National Chairman, Pan- Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Commodore Idongesit Nkanga says restructuring is the only panacea to myriads of challenges facing the country. He noted that without restructuring, it would be difficult for Nigeria to move forward. He spoke with TUNDE THOMAS on this and other national issues.

 

The present state of the nation has continued to be a source of concern to many stakeholders. Are you one of those bothered especially with the rising insecurity, kidnapping, banditry, and even the economy?

The bitter truth is that we are in a dire situation in the country. Things are not going the way they should go, and we need to find urgent solutions to the series of crises currently plaguing the nation. For those who are saying that all is well, they are the sycophants who you always find singing praises of any government in power. In truth, this set of people knows that all is not well but because of selfish, and personal reasons, they will continue to deceive those in authority that they are the best to have happened to the country. These people are not patriots but self-serving politicians, and individuals, and you find some of them even in the government.

Some of these are those who will say that Nigerian roads are not that bad when everything points to the contrary. They are the same set of people who will say that Nigerians are not hungry when it is obvious that poverty, and hunger have become more manifest, and more pronounced. Now if you have some of these people saying these things working directly with President Muhammadu Buhari, then how can Buhari know the true situation of things in the country? With those people working with him saying these kinds of things, it will be very difficult for Buhari to feel the right pulse of Nigerians. Buhari’s aides are not giving him the right advice. How can they be telling us that all is well when kidnappers, and bandits are having a field day in some parts of the country? Insecurity today has become a big monster that is threatening the whole country. If all is well, as these people want Nigerians to believe, why are some state governors now openly negotiating with kidnappers, and bandits? Why are Nigerians afraid of travelling on our highways again? One major problem with our leaders is that they live in denial. They pretend, and want us to believe as if Nigerians are fools that all is well. The bitter truth is that Nigeria of today is not the Nigeria envisaged by the nation’s founding fathers. We need to take steps to correct injustices that abound all over the place. It is very annoying when I hear some Nigerians saying that Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable. I find this very funny. How can anybody say that? Even the nation’s founding fathers sat down to negotiate the terms of our coming together. But all these were jettisoned when unitary system was introduced to replace true federalism that was in practice between 1960-1966,and since then Nigeria has been plunged into series of crises as a result of injustices.

Then, what’s the way out?

Although they want us to believe that we are a federal state but nothing can be farther from the truth than this. We are not practicing true federalism, and that’s why we are having these series of crises. We have to restructure. Without restructuring, Nigeria may not know peace. Restructuring will take us back to true practice of federalism, and when we do this there will be peace. But as long as some people want the present status quo to remain, there will continue to be agitations for justice. One of the best ways to move forward is for us to implement the recommendations of the 2014 national confab. There were over 600 recommendations put together by over 492 eminent delegates drawn from the nation’s six geo-political zones. The solution to Nigeria’s problems lies in the implementation of the confab’s reports. Why President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to implement the confab’s recommendations is baffling. Or are we expecting solutions to Nigeria’s problems to come from heaven? If we have the courage to restructure, everybody will benefit. Even those who have apprehension about restructuring will benefit most. To me, North will benefit more from restructuring.

In what way will the North benefit from restructuring?

It is very simple. Restructuring will take us back to the true practice of federalism. It will return us to that glorious era when agriculture was the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy. It will take us back to the era where each region was developing resources in its domain for economic benefits. That was the golden period of groundnut pyramid in Kano, when you also have cotton being planted on large commercial scale in the North. That period you also have cocoa boom in the Southwest, and palm oil, and rubber in the Southeast. It is unlike now when everybody depends on crude oil resources and how to share it. It is very wrong for us to depend solely on oil. Nigeria is not the only country blessed with oil but other countries blessed with oil such as the United Arab Emirates are using their oil wealth to diversify their economy. Not only that they are also using their oil wealth to transform their nations, to build infrastructures, and that’s why today everybody including Nigerians are rushing to Dubai. If the authorities in the United Arab Emirates have not used their oil wealth to transform Dubai, will everybody be rushing to Dubai? Here, what have we done with our oil wealth? Back to my take on North, I believe with its abundant agricultural resources that the North will benefit more from restructuring. Restructuring must now even be taken serious because we have been told that oil that we all rely upon, and which we are all quarrelling over how to share its allocation will soon dry up. There is no way we can attain the desired greatness if we continue this way. Some people even continue to blame colonialism, and military rule for the challenges facing us as a nation. But are we the only country to be colonized, or are we the only country to be ruled by the military? At a time some countries like France and some others were under military rule, but today they are great nations. Until we do the needful we will continue to face series of challenges, which are keeping us down. Imagine, how can we develop if as a nation of 200 million people we still generate less than 5,000 megawatts of power supply. We are operating unitary system calling it federalism. We have not been humble enough to do what we are supposed to do.

