Benin City — Professor Tony Afejuku is an Itsekiri activist and the Head of Department English and Literature, University of Benin (UNIBEN).

In this interview with Vanguard in Benin City last weekend, he described the newly created Niger Delta Ministry as a fish that won't swim. He advised the Federal Government to accelerate development in the region and be fair to all the ethnic groups, adding that it is the only solution to the persistent crisis in the region. Professor Afejuku also accused Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan of favoritism in the appointment of persons to man positions in the Niger Delta.

He alleged that he is in the habit of appointing people from his Ijaw Ethnic group as if the Ijaws owns the Niger Delta. He advised him to be fair to other ethnic groups so as avoid having problem with leaders from other ethnic groups. He spoke on the Educational sector and other national issues.

The Federal government recently created the Ministry of Niger Delta, how do see this development?

The creation of this Ministry of the Niger Delta as I have said earlier, will not solve the Niger Delta problem as far as the Niger Delta problem is concerned. Primordial interest, primordial considerations, favouritism, ethnicism and other negative isms sooner or later will come up as was witnessed with the establishment of OMPADEC, NDDC and other bodies if the right men are not allowed to man the right organizations.

Believe you me, those or persons that may be appointed to man this new ministry, are the same persons who belongs in what ever groups of those who appointed them belong to. Nothing new will emerge, nothing that will bring drastic changes to the Niger Delta to Itsekiris, Ijaws, Ibibios, the Ilages, the Igbos, the Urhobos or Ogonis who occupies the region will take place. Because the same old stories will be replayed.

People are going there to loot again, favouritism will take place again. They will not want to go out of their circle to appoint who will deliver. I just read in the papers a few days back, names that are being tipped to man the Niger Delta Ministry and you could see that the names come from a particular ethnic group. Majority of the names are Ijaws. They mentioned Tam David West, of course he is a good man there is no doubt about that. Oronto Douglas, Ledum Mitee, Kimse Okoko and they even mentioned Orubebe, they are all Ijaws.

The way are going as if only the Ijaws owns the Niger Delta. The Vice_President whom we learnt is the one shopping for people to man this position is an Ijaw man and he is only looking from those from his enclave, those from his ethnic group. Are you saying that you do not have good Itsekiris to look at for, you do not have good Isokos to look at for. Why is it that it is only people from the Ijaw area that he wants to appoint to man the Ministry?

The Vice President for me is abusing his office. As I have always said, I do not believe in sectionalism, any good person can man what ever position in Nigeria so long as that person is qualified. But from what we are reading in the papers, I think I should accuse him personally of abuse of office. There are lots of Itsekiris who are qualified.

Are you saying that Sagay is not qualified, what of Sam Amuka, what of Wole Soyinka, what of Femi Falana, what of Tony Afejuku, what of Festus Iyayi, what of Obayuwana.

But these people will not be appointed because they do not belong to the same group with the Vice-President. What we are saying is that if these people mean well, they should go for people who can do the job even though they do not share the same argument as it where.

The truth is that the Vice President is not different from what people have been saying about the Hausas who always want their men in those positions. The man should learn to be brood minded, and get any person who can perform. He should look beyond the Ijaws because that is wrong, he is abusing his position and that is what I have never subscribed to. I did not say that some of these people they are projecting cannot do the job but the worry is that why is he focusing on the Ijaws.

Why I said that the Ministry is not even necessary is that sooner or later people will now clamour for Ministry of Oduduwa Affairs, Ministry of Arewa Affairs. The other day I read in the papers that the governor of Lagos State is now demanding for a Ministry that will carter for Lagos affairs. One can even go on and on to even say that this ministry is one that is even designed to disintegrate the country because Biafra will soon demand for their own Ministry.

We do not need them. We need development and honest people to run the affairs. Why can't you establish a university in Ogidigben or the escravos or koko and call it Atlantic University. The best that will happen in one or two years is that some thing little will be done there, thereafter we will go back to square one.

I think for me this is not what we need at this time. We have Ministry of Education but what has happened to Nigeria education today. We have Ministry of Health but all our politicians fly out for medical treatment. The Ministry is not the problem but having the right people to man these positions.

But you may not blame any body if the Ijaws are given majority of the positions because as it seems, they have been in the fore front of the struggle for the emancipation of the Niger Delta?

That is balderdash; hocus pocus and again a nonsensical statement. The message you are sending is that violence pays, violence has never paid any body. Of course I do not blame those people who do not believe in the rule of law. Any body can carry the gun but there is a limit to what the people can tolerate and there is a limit to what you can give. What they are saying is that others too should go into violence.

Who says that Itsekiris cannot be violent, who says the Ibibios cannot be violent. The Ogonis were violence, did you pay them like this. The Igbos were violent, what has happened today. Violence has never paid. All they are doing now is a very very cosmetic approach, but it will not solve the problem. Let the federal government try to reach out to other groups. Nigeria is a very large country, you do not give people every thing because a group of people are agitating. People are watching. Two wrongs do not make a right and they must know that.

As VP and as Ijaw man, Ijaw interest should come last. He should be exemplary the same applies to the president. As Hausa Fulani and as the president of Nigeria , Hausa/Fulani interest should come last. They should follow the example of Obasanjo. They should be selfless and show the right direction for the right leadership that Nigeria deserves. They should even follow the example of Dr. Uduaghan an Itsekiri man who has not gone out of his way to promote selfishly to the interest of the Itsekiris.

