From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Governor Henry Seriake Dickson literally spits fires whenever he finds time to talk to newsmen about his policy direction for Bayelsa State and on national issues of interest. In a recent encounter with journalists, he touched on the issue of restructuring maintaining that what Nigeria need was beyond a talk-shop but frank discussions covering all issues of agitations and complaints to pave way for a more stable and prosperous country.
Recently there has been a heightened clamour for the restructuring of Nigeria. What is could have been responsible for it?
My politics is different from other politician’s politics. I am a politician with conviction. My views on this are essentially what informed my politics. Since the dawn of this democratic era, from 1998 until now, I have been part of the struggles of my people. Whereas I believe this struggle should be pursued by none violent political means, I believe that these issues should be raised from time to time.
Therefore, my views on restructuring are very well known, I believe that if we want a balanced, stable and united Nigeria that will stand the test of time, we have no option than to review the structure of the country. That is what restructuring means. We have to meet, get consensus, and put all our cards, our fears as well as complains on the table, and then find a way around it.
The present attitude of the Federal Government and the President on the issue of restructuring is something I disagree with. Unlike other politicians, I stand with my people and I am in politics not for myself but for the people. As a Bayelsan, as the governor of this state, as an Ijaw man, and as a Nigerian from the Niger Delta, I believe that this country has to have a meeting to discuss how we can make Nigeria more stable, prosperous and overall yield a Nigeria that can last.
We love Nigeria. Those of us clamoring for restructuring are the true lovers of Nigeria. There are those who feel they have advantages to protect, hence they want the status quo maintained but in that case, you are talking of an individual, regional or ethnic interest and not Nigeria’s interest. Those who genuinely believe and love Nigeria want a stable, egalitarian and fair Nigeria that we all can call our home. Consequently, you do not always have this issue of agitation from time to time.
Every country in the world is an artificial creation. It is the duty and responsibility of leaders to rise to the occasion to address complains and fears. Even if those fears are imaginary and unreasonable, you explain and engage. Up till now, our own colonial masters, the United Kingdom is dealing with their issues of restructuring, devolution of power to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Island. Last year the Scottish had their referendum if they should be an independent nation or not. Heavens did not fall down, because you engage and create the platform for people to negotiate.
I do not believe that you have majority of people in any part of this country that will decide to break up from this country, No. As I have always said, Nigeria’s unity is desirable, but do not tell me it is not negotiable. We want a big, prosperous and strong country, but we have to stop this constant annual round the clock agitations. People are dying, running helter-skelter and creating tensions in the country. That is inimical to the growth of the Nigeria we love. When we say restructuring in Bayelsa, in the Ijaw nation, in the Niger Delta, we mean that we should sit with our brothers and sisters to discuss issues of how we control our resources. What kind of federation do we want? This is a unitary state that is why you have all these conflicts, we want to be in truly federal Nigeria. The federal government should discuss the modalities of organizing not only a Talk shop, but I have said there should be a multiparty or a bi-partisan committee made up of officials of the federal government and national assembly because in the end you are going to talk about a constitutional review. All these talks about restructuring and true federalism will end in the national assembly. The leadership of the national assembly, state governors, the leaders representing the various state parliaments, the leadership of the major political parties and other selected interest groups will meet behind closed doors and agree on the issues we need to address now, you do not need to address everything.
Nation building is a work in progress and not one generation does it forever, and says okay, we are done. Americans have had lots of constitutional amendments and they are still proposing more. So that is what we need. The bulk stops at the table of Mr. President, he is to rise to the occasion and unify this country more. The country is divided and it has been left to drift for too long with this division. The division is rather getting farther and deeper by the day and that’s not good for the Nigeria we love. Nobody should claim to any other person from Bayelsa, or the Ijaws or the Niger Delta man that they love Nigeria more than us. They do not understand the sacrifices we are making to keep Nigeria going. When we talk about restructuring, get it clearly; we are talking as Patriots of Nigeria.
Currently your party appears to be at peace with itself and the plan is to take over leadership at the federal level in 2019. Will you say the PDP is in a position to re-launch itself to reckoning at the national level?
That is a very serious question. Because of what we went through in the hands of the party at the center after our state elections, I was very serious about rebuilding the party, to take over power at the center. And everyone knew what I did. I did everything I could to build consensus. But there are forces within the PDP that are against a cohesive and strong PDP that can take power at the center. I pray that the party overcomes or realises the need to overcome these forces within the PDP that are placing selfish ambitions and ego above the need to build a strong party that can take power that center, I am very prayerful and let me say at this point that I am hopeful that these forces that are trying to tear the party apart will not succeed.
I pray the party survives these internal forces. I have always believed that this country needs a strong cohesive party which incidentally the APC is not but we should also pray for the APC to get their acts together. But clearly Nigeria needs a strong party in opposition. I agree with what Nigeria’s former Head of state, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar said some days ago, that the PDP is a disappointment by not proving to be a strong opposition party. That is very sad because I am very comfortable being in the opposition. There are not many who can survive the last elections I survived. I believe that my party has a lot of work to do so that the country can have a real taste of two strong parties. That is all I can say for now.
We are proposing to have a convention, let us see how it goes. But basically, I think that the PDP is suffering from having a preponderance of people who have never tasted opposition politics, all their politics have been with the party at the center using everything at their disposal for their elections. They should learn from what we did here. Note that I am the only governor who has won governorship re-election in this state on the platform of a party different from the platform of the party at the center so far. Of all the PDP governors and of all the governors in this country now, I am the only one that has won re-elections when the center is of a different party. Later in November we shall see what will happen in Anambra. A number of people take this background for granted. I pray that PDP survives because Nigeria needs PDP and a strong party in opposition. I wish my party and Nigeria democracy the best.
You always criticise Abuja based Bayelsa politicians for residing in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt instead of Bayelsa. Where you will reside after your tenure as governor?
Quite frankly I have started thinking about it, but I am a ‘contriman’ so I do not want to be far from Bayelsa, for me it will be here in Yenagoa and my hometown. I have always had a farm at Yenegwe in Yenagoa since the year 2000. The farm in my village has started, I took a small loan and for me, my options are clear. But as the saying goes ‘man proposes, God disposes’, otherwise my plan is to be in Yenagoa with you all because we have to support this state to succeed and I am very passionate about this state.
But I still have about two years and five months, so there is time to think about it but mainly I do not intend to be far from this state because we must all be around to give support to whoever becomes the next governor of this state. For me it does not matter the person and it also does not matter the party he emerges from, once we fight the elections and it is over, we all have to work together supporting the person to ensure that the state continues to move forward. I will be around to give that support and to do assignments the incoming governor wants me to do for the state.
I am very clear as to what I will not be doing; I will not be fighting with the governor, I know the challenges whoever is going to be governor here will be dealing with so my duty will be to continue to give support, encouragement, advice if they are sought, unlike what people do when they leave office. When you leave office you do not create instability, you do not distract the person who is there because we have seen it all. Now in this state, with the unfortunate passing on of our leader Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha, I am the one who have governed Bayelsa for the longest timeframe as governor, and so nobody alive can tell me that he/she knows and understands the challenges in ruling or governing Bayelsa more than me. I hope that when we do elections and a new governor emerges, my duty by my understanding will be to always give encouragements and support, without creating problems.