Comrade Joseph Evah, human rights activist and co-ordinator of the Ijaw Monitoring Group, in this interview with journalists in Abuja, speaks on rumours doing the rounds in Bayelsa State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that the Presidency is plotting to stop Governor Seriake Dickson from having a second term in office, his recent meeting with American Envoys on the situation in the Nigeria Delta region among other issues Abuja Deputy Bureau Chief, JACOB SEGUN OLATUNJI, was there. Excerpts:
BAYELSA State is the homeland of the Ijaws. How would you rate the state governor, Honourable Seriake Dickson, since assumption of office?
Governor Dickson is much focused. You know that I don’t manage words about politicians. Governor Dickson, by every standard, symbolises the Ijaw character and boldness. You know I criticised him when some youths were arrested for demonstrating about the unemployment situation and, as a listening leader, he allowed the court to set them free.
We have states in this country that will force the court in their states to keep those opposed to their policies away in prison custody for years. Dickson is desperate to develop Bayelsa and he is a selfless servant who will never compromise hard work to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
Is the governor’s relationship with the presidency still cordial, considering the rumour doing the rounds in the state and in Abuja that there are underground moves in the Presidency by some powerful Ijaw leaders to replace him and stop him from seeking re-election?
There is nobody in the Presidency planning that. President Jonathan will never plan such a thing. The president is lucky that somebody who is prepared to work is there for him back at home, for him to have rest of mind in Abuja. The president and his wife are still pleased with Governor Dickson. Let me tell you the truth, no normal Ijaw person will talk about replacing Governor Dickson now. Anybody thinking about that needs to re-examine his head. The speed with which the government took off has not yet abated.
We know the kind of political class we produce in our region; 90 per cent of them are political gamblers. They don’t have conscience. So, if we identify the few that can work for the people, we have to encourage them. There are few people proving to the world that we are in government. Honourable Kingsley Kuku and Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and a few others are symbols.
The secret of Governor Dickson’s leadership qualities and that of the likes of Ambassador Godknows Igali, Kingsley Kuku, Akpobolokemi and a few others is that they are in government to work for the people. So, the spirit of the struggle for mankind will push them to do their best for society. When my set of executives in Ijaw National Congress (INC) left the scene after the military era, the exco that Governor Dickson belonged took over.
I was the spokesman of the INC when the late General Sani Abacha killed Ken Saro-Wiwa during the military era. Dickson cannot be a governor and do something else. It is God who saw the plight of Ijaw people and sent him to be governor.
So, anybody who tries to be funny with his mandate will face the power of the people and I believe he will never derail because the spirit of Ijawness is burning inside him. We pray he does not fail till the end of his tenure.
You met with the American Ambassador to Nigeria and the Assistant Secretary of State Bureau of Conflict and Stabilisation in Lagos recently. Why the parley with the America top envoys?
The meeting was about the situation in the Niger Delta. I told them the situation in the area. I told them that the situation is very bad and that we need international assistance as it happened during the apartheid regime in South Africa.They are aware of the bad situation. There is no industry in the region. I told them to encourage President Jonathan to implement the United Nations Report on Ogoni which, by extension, means the clean-up of the Niger Delta region.
After achieving this feat, I mean the UN recognition of our environmental problem, will somebody then tell my generation that Nigeria does not know what to do with it? And that the report will be abandoned the Nigerian way? This is unacceptable to this generation.
Do you think the Americans are ready to assist the Niger Delta?
The Americans are ready because how long are we going to run in circles about development? They have seen that the Niger Delta youths are peaceful and law -abiding but have no jobs to engage their idle brains. We want massive engagement strategy to save the situation. Some of the governors are really trying their best but we want a coordinated approach by the Federal Government, NDDC, Ministry of Niger Delta and the government to massively work out a solution.
When you hear that the Federal Government is owing NDDC N800 billion debt, you continue to wonder whether we are in a mad country that does not want peace. The Federal Government has been owing the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) since the Obasanjo era. It is a shame. And our royal fathers are in court over the debts.It is shocking.
Do you agree with President Jonathan’s stance on the no-go-areas at the ongoing national conference?
Every area has to be discussed. The president cannot dictate for us what to discuss and what not to discuss. We must discuss on all areas, including whether we should disintegrate or not.
You can see that the Yoruba nation went to the conference with a national identity. We are at the conference to discuss resource control and true federalism. Maybe the president was afraid that some really wanted to break Nigeria up. Niger Deltans are not interested in breaking up. Not even after we have seen what is currently happening in South Sudan. They said they wanted breakup and that was because of their oil. They said let those who aren’t producing oil go.
Today, look at them. Are they drinking their oil or are they drinking their blood? So, with the kind of greedy politicians that we have in Nigeria, I don’t think that even the masses would really want this country to break up.The masses know that if we divide this country, the greedy political class will destroy us in a matter of seconds.
SOURCE..TRIBUNE
http://www.tribune.com.ng/quicklinkss/politics/item/6532-jonathan-not-planning-to-stop-dickson-s-second-term-evah
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