AMAECHI IS A PROVINCIAL PLAYER, SAYS BAYELSA GOVERNOR

Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, recently met with some journalists in Yenagoa, the state capital, and used the forum to address some national issues. Shola Oyeyipo was there. Excerpts:

What’s your take on amnesty for Boko Haram?
On the issue of amnesty, I want to commend the President for his large heartedness in proposing amnesty, even for Boko Haram members. Of course, we all know that Boko Haram, whatever is driving them is very different from the factors that gave rise to the situation that we had here in the Niger Delta. Whereas the insurgency in the Niger Delta was founded on economic issues, the one in Boko Haram is religious. So, there is a clear distinction and even with that the President has come up with amnesty.

I think as a result of calls by some leaders in the affected areas so that amnesty can be given and they want to see whether that can make the difference. I think we should give it a chance. Though those who say amnesty should not be extended to Boko Haram members also have a very strong point on account of the mindless and criminal, despicable and wanton destruction of properties and lives. And even now, from what we are reading, they seem to say they have not done anything wrong and they are rejecting amnesty. But on the part of the leader of a country, I think the President has done well by proposing amnesty.

Let’s discuss the crisis in your party against the birth of APC. Are you worried?
In politics, you are managing not just a clash of ideas and vision; it is also a clash, inevitably, of ego and all of that. So, democratic politics promotes diversity and diversity sometimes, generates conflict and tension. But the democratic system must be managed in such a way that democracy and the rule of law will at the end of the day, take care of all these things in their own time. So, what you are seeing as tension at the end of the day, will resolve itself.

On the APC, I want to use this opportunity to urge the leaders of the opposition to work hard to bring about a virile, effective and viable opposition. An opposition that will play by the rule, an opposition that will be in a position to confront the ruling party in a market place of ideas and vision. We are looking forward to virile debates on various issues; on economy, on national security.

If they are viable as a party, we want to engage then and let us see the alternative viewpoints that are contending for the minds and hearts of our people beyond issues of religion, ethnicity and zoning - that's the whole idea. The whole political engagement is all about grandstanding, manipulation, positioning and it sickens me, really. So, for me, and I'm not speaking for my party; I'd be very happy to see a very virile, effective and well organised opposition because a democracy without an opposition is dictatorship.

What informed the idea of PDP Governors' Forum?
The Governors' Forum is primarily a mechanism for peer review of governors that are equal. You do not have to be a member of the Nigeria Governors' Forum to be a governor. Isn't it? Yes! It is just like your association, NUJ, whether you are there or not, you are functioning. So the Governors' Forum is a platform for collaborating with the federal government on critical issues of development, national security and other challenges that come up. The Governors' Forum is not and should not be a platform for control of national politics, because we are not elected to run the country.

We, as governors are elected to manage our states. So the Governors' Forum cannot be allowed to go on as a trade union. Of course, that is wrong! What has happened is that people are taking advantage of the development and discontent in our system to manipulate it to suit their individual whims and caprices. But what is wrong is wrong! Look at the United States Governors' Forum where we even copied it from, you don't see Governors' Forum there coming to tell Obama what he should and what he should not do.

We are provincial players because our mandates are to lead our states and not to run the federation. Those who have a mandate to run the federation are the President, Vice President, the elected members of our National Assembly and the political leadership of the parties. And if as a governor, I have any strong view on things that go on at the federal level, we have avenues; informal and formal- we have the National Economic Council.

Over the years, governors of the PDP who became chairmen of the Governors' Forum- all attempted to use it as a platform for playing national politics- a platform for occupying national political space. It shouldn't be allowed! That's why the idea of the PDP Governors' Forum became necessary. But you see, because there is manipulation of facts and our institutions are not yet strong enough, including the media - you are doing a very good job but not yet strong enough.

You see things being manipulated as if anybody is disturbing anybody and instead of saying no, this thing you guys are doing is wrong. People are saying as if "there is a crisis and somebody does not want somebody, no! PDP governors have the right to have their own group because the associative right is a first law in a democracy. ACN governors and others, even councillors have associations. There is so much focus on what goes on in the PDP.

If you are in the PDP, you will use the structure of the PDP to resolve problems; if you are not in the PDP you concentrate on your party and make it strong to defeat the PDP. You don't operate outside the PDP and control the PDP or want the PDP to do things according to your own dictate. But if you are in a party, you must play according to the rules of your party or you get out. That is what is done all over.

But what do you think of the crisis between the President and Governor Amaechi who are both members of the same party?
You should not equate a provincial player with elected President of the Federal Republic. The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria cannot have misunderstanding with a provincial player as a governor of Rivers State or any other governor for that matter. I don't know how you came by that. That is why we must be careful because you are also very important players in our democracy. As governors, we are elected to run our states, no more - no less.

If you want the mandate to run Nigeria, you contest an election for it. Don't do it through the back door. If you want to be a leader of opposition, you go to the opposition. What is happening is that people are taking advantage of our weak institutions and our fledgling democracy such that sometimes you don't even know who belongs to where socially and politically. So, please, I'm not aware of any misunderstanding between the President of Nigeria and a provincial player like me who is a governor of a state.

You are demeaning the President and you shouldn't do that in this country. He (Amaechi) is the one that does that because every little thing, he brings in the President as if he is at the same level- at par with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But what we know is that for you to be a good leader, you must be a good follower first. So, I'm not aware and I'm not a presidential spokesman.

What’s the state of the oil dispute between Bayelsa and Rivers?
This thing you talked about has been in existence for long, even before the creation of Bayelsa State. Even when these two local governments were in old Rivers State, commissions of enquiries were set up and so on and so forth. As a governor, your responsibility is to use existing institutions to solve problems because there are statements you make that could inflate tensions and create instability.

What I have been doing since this incident is to call for peace and I'm using our existing channels both within the Ijaw system because these people are all Ijaw people in case you don't know; the Kalabari are Ijaw people, the Nembe people in Bayelsa are Ijaw people. Just because of the way the country came into being and states were created and today we now find ourselves- some in Rivers and some in Bayelsa- they are not enemies.

For us as a state, what we have done is that we have submitted ourselves to federal institutions - we are cooperating with federal institutions. We have federal institutions like the Boundary Commission; we have the Revenue Allocation and Mobilisation and all of that. When they came, we were ready but unfortunately, even the people who were shouting - come to the table and establish, pulled out.

They are more interested in using it for political grandstanding and for any other thing. But I think that the system will take its course. Remember they have now gone to court and lost. And let me use this opportunity to also clear this disinformation; there was no time any money was paid to Bayelsa from the so-called Escrow account. There was no time monies were kept in an Escrow account and paid to Bayelsa State. No!

What happened was that Akwa-Ibom, Abia, Delta, Bayelsa - all the neighbouring states had issues and they now deducted funds from us and paid to Rivers State. They also now, on another claim, deducted some money from Rivers State and other states and paid to Bayelsa. So, whereas we received N15 billion, Rivers State received N17 billion! Now, was that money from an Escrow account?

Source: Thisday