Daily Independent (Lagos)
29 December 2008
interview
Scepticism now trails the recent probes undertaken by the House of Representatives, because despite the public interest it generated, the power probe was mired in controversy. But DORIS UBOH, representing Ika Federal Constituency of Delta State in the House of Representatives, thinks otherwise. To her, the probes were leading the country somewhere.
Uboh, a practising engineer before she was elected last year under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was at Agbor to commission some self-sponsored projects. She is chairman of the House sub-committee on Pipelines and Product Marketing. Some reporters who were at the event attended by the Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, took her on a wide range of issues. Senior Correspondent, TUNKE AYE-BISINIA was there.
You just commissioned your constituency projects. Can we say that those projects were what your constituents needed?
Let me correct you, they were not constituency projects, they were self-sponsored projects. My constituency projects are still coming to be implemented.
To answer your questions now, they were projects that my constituency needed and still needs. The projects are water boreholes in five communities and science laboratory equipments to secondary schools; drugs and some health care equipment to health centres. All these are services that are needed at the grassroots, not only at the grassroots but nationally. I'm sure every community is crying out for us and my community happens to be one of them. I took it upon myself to do that because - see where I come from - we are poor. We don't have easy access to such things, not that we can't access state government, but just like any other state, there are usually some small communities that I wouldn't say forgotten, but things don't get there easily. Either because they are not easily accessible or because they just don't get there. But some of those communities are the ones who benefited.
No doubt the water projects are key to the people of this area in view of the topography, but did you put mechanisms in place for their maintenance and sustainability?
I intend to do that because we even considered that before we did the water projects. I have to appeal to the communities first to preserve those equipments, especially the pumping machines and the generating sets. Let them not vandalise them and let them not do away with them or steal them. If they can assure me of that, I will do my part of finding a way to sustain them, maybe, on a weekly basis for fuelling of the generators.
What do the projects add up to in momentary terms?
I try not to add value to them because when you give gifts it comes from your hearts. Once you start thinking about the cost, then the added value that is supposed to be derived from it is gone. To answer your question, I put it in the range between N80 to N100 million.
You are an engineer by training and profession. What must have motivated you to leave your profession to seek elective office, considering that engineering and law making are two different worlds that do not have correlation?
First you are right. I'm a professional engineer and a practising one. Being that I practice my field, I have my company that does engineering works. When I was still active in the private sector, I relate very well with companies that give out these sorts of projects by virtue of being an engineer we've done water schemes, we've done road constructions. We've done most of these things. I will say that my background kind of prepared me for where I am today. Lawmaking is not for a particular profession. It is for every right-thinking committed, focused individual who wants to contribute to nation-building.
Number two is I get the drive to serve. I don't believe that we should all be asking things from Nigeria. I think we all make up the country and Nigeria will not grow itself. We all have to put our hands together to take this country where it should be. There is no better time. So, I chose just out of share conviction to do this.
Having spent about one and half years in the National Assembly, besides these self-sponsored projects, what can you say have been your impact and input at the National Assembly?
I'm doing the best I can. Being a member of some vital committees, it affords me the opportunity to participate in bills that impact directly on our daily lives. For instance, being part of petroleum downstream and as Chairman of the sub-committee on PPMC (Pipelines and Product Marketing Company), obviously when there is a discussion within the society about petroleum pricing, I have to participate. At the Marine Transport Committee, we talk about port concession and cabotage laws and all that. I have participated in my own little way in sponsoring or co-sponsoring or supporting bills that deal with issues of the average Nigerian man.
Can you be specific on some of the bills and motions that you have sponsored?
Within three months of coming into the National Assembly, the first motion I moved was on alternative source of energy to reduce our over dependency on NEPA and the national grid that is not even enough to carry half of the nation. Right now I have a bill on the floor of the house that is going for second reading that has to do with review of minimum wage. I have another bill that has to do with reviewing the pipeline act to stipulate punishment for those who violate right of way. Everything I tend to do in the House is influenced by what is going on in the society. The bill on the Pipeline Act, for instance, was born after we visited the Ijegun fire. I looked at it and decided if the pipeline act is revisited and proper penalties are put into the Act, it would correct and would have saved the lives of about 200 people that died in the fire.
On the Minimum Wage Act, I felt it should be reviewed. If you look at the average Nigerian, what is the minimum wage may be with other packages N7,500; at the most N8,000. Yet, everyday, cost of living is going up. Transport is not what it used to be in 2001, which was the last time the minimum wage was increased by President Obasanjo when he came in. Who can really live well no matter the barest level of living and live on N8,000 a month. You cloth your children, feed them and give them healthcare. It is impossible. We have to face reality. If we want the society to stop corruption and stop this lackadaisical attitude towards work, then you have to pay them well. Those are examples of some of the things I have done.
As chairman of the Sub-committee on PPMC, what steps is your committee taking to ensure that the failing prices of crude at the international market translate to low cost of domestic fuel, since the argument has been that the former dictates the price of the latter?
