Politics
Feeling Of Allienation Fuels Agitations – Rev Dagogo-Jack
He had been governorship candidate in Rivers State on the platform of the Fresh Democratic Party as well as the chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties in Rivers State and the South-South region. In the past Rotimi Amaechi administration, Rev (Dr) Minaibi Dagogo-Jack was S.A to the Governor on Empowerment and Chairman of the SURE-P programme.
In this interview with Opaka Dokubo, Rev Dagogo-Jack shares his thoughts on some trending issue, in the polity. Excerpts!
Have you left politics?
No, I have not completely left politics. I am still there but I am taking another direction. Having served in government as S.A to the governor and chairman of the SURE-P programme in Rivers State, I’ve come to have a better understanding of what leadership is all about. So, I’m taking a different approach in trying to raise awareness in righteous governance.
What I have come to understand is that it is not of him that willeth, neither is it of him that runneth, but it is of God that showeth mercy.
What is the condition of Fresh Democratic Party in Rivers State and is your governorship ambition still alive?
Well, when I came up to contest the governorship under the Fresh Democratic Party, I mentioned to everybody, while some of my counterparts were telling people that God spoke to them that they will be elected governor, I told people that God didn’t say in my case. It was my heart’s desire to serve, my heart’s desire to change the system, my heart’s desire to bring fresh democracy into the system. That was how I joined the party whose leadership is ministerial.
So, with regard to my governorship ambition, before now I said and not the Lord but for now I have not said and God has not said anything. So I can’t say I still have such ambition because I have not thought of that yet and God has not spoken to me too.
What is your opinion concerning the renewed talk about restructuring of Nigeria?
Ten years ago I made my position clear that Nigeria needed restructuring and that is still my position until it is restructured. We say that we are a federation but it is obvious that we are not practicing true federalism. I think that the concentration of power at the centre is too much. We need a devolution of power.
Agitations are coming because people are feeling alienated, people are feeling that they’re being marginalised. So I strongly believe that restructuring is indeed needed.
I have been watching Buhari to start the process but there’s no way you can start restructuring without fighting corruption; there’s no way you can properly govern well without fighting corruption. I think that corruption has become a great monster in this country. So I think that the president’s fight against corruption is in order but he must think about restructuring the country also with a view to according every unit its proper place. Let the local governments properly run as local government, let the state governments be given their proper powers and let the federal be given their proper place as well.
We need to come together and discuss on restructuring. It’s not the federal government alone sitting down and deciding the matter. While we discuss, we must take into account the reports of panels and conferences that are already available. The report of the National Conference held by the Goodluck Jonathan administration is there. There is also the Justice Uwais Electoral Reforms Report. There is yet another report by a committee led by Ledum Mitee on the Niger delta issue.
We really need to come together and talk as friends in order to chart a way forward for this country.
What do you think should be the appropriate relationship between a sitting government and opposition political parties and politicians?
I think that the government should always give a reasonable quota to the opposition to come and demonstrate what they have to offer to the people. For example, at the national level, can you point to any member of an opposition party that is in government? There is none. Opposition parties are not accommodated at all. In fact, if they can kill all the opposition to have a one party system they will do it.
Today, the only opposition party is the PDP and I thank God. Let them suffer and let them see the pains of being in opposition. They are crying and they’re shouting but how many commissioners in the state where they control are from the opposition parties? So, the present situation is not fair. It is not proper. We must think of how to put Nigeria first and the people first in everything we do.
What do you say about a situation where the opposition makes it difficult for the government to settle down and work as in Rivers State?
No, that’s not the right thing. Right from when I was actively in politics and as chairman of the CNPP. I have always told people that opposition does not mean throwing stones. Opposition means ensuring that things work well. You’re not examined or rated by the number of stones you throw at those in power. Whatever government does you want to criticize, no its not proper.
I was pleasantly surprised when Governor Nyesom Wike joined the government at the Ogoni clean up. That’s good. I was also surprised when he said that the militants bombing of oil facilities should stop. This is how it should be.
When you identify government policies that are good, you should support and encourage them because the welfare of the people should come first in our mind in whatever thing that we’re doing.
Take another example of Governor Wike completing projects with contractors from the previous government and I hear some people criticising it “you don’t have a project.” I don’t know what is wrong with politicians. Government is a continuum and Minister of Works, Fashola is saying that they will do the same thing. So what is the justification for the criticism. What the federal government is doing in this regard is proper and what Governor Wike is doing is proper.
