend towards muzzling people with alternative views and even a threat to justice and once there is threat to justice, you cannot talk of the rule of law, you cannot talk of democracy.
The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) is a platform for the governors to articulate their positions. They are not arms carriers. The NGF is made up of both governors from the opposition and ruling party and they elected Amaechi as their chairman, and all the issues he has been raising are not his personal views they are consensus issues. Should he now pay a price for that? But you can see that this Abuja magic has brought politics into the NGF and this we condemn outrightly and as if that is not enough, this Abuja Magic which is interpreted as those old politicians who have expired in their states, as soon as they form partnership with the presidency, they try to undermine everything that happens in the states; they portend danger. The on-going politicisation of the NGF activities is condemnable, it is unacceptable and as civil society, we cannot keep quiet.
They brought the judiciary into who becomes the chairman of PDP in Rivers State. They went to Abuja to get a court ruling, something that could be done in Port Harcourt. It is an attempt to muzzle Governor Amaechi and Nigerians should oppose it. If the President wants to contest in 2015, the first thing he should do is to engage all stakeholders from the region, particularly the NGF. I don’t think anybody who wants to be president of Nigeria should be fighting Amaechi who is the chairman of the NGF because the position is that of the NGF. They are playing dirty politics. Look at the delay or seizure of the Rivers State aircraft. The differences between the President and Amaechi is dirty politics, an attempt to undermine some persons as we move towards 2015, it is 2015 politics at play. Even at that, does Amaechi not deserve and have the right to aspire to be president of this country? Does any other person from the South-South not have the right to become the president? It is like once you make contrary statements, you become a target and it is wrong.
Do proper assessment of South-South presidency, what practical benefit has the region got from this government? Amaechi raised concern about the East West Road. Who will say that the road is not an issue in the Niger Delta? He said if the Federal Government cannot handle it, let the South-South governors handle it. Is there anything wrong about that? The politics surrounding NGF has to do with 2015 election and we are saying that everybody, every tribe in the region all has the same right to aspire to become president of this country.
But as a matter of fact, I am not to concerned about who becomes president because from the example in Edo state, the issue of tribe does not really matter. To a large extent, if Oshiomhole was to contest on the basis of ethnicity, he may not even become a councillor in the state. But the people of Edo believed that ethnic background is not the issue but who is able to deliver.
If an opinion poll is carried out in the region today, people are not happy with the current presidency of Godluck Jonathan. The so-called South-South presidency is a ruse, no benefit has come to the region and I think we have a responsibility to begin to articulate views that will help to advance the cause of our people. The fact that less than one per cent of those who believe in arms are currently in comfort zone with the present government does not take away our own right to ventilate our concerns and as an Urhobo person, I have a right to articulate issues that will advance my tribe in the region. The fact that we don’t carry arms in the region does not mean we are silly because we have our own vision.
Allegation that the NGF and its chairman have become like an empire and emperor
NGF is a kind of pressure group registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Its members have their positions. If you have contrary views to what they say, you also have the right to reply to their views. You cannot use federal agencies to now undermine the views of the NGF; it is unacceptable, it is dictatorship and a move to muzzle alternative views. ‘When NGF is supporting the presidency, it is good when they have alternative views, it is bad.’ You don’t run a country like that. Look at the issues they have been raising, Sovereign Wealth Fund and others. The states have their autonomy. The constitution is clear about allocation of resources.
You cannot use state resources to run the SWF and that is what the state governments are saying. Today it is Jonathan, tomorrow it could be anybody. He should not use federal government agencies to do 2015 because he is setting a bad precedent. At best, he will be president for eight years and that is why we are concerned but other persons will be president tomorrow. Look at Obasanjo today, he has become an emergency activist, if somebody had told him he will now be running around as an activist, he won’t believe. Yesterday when he was president, he was so dictatorial and that is why we are saying the right regulations should be put in place instead of castigating and hounding those who hold contrary views because you will not be there tomorrow. Look at people like El-Rufai, Oby Ezekwesili, today they are with us but yesterday they were in government. I don’t think if anybody had told El-Rufai that he will take this stance today, he would believe. So Jonathan should remember these people, let the right policies be in place.
