Aggrieved APC aspirants need reconciliation, not rebellion — Diket Plang

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, Employment, and Productivity, who is also the Senator representing Plateau Central of Plateau State, Senator Diket Plang, speaks with the North-Central Bureau Chief, ISAAC SHOBAYO, on the controversies trailing the recent All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections, allegations of no positive impact by the Bola Tinubu presidency, fictitious federal government agencies, and insecurity in Nigeria, among others.

AS one of the dissatisfied senatorial aspirants in the recent primary elections, what are your next steps now that the Appeal Committee’s decision did not favour you and others?

As far as livelihood is concerned, our primaries, particularly in my party, the APC, have come and gone. I just feel that what is left for the party is to move with humility, to be more humble than proud, to be more accommodative, and to be apologetic where shortcomings are noticed. Because I’m a party man. I’ve been a councillor. I’ve been a local government chairman. I’ve been a commissioner. I’ve served in the State House of Assembly. I’ve been appointed by a president at the national level, and today I’m a senator. From 1999—or even before then, from 1996—I have been in the corridor of political office. That means I have gone through a lot of primary elections. But I feel that if there are conflicting interests within a party, there should be more dialogue and understanding. As a party man and someone who desires the will of God in my life, I want to assure you that I’m not too big to reach an understanding with every interest, so long as that interest will benefit my people. So, for the APC, I think maybe most of us just need some sort of apology for allocating votes when it was not really that way, because votes are a matter of record. But for me, I remain APC. I remain loyal to the APC. I remain committed and hardworking for the APC.

The APC primaries have come and gone. I believe there should be more internal democracy, stronger internal relationships, more dialogue, and greater understanding, because the APC will remain.

The opposition parties claim that there’s not much positive impact since President Tinubu took office in 2023. What is your assessment of the situation?

We have a singular leader who sees tomorrow. He is generational in his thinking. Whether I’m in office or not, as long as we have this kind of leadership, a leadership that is focused and futuristic, I believe Nigeria has a future. The legacy projects we have gone to inspect and the courage shown by the president, even in removing the fuel subsidy, have made it possible for governments at various levels to function. It was a brave step that only a courageous leader could take. If you look at the legacy projects, particularly the four major legacy projects, they have created corridors for economic advancement. They improve connectivity among Nigerians and accessibility to our communities. Roads are roads to wealth. Roads are roads to good health. Roads are roads to security. Roads are roads to economic advancement. Roads are roads to cultural connectivity. Roads help reduce travel time and improve productivity.

The aggrieved party members, particularly aspirants who felt shortchanged, are currently threatening to work against the APC. What advice do you have for those who believe justice was not served during the primaries?

We all believe that whoever contests for an elective position is someone who is willing to offer himself for service. I still expect the leadership of the party to do the right thing by finding ways of talking to one another. For my brothers who contested and lost, many of them believe the elections were not properly conducted. I’m going to meet with all of them so we can discuss it because the current president deserves everybody’s support. For the sake of what I see in Mr. President—his vision, courage, determination, inclusiveness, and commitment to national connectivity—we should all be willing to make sacrifices to ensure that these goals are achieved. I also want to say this loudly: I was anxious about whether Mr. President would retain his vice president. Despite all the speculations and attempts from different quarters, I thank Almighty God that Mr. President remained resolute and retained his vice president, His Excellency Senator Kashim Shettima. I believe that demonstrates stability at the highest level. I see a vice president who has been extremely loyal. For me, retaining someone like him in government gives me great satisfaction. I believe we are good to go.

One of the bills that is so dear to you is your bill on the establishment of the Federal University of Geology and Geosciences in Jos, Plateau State, which has gone through all the necessary procedures and is now before Mr. President, but to the surprise of many, the President last week announced the conversion of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa to such a university. How do you feel about this?

