APC will restore hope in governance -Oyegun
Written by Friday, 15 March 2013 00:00 font size Print Email


Chief John Odigie Oyegun, a former governor of Edo State and one of the leaders of the yet to be registered All Progressives Congress (APC) speaks, in this interview with Banji Aluko, on the state of the nation, the real reasons behind the formation of APC and other issues. Excerpts:

AS one of the people behind the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), what is the motivation behind your decision to work together for a grand alliance?

What I can say is that the travails and woes of this nation have forced the leaders of the various opposition parties to recognise the fact that this nation needs to be rescued from the inexorable degeneration which, if not checked, could lead to a very bad situation. I mean there is no question at all that we are rushing towards a precipice. That explains the reason for the coming together of the opposition parties. The main objective is to present to the Nigerian nation, a different platform and perspective and what people will call ideology. We want to restore credibility and people’s belief back to governance. I read an editorial that made an unfortunate point that there is no much difference between the opposition and the PDP but I want to say that there is much difference.

What are these differences?

I’m not saying that all our governments are free of corruption but I’m saying that our governors are being responsive to the needs of their people, beginning from Lagos State to other states in the South West and Edo State. Even a few PDP governors are beginning to copy the examples that are being set by the progressive governors in the country. I’m glad about that because in the days when we had regions, the pacemaker was Obafemi Awolowo’s Western Region but other regions bought in and, at the end of the day, it helped the nation to develop. So, the opinion that there is no difference between the PDP government and that of the progressive parties is not right.

Another factor analysts are talking about is that the opposition is being driven by the singular objective of driving the PDP out of power...
Let us use Edo State as an example. Look at Edo State five years ago and Edo State now. Is it the same? The ideology people talk about is in service delivery. What is government about? Is government not about creating hope for the people? Today, parents can take their children to public schools in Edo State because the atmosphere is conducive for learning and the schools’ environments are now vey civilised.

Are you talking about the counterpart funding between the Federal and state government?

Yes, the counterpart funding you are talking about was in place six, seven years ago and nothing happened. In a lot of states, nothing happened and nothing is happening now. The programme requires a counterpart funding from the state governments and only a government that cares about the welfare of its people makes the counterpart funding available. So, it doesn’t matters where the money comes from. What matters here is that the people are being cared for.
How can anyone just sit down and say that all the political parties are the same because of the conventional wisdom? Already, we are doing things that are different and we want to spread them. If Edo State, in five years, can become like this, you must ask what will happen if the people governing the state are those governing at the centre. These are the alternatives we want to present to the Nigerian public. We are not going to take cudgels and drive PDP out of power. What we are going to do is put what we have on the table for Nigerians to see and show them what the PDP has offered them in the last 14 years. If the people prefer us, or the inactivity and the loss of direction in the last 14 years, so be it. We are going to come out with a mission statement that you can call ideology or what you like. The mission statement will address the true aspiration of the Nigerian people.

So, the reason behind the formation of APC is the general election of 2015?

No, the reason behind the formation of APC is to present Nigerians with an alternative platform. Remember that there would be elections across the states even before 2015. So, APC is not actually being bottled for 2015 though common sense dictates that the earlier you start, the better, because soon, we shall start to have individuals from different parties who have ambition to contest elections. Right now, there is nothing like that. This is the time to work and strengthen the party without the stress of ambitions.

How will power be shared between the North and the South. Are you looking for a presidential candidate from the North or South?

Why can’t people talk about the prospects of the APC? Why can’t they look at the fact that we are working ahead of schedule? Why can’t they emphasise the fact that people are now becoming successful in bottling up their personal interests and concentrating on the need to salvage Nigeria? These are the positives I expect people to talk about.

Are you very sure that people are ready to drop their ambitions for the common goal of the party?

Of course, yes, because it has not come up in any meeting that I have attended. Did you read General Muhammadu Buhari? He said he, General Buhari, would not present himself for any office but only if his party insisted on him. However, that is not on the table and it is not an issue today. What is important now is the platform we are constructing. When we finish, I pray we have more than 20 presidential candidates because the more, the better.

By 2015, the South would have produced the president of the country for 13 out of 16 years. Is the APC not inclined to producing a presidential candidate from the north?

Again, that is an issue we are discussing for now. The truth of the matter is that when the time comes, we will look for the best candidate who will lead Nigeria out of the doldrums.

From the North or South?

From anywhere. The point is, the candidate must be marketable, presentable and inspire the Nigerian electorate. However, the fact remains that the issue is not on the table now and it will not be until we finish constructing this new party. Nobody is thinking about that for now because if you don’t have a vehicle, you don’t think of employing a driver. Let us put the horse before the cart.

You spoke about the rot that you want to come and clean. How much rot do we have in the system?

