From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Bishop Sunday Ndukwo Onuoha is an ordained Bishop of the Methodist Church Nigeria and also the Abia State governorship candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC). He has been involved in advocacy, promotion and entrenchment of peace and good governance in the country.
A former presidential adviser on privatisation, Bishop Onuoha, who is the co-chairman of the Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III in this interview, talked about his motivation to join politics and what he has in store for the people of Abia if he becomes their governor in 2023.
Your are a Methodist Bishop and you are into politics at the level of contesting election for the governorship position. Won’t that conflict with your faith?
Jesus came to redeem the world and we are called into the Ministry of redemption and I believe Abia needs redemption and what else should a Bishop do, than to get ready, roll up your sleeve, get into it and set your people free.
We have had occasions where past governors were accused of not having governed Abia well, I wouldn’t know if Bishop Onuoha will be any different?
If you will recall in the 60’s, a visiting Archbishop Macarious was a visiting president to Nigeria during the coup; it was his presence that saved Dr. M. I. Okpara because the perpetrators of the coup were afraid that going into Enugu would be like fighting a foreign president. His presence as archbishop, saved our own Michael Okpara.
And I believe all over the world, we have men of the clergy who have fought for the liberation of their people and their hands are clean. I will want to follow those good examples. There could be bad examples, I don’t have records of what you are talking about, but the point is that we have responsible men and women, who are clergy, who have managed the affairs of society. If being head of state is evil, then what do you think of the Pope who is a president of a country?
If you are elected as governor of Abia, what will you be bringing to the table?
Well, what I will bring to the table is what I have, what God has deposited in me. I’m a clergy, an ordained minister and a consecrated Bishop and every year as an ordained man of God, you stand before the altar to pledge your allegiance before the Almighty God. So, what I bring to the table is credibility, transparency and accountability. And I know that I am accountable first to God, two, to the church, faith Community who will feel so disappointed if I disappoint them. And as such, I cannot afford to disappoint them.
Abia has had at the first instance, Gov Orji Uzor Kalu who was a great businessman, you can’t deny him being a great businessman and you had a technocrat in the name of Chief T.A Orji and currently we have an academician in the person of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. All of them have played their part, but this is Sunday Onuoha. I am a good businessman, I understand business very well, I am a great technocrat and I am an academician. But in all these, there’s something that I have, I’m a man of God, the time has come to hand over God’s Own State to the man of God.
People are saying your party has no structure to win election in the state; how would you overcome this?
Which structure are you talking about? Human beings are the structure. These days, people are now asking questions, people are afraid of all these structures that are bedeviling us, that people have been servicing and worshipping and the common people are not served. I have human beings, I have people, people are what we need in the structure. So, when once you have the people, you have the structure and I can tell you in Abia, there’s no structure that is stronger than the church and I am a church man. I am a person that belongs to the church and when the church, the Christian community tells you to go and you know you’re accountable to the Christian community in Abia, you have all the structures you need.
Past governors in the state have been criticized for not doing much for the state. What in concrete terms are you going to do to make a difference?
You got to make your governance accountable and transparent. When once you make the system accountable, people will know what you are doing, people can hold you responsible. There is no reason why the governor will not come out every month to say, ‘this is how much we got, this is how much we spent, let my people hold me accountable’. You bring church leaders, publish how much you get, let them ask you questions, let the traditional rulers ask you questions.
Every money that is meant for Local Government, should go to every local government, nothing should be removed from Government fund. You are talking about local government fund, why won’t traditional rulers be part and parcel of how the local governance is being done? That’s accountability and transparency; if fund that is meant for local government go to each location government, there will be development in every local government and at the end of every month, the federation money that comes to the state, how does the local government chairman accounted for it? Don’t give me your money as governor, Mr. Local Government chairman, spend your money in your local government. If local government chairmen are accountable to the councillors and traditional rulers, you will see development coming to the communities.
Donor agencies are willing to donate to states that are accountable and transparent. Here you are, donor agencies, multilateral organizations are not interested in coming to your state because the process of accounting and returning is not according to their standard. When once you set up your accounting system in line with global acceptable standard, I can tell you, agencies will come, they will set up their headquarters in Abia.