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Some groups in the Niger-Delta recently accused the Federal Government of marginalizing the region despite some of the development going on in the area. Why?

It is true that the present federal government is marginalizing the Niger-Delta. In 2016, leaders of the Niger-Delta presented a 16 point agenda for the development of the region to President Muhammadu Buhari but as of today it is only half out of our 16 point demands that has been fulfilled, and that’s the  establishment of Maritime University in Delta state. Now if somebody scored half out of 16,will you call that a pass mark? The situation in Niger-Delta is very frustrating. Recently PANDEF organized a retreat, and President Buhari’s Special Assistant on Niger-Delta Affairs, Mr. Ita Enang was in attendance, and we used the opportunity of his attendance to send a message to Buhari through him that three years after, we are still waiting for him to implement the 16-point agenda for the development of Niger-Delta. The East-West road they promised to do is still there. The promise has not been fulfilled.

When we talk, some people will be saying that what did the former President Goodluck Jonathan do for Niger-Delta when he was there? But this is very wrong. Was Jonathan elected as the President of Nigeria or the President of Niger-Delta? If Jonathan as a leader then had shown some bias for the Niger-Delta, it is the same Nigerians that will also accuse him of being partisan. We don’t want excuses, we want Buhari to do the needful, and it doesn’t matter whether the people of Niger-Delta voted for him or not. Buhari is President of Nigeria, and therefore he should be President for all.

The injustice against the people of Niger-Delta is too much. Imagine since 1960, 59 years ago since Nigeria got independence, there has been no rail line between Lagos to Akwa-Ibom-Calabar. Yet you have rail network in other parts of the country, and the resources being used for this purpose is from Niger Delta. What an injustice. It is a shame that those who are producing the wealth of the nation are being abandoned. A child born in Akwa-Ibom state doesn’t know how a train looks like except he sees it in a picture or when he is taken on a trip outside the state to other parts of the country where you have rail lines. They are even talking now about constructing a rail line between Daura, and Niger Republic, another project that will be bankrolled with Niger-Delta resources. Why are we so insensitive in this country?

Look at another injustice against the people of Niger-Delta, and that has to do with the order that all the international oil companies operating in the country should relocate to the Niger-Delta and yet there has been no compliance. They are yet to effect the order. The Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR is planning to build its headquarters in Abuja but why not in one of the oil communities of the Niger-Delta? We are so blessed in Niger-Delta but we are also so bruised. But why? We are not progressing as a nation because of injustice. Niger-Delta people are suffering because of oil pollution, and production. Gas flaring has destroyed our farms while recurring oil pollution has destroyed fishing business in the region, and those in authority do not pity us. It is very sad that while our resources in the Niger-Delta is being used to develop other parts of the country; our own people have been abandoned and neglected.

But there have always been reports that trillions of naira has been spent on the development of the Niger-Delta over the years……….

Cuts in…And where are the projects? At least there must be visible things to see as evidence. Where are these evidences? This is why we support the recent plans by the federal government to carry out a forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. We view this as part of the anti-corruption campaign, and we support it. We want all the names of the contractors that have been given contracts to execute in the Niger-Delta to be published. We want to know those who have performed, and also those who failed. We want to know those who have raped or been raping Niger-Delta. There should be no cover up. PANDEF will resist any cover up because we want those who have been exploiting Niger-Delta to be exposed. We are interested in knowing the truth because what they have been telling us is that trillions has been spent to develop Niger-Delta but we can’t see any evidence or evidences.

Some groups in the North recently called for scrapping of zoning in 2023 but….

Cuts in…Although zoning is not in the constitution but if it is an arrangement that will enhance peace, and unity in the country, why not retain it? For me, it is not north or south that matters or Christianity or Islam that we should be talking about, what should matter to us is how to look for solutions to Nigeria’s problems. We should address the rot, and the decay in the country. Our goal should be how to have a nation where everybody will have a sense of belonging. We should not be talking about parties or religion but we should be talking about what will bind us together as a nation. We should think of Nigeria, and not of selfish, and personal interests. Break up is not the answer to Nigeria’s problems. We’ve come a long way since 1914 when the amalgamation of the North, and the South took place.