No Quick Fix To Nigeria’s Problems

The National Chairman of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie- Oyegun in this interview with journalists discussed issues on
governance, the party and the war on corruption.

ANDREW ESSIEN was there for LEADERSHIP.

What are your thoughts as party chairman on the
concerns of Nigerians on the governing style of the
administration?

Let me briefly address the concerns of

Nigerians
generally, our party is very aware of the hardships
that the poor governance of the last 16 years has
plunged this country into. We are very aware of the
hard and tough times that a lot of Nigerians, are
going through. Apart from the party, let me also say
that it is the main concern of Mr president, he is
fully aware of the tough times that people are going
through. And I want to give the assurance through
you to the people that everything is being done to
better the economy and ameliorate the deprivation
that people are going through.
I think that without beating about the bush, many
Nigerians understand why things are the way they
are and what the Buhari administration has
inherited, it used to be a prostrate economy. Not
just that, nobody envisaged that there will be a near
total collapse of the price of crude and when you
juxtapose that with our consumption habit, when we
tend import to everything in quantity from toothpicks
to the choicest champagne, all these products do put
pressure on the foreign exchange stock of the nation
and all of these have given rise to all the issues
that are being dealt with by the president’s team.
But one needs to emphasise that as a nation, we got
used to excessive consumption. We are not a
producing nation. Virtually everything we have is
imported, there is even a joke that some of our elites
order pizza and other things all the way from
London. So, all these things come from the same
stock of foreign exchange that we have and they are
quickly depleting, given the collapse of crude oil.
So, the party understands this and the reasons are
quite obvious. We have to turn from a consuming
nation to a producing nation. We consumed because
oil was there at a hundred plus naira per barrel so
money was all over the place but that is no longer
the situation and so we have to adjust to the new
reality as a people and as a nation.

What assurances are you giving Nigerians that the
hardships experienced will translate to a good
living standard soonest?
Let me put it this way, the president inherited a
collapsed economy. You cannot start rebuilding a
collapsed economy without clearing the debris and
what we are doing today, is clearing the debris at
the same time; because when we listen to the radio,
they say that all that is being done is war against
corruption, but at the same time, the work of
rebuilding and reconstruction of the Nigerian economy
is rapidly in progress and I want to assure you that
there will be plenty of successes in the next few
months. But I keep underscoring this that there is no
quick fix, there is no automatic solution but the
projects are being concluded and things will get
better in the next few months. The party is aware
and very conscious and sympathetic but it is a
situation we did not create, it is a situation the
government is managing but the good news is that
there will be smiles tomorrow but we must be able
to put up with current deprivation which has become
inevitable.

What really happened in the race for Anambra
Senatorial seat and how did you arrive at Barrister
Sharon Ikeazor?
On Anambra and the senatorial seat, it has long
ceased to be an issue within the party. Long ago,
after due process of our constitutional requirements
had been followed, the process threw up Barr Sharon
Ikeazor as the candidate for the party in that
election and that is an issue that has since been
decided.

I don’t know of this excessive concern about the
respected Senator Uche Ekwunife. She’s a loyal party
member and went through the processes and whether
it was in the party’s constitution to disqualify her,
of course it is there otherwise, we won’t have
procedures, screening and appeal committees. It just
happened that she was just coming into the party
and those who processed the nomination had their
score chart and we have a cut-off mark of 51
percent. She happened to score less, nothing more.

There are insinuations that the party is broke. Can
you shed light on this?

Funding of the party, there has been this talk in the
media but that goes to tell you that just like the
economy, the party too is suffering from the stresses
and strains of funding just like every institution in
our polity. That also goes to tell you that we are
not a party that withdraws money from security
votes or from any government agency. We are
working on plans to raise money from within the
membership. That plan has matured and we will soon
put it into operation. We have not, because I saw
reports to that effect, that we have written to the
president to rescue the party. That is not part of his
national duties and he has no intention because there
are no funds for which he can draw from.
The party has to come up with fresh and innovative
ways as to how to raise resources for its operations
and that, we have done. The plan is ready and will
go into operation in the next one month or two.

There has been this case of huge defections into
the party lately. Are you not afraid that this may
cause issues for the party?

It is freedom of association and I think everybody is
free to join but the essential fabric of APC is strong
enough to withstand any attempt by anyone to
undermine it from within. In any case, you cannot
join the APC without subscribing to its goals and
objectives and when you join the party today, you do
not expect to take over reign of power because there
are people there already, you still have to prove
yourself that you’re a loyal and reliable member of
the party. You cannot just come and become a leader
of the party in one day, you have to earn your way
to become trusted with leadership and control. You
cannot transfer your status in the party you were
coming from into APC because when you come, you’re
meeting people who are occupying the (leadership)
positions.

There are vacant positions in the national working
committee, when will they be filled?

There is no issue surrounding that, it’s just that
there has been so much to do and the president wants
to personally participate in it. A date has been
scheduled for all organs of the party to meet before
the month ends.

The opposition party has said that the war on
corruption is selective, how do you respond?

I don’t know where to start, but I feel it’s a
judicial matter and the party absolutely has no say
(on the matter). People give this impression that this
government does nothing order than probe of corrupt
officials but as I said earlier, a lot is happening
that will bring cheers to Nigerians in the next few
months. People said it was only PDP that this
government is probing but for 16 years, PDP was in
control. Are you going to come and arrest me in Benin
over contact issues when I was not in any way near
government?

Let me say this clearly, if we want to clean this
country, then we must be serious about it. Wherever
the train goes, we must be ready to go there, all
these attempt to divert attention from the reality
will not just work. The mere fact that the current
leader is investigating what happened before its time
is a clear indication that it is most likely to repeat
itself as the next government will investigate the
current administration too. We must be ready to put
up with the inconveniences and moral decadence this
administration is trying to get the country out of.
When this prominent people start to make
diversionary statements, I just laugh because this is
not the time for this, we are investigating
yesterday, let tomorrow investigate us, which is how
this country will get out of these rots.

Will the former president, Goodluck Jonathan be
invited for questioning?

It is not my job, it is the job of  EFCC, wherever
the train leads to, so be it.