From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Host Committees, Hon. Dumnamene Dekor, has said that the plan by the Federal Government to completely remove fuel subsidy without first providing cushion for the citizens is akin to pushing Nigerians to the wall.
Dekor, who represents Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency of Rivers State, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), noted that it is unfortunate that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government has been removing fuel subsidy since its assumption of office in 2015 with nothing to show for it.
The lawmaker, in this interview, also bared his mind on the inclusion of direct primaries in the proposed Electoral Law and the readiness of the PDP to regain control of the Federal Government in 2023. Excerpts:
What is your take on plans by the government to completely remove fuel subsidy?
Well, very honestly, I’m happy that you know that prior to this time, there was no subsidy. Anybody doing subsidy was fraudulent as posited by the APC administration, before they came in. But immediately they came in, the issue of subsidy became a daily occurrence. Every day, they say they are removing subsidy and all of that. I don’t know, at what point Mr President discovered that there is subsidy, as against what he thought. Maybe when he came into office. And now, what is paid as subsidy is a humongous amount, as compared to what was paid prior to this time. So, all the issues of theft and stealing and all other names people were being called then, we are seeing more. If they say, they want to remove the subsidy finally, it’s now that they have discovered there is subsidy; Nigerians are watching. What baffles me is that the pump price of fuel has been increased severally and there is no commensurate increase in terms of what comes to the workers on the street and those who have nothing doing. But every day, you hear that fuel price has increased, cost of living also increases; because it is interwoven. But Nigerians are smiling. Prior to this time, just the mere mention that subsidy may be removed, Nigerians went to the street and occupied Nigeria. But today, subsidy is removed every day. All kind of policies are brought in, even the ones that are being proposed. And nobody is occupying Nigeria. Even the N5,000 (transport palliative) that they are talking about, it is not provided for in the budget before the House. Are they going to come by way of supplementary budget? Or they will still go the way they usually do, spending money without recourse to parliament? We are watching. But it is worrisome, the level we are drifting to. Recently, I watched a video of poor men and women running and abandoning their shoes, apparently going to Kaduna or coming back from Kaduna; it is a daily occurrence. But we are made to understand that so much is being done. Yet nothing is being done. We heard of insecurity. “Oh, there will be nothing like kidnapping in this country anymore”. But we are having a harvest of kidnaps. And it has come to stay here with us. It is now our lot. What do we do? The Okonjo Iwealas and all those who were managing our economy at that time, were painted like criminals. But today, they are celebrated. I think that we should go back to the basis and bring those who will run our economy well. So, that tomorrow, there will be prosperity. If there is no prosperity today, our children can benefit tomorrow.
What do you mean by going back to the basis?
The country will go back to the party that will rescue them. There is no alternative. The PDP will come to rescue Nigeria and Nigerians. There is nothing virtually left of this country. Let us face the facts. Are we better off now than we were before? The answer is no. How much is a bag of local rice now? You tell me what exactly do you see that tells you that there is improvement in the life of the ordinary person? It has got to a point that Nigerians will soon start to slaughter their children to eat. It is unfair. We must tell ourselves the truth. This administration is not doing well. I understand that in some quarters they are proposing N340 per litre of fuel. They have been increasing fuel on daily basis. And yet we clap. For you to even remove the subsidy, what cushion are you providing? The civil servants, in some states, the minimum wage is still N18,000. If you do complete removal of subsidy, how would they cope? Even the ones you have removed so far have not contributed anything to their development. Of all the billions borrowed, mention one road that has been completed. Just mention one. Everything is ongoing. Somebody will go and take photograph of one section of a road, beautify it and make it look fine. It is unfortunate. It has come to the point that if we overstretch Nigerians, they will react. Nigerians have been so stretched, to the point that people can no longer eat. People are not bothered about going to school anymore. As small as the distance between Kaduna and Abuja, which is the seat of power in this country; the highest military formations in this country are found in Kaduna, how come kidnapping , banditry thrive in that section of the country more than anywhere now? In this country, bandits are not terrorists. But if I, as an Ogoni man, gets up to say you are taking oil in my community and you are not doing anything for me; I become a terrorist. We should do things that will promote national integration. There shouldn’t be sacred cows anywhere. Have you heard of anywhere in this country, of these bandits or the so-called herdsmen convicted or even arrested? You won’t hear one. So, I think one is tired of talking about it. The more you talk, nothing happens. Don’t be surprised that in the next two weeks, Nigeria will go and borrow another $100 billion. And then we keep clapping. We will borrow until such a time that our great-grand children will have nothing left for them in this country.
There have been so much controversy over the introduction of direct primaries in the Electoral Act for the nomination of political party candidates, where do you stand on this controversy?
Well, for me, direct primary is as proposed by the APC. And what you want in your own party, cannot be the rule of the day for all political parties. Every political party should evolve their own mode of selecting their candidates. I am PDP. The PDP is not excited about it. It was not direct primary that brought me here. They say “oh direct primary is going to get the power back to the people”; let me tell you something, the Electoral Act gives a presiding officer a minimum of 10 years imprisonment, without option of fine, if he goes contrary to the law that empowers him to announce results in the units. That way a woman that sells pepper in Bori and is accepted by the people of Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency can come out and contest against me, knowing too well that her votes will count. And if I win her, I will know that I stand on the shoulders of the people of my constituency. And be answerable to them.
You said, direct primary is an APC proposal?
Oh yes!
But PDP members were on the floor the day it was proposed and we didn’t see much of your lawmakers opposing it. What happened?
I am sure you know what happened on the issues of PIB and all of that. I will just plead that we let that rest; because some of us were at the centre of it and it is quite painful. It is quite painful. For me, I believe that direct primaries as already enshrined by the APC in their law, should remain with them. If APGA wishes to do their primary through collegiate system, it is left for them. It is not because the APC has challenges and you want to correct those challenges, it becomes the general thing for all parties. Political parties are at liberty; it is their internal affair. And it should so remain.
How prepared is the PDP for the 2023 polls and what is your take on the controversy over which zone will produce the party’s 2023 presidential candidate?
The PDP that I am a member is well rooted in every unit in this country. And we are organizing and reorganizing. We are very sure that we will take over the rein of power in this country. The reason is that we are not looking for the presidential villa, because we want to be in government at the national level, but because we want to provide service to the people. We want to start from where we stopped that have been badly damaged. You can see all the indices. As at today, I heard it is N560 to one dollar. If Nigerians decide, if what I see as we speak, is to usher in the PDP, our duty will be to rescue this country. Today, Nigeria is sharply divided on ethnic lines, religious lines and all of that. Some people talk about integration. How do you feel if a company operates in my place and maybe all I can get is a cleaner. Look at the structure of the NNPC, are you not aware that the mandate of the NNPC has changed? Their core mandate is now provision of roads in impacted areas. And so, for example, Niger State is more impacted in terms of oil activities than my village?. That 10 kilometres of road, that is trailer park in Onne to Port Harcourt, cannot be constructed. And people are on that road protesting every day. All the tankers on earth are plying that road. Two refineries. The fertilizer company. Mention them. Over 1000 companies. Look at the revenue that accrues from there. And then every day trailers fall on vehicles carrying people and nobody gives a damn. Nobody wants to know. They keep turning the other way. Go and look at Abuja-Kaduna Road. The NNPC intervenes in roads, but in particular sections of the country. My plea is let these things be spread a bit. On the issue of zoning, I am a party man. Wherever my party zones the presidential ticket, there I will go.