While the price was high, we were dealing with one issue, and that is the excess that comes into excess crude account, the plan that Federal Government has for it. I can tell you till today we have not got anything. Now that prices have come down, I can tell you that we have met as a committee. We have made recommendations to leadership (House of Representatives), because leadership deals with the Federal Government, advising that prices have to come down, it would be wise based on calculations, we don't just make sentimental recommendations. We make recommendations backed by facts, by calculations. We say based on calculations, logically and if you are a businessman, the price should be at this.
Secondly, President Musa Yar'Adua is living exactly what he says he is: leadership by rule of law and there is nothing more important than showcasing your rule of law than restoring the faith of the society in you. Ours is to make recommendations, we cannot force the Executive. But we will continue to press on them.
I read recently that the Federal Government is now thinking towards that line. I think by January, hopefully, let's keep our fingers crossed, they will make that announcement gearing towards the recommendation we had given to leadership.
Goods that ought to come through our ports are still being diverted to other countries because of the high landing costs. As a member of the Committee on Marine Transport, what have been the reasons for this state of affairs?
Anybody who tells you that the cost of landing in our ports is still high, is not telling you the truth because it was all part of the programme to showcase and enforce port decongestion. This exercise started even before this current session of the National Assembly came into being. What I will agree is that our ports are so busy, or our ports serve at least 70 per cent of what goes on in West Africa waters. Most of the goods that come to West Africa land in Nigerian ports. So, I don't think our charges are high. I think because it takes a long time to bring out your goods. If you talk about terminal I will agree. People have a bad practice of importing and not clearing their goods. Maybe, they are trying to raise money; maybe they have financial constraints here and there.
As a member of the Police Affairs Committee, why is it that the National Assembly has not come out with appropriate measures that would properly equip and motivate the police to be at optimal level?
What is wrong with the Nigerian Police is exactly what is wrong with the entire society. Point to one organ of government - that is performing to optimal level. That is because in this country we have a mindset of how we think things should work; and it is a mindset of selfish interest, of me first, self centeredness. When any body gets to any position, it is what I can get for myself. So long as you have that mind set, you cannot give good service. That is one.
Coming to the police, yes they are not motivated. Who can be motivated by N7,500 a month. If you are not well paid, you are not motivated, you can't perform. Now what can National Assembly do but to pass your budget, short of us going there and do the work of the Inspector-General or the police commission. We can't do their jobs. Everybody has to do their own jobs. Our job is to pass their budgets. You can't give a man gun and say guard me and you pay him N8, 000 every month, he will shoot you first.
Now, if the IG or whoever that is involved, don't pay on time, what do we do? If you start bringing them to the House all the time, they will say we are trying to chase them for money. The best you can do is to say please, stay. We've done our part, they need to do their part.
The House no doubt has raised the confidence of the people, except that most of the oversight functions like the probes are not leading anywhere. What is the problem?
Point of correction. I don't think they are not leading anywhere. I think the society is in too much of a hurry to see that it is actually getting somewhere. For instance, the power probe, when it was completed at the time that the society was agitating for answers, it hadn't even been laid in plenary. We had not received it on the floor of the House. Meanwhile, copies were all over the place: your colleagues were already writing all kinds of things. They gave us a job to do, I was not part of the power probe but I'm a member of the National Assembly so I 'm part of it, so to speak. They should have at least allowed the committee to lay it in plenary, allow us to read it first. Whereby we have read it and refused to make recommendations, then I can understand. But we have not done that. Now it has been laid in plenary - I think about two months ago and then we had all these other issues, car or no car. This or no that. So many side talks, so many things that are distracting us from what we should be focusing on. I would therefore not accept that it is not leading anywhere. It is going somewhere. We should be patient. Whereby we come up with recommendations and give to the Executive, then it is up to the Executive to enforce it. We don't enforce anything. Ours is just to say, we don't think this is going in the right direction.
What are some of the challenges that you have had to face in the National Assembly? First, as a first timer and as a female parliamentarian?
As a first timer, you know I came strictly from the private sector, so I had to understand policies and rules and regulations of how the House is run. That was a big challenge, but that didn't last long because I moved a motion within the first three, four months.
As a female parliamentarian, the only challenge I had to deal with was that we were so few. As you are aware, we are 360 members in the House of Representatives and we have only 28 female members, less than 1 per cent. So, that was pretty challenge to deal with. Is it that we don't have enough qualified females? But that is not it. It is just that most females are not given the chance, and they can't afford it because election in Nigeria is pretty expensive. The other challenge I had was being able to work well with the Executive. A lot of things that I would have wanted done are not being done in a way that I would have done it if I was part of leadership. Maybe that is out of my own background of being a private sector person. If your want to construct a road, if you have the materials, you have your specifications, you construct a good road, I'm not used to trying to dance around the road, should we make it straight? So that was a big challenge; probably still challenging even now. But this is politics, there are always gay areas, things are not white and black. But I'm learning to survive.
