Lagos — Governor Martins Elechi of Ebonyi State in this interview with select journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital recently unfolded his undying passion to transform rural areas in his state and other sundry issues. Our Political Editor, IHEANACHO NWOSU was there. Excerpts:

You once aspired to rule the old Anambra State over 20 years ago. But that dream was realized only about two years ago. How does this impact on your vision?

Well, all I can say is that we are called to service, and at different stages in one's life, there are different calls, there are different challenges, as well as opportunities. The important thing is that we do our best in any situation, and God takes care of the rest. I tried then, quite unsuccessfully, but I didn't feel bad about it because we were so many aspiring at the same time, it was clear to everyone of us that only one person would emerge.

Therefore, whosoever destiny prepared for it at that time should accept it and the rest should also accept the decision of fate in good faith. That is about that.

Now, we are here, trying to do our best. It is true that as we grow older with maturity, our ideas of governance also change. If I were successful then, I wouldn't be doing exactly what I'm doing now. Of course, the environment is also different now. It's a big question and it has no one sentence answer.

During the tour of these facilities, one realised that the projects appeared to be too many and one wonders if you'll complete them under this administration, or are you going to leave some for the next government?

Before we awarded the contracts, the projects were evaluated, and we reckoned with the time of execution. And that was why when I flagged off the projects, the total contract sum was N23.4 billion. Some of them were to be executed within 12 months, some for 18 months, some for 24 months. And in spite of the economic crunch, there's no way we cannot complete them. The question of leaving some for the next regime does not arise, because what normally delays projects are delay in payment and if payments are made on schedule and contractors do their best, the projects should succeed. That was the angle we assessed it before taking our decisions.

Just like you said, the economic crunch is biting harder and it appears the South-East governors are already feeling the heat. To what extent has that affected the projects?

Considering the problem of spiral inflation which is beyond anybody's control, we believe that with government's readiness to take the challenges, which is the most important thing; we have resolved to make a breakthrough in agriculture. We also know that the Federal Government is owing us a lot money and if that is recovered; we should be comfortable with the project. Federal Government is owing us a lot of money and we are making efforts to recover them; foreign debts deduction, deductions in the monthly repayment, excess crude. And locally too, banks here are owing us through excessive deductions in the past. We're in dialogue with them. And most importantly, because the banks have confidence in us and they have seen our projects, they are willing to help us financially. We believe that after a short period of three, four years when we shall have built our new cement factories, the revenue base of the country would be different. The impact on agriculture will be different. So, it is not a state of permanent penury or permanent despair. These challenges are within our ability to surpass and to perform. Global history shows that economic downturn is a cyclic feature. It comes every now and then, but human beings never perish on that account; nations still survive them. In this case, we shall also survive the problem. It is like a flood that comes and then ends. So, we're not frightened about that.

You mentioned cement factories; do you mean revival of Nkalagu or building a new one?

Building a new one all together, plus the revival of Nkalagu because the people who are playing politics about it have no case, they have been blackmailing us. The federal government has the fact, and we expect the federal government to take the right decision in our favour.

But apart from that, the limestone deposit is so abundant that a single cement factory won't be able to take advantage of it. That's why we're talking of a new cement factory.

Are you going to actualize it during this tenure?

Actualization does not depend on me. it depends on the geologists and other scientists who are doing the ground work. But, on my part, we're ready.

They're working on the ground work. They have discovered a lot of deposits. What is left is the scientific laboratory analysis, to determine the level of purity and the quantity underground; because these factors would be into account in designing the size of the factory.

There is no gainsaying the fact that this administration has done a lot in the areas of roads and bridges. We'll like to know what this administration is doing in the area of agriculture considering the downturn in the oil sector. We'll also like to know why you focus on rural areas.

The state is not the capital territory. The state is the rural area plus the capital. The agricultural lands are in the rural areas, not in the state capital. And we need to have access to every corner of the state in order to do business, participate in commerce, practice agriculture, give medical attention to the people, reach the schools, etc. There is little you can do without a good network of roads. That's why we're laying this emphasis on road network.

And besides that, our people are separated by different rivers and streams; we want them to come together with maximum ease. That's why the emphasis is on the rural areas

As regards the area of agriculture; last year, we launched a tractor hiring scheme and we put 22 new tractors in place to supplement the over 50 that were already in the local government areas. We're training the youth arm of this country. The first batch of 25 would be given loan by mid-February. The loan is to the tune of N70 million, apart from the micro-credit scheme. These well trained agriculturists will start projects on their own, assisted financially by the state government. By this month (March), another batch would come on stage in the same manner. The idea is to ensure that over time, we'll have a pool of well trained, self reliant youth, able to stand on their own.