How do you see the recent presidential pardon?
Pardon is now being given to some tribes and some tribes are not given. What is the difference between James Ibori and Diepreye Alamieyeseigha? As a matter of fact, Alamieyeseigha also has an international dimension to his corruption. That is why I want to appeal to the international community that they should not play into the hands of this government because this government’s so- called anti-corruption crusade is wrapped up in tribal sentiments; so when this government said they were cooperating with the British government to bring Ibori to justice, it was a ruse. The British government is wiser. A few months ago, Tinubu was being paraded before the Code of Conduct Tribunal because of his strong views.
We all have a responsibility to defend this democracy. Left alone, I don’t think Jonathan would have become the president of this country. Nigerians fought doggedly for him. We also have the right to disagree with him. Anybody from the Niger Delta who has been driving along the East West road would not be happy with the pace of work there and I don’t think that can fetch him votes from there. Let him not be deceived, Abuja Magic cannot say who will be president in 2015; it is what you are able to do, and what he is able to deliver to the region that will be the basis for who becomes what.
Violence is not exclusive to any particular tribe. The federal government now deals with only those who carry arms. The fact that the Urhobo do not carry arms, the fact that the Ogonis did not carry arms, does not mean they are silly. Look at the billions of naira that have been sunk into amnesty which would have been used to build infrastructure. This is fraud, less than one per cent of the people in the Niger Delta are the ones benefiting from the amnesty. This government has not been able to justify the billions it has spent on the people of the area to justify the sacrifices people have made, sacrifices made by Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight, sacrifices by other tribes in the region. You cannot appropriate such for just one tribe. I think the presidency is heading for disaster in the region and every tribe have the right to defend its own. Amaechi comes from a tribe and every tribe has the right to aspire to be president of the country.
On Obasanjo’s criticism of the Jonathan administration’s fight against corruption
As far as I am concerned, Obsanjo has lost his moral right to criticise this government. He is an hypocrite; his daughter who was a senator was accused of corruption, he is only trying to whip up sentiments. Jonathan is the president of this country; what Obasanjo is doing is unacceptable. When Obasanjo was president, nobody would do to him what he is doing to Jonathan today. What moral basis does he have? If you want to even compare him to Jonathan in terms of listening to alternative views, Jonathan is better. If he had allowed Nigerians to pick their president, we won’t be where we are. It was because he singlehandedly picked Yar’Adua who later died that brought about Jonathan. If he had allowed Nigerians to pick their leader, it would have been different. We are asking Jonathan to deliver because we want true democracy. Our criticism is that he should not use state machinery to manipulate his coming back in 2015.
Comment on the one year anniversary of the death of Olaitan Oyerinde
One year after, the President of this country has failed again. It becoming increasingly clear who killed Olaitan, there is no doubt about it. What they wanted to do was to rope me in and close the case but it is now clear that the they killed Olaitan. It was the President that ordered the investigation into the killing and after almost a year nothing has happened to the extent that a sitting governor, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state had an altercation with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice who lied to Nigerians. It is the same Abuja magic, when they didn’t feel comfortable here in the state, they had to approach the federal DPP (Director of Public Prosecution) for advice on the matter that happened here in Edo; expired politicians who run to the federal government once they see they cannot use their power in the state. All these show the culture of impunity in Nigeria.
Till today, the investigation of Olaitan’s killing is still shrouded in controversy, on who killed him, who did not kill him and I think that in a country where we are talking of democracy, the president by now would have invited the SSS and the police. I hope that as we mark his one year anniversary, it provides us with the energy to continue to demand for justice for him, for us and for his family on who killed Olaitan Oyerinde. But like I said, from the way the police tried to frame me up, that those young men that police claimed killed Olaitan where shot to confess me and we made this point clear through Femi Falana during the public hearing on the matter and up till today, that allegation has not been countered.