Some people say he (Gov. Wike) does not have a vision, he is operating the vision of Rotimi Amaechi. If Amaechi has a good vision and he is continuing with that vision, what is wrong in that?
I think we should leave that type of politics and support those in government who are doing right and also, when they’re doing wrong, you constructively tell them that they’re doing wrong.
Give your assessment of Governor Wike’s one year in office
I have been asked this question severally and I have maintained that I can’t assess Governor Wike now the reason being that if you watch very carefully, since this man came on board, he has never rested. He has been fighting court cases, militants fighting here and criminals fighting there. And then it is only recently that he had the Supreme Court verdict. If you watch him now, it is now that he is trying to settle down to governance. He has been playing politics since he came. He has been too partisan since he came and that is part of the restructuring we need to do.
A leader that has assumed office no longer belongs to a political party alone. You can see how much he has been struggling from the time he got that verdict till now without money and borrowing to meet up some obligations. I don’t want to assess him now. But from now to his second anniversary in office, my eyes are on him.
INEC says it is under no pressure to conduct election, in Rivers State. What do you make of that?
Every Riversman, the church leaders and everybody should be ashamed. If a church leaders says they are politicians, when they win don’t go Mother Teresa said the sin of indifference is greater than any other thing. We all are at fault in this matter-Nyesom Wike, Rotimi Amaechi, APC, PDP, we church leaders are all at fault because we were sleeping when the devil came to sow the tars.
I have not heard this kind of thing that INEC said they’re not going to conduct election because of insecurity. It is uncalled. It is unthinkable. We played ourselves into their hands. We were sleeping. Let’s go back and ask God for forgiveness.
It is unacceptable that we don’t have anybody in the Senate and we have only five persons in the House of Representatives. Do our people not have a right to be represented? The same thing is happening in the House of Assembly.
Every Rivers leader should be ashamed of himself for the fact that you did not even speak out the truth; for the fact that you did not get involved, for the fact that you were protecting your party ahead of the interest of the people, you should confess that sin because the interest of Rivers State should be paramount in our heart. We all should be blamed and it is a shame that we are so deprived.
If we all come together and say enough is enough, this excuse of insecurity will not stand and INEC will come and conduct election. We all must take Rivers State as our constituency and forge a common front and INEC will have no say. We, our conduct gave INEC the boldness to look at us in the face and tell us there is insecurity otherwise did INEC not conduct election in Borno State? Even when President Jonathan said there should not be elections, the people insisted that there should be elections and they conducted elections.
There were elections conducted in Boko Haram infested areas and you can’t conduct elections here? Well, we played ourselves into their hands.
As I have said, we have to take the blame. The spirit of indifference was in us and we were thinking of our own and the devil came to sow tars because we were sleeping. INEC is capitalising on that and I think we should rise up from our slumber and God will help us.
Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, on Monday, passed a vote of confidence in Mojisola Meranda as the Speaker of the Assembly.
The lawmakers expressed their confidence in her leadership at the plenary, which Rt Hon. Meranda presided over amidst tight security.
The Tide’s source reports that there was a growing tension at the assembly as legislative workers protested against the alleged plans to remove Rt Hon. Meranda as the Speaker of the Assembly.
The legislative workers also clashed with the operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) who, in the early hours of Monday, stormed the assembly and sealed Rt Hon. Meranda’s office alongside that of her Deputy and the Clerk.
Our source had reported how armed security personnel took over the complex at Alausa, Ikeja, leading to palpable tension among the lawmakers and workers of the assembly.
There are indications that the ongoing imbroglio at the assembly following the removal of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker on January 13 has not abated.
The Monday’s drama came a few days after Mr Obasa, who was removed for alleged abuse of office and corruption, dragged the state lawmakers to court, challenging his removal as the Speaker of the Assembly.
There are alleged plans to return Mr Obasa as the Speaker, a development which has further heightened tension at the assembly.
The Tide’s source reports that when Meranda arrived the assembly complex amidst tight security around 11:15 am on Monday, many legislative workers showed solidarity with the first female Speaker over alleged plans to remove her.
“Meranda we want”, “Meranda We want”, the workers were chanting in a short video clip.
Rt Hon. Meranda visibly overwhelmed by emotion was surrounded by her security details amid the chaotic atmosphere.
Inside the chamber, officials of the DSS clashed with the legislative workers, leading to commotion.
The DSS officials, dressed in black jackets and helmets and armed with weapons, struggled with the workers at the door.
