By Judex Okoro, Calabar
In this interview, the NIgeria Ports Authourity (NPA) Board Chairman, Chief Anderson Akin Ricketts, stated that All Progressives Congress (APC) has laid the foundation for transforming Nigeria. Ricketts, who was a former commissioner for Information during Governor Liyel Imoke’s administration and a senatorial aspirant in Cross River Central district, argued that APC inherited a decaying economy and called on Nigerians to bear with the present administration as there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Your party has just elected new national officers to pilot its affairs at the national and state level. What’s your evaluation of the APC now as we look forward to 2023?
Indeed, the party is taking shape and streamlining the leadership from state to national levels as seen in the elections of state Working Committees and National Working Committee. We have really managed our internal crisis and I can tell you that in a few days, we shall be stronger. What you see happening in APC is what happens in big parties in power. It happened in NPN, SDP, and PDP. But we are lucky because we have experienced politicians and leaders from across the board who can navigate troubled waters.
Certainly, there are some skirmishes across board but generally we have all come together to forge a stronger party, thus leading to the emergence of Dr. Beta Edu as the national woman leader from Cross River. At the national level, the chairman, Sen Adamu is a seasoned politician who has been a governor. He also came from the private sector, been in government, an administrator, and been in the senate. So it was not by anybody’s desire; it was destined to be what it is. All those who contested for chairman all have sterling qualities, but there can only be one chairman. That is why after his emergence you saw him dancing with Al Makura; they took things lightly, it was not going to be a do or die affair.
Seven years down the line, what will be APC’s strongest point in terms of achievements going into the next general elections?
The achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari will play out as you can see from the revolution in the railways unit of the transport sector. You see times are hard and don’t forget that this country was at the brink before the emergence of the current administration. It would take a long time to turn things around. We have taken that curve and are moving forward from 2023 with the emergence of the next president. It will be all glory and honour to Nigerians. What we have done now is to bear the pains and burdens of that change but eventually, we will all be better for it. We have laid the foundation to transforming Nigeria.
PDP seems to be rebuilding and ready to wrest power from APC in 2023 as shown in their dogged fight in the last legislative by-elections. Do you see APC emerging victorious considering their performance in the by-elections in which they won Ogoja/Yala federal constituency by a slim margin and losing out in Akpabuyo?
No doubt, mistakes were made and there was a bit of lethargy on the part of the party faithful but we have learnt from our mistakes and the governor is determined to do the right thing. We are optimistic that Governor Ben Ayade and the party leadership would initiate some drastic changes that would lead to success at the general poll and we hope it starts from the primary election. The leadership in the state has an intention to win this state. Those who won elections in the other party are now in the APC. So, you will agree with me that since we have a winning formula, they have perfected it now that we are in the APC by joining forces.
The dichotomies between old and new members are beginning to wean away and by the time we get to elections, it is going to be one strong force by God’s grace. If you look at the spectrum across the whole state, you will see candidates who will emerge from both divides. You would see a marriage between the old and the new all in one party now. The party chairman has brought about unification of the party which has resulted in a stronger force and by God’s grace, we would pull through in 2023.
The APC primary is a few days away and you have indicated strong interest for the Senate race by buying expressions of interest and nomination forms. What prompted your decision and what are those things our constituents should expect from you if given the mandate?
Yes, I commend the party for opening the democratic processes with regard to its readiness for the party primaries for all elective positions ahead of the 2023 general elections. The primary election is one of the key ingredients of enhancing internal party democracy and promoting participation among contestants to various political offices. Therefore, any party man or woman aspiring for any elective office shows seriousness by procuring the forms and undergoing some scrutiny to ascertain the aspirant’s character and capacity to scale the hurdles set by parties. So, I am in the race first as a committed party man and then to contribute to democratic growth through law making processes at the National Assembly. Thus my declaration for the Senate and I have procured my forms in readiness for the contest at the party level first before we move on to the next level of the contest. APC is determined to win elections across board and from what I know of the party, they intend to bring their best foot forward so that the electorate will go with the dreams and goals of the party which is to generally improve on the welfare of the people.
Basically, my sole aim is to improve the well being of our people in terms of enhanced access to employment, quality education, healthcare, training and business support. This is all aimed towards poverty alleviation. I would partner with relevant agencies of government and non-governmental organisations in the area of provision of healthcare facilities, rural roads, education, water and attracting cottage industries. I would engineer opportunities for our teeming youths, who are unemployed, by harnessing their potentials through skill acquisition and start-up empowerment. I want to see my people live better and that is the essence of government.
In the course of my consultations, I saw poverty written on the faces of my people. There is the problem of poverty and joblessness in the central senatorial district of the state. It is humongous and rife in our local communities. You see, we do not have the kind of opportunities our brothers from the South senatorial district have in terms of access to some industries and agencies. But here, there seems to be a kind of hopelessness among the youths even after they have gone through the rigours of education and training because there is nowhere to turn to or be engaged meaningfully to also give succour to their parents who have tried all their lives to make sure their children are educated.
So, these are core programmes I would give priority to and see how we can achieve that by tapping into my wealth of experiences at the private and public sectors, exploring my contacts built over the years. I would also explore my goodwill and redirect resources towards improving the living standard of our people.
What message do you have for APC delegates ahead of the primaries?
You see in Cross River State, we practise real democracy; there is nothing like god-fatherism in APC. We make our decisions as a member of the party. However, the delegates are all aware of what happened during the just-concluded by-elections and we are not happy about the results that came in. So, we have all resolved that we will make a better showing of ourselves this time around. I advise all the delegates to make good decisions and be sure of the people they want to represent us. This time we need to be sure of their character, personality and integrity. We don’t want to present candidates who will be floored.
It will be to our detriment, so my appeal to them is to open their eyes, weigh the characteristics of individuals who present themselves and make good decisions. For me, all I can say is that those who know me know what I stand for; I stand for the people and I am the people’s person who wants people around him to grow and improve themselves, I am a brother’s keeper; so it all depends on the electorate.