On centenary celebration
This provides an opportunity for us to look back. Where are we coming from? Government is investing more resources to embark on criminal investigation and prosecution. We are not heading anywhere. Impunity is increasing daily and I think that according to the book of Leviticus as we approach jubilee period, we should all come together. Most of the political elites are enmeshed in corruption. I think we should have a fresh beginning. Everybody should be forgiven so that we can start on a new slate because the man who wants to prosecute the other person is also corrupt.
On Edo council election
It is still the case of Abuja Magic. I will comment on the post-election. I congratulate the Edo State government for conducting the election. It was done because of the agitation of Edo people that they need a democratically elected local government administration and the government responded. At least, there is a general consensus that election was held and issues arose. Although I didn’t monitor the election but my colleagues did and from my own appraisal, the key lesson we must learn is that there are areas we must improve on, but the idea that election should be cancelled is unacceptable.
We must move forward, people have invested resources, elections have been organised and people have won and some have lost. The constitution is clear, when you lose an election, you can approach the court, and we will monitor the court process as civil society groups to ensure that the judiciary does its part. I also condemn the violence that erupted. People should not see election as a do-or-die affair, election should be for service. When you don’t win, go and do other things. We must commend the Edo state government for two reasons: for listening to the agitation of the people that election should be conducted and then the logistics challenge. I think the idea of printing our materials from abroad is not acceptable; we must internalize, localize, domesticate because apart from the capital outflow, we must learn to trust ourselves. I understand the challenge of the materials not being hijacked but I think they should improve on it in future so that those things can be printed here.
REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS PERSONS MOVING IN AND OUT OF YOUR VICINITY AND SAFEGUARD THE LIVE OF INNOCENT NIGERIANS.
THURSDAY, 30 MAY 2013 00:00 ALEMMA-OZIORUVA ALIU FEATURES - FOCUS
User Rating: / 1
PoorBest
Reverend David Ugolor, a rights activist, is the Executive Director, African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ). In this interview with ALEMMA-OZIORUVA ALIU in Benin City, he spoke on the raging crisis in the Rivers State PDP involving Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the 2015 general election build-up.
WHAT is your stance on issues relating to the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) and the Presidency?
This is another Abuja magic in display, we are in trouble. Femi Falana recently released a statement where he said there is a gradual move to dictatorship in Nigeria and attempt to muzzle opposition groups and free speech. You know Falana cannot just make a statement out of the blues. I raised the alarm that this government is not willing to listen to alternative voices, every attempt to demand justice, has been frustrated and the level of impunity today in Nigeria is alarming, it cuts across government sectors and institutions.
If you look at the just released human rights report 2012, it is the same message and the response of this government has been very bad; yesterday it was me, today is Amaechi, tomorrow it could be Adams. The Niger State governor also said so recently. So you can see that there is a gradual trend towards muzzling people with alternative views and even a threat to justice and once there is threat to justice, you cannot talk of the rule of law, you cannot talk of democracy.
The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) is a platform for the governors to articulate their positions. They are not arms carriers. The NGF is made up of both governors from the opposition and ruling party and they elected Amaechi as their chairman, and all the issues he has been raising are not his personal views they are consensus issues. Should he now pay a price for that? But you can see that this Abuja magic has brought politics into the NGF and this we condemn outrightly and as if that is not enough, this Abuja Magic which is interpreted as those old politicians who have expired in their states, as soon as they form partnership with the presidency, they try to undermine everything that happens in the states; they portend danger. The on-going politicisation of the NGF activities is condemnable, it is unacceptable and as civil society, we cannot keep quiet.
They brought the judiciary into who becomes the chairman of PDP in Rivers State. They went to Abuja to get a court ruling, something that could be done in Port Harcourt. It is an attempt to muzzle Governor Amaechi and Nigerians should oppose it. If the President wants to contest in 2015, the first thing he should do is to engage all stakeholders from the region, particularly the NGF. I don’t think anybody who wants to be president of Nigeria should be fighting Amaechi who is the chairman of the NGF because the position is that of the NGF. They are playing dirty politics. Look at the delay or seizure of the Rivers State aircraft. The differences between the President and Amaechi is dirty politics, an attempt to undermine some persons as we move towards 2015, it is 2015 politics at play. Even at that, does Amaechi not deserve and have the right to aspire to be president of this country? Does any other person from the South-South not have the right to become the president? It is like once you make contrary statements, you become a target and it is wrong.
