Yuletide: Umenzekwe urges transporters to reduce fares on Eastern routes

By Gilbert Ekezie

A Philosopher, Writer, Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Member, Federal Housing Authority (FHA) board, Hon Chief Modestus Umenzekwe in this interview felicitates with Christians at Christmas, urging South east bound transport companies to reduce their fares in order to ameliorate the sufferings of commuters. He commends the federal government for completing the 2nd  Niger Bridge and appeals for commencement of construction of the Lagos-Onitsha rail line

 Excerpts: 

Could you Comment on the Christmas season?  Your

sage to Nigerians

Well, Christmas is a yearly celebration by Christians all over the world and it is to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, the king of the world as ordained by God Almighty. The season is used by Christians to do a sober reflection, look at our lives, examine ourselves whether we are worthy to have Christ in us? During this season, you ask yourself,  Am I clean enough to usher him fully in my life, family, business, political engagements and whatever I am doing? It is not about merriment alone, but a time for sober reflection, to forgive and forget, because He taught us to forgive and forget.

Whenever a king is coming to your house, the preparation is so different, and that is why you see a lot of people all over the world spending much. Some even go out of their ways to spend above their means; it is not intentional, but that is what the aura of Christmas brings. Families exchange gifts, children get new things from their parents and parents get new things from their children who are already productive. So, it is a period of sober refection and merriment as well, and there is no other celebration in the world that is greater and mightier than the Christmas celebration. So, I felicitate with Nigerians and Christians. May we live to see this Christmas come through, to have more peace in our families, in our country, in our businesses and to use the season to organize ourselves, families should meet, especially now that election is around the corner, we have to purge ourselves and pray for the nation to have very credible elections , which everybody is clamouring for. Meanwhile, president Buhari has directed INEC to conduct free, fair and credible election. For me, Christmas is a period everyone should use to heal all the wounds and pray fervently for the peace, happiness and progress of Nigeria.

We always notice during Christmas season, transport fares usually go up during the Christmas season, especially on South east routes, what solution do you have for that?

You know that an average Igbo man is business oriented, we are known for trading and profit maximization. So , I don’t totally blame them, but then, as Christians, Christ has everything and still sacrificed his life for us. On that note, I am calling on transporters to consider the downtrodden by bringing down their fares, from Lagos to South east,  Abuja to South east, Sokoto to South East and other parts of the country. Agreed that it is a period, we have a surge in transportation, but when they consider the number of people travelling and the profit, it is up there. In as much as the prices of petrol, diesel and spare parts are not cheap, but the number of people travelling now is times 10, the number that travel ordinary days. So , if the fare comes down, it will still give them what they want. Therefore, I am appealing to them to bring down the fares , so that everybody will enjoy very well.

We do you think is ripe for there to be a rail line from Lagos to Calibre?

It is long overdue. I read in the newspaper then that President Muhammadu Buhari gave the former Minister of transportation, Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi, a matching order to connect the 36 states of Nigeria, with rail-line. So it is long overdue. If it is not being done now, it is late. So , I am calling on the Federal Government to please consider it as an urgent project and go into it immediately.

Not only that, there should be rail-line from Abuja to Onitsha, from Lagos to Onitsha, because that is where the main thing is. You cannot do without Onitsha, Onitsha is just like Lagos, to a large extent, as far as the entire southeast is concerned; Onitsha is indispensable. While you are considering Lagos, you should consider Onitsha as the main economic hub of the southeast and the entire country. So, there should be rail-line to Onitsha in Anambra State. I am also appealing to the federal government to dredge River Niger, no matter what it takes, so that thousands and millions of Igbo business people who bring in containers, can equally clear them at Onitsha. If you travel by road, say from Lagos to Onitsha, you feel pain by the number of accidents, containers falling on the road, but if those containers are cleared at Onitsha, the risk will be minimal. I want a situation where importers at Onitsha will clear their goods there and those in Lagos will do so in Lagos. While I am talking about the rail, I am also talking about ships going to Onitsha, it must not be as busy as Lagos, but it needs to be busy, and once that is done, some of these agitations, tensions and all that, will calm down. It is one of those things some people are talking about.

