Daily Independent (Lagos)
27 October 2008
interview
Theodore Orji is the Governor of Abia State. He is a member of the Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA) which outpolled the hitherto ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2007 general election.
For that reason, Orji believes that the way to win the hearts of Abians is through optimum performance that should mean a steady improvement in the socio-economic wellbeing of the residents.
In this interview with Group Politics Editor, Sunny Igboanugu, Orji gives a detailed analysis of his programmes for the state, including the growing industrialisation in Abia, as well as the dynamics of Igbo politics and the best way to achieve the much-sought additional state(s) in the South-East. Excerpts:
Your Excellency, we hear your government has begun a process of revitalising the economic base of the state through industry and agriculture. Tell us about it.
Thank you. It is an interesting question, but let me start with Umuahia. You all know that before now, most of our industries for which we are indebted, for which we are paying back now were established during the time of Sam Mbakwe. Most of these industries have been moribund for a very long time. Now that we are diversifying to agriculture, from the oil industry, we shall go to revive some of these industries;.not by government being involved, but by PPP, which is the in-thing right now. Because there are a lot of investors who are coming to Abia to invest. They have their money to invest and we are saying, yes! We have the climate, come and invest. In Umuahia, you know we have the Modern Ceramics Industry that has been moribund for a very long time - that industry has started test-running right now - and the management approached me, asking for a date for the commissioning of the industry. That industry produces admiral tiles for domestic use; and not less than 1000 Abians are currently employed in that industry. We all know the effect of reopening that industry in the state, and since it started has started test-running, by December-January, it will go into full operation, if it is commissioned as early as the management is expecting.
Then you come to the Golden Guinea Breweries, which has been producing Golden Guinea Beer and Bergdorf Beer, Stout and Malt. That industry also has been dead for a very long time. You know it was a public liability company owned by Abia and Imo. It had been dead to the extent that it was heavily indebted to the First Bank, which placed it on the market. We have been able to get an investor, who has been able to push in his money into the revitalisation of the company. Right now, he is in Germany planning to ship equipment necessary for its modernisation down to Umuahia. He has promised that the industry will come back to life by December this year; and a lot of people will secure employment, not only direct employment, but through distributorship also. This will bring back the economic activities that were hitherto lost due to the dormancy of that industry. This is for the two major industries in Umuahia.
Then if you go to Aba also, the Glass Industry is producing right now. You will be surprised that all the pharmaceutical bottles you have in Nigeria, 80 per cent of those bottles are being produced in that industry. It is being managed in partnership with Churchgate. We have also another Glass company that produces bottles for other Nigerian industries, such as bottles for Coca-Cola, and Nigerian Breweries products. These are the industries that we have in Aba. Apart from that, there are other small-scale industries that are producing - the leather, the shoe industries, fabrication of machineries - all these things are happening in Aba. We are doing our best to make sure that the dead ones are revived and the ones that are on ground produce to optimal capacity. There is this common facility in Aba that has been established in partnership with the Federal Government. That is where we train people. People come and learn the art of making shoes and sewing garments. It is equipped for the traders in Aba to come under co-operative formations to be trained. When you train them, equip them by way of skill acquisition, then they go back to establish on their own.
Fortunately for us, in Aba also, an independent man, Prof. Barth Nnaji of Geometrics is trying to establish 188 megawatts power plant that will now supply power to Aba and environs. That plant will go into operation by March next year. So, if we have industries with adequate power - you know power is our problem in Aba - I think it will go a long way to alleviate the problems of our people and offer employment to our people and to increase production.
This power you are talking about, is it going to be distributed privately or connected to the national grid?
No, it will be distributed privately. The company will be in charge to distribute and make some gains out of it.
How affordable will the power be?
It will be affordable because it is targeted at the private people and the inhabitants of Aba. We have discussed with Geometrics, the owners of the power plant, and they have accepted that they will do it at a very reduced price, that is to say, that it will be affordable to everybody that is in Aba. The partnership is symbiotic partnership, not the one that we are cheating them or them cheating on us.