So what is the solution to the problem?

Do not also forget that I am a writer, a writer sees the problems of the society and a writer is not a doctor who can prescribe drugs for you. Having said that, I think we need leaders, followers who are committed to their countries. Every society must experience conflict but how the leaders respond to conflicts that will bring out solutions.

But the way we are going now we do not have solutions, we just try to eliminate those who can do it. If the right persons are there things will be better. There is no solution now but my poetic instinct tells me that change is coming soon.

But looking at the commitment shown so far by the federal government to develop the region, do you not think that it is proper for the restive youths to give peace a chance?

Yes the government is dong its best but one thing you must have noticed is that the federal government has always been talking to the wrong people, those who claim to have the clout. Those who always think about their bellies. And because the government tends to cherish them they continue their exploits.

There is no sincerity and there has never been on the part of government. Why can't you go out of your occultic circle and look for people. Can you compare the FRSC when Soyinka was there and the kind of rubbish we are witnessing today. They know where to go to and get people who can man these positions but they cannot.

They must always go to people who, let me use the popular slogan, who play ball, let me try to contradict myself have because Nigeria is full of contribution; even if they want to eat money but they must do same thing for the people. But that has never been their goat. We have so much oil in Itsekiri land, how many Itsekiris have license to lift oil. As far as I am concerned the Olu of Warri is bigger than the king but the question is, does he lift oil to enable him to do things for his kingdom.

People who are appointed into these positions, they do not care about where this oil is coming from. Let me say this, Yar'Adua is a horse rider, he is riding a horse and has always done that, with the establishment of the Niger Delta, he has established a horse and that was wrong. Or because I am a Niger Delta person, what he has created is a fish that won't swim. He should put the correct persons in the correct positions and if that is done and things does not change, then we will say that the fault is ours.

But do you not think that some of these positions should be given to those who are closer to the militants, just like the vice-president is doing so as to curb the unrest in the region?

That is very wrong. A leader anywhere in the world as far as I am concerned should learn to take a correct action or decision. I know there is no perfection in life, whether the Itsekiris push for positions or not, the fact that they are not carrying arms the way you think they should have carried arms does not in any way weaken their position. Now, you must know one Engr.

Alex Leyin, quite experienced in engineering, he was ones a staff of Chevron. He ones went for the GMD position in the NNPC, but what happened, they put a Hausa man there. But I do not quarrel with that, if the person is qualified. If there is justice and equity, there will be peace whether you carry gun or not.

The Itsekiri can carry arms but for now it is not the right time to do that. Let us please follow due process, Yar'Adua has made some efforts towards that, from what he has said, how much of the due process has he followed. Look at the way they closed channels TV. If channels was wrong with what they did, all they should have done is to go to court.

They also behave like the typical militants. Going to close that place was wrong. But again, the Itsekiris have their own way of doing things. And the Itsekiri will tell you, look any body can give us good piece of cake, if the person is going to perform like an Itsekiri son, the Itsekiri will not mind but what is happening is that the Itsekiris constantly, we are being robbed. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is one of the problems we are having in the Niger Delta. But as I said earlier, change is coming. Let us not promote ethnicity but oneness of the Nigeria State.

As a University don, a lot of reforms have been carried out in the educational sector, how would you assess that sector so far?

Well I gave a lecture recently in the United States and it was titled the "desecration of the Nigerian Temple ". The Nigerian educational sector is dying. Sooner or later it will die. How much per cent have we given education in this country. What is the pay package of the Nigerian Professor. Once upon a time in this country, the Nigerian professor was the highest paid person followed by the Chief Judge of the federation.

If you look at what local government chairman are earning today, those who did not go to school are the ones enjoying. But we forgot that without education there is no nation there is no people. It is only educated men who will tell you how to make good roads, how to make beautiful and durable architectural designs.

But our leaders do not care. They send their children abroad to school, infact from what we are seeing they want to destroy the public universities and polytechnics so to make people go to their private institutions. These thin gods who found themselves in power. And it is because those who are given these positions are not qualified people.

There is tension in Edo state presently over the judgment of the court of Appeal on the Governorship election between Professor Osunbor and Comrade Adams Oshiomohle, how would you assess the situation?

If our people are reasonable there is suppose to be no tension in the state because they are all the same people. Those in the Action Congress now were members of the PDP before they pulled out because of party crisis. The people of Edo state should not turn here into a killing field because there is no reason for that. Majority of these politicians does not have the interest of the people at heart.

Again if you say lets compare these two people, you cannot compare Osunbor and Oshiomohle because the difference is clear. As a Professor you may accuse me of bias but i will always tell you the truth. If you talk about the qualities, i give it to Osunbor.

Infact he even under rated himself by entering politics he should have been in the academic to build people as he was doing before he joined politics. His only problem now is that the civil servants will frustrate him just like they did to Professor Ambrose Alli. When Oshiomohle was the NLC President what did he achieve for Nigerians, nothing. You call people out for strike severally what did we achieve.

Oshiomohle should have stuck to his Labour Party because that is where he belong. Why did he join AC? Who are those backing him now in AC, you go and find out. So even if he wins at the Appeal, nothing will change because he is still a product of the PDP. The change is not coming in the foreseeable future. But if you ask me, Osunbor with all his qualities is better any day.