Do proper assessment of South-South presidency, what practical benefit has the region got from this government? Amaechi raised concern about the East West Road. Who will say that the road is not an issue in the Niger Delta? He said if the Federal Government cannot handle it, let the South-South governors handle it. Is there anything wrong about that? The politics surrounding NGF has to do with 2015 election and we are saying that everybody, every tribe in the region all has the same right to aspire to become president of this country.
But as a matter of fact, I am not to concerned about who becomes president because from the example in Edo state, the issue of tribe does not really matter. To a large extent, if Oshiomhole was to contest on the basis of ethnicity, he may not even become a councillor in the state. But the people of Edo believed that ethnic background is not the issue but who is able to deliver.
If an opinion poll is carried out in the region today, people are not happy with the current presidency of Godluck Jonathan. The so-called South-South presidency is a ruse, no benefit has come to the region and I think we have a responsibility to begin to articulate views that will help to advance the cause of our people. The fact that less than one per cent of those who believe in arms are currently in comfort zone with the present government does not take away our own right to ventilate our concerns and as an Urhobo person, I have a right to articulate issues that will advance my tribe in the region. The fact that we don’t carry arms in the region does not mean we are silly because we have our own vision.
Allegation that the NGF and its chairman have become like an empire and emperor
NGF is a kind of pressure group registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Its members have their positions. If you have contrary views to what they say, you also have the right to reply to their views. You cannot use federal agencies to now undermine the views of the NGF; it is unacceptable, it is dictatorship and a move to muzzle alternative views. ‘When NGF is supporting the presidency, it is good when they have alternative views, it is bad.’ You don’t run a country like that. Look at the issues they have been raising, Sovereign Wealth Fund and others. The states have their autonomy. The constitution is clear about allocation of resources.
You cannot use state resources to run the SWF and that is what the state governments are saying. Today it is Jonathan, tomorrow it could be anybody. He should not use federal government agencies to do 2015 because he is setting a bad precedent. At best, he will be president for eight years and that is why we are concerned but other persons will be president tomorrow. Look at Obasanjo today, he has become an emergency activist, if somebody had told him he will now be running around as an activist, he won’t believe. Yesterday when he was president, he was so dictatorial and that is why we are saying the right regulations should be put in place instead of castigating and hounding those who hold contrary views because you will not be there tomorrow. Look at people like El-Rufai, Oby Ezekwesili, today they are with us but yesterday they were in government. I don’t think if anybody had told El-Rufai that he will take this stance today, he would believe. So Jonathan should remember these people, let the right policies be in place.
How do you see the recent presidential pardon?
Pardon is now being given to some tribes and some tribes are not given. What is the difference between James Ibori and Diepreye Alamieyeseigha? As a matter of fact, Alamieyeseigha also has an international dimension to his corruption. That is why I want to appeal to the international community that they should not play into the hands of this government because this government’s so- called anti-corruption crusade is wrapped up in tribal sentiments; so when this government said they were cooperating with the British government to bring Ibori to justice, it was a ruse. The British government is wiser. A few months ago, Tinubu was being paraded before the Code of Conduct Tribunal because of his strong views.
We all have a responsibility to defend this democracy. Left alone, I don’t think Jonathan would have become the president of this country. Nigerians fought doggedly for him. We also have the right to disagree with him. Anybody from the Niger Delta who has been driving along the East West road would not be happy with the pace of work there and I don’t think that can fetch him votes from there. Let him not be deceived, Abuja Magic cannot say who will be president in 2015; it is what you are able to do, and what he is able to deliver to the region that will be the basis for who becomes what.
Violence is not exclusive to any particular tribe. The federal government now deals with only those who carry arms. The fact that the Urhobo do not carry arms, the fact that the Ogonis did not carry arms, does not mean they are silly. Look at the billions of naira that have been sunk into amnesty which would have been used to build infrastructure. This is fraud, less than one per cent of the people in the Niger Delta are the ones benefiting from the amnesty. This government has not been able to justify the billions it has spent on the people of the area to justify the sacrifices people have made, sacrifices made by Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight, sacrifices by other tribes in the region. You cannot appropriate such for just one tribe. I think the presidency is heading for disaster in the region and every tribe have the right to defend its own. Amaechi comes from a tribe and every tribe has the right to aspire to be president of the country.