Talking about Insecurity, your Prelate was abducted in Abia something ago, if you become the governor of the state, what are you going to do to tackle the menace?
To bring the type of people you want in Abia, you need the place secured. And when you think about investment, I think I’m a very good example of investment. This is Vision Africa Radio that has been here for over 20 years and Vision Africa Organization has been operating for 25 years. So, if you are talking about investment and security, I have worn the shoe and I know how it is done. So, I’m not asking people to come and tell me what they are going to do. I’m asking everybody who wants to run for governorship in Abia to come and tell me what you have been doing in the past 10 to 20 years. Not what you decided to do last month because you want to run for governorship. It is something which you have been doing for years and now that which you have been doing, you want to translate it into the wider governance.
I know what it takes to bring investors into Abia. Every year, I bring dozens and dozens of Americans and people from Canada, to Abia. I know what I go through in order to manage their security. Every insecurity begins from the community. I was the President General for Item Development Union for almost 12 years and I made Item the most secured community in the whole of Igbo land. Till today, if you are a bad boy and you enter Item, they will not kill you, but you will not come out.
What are your plans for the education sector?
First and foremost, the funds meant for education in terms of global indicators, what percentage that is required for education, I will mark it, I will release it, I will make sure it is implemented. Now, if you have Commissioner for Education who is not free to implement the expected standard for education, then the person is there like a clerk. Who are those that are implementing educational system in Abia State, are they free, is somebody tying their hands, how are they tied into the national education system, how are they also tied into the global education indicators?
And then you come to primary education, go to our schools in various communities, it is a pity what you see. So, provide the resources, make the resources available and also have people accountable for the resources you provide for them. You don’t just give money and people run away with the money, the money you provide, who are those monitoring it. That’s the only way you can make it possible for people to have standard education.
From the beginning, people like Dr. M.I Okpara, Akanu Ibiam and Sam Mbakwe took education very seriously; we must go back to the basics. Wherever you want the society to be tomorrow, its the seed you have planted today. Have a plan, implement the plan, Abia does not lack men and women who are educated, who are exposed, the only thing you need is allow them to implement the plan. In primary education, make it available for all, in secondary education, make it possible for all, in tertiary education, can there be a strategic plan in which you will know how many of your students from Abia, that are Abians? That’s how you can have a plan.
What are the plans you have to ensure teachers in Abia are no longer owed?
The question is, do you really know how many teachers we have in Abia? You must find out how many. This is the world of technology where things have transformed. All these manual systems are no longer working. Why can’t you have a system in which you capture all the teachers and make it easy for teachers themselves to be part and parcel of the process of holding themselves accountable. If you have 10 teachers, pay them, you have no reason owing teachers salary. Nothing is wrong for you to have people going to teach your children; it’s like having your baby sitter and starving your baby sitter, then your baby will die.
What are your plans about the industrialisation of the state?
First and foremost, you need to make the state secure so that people who are bringing in their resources, will do that happily. When people don’t feel secured, they wouldn’t come. There is no community that the poor man has been given the office of the Treasurer, that’s the way it is in the he larger society, in the global community. Wherever you see people see that is safe, they will bring in their resources.
I have plans for Diasporans in the state. I was a Diasporan, I lived in the USA for many years and invested billions here as a Diasporan. I know what it will take for Abians who are living in America, Canada and Europe to come home and invest in the state. Money follows money and money follows those who can keep them safe.
Some people believe it is not economically wise for government to build and run industries. Do you subscribe to that?
Government can build industry and privatize it; you see, the problem is not that government should not invest in industrialisation, no. Because when we have the par capita very low, Government has to invest to bring the society to a certain level. When once you invest, you have the equity and allow the private sector to run it.
The road to your community of Item is in deplorable condition, so do those of many communities in Abia North. How do you tackle these if you become the governor?
The problem we have in the society is that sometimes the government wants to do what is not their business. Let me tell you, I have been President General of a community, if you want to build road in Item or going to build road in Ohuhu and you did not involve the Ohuhu community, you are wasting your time. If you involve the Ohuhu community, the community is supervising the road your going to build in their place; government will spend less and you will achieve more. Let the community have ownership, that’s the key.