The Tide’s source gathered that, with support from the legislative workers, lawmakers had earlier forced their way into the chamber around 12:30 pm.
It was further gathered that Rt Hon Meranda and about 32 members were present at the plenary.
A short video clip of the plenary showed that all the lawmakers in attendance had passed a vote of confidence on Rt Hon Meranda.
“Madam Speaker, all members standing before you, I move a motion to say that we do pass the vote of confidence on Rt Hon Mojisola Lasbat Meranda”, a lawmaker said.
The motion was supported by all members in attendance.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, on Monday, traded words over the alleged killing of three persons.
Members of both parties were locked in battle for the control of some local government secretariats. While two persons were killed in Iragbiji in Boripe Local Government Area, another was killed in Irewole Local Government Area.
There had been tension across the state over the Court of Appeal judgment in respect of the sacked APC council chairmen and councillors.
While the PDP claimed that the Feb. 10 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Akure, did not reinstate the sacked APC chairmen and councillors elected in 2022, APC insisted on their return.
Speaking with journalists in Iragbiji, Korede Ajeigbe, the commissioner for government affairs and protocol, claimed that two PDP members were killed while trying to prevent APC members from taking over a secretariat.
Mr Ajeigbe also said that six PDP members were seriously injured and were currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
APC, however, alleged that PDP members attacked its members while trying to enforce the Court of Appeal judgment.
Addressing a news conference in Osogbo, Bayo Adeleke, a chieftain of the APC, claimed that one of the party’s prominent members was killed during the crisis.
He also alleged that another member of the party, Remi Omowaye, escaped an assassination attempt in Ilesa.
Mr Adeleke, a former commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, urged the state government to allow peace to reign by allowing the APC chairmen and councillors to return to office.
Another chieftain of the party, Jamiu Olawumi, claimed that APC chairmen had resumed in 15 local governments of the state.
This claim, however, could not be immediately verified.
When contacted, the police spokesperson in the state, CSP Yemisi Opalola, said she was yet to be briefed on the alleged killings.
Ms Opalola, however, said police officers had been deployed to all the local government secretariats in the state to prevent breakdown of law and order.
Meanwhile, Gov. Ademola Adeleke has directed workers as well as politicians to stay away from local government secretariats to avoid further bloodshed.
Mr Adeleke, in a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, said only security agents would be allowed to keep watch at the secretariats.
He condoled with families of victims of the crisis.
Leader of the 8th Opobo/Nkoro Legislative Assembly, Barrister Samuel Nengia, has passed a vote of confidence on the Chairman of the LGA, Dr. Enyiada Cookey-Gam, as he marked his first one hundred days in his second term in office.
Speaking with newsmen recently in Port-Harcourt on Dr Cookey-Gam and the celebration of his first one hundred days in office, among other people-oriented development projects and programmes, Nengia argued that the Chairman and his team have recorded unprecedented developmental strides, which includes infrastructure transformation, empowerment, security, human capital development, payment of the approved N85,000. 00 minimum wage to Opobo/Nkoro workers’, among others.
He pointed out that his commendation was apt as the activities of the Chairman had been monitored and discovered to reflect the expectations and yearnings of the people, especially, the promotion of council staff, the refurbishment of the Assembly Complex to standard, the construction of Corpers’ Lodge, the provision of effective transportation system for the well-being of the people in the area.
Hon. Nengia, representing Opobo/Nkoro Ward 6, averred that the people of the LGA could now sleep with their eyes closed owing to Dr Cookey-Gam’s achievements in in the security sector.
He added that the vote of confidence the Council’s number one citizen would strengthen him to deliver more democratic dividends to Opobo/Nkoro people.
He admonished Opobo/Nkoro people to rally support for the Chairman to perform creditably well for the well-being of the electorate in the area.
Meanwhile, Barr. Samuel Nengia, has thanked Governor Siminalayi Fubara for appointing three illustrious sons of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area into positions of trust vis former Commissioner for Education, Dr. Tamunosisi Gogo Jaja, as Chairman, Rivers State House of Assembly Service Commission; former Secretary of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, Engr. Edward Namiesimagha, as Chairman, Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) and Surveyor Peter Ogolo, as Surveyor-, General of the state.
Hon. Nengia, who described the appointments as well deserved, however, enjoined the appointees to bring their leadership wealth of experience to bear in the herculean tasks of reviving their various areas of jurisdiction.
Bethel Toby