First and foremost is that the company acquired the land and we gave them a Certificate of Occupancy for that. Then we also waived taxes to the tune of N50 million; taxes that they are supposed to pay to Abia State Government. We waived that so that they can float. With that N50 million that we waived for them, they can invest it in other things. We have also built a ring road for them, so that they can access their company easily and bring in their equipment. We are building also a housing estate in that area and have ceded some of the houses to them which they will use to habour their staff.
The villagers also: there was a time they wanted to be hostile, but the state government stepped in and brought peace between the company and the indigenes. The state government has been able to provide security for the workers and for the company. That is the extent of our partnership with the company. But, we are now entering into another partnership where we are going to tell them: you see, it has been the state government doing..., state government doing... Once they go to production, what they have to do for the state government. We have earmarked some areas, some government buildings, government institutions they have to give light to free of charge; we have also earmarked the number of people they will employ, the calibre and number of people they will employ from their immediate environments and Abia State as a whole. So, we are working at that before they go into production by March next year.
Abia State is also known for cashew production. What is happening to the cashew industry here?
We are touching every issue. Like palm oil. We all know the importance we attach to palm oil. Before the advent of crude oil, it was palm oil that people depended on. In fact, there was this communal partnership where people go and harvest the palm oil and any money that comes from there, you use it to train people. It used to happen here; but with the advent of crude oil, people seemed to have abandoned the production of palm oil. The Malaysians came here and took the seed, went back to Malaysia and started producing it more than us, high quality. We, hitherto, had Adapalm, which is an estate for production of palm oil. We had workers that plant, replant and harvest the palm, process it and sell them to make money for government. But for sometime, that estate has been abandoned, gone moribund, and nothing is happening.
We have now come to the realisation that one day the crude oil will dry up, but the oil palm will ever remain. So, we believe in the dictum that 'government has no business in doing business.' Because, we have empirical evidence to show that there is no good industry, factory or establishment that makes money, which government has managed well. That is why we are going into partnership. We now brought in these Italians that has come to invest in that palm produce. We were there recently to hand over the estate to the company. That company has been able to first and foremost revive the oil mill in Nbawsi, and it is functional now. Secondly, they have been able to remove this thorny issue from us, which is payment of compensation to the landowners. They have done that and the landowners are now willing to accept them. The third thing they are going to do now is to replant, because the palm trees there are now old. They are going to replant with new high-yielding palms, so that in the next two-three years, the estate will start booming. And it will bring income to us and the company also as well and employ our people.
Are you saying you have been able to do all these with the serious opposition your government is facing and even threat to your government? So, what gave you the energy to continue doing the work despite the obvious distraction?
Yes. My energy derives from the people. My energy derives from the passion I have for Abia State. This is my state. I don't have any other state. I was born and bred here. I never lived outside for a very long time. So, I was born, bred here, schooled here and came back to work here. So, I have a passion for my state, Abia State. That is why, despite all distractions that have come to me as a human being, I still remain focused. I have a mission and that mission is to leave an indelible mark on the political scene of Abia; not by causing confusion, but by bringing dividends of democracy to all Abians. And that is why I am embarking on all these projects that are permanent, projects that will touch the lives of the people. As a human being, I have a lot of distractions, especially those arising from court cases. All my opponents that I defeated in the election took me to court.
I defeated them, they took me to court, from tribunal, we have all gone to the Court of Appeal. We are there. But then, I love my people and they love me. They are the people who voted for me when I was out of circulation. When I remember that, I am ready to do anything that is good for my people, because I was not around, I was in detention, and yet they believed in me and said it is either me or no other person.
And on the day of the election, they all trooped out and voted for me massively and I won with landslide, with a wide margin. What I had was a landslide victory. So, people who have done that to you, it is now incumbent on you to pay them back. And the way to pay them back is to give them what good governance can bring. So, that is what has propelled me to be doing what I am doing despite the distractions.