Some people believe Abia needs an airport, if you are elected governor, would you see that as a priority?
The question I have, is whether that is going to be reasonable and sensible. When I get into government, my first business will not be airport, no. It will be misapplication of priority, I need to pay salaries first, make sure that people are not owed, have good roads, have water flowing. And then when once your people are settled, you can think of airport.
Some people say Umuahia, the Abia State capital is a glorified village. Do you have plans to change that assertion?
Umuahia I agree with you is the capital city of Abia that needs something to happen drastically. First and foremost, you need to meet the landlords to know that something is going to happen immediately when I become the governor. Definitely, you need to expand the roads, you need to expand the city; you need to agree as government to pay compensation for people to know you must beautify the city to be the kind of city to live in. We need to open up satellite cities in Aba. Aba is suffering and as you are going to open up satellite cities in Aba, address the drainage system, Aba does not have improved drainage system. This is why Ariaria Market is collapsing, there is no good drainage system there.
Government will put the infrastructure that will enable people to move in. When you open the road, put electricity, water, I’m telling you, people will go and build, people will invest their money. People will borrow money from the bank and build and the private sector will come and do housing for the poor and housing for the rich. Government should do their part first; that’s the key thing.
Are you not worried that up till moment, what is used today as Government House, Umuahia is a rented building?
I am worried my brother. When you are talking about Government House, we have small place here that Dr. Okpara built. The then governor, Chief T.A Orji, started building another one and he didn’t finish it before he left and I don’t know what level it is. The current governor maybe will complete it before he leaves. So, I wouldn’t answer anything about Government House since I’m not in government. Until I’m in government, I will know whether there is Government House or not.
All these things you have reeled out you will do when you become governor require a lot of funding, how are you going to get the money?
I have even told you how the money will come because I can tell you when there’s security, you put the infrastructure in place; there is so much resources in private sector willing to invest if they feel secured. Sunday Onuoha being the governor, people know that I am not poor, people know that I am transparent, people know that I am honest, people know that what I tell them is what is going to happen, they will bring the resources. Companies will come, multilateral organisations will come and set up their offices in Abia and when it happens, this place will be a tourist centre. Tourism will happen immediately because people flow in where things are happening, people will come for vacation.
Look at Nsulu Games Village, its a shame that we have Nsulu Games Village that should be a mint. The very first month that I become governor, I will move companies that will develop that place because that’s the easiest way we are going to attract investors into the sports industry. Young people will be busy, you will engage over 5,000 youths in that place. You will have many organizations from all over the world coming to look at your talents.
Are you saying your administration will not depend only on federal allocation to develop the state?
If you depend only on federal allocation, how far would you go, how much would you get? Let me tell you, any state government that is depending only on federal allocation, is not better than a cashier. Any person can get N1 and spend N1 and retire it, you’re only a cashier, you must think outside of the box. And then, as you are thinking about it, you are talking about empowering the youths, strengthening the community.
What are the church leaders doing? If you look at the No.11 agenda on my development plan, you see state, community and development. Why can’t we use church communities to empower, to go into SME, to encourage people who need to learn jobs; give them soft loans through churches because church leaders know how to hold their leaders accountable.
There was a time when Enyimba FC ruled the African continent in football. If you become governor, what are the things you are going to do to improve sports in the state?
I’m looking for the book I wrote about 15 years ago and at the end of the book in my thesis, I talked about how sports is a unifying factor. When people are playing soccer, they forget about the tribe they come from. When they score goal, it is not said to be Christian or Muslim goal. That’s when Nigerians forget they’re Christians and Muslims. If you build sports, you will see how it will unite us as a people.
Umuahia has no standard stadium, would that not be part of your development plan?
This sports stadium does not befit us as a people. What are you going to do with that small toy, toy place? The place is too small, but you can enhance what you already have here and think of a new location for completely what we call stadium complex. Umuahia does not have a stadium complex, what it has is a soccer field.