WHY are you interested in the Delta South Senatorial district seat?
My people need someone like me who understands issues, who can look at things very deeply to ensure his constituency is not shortchanged.
I used to be an active member of the Junior Chambers. One of the creeds is that: “Government should be of laws rather than of men.” What that means is that a society where there’s no law and order can never stand. A society where everything has to revolve around a figure who takes decisions without recourse to the law can never stand. That means a government that allows arbitrariness is the government of man, not of the law. This is where the National Assembly comes in. Besides enacting laws, it can remind the nation that there’s an existing law that must be obeyed. There are a lot of laws binding the Niger Delta: those that talk about breaking of pipelines; those that say you cannot damage the environment, all these can be applied, but a lot have been buried.
For instance, we can go beyond the law that prescribes refund of money by a contractor that failed to execute his project. In the Niger Delta, many projects have been abandoned. I remember I awarded projects which were not completed. Why were they not completed? So, there has to be a law that it’s not me that is facing the person, but the law. By the time we look at all these laws and issues about the Niger Delta, we can get an improvement.
We also need to look at laws that’ll improve income accruing to oil-bearing communities. There should be a law that compels every company operating in the region to contribute a percentage to the host communities. This is done in Arizona and the Netherlands. Ours, here, should not be an exception.
And to ensure a near absolute peace and security in the Niger Delta, local youths should be engaged to assist security men in intelligence gathering; through this, we’ll be able to reduce a lot of criminal activities in the creeks. These and more I have in store to undertake as a Senator from the region come 2019.
How far have you gone in seeking the consent of your people?
First, a man that has done this severally under 25 local government areas, now it’s eight local government areas, I believe it’s going to be less stressful, but no election is easy and I’m not taking it for granted. There are minimum requirements to be a senator in this country, and anybody who meets these requirements can contest. So, I’m not looking at who’s qualified or who’s not. Whoever is not qualified, that’ll would be decided by the electoral body. When you’re going for an election, the first point of conviction is your immediate family, then your extended family, then your community. My family has agreed and so, we’re moving.
We believe that the First Eleven should always be put forward for political representation. What are you doing as a major stakeholder to ensure the best candidates are encouraged to represent the people?
Representation depends on your area of jurisdiction. At a point in the history of the Itsekiri people, it was necessary to put persons in certain positions because at that time of crises, it was the survival of the people that mattered most. So, we needed certain persons who are bold, courageous, for that kind of leadership positions available. Looking at the state as a whole under PDP, we’ve built people with capacities over the years. Those days, you could come from London and win elections, but now, you can’t. They’ll only “eat” your money and you’ll lose. You need to build from the bottom not from the top. What the PDP has done since I was governor is that you should go and hold your Ward tight. It means that every political leader should go and man his or her ward. And like me now, it’s difficult for anyone to beat me in my Ward. It’s the tradition of man your Ward. It’s our tradition that you man your Ward because politics is at the grassroots.
Besides the Delta South Senatorial seat you’re running for, we know the same rotational understanding subsists and applicable to other elective positions among the three ethnic groups in your district. How will you avert any unforeseen trouble?
It’s not a one-person show. It’s a group or family thing. What I know is that it’s the turn of the Itsekiris to occupy the senatorial seat at the Senate.
How will the arrangement go as you push to emerge candidate among the three major ethnic groups in your senatorial district?
Yes, there are three ethnic groups that have been rotating the seat namely: Itsekiris, Ijaws and Isokos. From where we are now, the next senator should be an Itsekiri and they’re agitating for it. Any country that wants to win the World Cup today must put up his first eleven. So, if the Itsekiri actually wants it, they must put up their first eleven forward even if it requires calling us to a debate. But the Itsekiris will need the Ijaws, the Isokos, Urhobos to get it. However, my campaign is not anchored on the fact that I’m an Itsekiri because I’m not going to represent only Itsekiri, but Ijaws, Isokos, Urhobos and others. So, my aspiration is not ethnic-based; it’s rather a knowledge-based and capacity-based aspiration.
and then