One must confess that you are not photogenic. The pictures don't do justice to you. How do you manage to look so young and refreshed despite pressures? You don't look worried?
I am not a very young man. I thank God.
So, what is the secret, what do you do that others don't do?
Well, you have to consult me so that I can give you the secret. (Laughs)... It is not something that you can say openly. That is my own secret. If I give it to you then it becomes very open. It is a secret you also need to have, I am telling you honestly, because you have to pattern your life. You have to live the kind of life that will keep you in form always. You don't have to be lousy with your life; you don't have to eat anything that others eat or eat anyhow. These are some of the things you have to do: exercise, so that you keep yourself fit always. It has to be compulsory in your life. And the other ones also, I will tell you in secret.
Looking at the controversy surrounding government-private partnership in the past, what modalities are you putting in place to ensure that such dichotomy does not arise along the line?
I don't think our own will go into any controversy because from the onset we have taken all the necessary measures, legally and otherwise. The people you come with on this issue of privatisation, the foreigners, who have come to invest, we have to investigate them to know that they are sincere and trustworthy people that we can deal with. You have to know their antecedents. I will cite one example. There was one man we brought. He is a Nigerian. We brought him to partner with us in the relocation of the market, we are building at Obam Ibeku. We want to relocate the market at Umuahia to that place. He was brought by some of our friends who now vouched for him. We didn't know him very well, but because our friends came and vouched for him, we said let us give him a trial. And he told us that he was going to complete that market in 12 months time. We gave him all the things that he required, gave C of O, showed him the place. After that, he absconded. We looked for him, we didn't see him, we gave him a deadline, but he didn't come. All we did was to terminate the contract without waste of time and gave it another person who has a better antecedent that is good; and the man is working well right now. So, that is one of the measures we have taken.
Once you come to invest in Abia, we will go and check out your antecedent to see whether you have the capacity and capability to do what you have come to do. Then, we do the legal issues that are binding on the two sides. When you do that, you give a time frame on the actualisation of the job, maybe in phases. And if the man doesn't keep to the time, we know he is failing; then we know the measures we would take. But I am assuring you that any project that we are doing under PPP will be realised. It will not fail.
What about tourism, which is the mainstay of many economies across the world? What is the Abia prescription for that?
Yes, we have not abandoned that sector. As of now, you know we have two major tourist attractions in the state; one is the Long Juju in Arochukwu, the other one is the Azumini Blue River, even though we have the war museum and other places. What we have done is this: in Umuahia, we want to put up a five-star in the present place where you have Abia Hotels. If you go there, you will see a vast area of land, vast land wasting with only few buildings, the Rest House of those days. It was a Rest House before it changed to become Imo Hotels, and now Abia Hotels. We want to erect a five star hotel in that place. Very soon, work will start there. And secondly, we have also brought in private investors who have come to develop the Blue River at Azumini, where God gave us wonderful scenery. The people have come to do a survey. And they were very excited at the site. So, what they have done now is to go and re-equip themselves and come back. They are going to build a hotel and resort there; they are also going to build a conference centre, and parks that would attract a lot of people to that place; a modern one that will stand the test of time. These are the things we have put in place, because, we know in tourism, our state has great potentials and we want to maximise those potentials.
Recently, the state recovered some oil wells. What is your government doing in order to reap the full benefits of those wells and what are you doing to enhance the lives of those in oil producing areas?
What we are doing now, we thank the Federal Government for giving us back what is our right, what is due us. What we are fighting now is to make sure that we get the money that is derivable from these oil wells that have been given back to us. Since the oil wells have been given back to us, we have never gotten a brass farthing from that. But we are fighting and pleading with the Federal Government that they should give us the money that is accruing from the oil well they have given (back) to us. So, if we get it, we will be very happy, and we shall plough it back to the people.
