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By Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye
Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, described multinationals, like Shell, Mobil, Chevron and TotalEnergies, who play double standards in their operations as not genuine investors in the Nigerian oil sector. He said the sooner they leave, the better for local investors to come in and operate. Excerpts
The APC, your party made bold promises. You said it was a renewed hope agenda, but on the lips of many Nigerians that they’ll be asking, where are those promises made to them?
We had a manifesto as a political party, All Progressives Congress and before we supported the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as our candidate for the election, we sampled the opinions of Nigerians. We evaluated the situation on ground and it was very clear to us that the president that would be needed at that point in time, has to be a pan-Nigerian, has to be a man that is versatile with the experience to manage economy, manage policies, and also manage social existence. And in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we saw these credentials. And as a matter of fact, in our party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was a candidate that was sponsored by consensus, by the Progressive Governors Forum and that can tell you, that he is a pan-Nigerian, he understands very clearly the challenges facing the country and relatively very versatile, confident that he will address and correct the ills of the society.
Governor Uzodimma, some Nigerians will be asking where is that versatility?
Let me tell you something. There is a difference between a patient and a doctor, a process of identifying the ills of the society and the process of propounding a solution and applying that solution, these are two different things. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu became the president of Nigeria just how many months ago? Don’t forget from 1999 till today, how many years? And here is a president who came despite inability of previous governments to remove the cancer in our system as a society, which is “subsidy”, the provision subsidy for petroleum products for 40 years. Government after government were not able to remove this anomaly in the society, anomaly in our economy, anomaly in our existence. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came under seven months, in fact, the day he was sworn-in, he made the proclamation that he would remove the subsidy and you know and I know.
Governor Uzodimma, this particular measure that you’ve mentioned, is what a lot of Nigerians will say it was a knee jerk approach. It is perhaps one policy that a lot of people will say good policy but not well thought out. It’s bitting hard on the average Nigerian, the cushion effect is not properly laid out for the public?
(Cuts in), Understand that the problem can be likened to somebody suffering from malaria and every time he has fever and he’s drinking Panadol and every day you take Panadol and the malaria still exists, you are sick, until you are properly treated. He, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is not unaware that what is happening now will happen but he took courage and boldness to manage this matter. If you must be treated of a sickness that requires a bitter pill, when you swallow the pill initially, it will be very bitter. You may be angry but when it gets down to the system and cures the sickness, you will begin to appreciate the real essence why that pill was applied.
There are those who say now that you’re applying the medication but things are not working, people are dying, things are getting worse. Because people are saying look, why shouldn’t the government and I’m looking at those who do not understand the English language. We’re speaking right now on television. Their major concern is that they are not able to meet the needs of their children, their wife or their community because of the bitting state of the economy?
Can I tell you the truth. If you must want to know now. The truth is that the subsidy that has just been removed was benefiting a group of cabals who became billionaires overnight, who became very rich overnight to the detriment of Nigerians, uninformed and ignorant people in the remote areas. But President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, sees the interest of those people at the remote areas. You billionaires who bought private jets, who build castles all over the world, very few of them in the name of subsidy. What do I say? How do we consolidate our economy so that the Naria that used to be stronger than the US dollar will come back.
But the Naira to Dollar rate is now all time high. It’s never been this high, almost N1,400 at the parallel market?
In the programme of economic recovery, there is what we call the infancy stage. He has just drafted a policy that will make Naira very strong again and there will be initial challenges. The cabal will want to frustrate it. The cabal will want to sabotage it. Those who are fighting against the common economy of our country to favour themselves, will want to sabotage it.
…That is what is going on…
But we need time.
How much time?
And time shall tell.
Do you know how much percentage that President Tinubu has spent in office in his four years. He has spent a considerable amount of time almost seven months, almost a year…
(Cuts in) Can I ask you one question from 1999 to today, how many years? Answer?
The question is Nigerians voted for Bola Tinubu for four years hoping that he promised that he is going to fix the problem of Nigeria…
You voted not a magician; you voted for a visionary leader.
But your party preached almost magic to Nigerians?
No but the party preached that they have a solution to the problems of the country, vis-a-vis the economy, the politics, the security, and I can tell you without any fear of any contradiction that the current policies of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a president is the password to enter the system. I can tell you that what he has done by unifying the exchange rates programme, what he has done by removing petroleum products subsidy, what he has done by deploying and strengthening the security architecture, to address the three principal problems of the country, vis-a-vis the economy, security and foreign exchange disparity which will make Naira very strong, the Cabal who are currently holding the dollars, who are currently sabotaging the system, who are currently angry because they are out of business as a result of this bold policies. They are still fighting but time shall tell and they will a couple of months when we begin to see the result of the current policies of the current administration, I will tell you that Nigerians will rise in unison to commend the president.
Are these the same cabal who are responsible for the state of insecurity in the country right now? Because things are very difficult. A lot of people are living in fear from Lagos; they kidnapped the chairman of a political party on his way to Lagos, the kidnapping from Kaduna to Taraba. Even the FCT, things are really in a critical stage?
You have forgotten, that the insecurity in the country did not start with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Recall that even under President Musa Yar’Adua, that insecurity reared its ugly head. Coming up to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, up to President Muhammadu Buhari, insecurity was here in the country. And what has happened? Check the constitution of the current security architecture in the country. We talked of inclusiveness. We are in a situation that for the first time in this country, I can tell you I come from the South eastern part of the country. And I can tell you, that this is the first time for the last 10 years we’re having one of the service chiefs come from the South East, the Chief of Naval Staff. That has given us a sense of belonging to the people of South East. The wisdom is well appreciated. So, this thing that has cumulatively be here over time is being addressed. But I don’t see the reason for this hurry. The anxiety of making sure as if it is going to be a magic that the ills of 20 years must be solved in seven months. To say the least, is unreasonable.