Beyond the men integrating them, what can the women themselves do?
The women are trying. I can tell you financially the men have more funds than we do, they have more access to funds than we do. If I hold a fundraising today as a female politician, you as a male politician you are likely to raise more funds than me because they believe she is a woman; what is she going there to do? It is all part of why I am showcasing myself through what I did yesterday, that your performance has nothing to do with your gender. But in Nigeria, the reverse is the case.
What are your goals for the remaining part of your tenure - both for your constituents and at the National Assembly?
For my constituency, I will just continue to do what I'm doing, attracting projects that are beneficial to them. Constituency projects are coming up very soon. I will continue to play my role in the House of Representatives, supporting bills and motions that are relevant to the average man.
Coming to Delta State: as a lawmaker, how would you assess the administration of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan?
In fact, if today they are giving out award, it would be silly to skip the executive governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan. He is one of the most performing current governors that we have. He is a technocrat and a politician, having been in the system over the years, he knows exactly what Delta State is yearning for and that is what he is focusing on right now. If you go down to Asaba, you can see the infrastructural development there, especially electrification all over the place. You can see the new airport that pretty soon will be put to use. If you go down to Warri, you can see the development in Warri City trying to bring back the old glory that it used to have and even better than it was with road network and electrification going on. Here, in my own constituency, I know that there is already plan for dualisation of the major road that cut through my town, old Lagos-Asaba Road. I'm very happy with his performance.
As a member of the National Assembly that provides oversight functions on the executive arm, how would you rate the administration of Yar'Adua, which is considered in some quarters to be too slow, despite the much touted seven point agenda?
I think Yar'Adua is somebody who likes to be thorough, he likes to create first, a level playing ground before you start to implement. But the nation is used to fast action that leads us to no where. So, having a leadership that is focused on creating first and foremost a level playing ground before he starts full force - the way he wants to implement his seven point agenda. But right now, he is taking due process, public procurement very seriously. I think the public should just be a little bit more patient with Mr. President. He is focused, and he has the interest of Nigeria at heart.
Does that suggest that the National Assembly does not have some concerns with his policies and programmes?
We have made some observations and it is these that have somewhat led to amending some of the acts that are in existence right now. For instance, in the Due Process Act, you have some lacunas, you have things that are overlapping or responsibilities that are not being shared very well. We have looked at these things and we've seen that for these to be implemented practically; and for you to have results from it, you need an amendment. Those are some of the things we discuss with the Executive.
Mixed reactions has continued to trail the creation of the Niger Delta ministry. Do you see it as the solution to the problem of the region?
I see it as a step in the right direction, in solving the problem of the Niger Delta. They have not done enough for the Niger Delta region, I don't see why some people are thinking creating a ministry for it is wrong. You can have different parastatals under that ministry to handle different issues in the Niger Delta area. The NDDC can still be there. I don't see it as a waste of time.
Can we say the allocations to the ministry and to the NDDC in the 2009 budget are sufficient?
No. They are totally not sufficient. Let me start with the NDDC. It has an existing Act. There is a section inside that Act that stipulates what should be appropriated to the NDDC every year. I think it was created the same time with the UBE (Universal Basic Education) and a third agency. Each of these commissions every year funds appropriated to them increases, whereas the one for the NDDC goes the opposite direction. That is number one.
Number two, each of the other commissions, whatever that is spelt out in the Act as to what is due to them for every fiscal year is appropriated and disbursed to them. Whereas the NDDC has never for once gotten what is due to it as a commission. For instance, in the 2009 budget, they were supposed to be allocated a N107 billion, from the Federation Account. That is what is due to them and then you give them N27 billion. I think NDDC has suffered and is still suffering.
The Niger Delta ministry is a new one. I would not say that the fund given to them is not enough. Let's see how they go.
Already, the South South caucus in the House had raised an alarm over that development, but beyond that the National Assembly has the powers to add to the fund: is it considering that option?
If you add and the Executive sent it back to you and say sorry - we can't accept this as part of the budget - what do you do? So, we are trying go talk to them first. Let them see reason with us.
Where the National Assembly has observed violation of this law, does it not have powers to ensure compliance?
We do have powers to ensure that the law is implemented and we will exercise that power. We will do the best we can. But we will not hold the federal budget to ransom.
What, in your opinion, is the antidote to the problem of the Niger Delta?
It is a million dollar question. But at the same time it is a very simple one. What are we agitating for? What we are agitating for is just to have good infrastructural development and empowerment in the area. Simple. There is no life in this area. Give us better life. People depend on fishing, you can't fish. The land is dead - you can't grow anything.
So why can't Federal Government start paying attention to this problem?
For instance, in the budget of 2008, the sum of N444 billion was appropriated for security and Niger Delta area. At the end of the day, we found out that not even a kobo was for Niger Delta.
I think if the Federal Government wants to solve the problems of the Niger Delta, they have to identity the problem first. Not the political problem. Real issues and it is very simple.
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