Enyeribe Ejiogu
In the run up to the inauguration of the 9th Senate and formation of the governance structure that would pilot the affairs of state during the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari, the pace of activities has quickened. In support of the quest of the South East to secure the position of Deputy Senate President, Founder of the South Atlantic Polytechnic Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Bassey James, in this interview makes a case for President Buhari, to endorse the desire of the zone.
We know that the civil war ended in 1970 and the then head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, declared no victor, no vanquished, and launched the 3R (reconstruction, rehabilitation and re-integration). Given what we are seeing today, the people of the South East say they have not been reintegrated. Do you share this view?
I do not accept that view, because we have had Dr. Alex Ekwueme as the vice president of the country. During the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, we have had different people who were the senate president. We have also had ministers who presided over strategic ministries and other agencies of the government. Recall too that General Ihejirika served as the Chief of Army Staff. I believe that the 3R programme of General Gowon is still being implemented as the government is executing major projects in the South East and South South geopolitical zones. But like Oliver Twist, we are still asking for more. I think that the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari would see more justice, equity and fairness put on display in the governance of the country. He has been a minister, former head of state, chairman of the Presidential Trust Fund (Special) and now the President of the Federal Republic. I believe the combined experience will count in the continued implementation of the 3R programme for the South East and South South zones.
But the people of the South East have always said that they are marginalized in the scheme of things…
That cry of marginalization needs to be interrogated and be looked at from both sides. If you go to Alaba International and other parts of Lagos, you will see massive investments made by people from the South East. In several northern cities, the Igbo have also invested heavily in the physical development of those places. So I believe that the people should be encouraged through deliberate positive policies to do more. That is why I think that the Buhari administration should lead in this regard and take clear steps to demonstrate this. If that encouragement comes, I can guarantee that there would an economic revolution in the country. I also want the government to re-engineer the consciousness of Nigerian youths.
What is your take on the South East’s quest for the position of Deputy Senate President – in wake of the endorsement of Senator Ahmed Lawan as the preferred candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the position of president of the 9th Senate?
The quest which is being spearheaded by the former Abia State governor and Senator-elect, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, is perfectly in order. Don’t forget that he actively canvassed for the position of Senate President to be zoned to the South East. Recall that the position was zoned to the South East in 2015, but no senator emerged from the zone on the platform of the party at the time. But now, through the indefatigable efforts of Orji Uzor Kalu abnd other party chieftains from the zone, APC made significant inroads in the South East and made it possible for President Buhari to record a much better performance in the presidential election, scoring far higher percentages in five states in the zone. Therefore, I want to say categorically that Kalu’s quest is perfectly in order. By reason of the good performance of the APC in the South East I dare say that zone deserves to have the position of deputy senate president which the former Abia State governor has indicated interest in and is actively reaching out to his colleagues to secure their support ahead of the formal inauguration of the 9th Senate. Don’t forget that he is ranking member, having once been a member of the House of Representatives. He is a bridge builder who will be an asset in sustaining harmonious relationship between the legislative and the executive arms of the government.
Party politics is over and now is the time to focus on governance, to move Nigeria forward and work in the best interest of the common man. That is it is imperative for the APC and the PDP members of the National Assembly to come together and pursue the common good of the masses, to consolidate the unity of the country. In this regard, Orji Kalu as a bridge builder will be instrumental to this purpose. So in my view, he quest for to be deputy senate president is in order. His emergence in this regard will be equitable, just and fair. The South East geopolitical must be supported to produce the deputy senate president. It will be one the greatest things to happen under the Buhari administration and go along way to blunt the feeling that the south East is marginalised. It will further actualise and strengthen the rehabilitation aspect of Gowon’s 3R programme.
The second coming of Buhari should be seen as a force of national blending and national unity. The support of President Buhari for the South East to get the position of deputy senate president with Orji Uzor Kalu as the preferred candidate will be a worthy component of the Buhari legacy.
Looking at the country today, please one major problem you would like the tackle squarely during his second term, and which would be written on marble as his biggest achievement?
I will tell you in one sentence: Mr President deal with unemployment. Simplicita. The government must sit down to develop programmes to solve the problem of youth unemployment, which has become a ticking time bomb. It is the breeder of gangs, youth restiveness, deviant behavior, kidnapping, thuggery and all manner of ills.
Through deliberate economic and fiscal policies, the government must enable small enterprises to be established. The government must create special banks that would support entrepreneurial youths to create jobs for themselves and also employ others. Look at China where the government under the late Deng Xiaoping re-focused the country from a purely communist nation into a market-driven socialism, where ordinary people were allowed to own productive capital. The government focused on making energy very, very cheap. Combined with cheap labour, China became attractive to foreign investors who flooded into the country to establish export-oriented manufacturing enterprises, producing all kinds of things. Today, China is enjoying balance of trade surplus as a net exporter of goods and services with unemployment extremely low. President Buhari should seek to be Nigeria’s Deng Xiaoping and give Nigeria cheap electric power that would allow millions of little enterprises to be established all over the country. Overnight, kidnapping will end. Most of these criminal activities are driven by hopelessness.
What is latest concerning the South Atlantic Polytechnic, Uyo, where you are the Chancellor?
By the grace of God, the Akwa State Governor Udom Emmanuel will perform the formal commissioning of the polytechnic in May this year. We have extended invitation to the Minister of Education and other notable personalities.
Right now, we have the School of Engineering and the School of Business Studies and Entrepreneurship Development. The two schools are well equipped. We have done a lot of work in developing the physical structures required for basic academic work to start. In February this year, the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) sent a 23-man accreditation team that included experts from the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede and other polytechnics, to ascertain the level of work we have done in preparation for take-off. I believe we were able to demonstrate unparalleled commitment to providing a place that is well equipped with a large number of computers for and conducive for studies. We have a library that is equipped with books. We want to take off with the School of Business Studies and Entrepreneurship Development because we want to develop manpower for the economy. We want to develop the mental capacity and entrepreneurial abilities of our youths.
You find that too many young people are out of school without any thing to do. So we want to give them direction. That is why we will be bringing people who have succeeded in entrepreneurship to teach them. A lot of patriotic Nigerians from around the world who want to share their ideas are eager to partner with us to educate our youths and impart knowledge that would help them acquire news skills, to create wealth for themselves.