On Obasanjo’s criticism of the Jonathan administration’s fight against corruption
As far as I am concerned, Obsanjo has lost his moral right to criticise this government. He is an hypocrite; his daughter who was a senator was accused of corruption, he is only trying to whip up sentiments. Jonathan is the president of this country; what Obasanjo is doing is unacceptable. When Obasanjo was president, nobody would do to him what he is doing to Jonathan today. What moral basis does he have? If you want to even compare him to Jonathan in terms of listening to alternative views, Jonathan is better. If he had allowed Nigerians to pick their president, we won’t be where we are. It was because he singlehandedly picked Yar’Adua who later died that brought about Jonathan. If he had allowed Nigerians to pick their leader, it would have been different. We are asking Jonathan to deliver because we want true democracy. Our criticism is that he should not use state machinery to manipulate his coming back in 2015.
Comment on the one year anniversary of the death of Olaitan Oyerinde
One year after, the President of this country has failed again. It becoming increasingly clear who killed Olaitan, there is no doubt about it. What they wanted to do was to rope me in and close the case but it is now clear that the they killed Olaitan. It was the President that ordered the investigation into the killing and after almost a year nothing has happened to the extent that a sitting governor, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state had an altercation with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice who lied to Nigerians. It is the same Abuja magic, when they didn’t feel comfortable here in the state, they had to approach the federal DPP (Director of Public Prosecution) for advice on the matter that happened here in Edo; expired politicians who run to the federal government once they see they cannot use their power in the state. All these show the culture of impunity in Nigeria.
Till today, the investigation of Olaitan’s killing is still shrouded in controversy, on who killed him, who did not kill him and I think that in a country where we are talking of democracy, the president by now would have invited the SSS and the police. I hope that as we mark his one year anniversary, it provides us with the energy to continue to demand for justice for him, for us and for his family on who killed Olaitan Oyerinde. But like I said, from the way the police tried to frame me up, that those young men that police claimed killed Olaitan where shot to confess me and we made this point clear through Femi Falana during the public hearing on the matter and up till today, that allegation has not been countered.
On centenary celebration
This provides an opportunity for us to look back. Where are we coming from? Government is investing more resources to embark on criminal investigation and prosecution. We are not heading anywhere. Impunity is increasing daily and I think that according to the book of Leviticus as we approach jubilee period, we should all come together. Most of the political elites are enmeshed in corruption. I think we should have a fresh beginning. Everybody should be forgiven so that we can start on a new slate because the man who wants to prosecute the other person is also corrupt.
On Edo council election
It is still the case of Abuja Magic. I will comment on the post-election. I congratulate the Edo State government for conducting the election. It was done because of the agitation of Edo people that they need a democratically elected local government administration and the government responded. At least, there is a general consensus that election was held and issues arose. Although I didn’t monitor the election but my colleagues did and from my own appraisal, the key lesson we must learn is that there are areas we must improve on, but the idea that election should be cancelled is unacceptable.
We must move forward, people have invested resources, elections have been organised and people have won and some have lost. The constitution is clear, when you lose an election, you can approach the court, and we will monitor the court process as civil society groups to ensure that the judiciary does its part. I also condemn the violence that erupted. People should not see election as a do-or-die affair, election should be for service. When you don’t win, go and do other things. We must commend the Edo state government for two reasons: for listening to the agitation of the people that election should be conducted and then the logistics challenge. I think the idea of printing our materials from abroad is not acceptable; we must internalize, localize, domesticate because apart from the capital outflow, we must learn to trust ourselves. I understand the challenge of the materials not being hijacked but I think they should improve on it in future so that those things can be printed here.
REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS PERSONS MOVING IN AND OUT OF YOUR VICINITY AND SAFEGUARD THE LIVE OF INNOCENT NIGERIANS.
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