From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Hon Opukiri Jones- Ere is former Commissioner for Youths and Sports in Bayelsa and former Special Adviser to the Minister of Sports. In this interview, Jones-Ere who was a confidant of the late Bayeslsa State governor, Diepreye Solomon Alamieyeseigha, criticised the injustice being meted out to Bayelsa with just eight local government areas.
What is your assessment of Governor Douye Diri’s first term in office?
His first term in office was more of stabilization and reconciliation. He also used the period to complete projects inherited from his predecessor, especially the senatorial roads. Like that of my own area, Southern Ijaw in the central senatorial district, he has done well in the first term and I believe he will do more in the second term to complete the road. In other areas, he has endeavoured to carry out the duties of governance. There is relative peace in Bayelsa. We have challenges with electricity but I believe going forward, he would attend to that.
You are a chieftain of the APC, so what endeared some of you to Governor Diri that you supported his re-election.
The first thing is the acceptability given the fact that we are all Bayelsans; he said he would not discriminate by playing PDP or APC politics. He said he was not going to be a partisan leader but governor to all. He made that promise and he actually practised it. We saw that acceptability in the way he conducted governance. If you look at his second term inauguration, you would agree with me that it has never happened in the history of Bayelsa that major stakeholders in the opposition party were in attendance. Vice President Kashim Shettima and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas were there. The main contestant in the 2019 election, Chief David Lyon was in attendance. The Minister of Petroleum, (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and other APC party faithful were there. It was not to indicate that they were defecting because they came with their APC attire but you would know that it was time to put the election and politics behind and focus on governance and move Bayelsa forward. I want to commend major stakeholders of APC that turned up for the inauguration.
So invariably, here is a new political culture in Bayelsa where members of political parties cooperate for the interest of Bayelsa?
Yes, this is what an average Bayelsan has always agitated for. During elections, we go for campaigns, trade words but after that time, whoever wins air and square, we all come together to move the state forward. From 1999 till date, this would be the fourth time that Bayelsa will have a Minister of Petroleum, Edmund Daukoru, Diezani Allison- Madueke, Timipre Sylva and now Lokpobiri, what impact has these appointments had on an average Bayelsan. So, if we can unite together, it would be for the good of common Bayelsa and make them see the dividends of democracy. Collaboration among Bayelsa State government, NDDC, Ministry of Petroleum. If we have that synergy, certainly, there would be rapid development in the state. This is not about Governor Douye Diri but about the development of Bayelsa.
You were one of the confidants of late governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, from your closeness what do you think Alamieyeseigha’s impression would have been about Diri’s administration.
This is what former governor Alamieyeseigha had always canvassed for. He was a strong promoter of a united Bayelsa and a united Ijaw nation. If you remember, he appointed people that contested the governorship seat with him into his cabinet in 1999. What is happening with the unity among political actors has always been his wish, that after elections, we must all close ranks and move the state forward. He was a symbol of peace and unity. I believe that where he is today, he would be so glad that Bayelsa politicians have agreed to sheathe their swords after election and come together to develop the state. I wish that this new political culture is sustained.
There are infrastructural gaps in Bayelsa, what areas of priorities will you suggest to Governor Douye Diri?
There are still infrastructural deficiencies in Bayelsa. We still have road issues. I want to encourage the governor to complete the three senatorial roads. The electricity situation should be resolved. This is because for productivity to strive, you need electricity, security and a road network. I have said it and I have no apologies for that; the Airport we have today is not impacting on the common man in Bayelsa. The money used for the Airport, if it had been channelled into the three senatorial roads, we would have been looking at other aspects. Bayelsa is the only state in the South- South that does not have a befitting Stadium. I want the governor to as a matter of priority build a Stadium. We took second in the last National Sports Festival with low infrastructure for training. So, we need to have a befitting stadium because sports is a tool to develop and engage the youths. If we have engaged our youths positively; it would be in the overall interest of Bayelsa. We have about four universities today in Bayelsa, which is a great plus to us. However, I want the governor to consider the introduction of vocation training, because the world is moving to a knowledge-based economy. The governor should sustain the peace in the state to create an enabling environment for the private sector to key in.