Those who are in pains and who are in abject poverty may not agree with you. When you’re asking them that they should be patient and they keep suffering, they keep feeling the hardship, it might be unfair to them; don’t you think?
The poverty of how many years and government of how many months? Let us comparatively discuss this issue. That you have been in poverty from 1999 to 2023.
Let’s talk about what has happened in the last seven months of President Tinubu. The price of garri my viewers can tell us , the price of rice my viewers can tell us, the price of yam in the market prices have skyrocketed. In the last December celebration. They can tell you those who feed, the manner in which they fed two years ago is now very different. And if you’re telling them tonight that they should be patient……
No, no let me tell. I am not telling them because you are speaking from one side of the society. There is no how you can cure the negative impact of a subsidy removal, you can cure the negative impact of removing a cabal that has managed our exchange rate programmes over the years to their interest. This initial pains is why the Federal Government has introduced some measures; what we call palliative measures…
But they will tell you they’ve not seen it…
It can never be enough because he cannot only dash fish to human beings. You must teach a human being how to fish. The giving of palliatives in forms of foodstuffs, palliatives envelopes can never be enough. We are trying. The President, as I understand is trying to bring a permanent solution to the problems of poverty, hunger, and then bad economy. So I think that speaking with the President, I’m the chairman of Progressives Governors Forum. I preside over the meetings of about 20 governors in Nigeria out of 36. I have interacted with the President. And you don’t know me to be a sycophant. If the President has no clear direction of what will lead Nigeria to prosperity, I’ll be one of those that will first begin to protest. But he has a solution considered as a permanent solution.
How long more should Nigerians continue to wait, how long more should they endure this pain and suffering?
I don’t believe in a hypothesis. I didn’t come here to sit and become a prophet. But I tell you in my findings, and understanding of the country, that there exist cabals and deities, who, before the dollar business can be conducted must be worshipped. Who before political decisions must be taken must be consulted. And this has become a retardation for the progress of Nigeria.
Why can’t we take out these cabals, are they bigger than Nigeria?
They are the people sponsoring artificial media. They are the people sponsoring opposition, the blackmail and the negative propaganda against a president who is very versatile, who is from the private sector, who meant to help, who wants to correct the ills of the past.
Are they the same people who are sponsoring foreign investors who are leaving the country in droves?
No, those leaving are not investors. They are those who were benefiting from the Cabal system. When they tell you they’re leaving, they’re leaving because they can no longer benefit from foreign exchange disparity. They can no longer benefit from crude oil theft. They can no longer benefit from earnings of petroleum subsidy. Pretending to be importing fuel when they were not importing anyone, forging documents to access government money. Those are the people living and again, it is a blessing in disguise. Because the more we live, the more opportunity the indigenous companies will have to participate. There is no rocket science. There is no foreign investor who is comfortable in his country that wants to leave his country and come here. And at the same time, there is the good investors and genuine investors who are Nigerians who have been denied opportunity to practise and invest there now. So, I think the earlier the artificial and fake investors leave, the better for Nigeria.
When you call some of these blue chip companies, this private sector operating in other climes, I mean, you describe them in this way, those who say that the present climate in the country is not really favorable…
Uzodinma cuts in… we take the oil and gas industry for instance, is there anywhere in the world you go and see any filling station you want to refuel your car that is not Shell, Mobil, Chevron, Total. How many of them are operating filling stations in Nigeria. Why are we isolated and you call them real investors. Why are they taken to offshore operation abandoning onshore operation if they are genuine? You go to Houston, landing Houston you will see airport, you will see oil locations, you see vegetables planted all over there, habitable for human existence. Fly to Warri, as you are landing Warri airport. Look at oil locations. Look at the sea, there is nothing in existence. No fish is there, nothing; the environment is degraded to criminal level. Are they what you call investors? People who have no regard to our environmental laws. Are they what you call investors, people who now operate double standards, apply a different application in other countries, and then apply the degrading application to Nigeria? Is that what you call investors? Please, if we don’t take our destiny in our hands, we will be doomed for it. We must find courage and Bola Ahmed Tinubu must be supported to succeed. I warn I’m not a prophet, but my experience of life, my experience doing business for the past 45 years, tells me that this is the man to support. So Nigeria can become Nigeria again.
Let me ask you, you are the leader of a political bloc in the APC, the ruling party but it does look like internally your party is having some political issues. And there is a decision on the policy of government for example, the planned relocation of some departments within the aviation ministry and the CBN is causing a lot of uproar. And in fact, it has come to the point that some people are threatening that if the President and the government goes ahead with this policy, it will have dire political implication.
Uzodimma cuts in…Like what example?
Senator Ali Ndume was on this programme…
Okay. I listened to Ali Ndume and also listened to northern senators forum. I listened to the Emir of Kano and you can see the preponderance of opinions and then the majority opinion is that merit should be the driving criteria for decision makings in the country. The movement of the operations department of FAAN to Lagos where Lagos is a major aviation hub, and if the operations department is sent to Lagos to be able to manage aviation operations effectively and efficiently, I have not seen any ill in it.