But as of now, we have set up ASOPADEC (Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission). We have a bill in the House of Assembly that would soon come out for my assent. And this bill is targeted at the people where this oil is produced; for their development. You know, the state government had to put in some money in that commission for the development of the people. All these things I am telling you - like the Azumini Blue River - is located where the oil is being produced. The palm estate is also in that place. There are also other things we have put in place in those areas. We want to build a refinery there. Recently, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an American company to build a refinery in Abia State. They have the facility and capacity. And we have decided that when they come, the first thing they would do is to locate the refinery very close to the source of the raw materials, and that will be in the oil producing areas. So, we give them preference in everything we do, as far as production of oil is concerned.
What is the name of the company?
Nevada Petroleum Resources Inc.
Sir, we have heard people say that you are concentrating development on Umuahia; how would you reply those criticisms?
That is not correct. I don't know the development they say I am concentrating in Umuahia. If you come in terms of road construction, I have constructed more roads in Aba and environs more than any other place. Aba was the first place we started construction of roads because we know the nature of Aba and what they need. The money that has come to us, two-third of it has gone to Aba. And it may surprise you that we have realised more roads in Aba than in Umuahia. What I am doing in Umuahia is the same thing with what I am doing in Aba; because I told the people that I am governor of Abia State and not the governor of Aba or Umuahia. That is not correct at all. I have the rural areas also to touch. You have Arochukwu, you have Ohafia, Isiukwuato, and Umunnochi, you have Ikwuano, you have Obingwa, Isiala-Ngwa North, Isiala-Ngwa South, Ukwa East and Ukwa West. These are all areas that I have to touch. So, people must realise that while we are looking into Aba and Umuahia, we have to look into these places. So it is not correct that I am concentrating every development in Umuahia. I am not.
Your Excellency, how safe is Umuahia?
Well, Umuahia is very safe; very, very safe. You are here and you are very safe. But the only thing is that we have this issue of kidnapping, which is not peculiar to Umuahia alone. Kidnapping is not happening in only Umuahia. You are a media man, you know it is happening somewhere else. And this thing is just new to us. And it emanated from somewhere. People in Umuahia don't know what is kidnapping until now. It is just one of these things that come up in our society, because of poverty. Because of quest for wealth, you see small boys harassing, abducting people and telling their relations to come and bring money for ransom before their release. To them, it is business. But it is criminality. And, as a government, we are doing our best to deal with them and we are dealing with them. The only problem is if you apprehend 10 kidnappers, it does not make any news. But when a kidnapper catches one person, it makes all the news in this world, dwarfing all the efforts government is making. We are doing our best.
The last time I had an interaction with the traditional rulers, I told them that any community where we hear or see that they kidnap persons and the Eze did not report to us or give us information, we will dethrone the man and take his staff of office. And since then, we have been dealing with them. The Ezes are living up to our expectation and giving us information and even organising to catch those people. They have apprehended many of them and they are with the police. So, we are doing our best as a government, because that is our responsibility to make sure that you and I are safe. But, you know, some people are bad. We must have bad elements in the society, so that when the government is working towards the right side, they will be working towards the left side. So, Umuahia is safe. That is why investors are coming.
What is your take on Government of National Unity for the states? Some people have already called for that.
It is the same thing at the federal level. My party is represented and is a part and parcel of the Government of National Unity (GNU). We can replicate that at the state level. Already, there are some people who are not from our party whom I have given appointments. That is a sure sign of Government of National Unity. But if you give somebody appointment from a political party and he refuses to take it, then you will not force the person because it is voluntary. I believe in Government of National Unity because if it is working at the federal level, it should also work at the state level. I told them that I believe in that and I will keep it on.
What motivated you into politics?
It is the people that motivated me into politics. You have to be acceptable to the people. I am very acceptable to the people. The people accepted me; and they were the ones that pushed me into politics and said, look, you have to come and contest election. And I believe that when it is the will of the people for you to do something for them, if you reject, you are disappointing them. There must be something that they have in mind that you must do for them and that is why they are asking you to come into politics, because they know that it is through politics that you can touch their lives. So, what motivated me is the people.