Following the moves to relocate FAAN to Lagos and some departments of the CBN, there have been calls for the Oil companies to relocate to Bayelsa and other Niger Delta regions. What is your take on this?
It is the arrogance of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) that is at play. I remember when the former Vice- President, Prof Yemi Osibanjo said point blank that the IOCs should relocate to the Niger Delta; they ignored that directive. I learnt NNPC is relocating some departments to Lagos, what is the connection between Lagos and Oil? Niger Delta is where crude oil is, so the oil companies have no business being in Lagos. Even part of the Petroleum Ministry should move to Bayelsa. This is the type of synergy the Bayelsa State governor and the Minister of Petroleum should be engaging in. The state would also provide befitting accommodation like we did for the Local Content Board when it first came to Bayelsa. As I speak, we are all seeing the benefits of local content board in Bayelsa. There is no complaint about security issues because the state is safe. Bayelsa remains one of the safest states in Nigeria. I can’t remember the last time there was a robbery in the state. This is a plus for consideration to relocate some MDAs in the Petroleum sector to the state.
Are you also in the school of thought that believes Bayelsa deserves more than the eight local government areas it has?
I was part of a protest in 2001 calling for the creation of more local government areas because the constitutional recruitment says that each state should have a minimum of 10 local government areas. In my local government, Southern Ijaw, you can travel three hours on water to another part of the local government. From Amassoma to Foropa, it is three hours on the high sea. And there are communities lined up on these three hours journey. In Ogbia, you drive about three hours from one part of the other. I have been to 32 states in Nigeria and I know of a fact that four local government areas are clustered together in Kano. So, whatever the National Assembly would do to rectify this should be done. My fear is that we don’t have the numbers in the National Assembly to push this. Jigawa was created out of Kano and it has 23 local government areas while Kano still has 44 local government areas. Rivers and Bayelsa has just 31 local government areas while Kano and Jigawa has 67. Akwa Ibom was created out of Cross Rivers State, it has 31 local government areas. So in essence, additional 10 local government areas can be created out of Bayelsa to be at par with other states. This would ensure development is swift. Not only the state or Federal Government can bring development, the local government is a key factor to development from the grassroots.
Is the number of local governments part of the agenda of discrimination against oil producing communities?
Yes, this is obvious especially when you look at the way the revenue is distributed. First of all, why does Kano have high revenue; it has 44 local government areas, yet in Southern Ijaw with major oil wells, it is just a local government. So, eight local government areas are the equivalent of revenue we get.
There has been applause for the leadership of NDDC over development strides in the Niger Delta region, do you share this view too?
The applause is not high enough. For once, the Federal Government got it. The leadership of NDDC as at today is doing a yeoman’s job. The present leadership led by the Chairman, Mr Chiedu Ebie and the Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, have done a great job especially Ogbuku. It is on record that since he came on board, there has been no protest from any segment in the Niger Delta. There has been no protest against the Board or the government. The leadership has made its books open and endeavour to carry youths of the Niger Delta along on its vision and programmes. The MD is not a loud person but he has done a lot of workshops, seminars, symposiums and training for the Niger Delta youths.
There is SME training for women and youths and supporting them in their businesses. The board has also encouraged them to go to school, recently there was a post-graduate scholarship for the youths. It was very open and those that passed got the scholarship, the era of bringing notes from influential people thereby negating merit has gone. The relative peace in the Niger Delta is because of the way NDDC is operating as an interventionist agency. Most of the contractors have gone back to work because they have seen that the NDDC leadership is sincere and focused. I pray that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will call politicians to order and allow the Board to work. The National Assembly should also give the Board breathing space to work by passing their budget so that the people of the region can see more benefits and dividends of democracy.
Do you have any message to the political class led by President Tinubu for development of the Niger Delta region?
The shore protection contract in Amassoma has lingered for so long. It has been over 20 years. The people through the traditional ruler have written several letters but all to no avail. There should be talks on having Niger Delta Electricity Company. This would serve as the springboard for the Niger Delta to attract foreign investments. We also need a good network of roads. For instance, travelling time can be reduced between Yenagoa and Port Harcourt by bypassing Mbiama and going through Ogbia to Abua. There is nothing wrong in a rail project from Benin to Calabar. This requires a partnership that the Federal Government, Niger Delta States, NDDC should be looking at.