[b]If I can summarise it, I would say that we are a nation that has lost its direction; a nation that inexorably is heading for the cliff. We are a nation that is heading towards anarchy, we are a nation that no longer has standards, and whose citizens cannot be shocked anymore. Nigerians can no longer be shocked by any news because the level of impunity in the country has reached such a height that that I don’t think there is any word in the English dictionary that can suitably describe it. Every day, we move from one disgraceful act to another one. The most shameful thing is that none of these acts has abated. That has become like a permanent cancer that is eating away the Nigerian body politic. All these things are happening in the full glare of about 160 million strong audiences with about 25 to 30 per cent young people who have no jobs. So, if you consider the entire situation, you will agree that we are heading for serious trouble. Today, we are trying to curtail Boko Haram but I pray something like that
does not spring up in another part of the country because if it happens, it will be difficult to manage the two.
In Nigeria today, one can count what is going right with the fingers but what is not right are too numerous to count. In fact, what is wrong is everything. Power improved temporarily and now we are back to the doldrums. As I am talking to you right now, there is no power here in G.R.A. of Benin City. This place is not just G.R.A., this is the heart of GRA and is only less than 500 metres to the Ring Road and the Government House. So, if there is no light here, you can imagine what is happening in other places. We are experiencing all these things in the face of the humongous amount that has been spent on power in the country. Tell me, how do you want people to believe in governance? How do you want them to have hope?[/b]

So, these are the problems the APC hope to tackle?

We want Nigerians to, once again, be proud of being Nigerians. We want them to wake up and be happy that somebody cares about their welfare and happiness.

Can you describe how it was being a governor about 20 years ago and now?

The level of public morality has degenerated abysmally. In those days, there were still rules and shame. When I recently heard that somebody stole over 20 billion naira, I wondered how he did it. I mean a trillionnaira worth of contract was not awarded. So, how did he do it? Do people just write checks now and move the money from the treasury? I really don’t understand. I read these things everyday and they turn out to be true. In those days, things like that didn’t just happen. There was ethics, morality and shame. All these things have totally disappeared from the polity. Then, we believed that the law would catch up with you if you did something like what they are doing today. These days, the law doesn’t catch up with them.
Even if it does, the person is left with enough to live a life of leisure for the rest of his life and two life times. How does that curb corruption? How does it restore ethics into the society? How does it restore standards?
So, my time as governor and now are two different worlds, totally different ones without comparisons. I earned N60,000 monthly as governor. I hardly recognised that there was something like security vote.

So there was no security vote then?

There was a bit of it but you didn’t touch it unless there was a serious urgency. You didn’t spend it because it was not meant to be spent. Now, there is a lot of money around. In my time, we had a budget of about N600 million.

Some people are of the opinion that it is high time old politicians like you left the scene for the young ones. Do you agree with that?

This is one of the clichés that I criticise. It is similar to the one I criticised concerning some people saying that there are no differences between the APC and the PDP. Again, it is a wrong cliché. How many people in government today are more than 55 years of age? Only few governors are more than 55. So, you can see that the shift has already occurred. What else do you want? Perhaps these people want youths in their 20s to become governors.

But you still contested an election last year as the vice presidential candidate of the ANPP?

That was because of the force of circumstances. That was one man out of a multitude. Indeed, generational change has occurred in Nigeria. Show me proof that it has not occurred. Show me the old people that are still controlling this country.

So, for people like you, it is bye-bye to political office?

Of course, I’m in what they call departure line. I’m still there because I feel very strongly about the direction the country is going and until God closes my eyes, I will do my best to help change the course of this nation.

Mr. Globe:
like they have restored in ACN and CPC state. *sigh*. *Throws this another Gbawe's desperate propaganda thread into the thrash*

Mr. Globe:
like they have restored in ACN and CPC state. *sigh*. *Throws this another Gbawe's desperate propaganda thread into the thrash*

confusion247:
I can now see that Gbawe is hoping to be the chief press secretary to a phantom and un-electable APC president. APC, CPC,ACN should have known that their is no vacancy in aso rock till 2019. A vote for ACP is a vote to promote terrorism and terrorists.

Gbawe.:




What is wrong with you people? Can you not even discuss the article presented instead of focusing on your fellow forumer? Whether you know it or not, your ilk illustrate what is wrong with the average Nigerian youths and how he is totally bereft of idea or original/productive thought. If you have anything to say in regard to the original article then say it. Otherwise, get lost.

Mr. Globe:

I addressed the article Mr. man. I don't know why you have to let your dead conscience take its toll on you. In any case you lack any form of credibility on this forum so when you post articles like this, its only right to remind you who you are.

like they have restored in ACN and CPC state. *sigh*

Gbawe.:




What is wrong with you people? Can you not even discuss the article presented instead of focusing on your fellow forumer? Whether you know it or not, your ilk illustrate what is wrong with the average Nigerian youths and how he is totally bereft of idea or original/productive thought. If you have anything to say in regard to the original article then say it. Otherwise, get lost.

$£yi:


Once you give attention seekers what they're thirsty of, they drag you down to the shallow way of thinking they're used to displaying. Ignoring them is not a bad option.

Gbawe.:


M0r0n. You call this garbage 'addressing the article' ?

In any case, Did I write the article to warrant the personalised attention of you and your over-emotional co-travellers? Why not react to what your political leaders are saying? Am I to assume you subconsciously view me as your boss/superior to the extent you must always obsessively personalise response when I speak instead of dealing with the subject matter? For someone who has no credibility here you and your ilk sure devote a lot of time to responding to anything I do here. You are not fooling anyone. Quit with the crush and define your own identity here. Stand for something for once in your wretched existence.