December 15^th 2022, the 2^nd Niger Bridge came alive, signaling another landmark achievements of the present government, what are the gains from that signature project?

I am glad to be alive to be part of this big story of wonderful performance of President Muhammadu Buhari, the APC Government and the workaholic minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN). I have written so many times and talked about these things, my only pain is that Chuma Azikiwe is no more alive, because it was in his house that Buhari made a promise that he will build 2^nd Niger Bridge, if he becomes the president of Nigeria .There Buhari also promised to renovate Nnamdi Azikwe’s house. But, unfortunately, Chuma died 11th May, 2015, just about one month Buhari won the presidential election. I pray that the spirit of Chuma Azikiwe will always follow Buhari wherever he goes to thank him for keeping his promise. It gladdens my heart that I am part of this success story, and that I witnessed it.

I was in the Southeast recently for the burial of my aunt, and I ensured that our people collected their PVC, I was at that burial when that bridge was temporarily opened. I listened to the minister, and as God would have it, as I was coming back to Lagos, I took the old route because I entered somewhere in Onitsha, but when I crossed over to Asaba, I parked around God is Good Motors, and walked across to witness  and view people diverting using the bridge. And I have said it that I won’t go back to Lagos by air, so that I would use that bridge. So, the bridge is a masterpiece and a thing of joy. The benefits of the bridge are that the traffic gridlock will reduce, accidents and the activities of criminals will also reduce. With the bridge, the economic hub has opened. Anambra is an agrarian area, so the economic and agricultural products can easily be transported to any part of the country. Apart from that, it adds beauty to the entire southeast and the entire country. It has uplifted the image of Nigeria abroad. My relations in America, London and other places are calling me to know if it is real and I confirmed it to them. In fact, it is one of the signature projects APC Administration has done to prove the oppositions wrong, PDP was there for 16 years, they couldn’t do that 2^nd Niger Bridge, and for this, if Buhari has done anything wrong, I am appealing to Nigerians and the entire southeast to forgive him because he has done what other people could not do in the past 16 years. It is indeed very commendable.

And again, hoping that we are going to win this election, I want to appeal to our revered presidential candidate, the talent developer, the man with the magic wand, intellectual giant, and political giant, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to please retain the minister of Works and Housing within the corridors of his power, either as Minister of Works and Housing , which I am still hammering on, or any other position, like Chief of Staff or any other thing that will make him create more impact more than he is creating now.

What advise do you have for Ndigbo?

I am calling on Ndigbo, our people to please calm down, and make sure they hook on to the national grid. In Lagos, I have said it, let all Igbos in Lagos emulate what was done in Owerri by the businessmen in the east, put resources together to make sure that Tinubu emerges the president; that Sanwo-Olu emerges as a successor to himself for the second term. It is very important because the young man has done well. I have said this several times. I pitied Sanwo-Olu when the EndSARS came up, when Covid came up, just like Fashola, he contained all those things. Look at the construction going on everywhere in Lagos. You know, in administration infrastructure is very important. When there is no infrastructure you are not doing anything, when there is no security you are not doing anything, when the health of the people are in shambles, you are not doing anything, and this man is tackling all these things headlong, everybody is now rushing to Lagos, running away from criminals, as a result, the population has bloated. Somebody attacked me the other day and said, why are you promoting Lagos, I said yes, I am promoting Lagos because Lagos is the Centre of Excellence. Most of these people that are talking now in Abuja, Calabar, Sokoto and other areas, made their wealth starting from Lagos. During weekends , you see them trooping to Lagos, and I keep saying that Lagos should be given special status in the national budget.

I talked to the 8^th Assembly, and I am now talking to the 9^th Assembly and I am now still making it public that Lagos should be given special status in the national budget. Let Ndigbo in Lagos rally round this young man and get him re-elected in 2023.