Recently you addressed Igbo people in the United States. You were, in fact, the only governor at the meeting. Your address there was quite inspiring in terms of stoking Igbo consciousness. What is pushing you towards that direction?
What is pushing me is my love for my people. First and foremost, I am an Igbo man, and a Nigerian. You know that the essence of life is that when you come into life you make an impact, starting with your immediate environment, if you have the opportunity and the facility. And I believe that the Igbo man is vital in Nigeria; in the unity of Nigeria, in the social and economic aspect of Nigeria, the Igbo man has a very vital role to play. And that was the role we were playing for the country before. It was only the war that sent us miles behind. So, we want also to continue playing that role of putting in our best, not dominating any person, but putting in our best in this Nigeria that we belonged to and, of course corporately own. And that is what we are doing.
Some of our people have travelled outside Nigeria out of frustration; most of them have finished studying abroad and have refused to come back because of what the home front looks like. So, it is our responsibility now to go and make them realise that they are needed here, to come and help us and develop Igbo land and Nigeria as a whole, because we have talented people outside this country. If you go outside, if you go to the United States, the United Kingdom; there is no country that you will go to that you will not see an Igbo man striving; that you will not see an Igbo man creating a lot of impacts, that you will not see and Igbo man doing well. And that spirit in us that wherever we go, we make it comfortable for us and for those who are there. That spirit has remained with us; that spirit of hard work is in Igbo man. But we want that spirit of hard work and doggedness to be brought back home - so that home will look like America, home will look like U.K. That is the mission, and that is why we go there - especially during the World Igbo Congress - to tell them to come home and help us with their talents, with their resources. We are here to provide the conducive environment for them to perform.
How much was that message bought?
They are buying it. Most of them are buying it hook, line and sinker, because they have realised that eventually, they will come home. And many are coming home. Many are coming home to establish. But you know that to establish is not very easy. So, gradually they are coming home. Some of them are well established overseas and for them to leave their business and come home to re-establishing, it takes a lot of energy and money. But they are coming. Those who are not coming immediately are sending equipment for us to use in schools and hospitals.
What do you think about Nigeria at 48. Some people are already feeling hopeless?
Nobody should feel hopeless about Nigerian situation. We have to be hopeful and contribute your quota to make Nigeria what you want it to be. We don't despair or stay behind and start criticising. Do your best. It is not easy for somebody to be at the helm of affairs.
How should the current division about where the additional state being proposed for the South East be handled so that the area does not destroy the chance by everybody laying claims to it?
We are not going to lose the opportunity, because already we have been cheated in terms of state creation. We are the only geo-political zone that has five states. The other zones have six while some have seven states each. So, I am believing that for fairness and equity, there is no how states will be created in Nigeria and, at least, one would not come to the South East zone.
But it is now for the Igbo leaders to galvanise themselves and come together and then have a common front on which state should be created. It is for all the leaders to come together and agree - this is the state(s) - so that we can altogether ask for one and get it, ask for two and get it, ask for three and get it.
Sometime ago you were attacked by gunmen on the highway. What actually got into your mind when you get that information and what will you say saved you from that attack?
What actually got into my mind when I got the information is what I said when I arrived here. I said this is the handiwork of my detractors. This is the handiwork of these people I am in conflict with. That was what I said and I didn't mention the name of any person or political party. That was what I said and I believed in that also. And then coming to what saved me, obviously it was God that saved me. No other person. It was God that saved me. I wasn't even around, I was in Abuja when they attacked my convoy at Ugwunagbo Local Government, on the Port Harcourt-Enugu Expressway. So, it is God that has been saving us. I told you that I had a divine mandate. And that divine mandate is given by God, and it is God that is piloting the affairs of this state.
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