Nosike Ogbuenyi and Benneth Oghifo
8 July 2009
(Page 3 of 3)
How are you coping with the issue of funding, considering your various projects?
Funding is a major problem confronting this government and other governments because of the global economic melt-down but it is for us managers of states to fashion out means of mitigating the problem and this is what we have started doing.
First and foremost, we have started to enhance our internally generated revenue by bringing in experts who can help us to ensure revenue will not get into private pockets and in no distant time we will start reaping the result.
Secondly, there is the issue of bond market, which is the cheapest way of getting genuine money. This we wanted to do long time ago, because I was one of the first governors that wanted to go to the capital market to raise money for our projects but our opponents and detractors said we were laundering money and want to use it to fund our court case and some of our people who are gullible started buying that lie, and we decided to show Abians that we could perform without going to the bond market, which we did and that proves the point that this is not a corrupt government and that we are using the money for the benefit of the people.
We are now in the bond market where other governments have been to hoping that when we get the money we are going to use for the benefit of all Abians and the people will see the projects. After all, Abians did not elect me to come and sit here and cry that I don't have money but to go and find money without stealing it and that is what I am doing by going to the stock market to look for money for the benefit of Abians.
Talking more politics now, have you been approached to return to the PDP? We have it on good authority that you are a target for PDP poachers.
You said you have it on good authority. You know why we left PDP. We were the original members of PDP and in fact in my ward I think my card number was number one and we had passion for the party and fought for it to stand very strongly. But what did we get in return? - a rebuff, disgrace, that we were not wanted. Why, what did we do? Nothing! The party is made up of people of different characters. You have gentlemen and people who will give you problem, but it is in the interest of the party to control these people and not for the party officials to, without any justification, remove people because you are in charge. When, instead of registering more people to come to PDP, you start de-registering people to remove them for no just cause, what do you expect? Of course as responsible people when they were not wanted in PDP, they had to carry their fate in their hands to find another possible platform where they could express themselves. That was how PPA came on board and I'm happy many people in the PDP are realizing that singular mistake they have caused and did a lot of harm to that party. They are now trying to adjust and readjust, but is it going to be as it used to be? No, because most of these people have found their way to other areas and for them to come back now will be difficult for many people. Being wooed or not being wooed it is you that said you heard so from good authority. So, it is left to you to go to those who told you and pursue that.
For sometime, there has been this hoopla about the floating of a mega party by some opposition elements to challenge the PDP in subsequent elections. Can you tell us whether the proponents of mega party have approached you?
I have not been approached and when discussions start then we will know whether it is good or bad. Discussions have to start and it is not late because INEC will register parties. When that starts, then discussions will gear up to the expected level, but as of now, I have not been approached and before you go for mega party, people have to sit down and discuss and marry ideas and agree on how to pursue them.
What kind of legacy do you want to leave in Abia?
I want to leave a lasting legacy for which I would want to be remembered. A lasting one so that people would say this was done when Governor T.A Orji was here. I remember Governor T.A Orji. He did very well. Not a legacy of praise singers. When you are in power people come to sing your praises. That is not the legacy I want. I don't want anybody to begin to sing my praises now because that would confuse me. Rather, I want people to sing my praises when I have left this seat. That time, they will be able to assess me fairly because what I want to leave behind is a lasting legacy.
As an Igbo leader, what steps are you taking or believe should be taken to bring the Igbos back to the fore of Nigeria's politics?
In politics no condition is permanent and no position is static. Today, it is one ethnic nationality, tomorrow it may be another, probably the Igbo or another and that is how satisfaction will reach everybody. Things have to move. Yesterday it was Igbos, but today it is not Igbos because of change, circumstances that have determined everything. Tomorrow, it will not be the turn of the people that are holding power today and it will move to other people and so circumstances will continue to determine movement of power in Nigeria. I'm assuring you that this will happen. It may take a year or a century but it will surely happen.
Kindly brief us on the state government's ventures?
Government has no business in being in business but to involve private investors through its public-private-partnership (PPP) which has been working. We revived the Modern Ceramics, Golden Guinea Breweries, which will employ a lot of people. In Aba, the Glass Industry which produces pharmaceutical bottles and the other which produces glass sheets for vehicles and the malt companies; in Ohambele where there is the moribund oil-mill, that has been revived to produce commodities and give jobs to the people and that is why we are building roads to take out products and bring in investors.
We conceived the idea of building three refineries in Abia Central, Abia South and Abia North, starting with Abia South where the oil is produced, but our detractors came and said we were laundering money and that it is not a viable project. But I am assuring that the project is still on and that we are still trying to untie some of the issues for the project to take off and we have even brought more people who know that the project is viable and we are partnering with people who want to finance the project all by themselves.
What about payment of salaries and pensions?
When we came on board, we started settling backlogs of arrears of pensions. We are paying constantly every month. We release N30 million every month so that arrears of pensions are paid. We even made it up to N40 million and salaries are being paid but remember that this government is the only state government that promoted everybody from one grade level to the next on assumption of office. If you are on grade level 13 you move to 14 and not step, including lecturers and those on super scales not running the civil service structure, such as university lecturers, doctors, lawyers among others. I promoted every person including teachers. And apart from the promotion, I increased the subvention of Abia State University from N50 million to N146 million per month. The same for the Polytechnic and the College of Education at Arochukwu, and the Teaching Hospital and the Health Management Board and I was paying this constantly as well as salaries and pension until the economic melt-down started and it affected us.
Some people disengaged workers but we didn't and we are coming out of it. As at now, we do not owe people, but if there is any person that is owed in the local government or elsewhere, they will be paid, because it is better to owe workers than to disengage them. One day there is hope that government will pay.
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