Agatha Emeadi
Ambassador Kayode Oguntause is Nigeria’s envoy to the Republic of Benin. Oguntause, a career diplomat who knows his onion, has been in the border country in the last two years.
He spoke with Sunday Sun on the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Benin Republic, activities of smugglers, actualization of June 12 as new Democracy Day, and many others.
How has it been as the Ambassador in Cotonou, the capital of Benin Republic in the last two years?
It has been a nice time. Cotonou is not far from Nigeria, it is like moving from Nigeria to any other place. Almost everything there are the same apart from the language, there is no much difference.
Where were you before your ambassadorial appointment?
I was a career diplomat and an officer with the Nigeria High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa. I studied Geography and Regional Planning from the University of Calabar in Cross Rivers State. I am a very ambitious person. I remember when we were young students filling forms to further our studies, my colleagues were choosing University of Ife, Ibadan and Lagos. I chose University of Calabar because I wanted to be trained in a different environment. That was how I found myself in Cross River. During resumption, by the time I got to Onitsha in Anambra State, I was tired and fagged out because that was the farthest journey I have ever made in life then. I wanted to go back and tell my father that I was no longer interested in the admission, but will write JAMB examination the next year, but another passenger encouraged me; by the time we got to Calabar, I was shocked to find people from my area in Calabar schooling.
As an ambassador representing Nigeria, what is the bilateral relations between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin?
The relationship has been good, just that Nigeria is a bit more developed than them, so they look up to Nigeria for development. Instead we are encouraging facilitation of trade, things they can do better than us. For example they have better artisans and cotton. When they harvest the cotton, they do not only take the white wool, they include the oil, which is considered the best oil in the whole world. But what I grew up to know is that when cotton is being harvested, the white part is the only thing taken while the bulk of it all is thrown away. But in Cotonou, that part is money.
Now that there is a new government in the country, what do you want the government to do more?
The four cardinal points of the government as they have been doing are issues that are germane to the development of Nigeria, which include security, which is very important. A country where there is no security, there can never be development. Development and security work together, if we are able to secure our environment, there will be development in all areas: economic, social and political. We will be able to achieve them. Where there is no peace, the country will not achieve anything. Peace is very important. For Direct Foreign Investors (FDI) to come the environment must be secured.
What do you think about the issue of restructuring, which has been in contention for some time now?
On restructuring, everybody believes that there is need for true federalism, which is also part of restructuring. So many definitions have been given to restructuring, but if all the three tiers of government work together, that is where restructuring will start from.
How do you feel about the actualization of June 12 as Democracy Day by President Muhammadu Buhari?
As a Nigerian, the issue of June12 is a landmark and watershed in the political development of Nigeria. A time that all Nigerians decided to vote; not on ethnic, religious or social basis, we had a symbol that cut across everywhere; and that was the man called MKO Abiola because all along, he has been a phenomenon and a detribalized Nigerian. President Muhammadu Buhari has done well by restoring the image. Kudos should be given to President Buhari, especially for the fact that there were other governments who were hesitant to do what he did. He should be commended and applauded. He has proved he is a statesman. And one could see the level of overwhelming jubilation across the city for the restoration of June 12. What is good is good and gold is always gold.
What do you have to say on the just inaugurated 9th Assembly?
What we saw during the inauguration of the 9th Assembly is also part of the growth and development of democracy in Nigeria. We saw that the voting pattern was across party line; and this is what we are after, the national interest which should be the focus and one has seen that some milestones have been reached, but we want them to add more to it. We expect that this time around, there will not be rancour like the previous one. They should put the interest of the people on focus instead of personal interest and ego to the extent that budget will not be ratified as at when due, no allocation signed and they do not know the multiplying effect of such actions. It is not the president or governor that is being punished, but the entire citizens. We are looking forward to a good harmonious relationship between the legislator, executives and judiciary. That will be able to move Nigeria to the next level.
Why are you at NACISSIMA award night?
Well, NACCIMA is a platform for economic development for industrialization and for inclusive participation of all segments in the economic development of Nigeria. I think they have been doing very well, in the area of creating awareness and also allowing the private sector to play very prominent role in the draft of the economic development of Nigeria. Most of the time, it has always been the public sector that drives most of these projects; meanwhile, the Organised Private Sector (OPS) are the ones that face the bombs. I am also here to acknowledge and applaud our women who have done very well in businesses in the private sector. All along, women are playing prominent roles, but most of it was at the informal sector, they do more business than men even that they do not have access to capital like their male counterparts. But because education and development are now involved, more women have access to capital. Government has also made some policies that encourage women to have access to funds.
The decadence among the youths is much. What were those advice that your parents gave to you which stood you out?
There is a new trend all over the world that goes across the globe. We are in a globalised environment, the things we didn’t see in those days are happening now. The world has become a global village according to Marshal McLuhan through social media. The other problem is the social system, which has broken down a little bit. In those days, the religious systems were playing a big role in homes and schools where ethics were taught. Even the traditional institutions, parents are not left out. If the children are not put in the right perspective, it becomes a social problem for the entire nation. I will also say that Benin Republic were not used to social cybercrimes, but all of a sudden, they were caught in the web because of constant electricity supply and social media. Some of the boys who were involved claimed to be Nigerian students schooling in Benin Republic.
What does the law say about cybercrimes in Benin Republic?
The government enacted anti-cybercrime laws and clamped down on victims. Their embassy intervened because there were some Nigerian boys involved. The two countries collaborated in order to fight the crime. So, we worked together with the security system there and those ones who were not guilty were released, one or two of them who had evidence had to face the wrought of law there. Crime is crime. The innocent ones are being monitored carefully while we do sensitization programmes in schools urging them to face their studies and desist from crime related offences because the consequences are great.
How are you handling the smuggling between Cotonou and Nigeria?
It is a serious problem and the penalties are much for both countries. Smugglers trend on cars, rice, second-hand clothes and frozen foods. When these goods are smuggled, the revenue that is supposed to be paid is declined. There is a tendency for it to kill our domestic industry in Nigeria because smuggling affects production, but what Cotonou people do is to re-export. Rice is not grown in Benin Republic rather comes from countries like Pakistan, India, Malaysia. If they are grown in Benin Republic, there is what is called ECOWAS Treaty Liberalization Skill (ETLS), which means that any product that is grown within the African Region is free to enter into neighbouring countries through the treaties. We rather encourage them to grow their products themselves and look for the market because there is free market under the ECOWAS treaty. Some of these smuggled goods are from countries outside the ECOWAS zone. Because a particular country cannot solve the problem alone, we have a bilateral agreement on anti-smuggling and set up a committee, which are working.
Have they caught anybody?
Yes, some people have been caught and their goods confiscated. Government sends such seized goods to IDP camps. These are the small smugglers, but government and security agencies are doing their best to make sure the big smugglers are caught. But criminals move a step ahead, but they cannot have a field day all the time.