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…Assures Udom will leave secure state at end of tenure
By Enyeribe Ejiogu
The next 21 days will be decisive for Nigerians as the process of selection of the members of the cabinet of the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and then other key seniors who will work with him quickens. With that going on, the negotiations and alignments continue over the composition of the leadership of the 10th National Assembly which whe4n proclaimed by the new President will screen the ministerial nominees.
In the run-up to the important first act of the next president, founder of the Southern Atlantic Polytechnic, SAPOLY, Pastor Bassey James, speaks on how fast Nigerians want the incoming administration to move to tackle the existential problems that the nation faces. He also speaks on the infrastructural development legacy of the Governor Udom Emmanuel administration in Akwa Ibom State and other relevant issues.
As the countdown to the May 29 inauguration of President-elect Bola Tinubu continues, what are your thoughts looking at the situation of the Nigerian polity today?
First, I thank God, and give Him the glory, that we are having a peaceful transition. Also, I thank President Muhammadu Buhari for striving to create a level playing field during the elections, though there were some glaring lapses. That is expected in a multi-party electoral process. That we are having a peaceful transition is a blessing for Nigeria. Since 1999 Nigeria has been moving with a sustainable democratic process.
After the President-elect is sworn-in, what are the things you would like him to do within the first 100 days?
Unlike what happened in 2015 after the outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn-in, I expect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to put in place a strong cabinet within one month. In fact, I expect him to present the list of his nominees for various ministerial positions on the same day that he will proclaim the National Assembly in June, so that the administration can hit the ground running. That is one of the unstated reasons he went abroad for 34 days, to rest and strategise on how to form the government and run his administration. Nigerians want a cabinet made up of knowledgeable, patriotic and energetic technocrats who will move this country forward with the speed of lightning and sound of thunder, to confront the myriad of existential challenges facing the nation and clearly threatening to turn it into a failed estate. It should not be a team driven by ethnicity and religion. In selecting the members of our national football teams, Super Eagles, Super Falcons and the others, we always choose the best based on competence, not religion or ethnicity. Tinubu promised Nigerians a renewed hope, so he has to start from Day One, to deliver on that solemn promise and oath. No excuses. His administration cannot blame the 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from 1999 to 2015, for the shortcomings in the economy today or the other problems in the country. The All Progressives Congress, APC, has been in office for the past eight years and the Tinubu administration is a successor APC government.
When you say ‘the speed of lightning and sound of thunder’ please explain what you mean?
The speed of light (lightning) is faster than that of a supersonic jet. That is why the incoming government must move at the speed of light to deal with the problems in the polity and the economy. The level of suffering, unemployment, insecurity, ethnicity, injustice and other problems is horrendous. There is total disconnect in the country. The incoming government must fasten its seat-belt and do what I call political magic, to heal the country and unite Nigerians. There is need for every segment of this country to come together to uplift the nation. This thing can be done, to create a new Nigeria that the citizens can be proud of and publicly identify with, both within and outside the country. It is not rocket science. Other countries have done it and I don’t know why we cannot achieve it, if there is political will on the part of the incoming administration. Peace, unity and love can be attained and patriotism revived. What is dividing us as a people is a very thin line; we can collapse all these things and a strong, powerful and united Nigeria will emerge.
What practical steps do you think that the President-elect should take to bring about healing and to unify Nigerians?
The first step he should take is to address the entire nation, the kind of speech that John F. Kennedy gave to Americans on the day of his inauguration, to set the vision that took America to the moon and motivated the country during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The kind of speech that Frederick D. Roosevelt gave to Americans, which helped bring back the country from economic ruin after the Great Depression. He should address the twin issues of ethnicity and religion, and assuage the fears of the Nigerian Christians. No one ethnic group should see itself being superior to the other groups. There must be deliberate effort by the incoming President to make sure that the issue of genuine youth economic empowerment is addressed. There should be a national security conference to address the issue of insecurity pervading the land. There is need for pragmatic steps to create a strong connectivity between the government and the people. The government should release an implementable and measurable blueprint on how it will revive the economy. The blueprint should specify achievable, measurable, quarterly indices of progress, which the citizenry can see and feel, not propaganda by the mass media organs of the government.
