Amaechi Talks To BBC...Says I ll Remain In PDP

Governor Rotimi Amaechi granted an interview to BBC’s HardTalk on Thursday. Excerpts:

Why do you think international investors seem to be questioning whether they want to invest in your country or not?

The excuse they have been giving for their position basically is insecurity in Nigeria and if you look at the world economy, we have a lot of oil supplies but there is insecurity.

There is a huge insecurity in your country?

Yes. That won’t last forever

What is the country doing about it?

What I think the country should do at the moment is to address the social policy and the social policy is a product of poverty. I think what the government needs to doing including my government is to address poverty by looking at education and industrialisation. Industrialisation can only come when there is power. So when you deal with the issue of power, education and health, you can have people who are employable and when people are employed, it will reduce insecurity.

The demand for your oil in America is dropping fast…

Energy is energy, I am not worried about the amount, I am not worried about the market.

You are not worried?

What I am saying is that I may be alarmed by the fact that America is not buying much oil from us, but there are other countries who will buy from us. People from Asia will buy and that include country like China. What I am saying is that someone asked me that America produces oil and they don’t have petroleum minister. So, if you look at the PIB what we are saying is that the power of the minister of oil should be reduced or there is no need to have a minister for petroleum. The oil sector should be privatised so that people can get on with their oil business, have their gain, and pay the government whatever resources they need to pay.

The head of shell oil said in February that the competitive landscape has changed and Nigeria cannot afford to miss the boat

The moment you have put the law in place, it gives confidence first before you start to talk of insecurity. People invest in Iraq, Nigeria is not as bad, so they will invest but you need to know the rule by which you are investing. Once you have the law in place you can deal with the issue of insecurity and I told you that you can’t deal with insecurity without talking about social injustice

What about the issue of oil theft that the government said it is costing it billions of dollars?

Oil bunker can be categorised into two. There are ones that are done by what you may call criminals. They are criminals to the extent that they are poor and they are addressing poverty through the wrong perspectives and the Nigerian government should address poverty and if you address poverty from the back, those young ones won’t go to the extent of breaking pipes and steal oil and all that.

I believe that Nigeria should deal with poverty. If you create an opportunity for people to deal with their income, at that point they will leave out the oil wells. But there is the other by the elite, they will come with vessels and go straight to steal oil. The Federal Government needs to deal with these people because they are the ones who cause more damages.

As a government of a state, don’t you think you also have to deal with this?

No. Oil in the Nigerian constitution is the responsibility of the Federal Government. We are like commanders-in-chief without troops. So, when it comes to Federal Government establishment or issues, they have to give us necessary tools we need to operate if they want us to assist them.

Like the resources?

Not necessarily the money. It has to do with having the police, security institutions to assist us and we currently do not have that.

Do you support their plan of amnesty?

I have never supported amnesty, the country knows that.

So, what is your point?

My position about the amnesty is that when criminals commit crimes, they should be prosecuted. I opposed it at the time former president Umaru Yar’Adua introduced it. You are supposed to punish criminals and if don’t punish criminals, you will be rewarding criminals and if you reward criminals, then you will have others in other regions asking for amnesty. Right now, you are aware that others are also asking for amnesty. Amnesty also has its own roles but what we are saying is instead of amnesty, please ensure law and order. Once you calm impunity, criminals will know that they can’t commit crimes.

Why have leaders in Nigeria like you not allowed money to circulated all over the country?

I wish you have visited Rivers state recently, you will see how much we have applied the resources that we have above 13 per cent.

Do you dispute that point?

No. I don’t think anybody will dispute that. Well, there is abject poverty in the Niger-Delta area. There is a point that not all people are benefitting from amnesty that is why we are saying if it’s a social welfare programme, then let’s know it’s a social welfare program and run it across the country. But this is not sustainable, what is sustainable is something that introduces employment, that introduces income earning, and amnesty. Yes, they have trained some pilots and they have been able to do some other things. But it is not broad enough to cover the majority of those who are poor in the Niger Delta.

Perhaps what Nigeria needs in 2015 is a northern president?

No, don’t politicise the Presidency. What Nigeria needs is a revolutionary leader not an ethicist. You don’t have to come from the North to understand what the problems of Nigeria are.

But they could have the vice-president from the South-South, may be you.

Don’t bring 2015 politics into this now.

But 2015 politics is not far?

But then you need to go on because the mandate is for four years and that expires in 2015.

But a lot of people will say that is not what you are doing at the moment. This is because you are engaged in a high profile dispute with President Jonathan and that has become your focus?

No. That is not my focus. My focus has been majorly about development. We have disagreement on policies, we have disagreement on transition. There have been a lot of assumptions by different people here and there about what they think and what they assume about what my ambitions are.

What are you ambitions now? Share them with us, let us know

No. I don’t have to. What you must know is that I believe in the rule of law. But let us assume for the purpose of argument that there is an ambition, nobody has the right to bring down a state because an ambition exists. But first and foremost, it is important to state clearly that nobody is allowed to… because 2015 is a bit too early. The president is elected to preside over the state which is the purpose why he was elected and I support that. I want everybody to allow Mr. President to preside over the country. In the same way, I should be allowed to preside over my state.

You ran for the NGF election contrary to the advice of Mr. President who is the most senior politician in your country…

Nobody told me not to run. I challenged him.

Did you tell him you were going to run?

There is no law that tells me to tell him that I want to run.

It was widely reported that you were advised not to run…

Nobody advised me. I challenged whoever said so.

But it is about courtesy, he is the president…

Just like you are a journalist, you have your association as journalist, will the prime minister tell you to run or not for any public office. That is the freedom we are looking for in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. I   did not need to tell the president that I want to run for the office of NGF chairman and I didn’t anyway. And he didn’t call me to say ‘I heard you are going to run, don’t run.’ I didn’t see the president on the ballot. Who I saw was Jonah Jang.

Did you say you beat him?

I didn’t say I beat him, the result was clear that 19 governors voted for me.

Did he object it?

No he didn’t object to the fact that I won.

But it is now a subject of dispute. You were suspended from the PDP for unconnected reasons Niyeson Wike also made a statement asking you to leave the party?

He doesn’t have the right to tell me where to belong to. Whether to belong to PDP or not, he doesn’t have the right to do that.

I think it’s a polite invitation

He doesn’t have that right.

So you are going nowhere?

No. I am going nowhere. We will all be in PDP.

Do you think they will disrupt your chance of getting to become the vice-president knowing that the PDP dominate Nigerian politics?

You are making a lot of assumptions. Let’s assume that I am in PDP and I remain in PDP.  Let’s assume from your own assumption that I am running for the office of the president will my leaving PDP not enhance that assumption? The reason why I am in PDP is because I am a member of PDP and I love to.

Even if it costs you higher ambition?

What ambition is that?

Do you agree with them that the police are not neutral in this matter?

I agree with them that the police are not neutral in this matter. The commissioner of police in Rivers State first and foremost needs to know that he is in the command of Rivers State to protect the people. So, he has to join me to protect the interest of the state. What we have is a political disagreement.

The politics is affecting the economy and because of this, the people are suffering, do you agree?

Yes, I agree that the people are suffering and we must agree as the government that people’s interest must be paramount. That we need to address poverty, we need to address power, education and all that.