Emmanuel Aziken
10 November 2008
(Page 3 of 3)
How would you describe the legacy of then President Obasanjo?
He tried to make sure that Nigeria remained a united nation. Whatever you say, you will have to commend Obasanjo for that. Number two, the reforms in the banking sector - we know what our banks were like in the eighties and nineties and you know what they are today. We know what happened when so many depositors lost their money but thank God now the banking sector has been reformed in such a way that people now have confidence in the banking institutions.
Take telecommunications for example, even though it is a worldwide thing but it happened during Obasanjo's time.
Formerly, if you were in Port-Harcourt and you want to call Lagos you will spend more than three hours but now you can stay in one of the remotest villages in Nigeria and you can call any part of the world without any headache and these things happened under Obasanjo.
Of course, our farmers will never forget what happened under Obasanjo. Before he came in, there was virtually no fertilizer being supplied by the Federal Government. But during the campaign period, I think it was in Jigawa that he promised that the Federal Government will supply fertilizers and immediately after his inauguration, the government started supplying agric inputs, fertilizers and so on to farmers. These are some of the enduring legacies he left behind.
There have been problems here and there, particularly in the power sector, so much money has been sunk but no appreciable result has been achieved. Under the transportation sector, the story is equally lamentable as so much money has been sunk and our roads are still bad. So, it wasn't a complete failure, he did his best and President Yar'Adua is in the saddle of leadership and will continue with where he left.
But do you agree that President Yar'Adua is too slow?
It is better to slow down than to be too fast because, if you are too fast, you could make mistakes that will cause a lot of damage to the system. Like what we did under the power sector was done in so much in a hurry. We went and imported turbines, which arrived and, from what we heard, there was no design, there was no gas that can power these turbines, they were imported and dumped in a particular place.
Oil companies were invited to provide gas and they said that it will take them a minimum of about three to four years before they can lay gas pipelines that can link these pipelines.
President Umaru Yar'Adua promised to declare state of emergency after his election. After his inauguration, he wanted to declare state of emergency but look at the parameters, they were so bad. You have to get all the fundamentals right. Number one, where is he going to source the money? How will he get the gas that will power these turbines that were imported. How will he award contracts for the construction of additional hydro-electric power stations in the country?
A number of former governors seem to be having problems with their successors in office. What is your relationship with the present governor of Kebbi State?
There is no problem between myself and the present governor of Kebbi State. There is understanding and good working relationship.
The former governors who stepped into the Senate allegedly clubbed together to oppose the election of Senator Mark as Senate President. What was your wisdom in doing that?
I am not aware of that. People are just saying things based on their own idiosyncrasies. It is not true. There was election of a Senate president and some of the former governors certainly supported Akume based on their own relationship with Akume, not because they don't like David Mark. But we have put that behind us and we have a Senate President and he is carrying everybody along. Simply because they supported Akume does not mean that there is division, we have forgotten that, we are moving ahead and there are no problems whatsoever.
How do you assess the leadership qualities of Senator David Mark?
The quality of leadership is okay. He is leading the Senate properly and most Senators have testified to that. There may be complains here and there, but, by and large, I think he has provided good leadership to the Senate.
You are vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Education. How do you assess the country's educational system?
We have a lot of problems. Quite honestly, we spent over one year deliberating on these problems and, everyday, we keep lamenting on the problem of education in Nigeria. The problem is so enormous that even if you take the whole money that Nigeria has and invest in education, it will not solve the problem because there is so much rot and decay in the sector that it will take a number of years to revive that sector.
Apart from the issue of chronic underfunding, there are other very important and significant factors that are affecting the education sector in the country. The issue of brain drain - so many professors in Nigeria, highly qualified manpower are now leaving the academic sector in Nigeria to overseas, all looking for greener pastures. The salary here is very poor and, immediately they leave here, they earn four to five times the salary they earn here with better conditions of service.
The chronic underfunding that I talk about has made it impossible for universities to expand. The academic curricula is archaic and outdated. The syllabus we used thirty years ago is the same syllabus that is being taught today. Education is dynamic, it is progressive and you keep on updating.
Information technology is very limited in the universities and is taught mostly at the consultancy offices of the universities. Very few universities offer information technology.
In most universities, there is what we call the collapse of facilities, water, electricity, good roads are virtually non existent in most of the universities. Students suffer a lot to get water, lecturers suffer a lot to get water. Sewage system is also not available in most Nigerian universities. We have gone round and we have seen the decay, it is really very, very sad when you go to these universities.
The problem of cultism is another very serious problem that is affecting the quality of education given to our children in Nigeria today.
What is your opinion on the state of transportation in the country today?
The problem of transportation in Nigeria cannot be solved simply by rehabilitating the roads in the country. Even if you do it on yearly basis, the problem will still persist unless you have a railway system being restored in the country. Haulage of heavy duty goods are normally done by railway and, in most countries, this is the common practice, but in Nigeria, the railway has collapsed and goods are now being transported by roads.
Even if you rehabilitate this particular road today, give it about two, three months, it will start developing potholes simply because of the heavy trucks that ply the road and this is why virtually all Nigerian roads can hardly last more than two to three years even if they have regular maintenance. So, the alternative is to have railway all over the country.
Lastly, could you as a Senator of the Federal Republic give a word to your constituents in Kebbi Central, Kebbi State and Nigerians?
The people of Kebbi State have elected me as a Senator and I am very pleased for the honour done to me for giving me that opportunity to represent them in the Senate and I am doing my very best to represent them and protect their interest in the Senate.
For Nigerians, we are doing our very best to move this nation forward. As the Senate president said, we would do our very best to assist Mr. President by making laws that will make him to govern the country with relative ease and we will collaborate with the executive branch to make sure that the seven point agenda are achieved to the betterment of our country. This we will do with the support and cooperation of all Nigerians.
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