The Institute of Mining and Geosciences in Jos is the foremost research centre for mining in the entire country. It is the foremost technical and research institution in the mining sector. It was upgraded by President Olusegun Obasanjo from the School of Mines to the status of an institute. The School of Mines itself was established before independence by the colonial administration. The purpose was to train Nigerians who would assist expatriate miners working on the Plateau and across Nigeria. Two such schools were established in Africa that I know of—one in Tarkwa, Ghana, and one on the Jos Plateau. The school established in Tarkwa has since become Ghana’s University of Mines and Technology, while ours was only upgraded to an institute by President Olusegun Obasanjo. Today, the institute in Jos runs postgraduate programmes in affiliation with the University of Jos. The institute is equipped with world-class facilities, and it has several campuses. The chief executive of the institution—the director-general—is a professor of mining engineering. My proposal was simply to upgrade that institution into a university.

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As I speak today, my bill is Senate Bill 12 (SB12). It is among the earliest bills introduced in the 10th Senate. It was the very first bill seeking the establishment of a tertiary institution. The bill has gone through first reading, second reading, and public hearing and has passed all the necessary legislative processes. It has also passed through the House of Representatives and is now awaiting final action. That tells you it is one of the foremost bills before the National Assembly. Now, a polytechnic that offers courses like accounting and fine arts—without even offering geology or mining—is to be converted into a university, while we already have an institute with the equipment, expertise, and facilities required. I still believe my bill is genuine. I believe my proposal remains the most qualified for establishment. However, I thank God Nasarawa State has it, and I thank God for them. But I don’t think it should be too much to ask that, instead of sustaining a very high-level institute like this, it should be upgraded to a university. Nigeria is a country blessed with mineral resources, and when it comes to the study of mineralogy and mining sciences, even if we have more than one university dedicated to that field, it will not be too much. I still believe that the Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences, established by our colonial masters and equipped not only with world-class facilities but also with highly qualified professionals, deserves to be upgraded into a Federal University of Mining and Geosciences.

What are your thoughts on the controversy surrounding the discovery of a fictional federal government agency, the “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council,” linked to Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, particularly the mention of the Senate in the saga?

As far as I’m concerned, this incident should serve as a wake-up call for every Senate committee that has oversight responsibilities over government ministries, departments, and agencies. It should remind us that every committee must verify whether the agencies under its supervision are authentic and established by law. If you’re careless and an agency is assigned to your committee without you verifying its legal status, situations like this can continue unnoticed. But with this discovery, I’m confident that the Senate will thoroughly review all the agencies under every committee to ensure they are genuine, legally established, and properly recognised. So, I want to assure you that, although this discovery is unfortunate, it is also useful because it will help us prevent similar situations in the future. Otherwise, many of us would never have thought to look in that direction. It is a very important revelation for all of us.

Don’t you think Nigerian security agencies need more encouragement in light of the country’s enormous security challenges?

All Nigerians need to encourage our security personnel. That encouragement should not be limited to funding alone. Beyond providing adequate resources, we also need to increase their personnel. As much as equipment has been improved, we should also ensure that the number of personnel is increased. I also see greater achievements for our security architecture, especially with the recent bill seeking the establishment of state police. The idea of state police has received overwhelming support from Nigerians, regardless of political party. It is not just an APC issue. Even those outside the APC have embraced the proposal. Once state police are established, it means there will be more recruitment to strengthen the security of Nigerians. With increased recruitment, intelligence gathering will become much more effective. When you have state police alongside the military and the Nigeria Police Force, I am confident there will be sufficient manpower and wider security coverage to confront criminality, particularly the challenge of insecurity.

The federal government is being accused of giving more attention to the Oyo kidnapping than other kidnapping incidents that happened at the same time in other parts of the country…

(Cuts in) Let me say that every incident has its own circumstances. The timing of these events differs, and the circumstances surrounding them are also different. If you look at the Borno situation, you will understand that it is difficult to determine exactly where the victims may have been taken. When kidnappers hold people for a long time, the victims may be moved from one location to another, and in some cases, even outside the country.

However, when an abduction has happened recently, there is a greater possibility that the victims are still being held together in one location, making rescue operations more feasible. So, the approach, the timing, and the leadership at any given moment all make a difference. With the momentum we are seeing now, I believe that if it is sustained and adequately supported, we will be much better positioned to confront criminality and insecurity across the country.