The government must move towards collapsing the exchange rate of the Naira, to end the dichotomy between the Central Bank of Nigeria (official) and parallel market rates. This is what fuels inflation, leading to rapid rise in the price of goods and services.
The biggest issue on the front burner today is the composition of the upper leadership of the National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives.) Now, we have a Muslim President from the Southwest and a Muslim Vice President from the Northeast. For this reason, we should have a Christian Senate President and a Christian Speaker of the House of Representatives, to settle the issue of religion and give the Christians in the country hope and reassuring them that they have equal stake in the nation. I believe that a man like Tinubu who understands the dynamics of the game of politics will pull Nigerians together, to work for national integration, cohesion, unity, equity, justice, fairness, economic growth and development. What we need now is a direction and a focus.
Nigerians don’t want a government that will be populated by people from just one area, and lording it over citizens from the other parts of the country as we have seen in recent times. He should move the people to identify first as Nigerians and make the country the focus, not the ethnic group.
It is the issue of ethnic marginalisation that has always been at the core of the agitation for power-shift from one geopolitical zone to the other. The crass promotion of ethnicity should end. Merit and competence should drive the process of recruitment into government organisations and agencies. The concept of Federal Character must be driven by merit, not mediocrity, which is currently the case. This will give the Nigeria a national outlook.
The issue of insecurity is the biggest concern of most Nigerians. As it concerns Akwa Ibom State, what is your assessment of security management in the state and other relevant issues?
Udom Emmanuel sees security as a major project and has invested so much in security infrastructure in terms of equipment, operations and vehicles. This is one of the attractions of the state because a secured state attracts investors, business and open more opportunities to all. Today more people are relocating to our state because of the wonderful projects that the government is doing. The hospitality industry is booming because the system is working. Our people are friendly and security is guaranteed. We scored Governor Udom Emmanuel excellent in road constructions. The entire state is connected; you will hardly differentiate between village and town in Akwa Ibom State. Everywhere is developing at the fastest speed. Our Ibom Air is a signature project in Africa. So, it is kudos to the government. Udom Emmanuel agricultural revolution is gaining ground in Akwa Ibom State. Farmers are benefitting from the government programme in terms of fertilizers and other necessary farming inputs. Another major changes is that the governor is commissioning projects almost on daily basis.
What is the compelling reason for the drive to change SAPOLY into a university?
The move to convert Southern Atlantic Polytechnic into is painful but I have to do it because of the influx of many unapproved polytechnics. Again, my tribe, Ibibio Nation, is the fourth largest tribe in Nigeria. In fact, it is the richest region, which is producing the natural and mineral resources that contribute to national wealth. Unfortunately, this very important region of our country has no private university. So, my people are happy now about the move to upgrade to a private university. I receive calls on daily basis even though we are waiting for the National Universities Commission (NUC) to visit us. We are ready because we believe in quality educational programmes.
Given what happened in Lagos during the elections, people have said that there are subterranean moves to dispossess non-Yoruba people of their landed property or even forcing them to buy them a second time and ultimately drive them out of Lagos. What is your take on this?
I do not believe that there is any such intent. One of the things, which we enjoy and which is unique to Lagos is the fact that we are able to live and interact among ourselves, despite being from different tribes. It is only in Lagos that you will see non-Yoruba children, teenagers and adults that speak Yoruba as if it is their mother tongue. They exhibit non-verbal Yoruba gestures, which are the result of long periods of acculturation. So, I do not believe that the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu would do any such thing or sanction that it be done. He is enlightened and urbane. All the rumours flying around over the issue of ownership of landed property by non-Yoruba in Lagos are simply what they are: unsubstantiated rumours.