The duty of government is to provide enabling environment and people will take their bearing from there. That is the way we want to do it.

Additionally, I have said that this year, the state would have its own farm. Already, we've started clearing and ploughing the state farm in Ezilo. We'll extend the exercise to other river basin authorities. We'll clear lands, so that no fertile land in the state would be left unutilized. That is how we want to it.

What punitive measure would you adopt on some of the contractors that may not meet up with the targeted day, because it appears some of them are lagging behind?

The concept of failure is not yet within contemplation. Most of them are expatriates, and they are operating in a new terrain. Some had the problem of mobilization. Some had the problem of flood and difficulty of access roads like you heard them say. But on the whole, there's nobody yet who can be said to be so uncertain that would be considering writing off. In nearly every major contract, very rarely do you keep 100 per cent to the exact execution schedule; it's very unusual; because we're considering human factors, environmental factors. And you have this clause in all major contracts. There re usually these intervening impossibilities which may frustrate the actualization of projects as planned. These are normal in all contracts.

Nevertheless, some may be beyond the programmed time schedule, but on the whole, we'll continue to do our bit as we're doing by paying them promptly. We're very optimistic that we'll realize our goal.

It was noticed that members of the opposition parties, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) joined you for the exercise. How, were you able to mobilize them to support you?

No, we're not mobilizing them to support us. We're telling the world that opposition is inbuilt in democracy; that we should allow constructive opposition. Secondly, this is a state with the political philosophy that the winner should not take all; neither should the loser lose all. We cooperate and build a healthy opposition/government relationship. But that is not asking them to replace us, that is far from it.

We're helping them to stand firmly and know what we're doing. For one thing, if they see what we're doing, let them point out where we're doing it wrongly. If they can't say we're doing it wrongly, then, they should cooperate with us, because the sole purpose of it all is to serve the people. And if they criticize us unduly, the people are witnesses. So, either way, we subject ourselves to the masses.

We heard disturbing news about this state recently where some people were said to have died as a result of cholera outbreak, Are you now working towards its actual eradication?

If it were a disease that is rooted here, then we talk of eradicating it. But it comes and goes, unexpectedly. What we should be doing is cure the patients who are presently afflicted. And the state government is doing just that. This week, my Commissioner for Health travelled to states that have vaccines for cerebrospinal meningitis, and he was able to procure a reasonable quantity of the drugs. And he proceeded immediately to mass inoculation. I cannot really tell you the source of the cholera infection. It is bad news and we are doing everything possible to bring it under control. However, even in developed economies, you have occasional outbreak of epidemic. So, this cannot jolt us exceptionally; but we accept it as a matter of task.

It is of a fact that the South-East is agitating for creation of an additional state in its zone, but how germane is the agitation?

With regards to the South-East geo-political zone, my view is that the agitation for an additional state is a national neglect that calls for national resolve. There is no earthly reason why this geo-political zone should have five states, because using the popular expression, marginalization; we're unduly marginalized. When you think of the representation at the federal level, in terms of our contribution to national development, we're marginalized. And that marginalization is translated to paucity of revenue from federal government, paucity of representation in terms of employment giving the index of state quota. We are marginalized in terms of the number of people who vote at national congresses in all the parties that this geo-political zone has made a good impact in the political and economic history Nigeria that the people of this zone deserve a better treatment than what we're receiving today. Hence, above everything else, we deserve that additional state before we talk of how many more states should be created all over Nigeria.

We handled this issue almost to a definite conclusion in the defunct National Political Reform Conference, but unfortunately, the National Assembly in its great wisdom decided to jettison the conclusions of that conference; just because of the fear of third term imbroglio that raged at that time. I think in spite of the fact that I'm a strong believer in the need to adhere to constitutional provision; this matter requires national urgent attention. After all, none of the existing states today was created through constitutional provisions. So, it's a national problem that requires national focus and national commitment.

Some politicians in the state say you're a stingy governor. How do you react to that?

Let them say whatever they like. If we have to carry on those projects you witnessed successfully, we can't be loose in the expenditure of public funds. And nobody is anybody if he depends on handouts from government without making a modest effort to be himself. That says it all.

We noticed as old as you are, most of us still had to run after you during the inspection exercise. What is the secret of your vigour?

Well, it's your own coinage that I'm old (laughter). I have not told myself that I'm old. But if you like, we do a 400 or 800 meter race, and see who would require ambulance services (laughter).