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| Governor Henry Seriake Dickson |
The Gubernatorial Interview
Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, recently
met with some journalists in Yenagoa, the state capital, and used the forum to
address some national issues. Shola Oyeyipo was there. Excerpts:
What’s your take on amnesty for Boko Haram?
On the issue of amnesty, I want to commend the President for
his large heartedness in proposing amnesty, even for Boko Haram members. Of
course, we all know that Boko Haram, whatever is driving them is very different
from the factors that gave rise to the situation that we had here in the Niger
Delta. Whereas the insurgency in the Niger Delta was founded on economic
issues, the one in Boko Haram is religious. So, there is a clear distinction
and even with that the President has come up with amnesty.
I think as a result of calls by some leaders in the affected
areas so that amnesty can be given and they want to see whether that can make
the difference. I think we should give it a chance. Though those who say amnesty
should not be extended to Boko Haram members also have a very strong point on
account of the mindless and criminal, despicable and wanton destruction of
properties and lives. And even now, from what we are reading, they seem to say
they have not done anything wrong and they are rejecting amnesty. But on the
part of the leader of a country, I think the President has done well by
proposing amnesty.
Let’s discuss the crisis in your party against the birth of
APC. Are you worried?
In politics, you are managing not just a clash of ideas and
vision; it is also a clash, inevitably, of ego and all of that. So, democratic
politics promotes diversity and diversity sometimes, generates conflict and
tension. But the democratic system must be managed in such a way that democracy
and the rule of law will at the end of the day, take care of all these things
in their own time. So, what you are seeing as tension at the end of the day,
will resolve itself.
On the APC, I want to use this opportunity to urge the
leaders of the opposition to work hard to bring about a virile, effective and
viable opposition. An opposition that will play by the rule, an opposition that
will be in a position to confront the ruling party in a market place of ideas
and vision. We are looking forward to virile debates on various issues; on
economy, on national security.
If they are viable as a party, we want to engage then and
let us see the alternative viewpoints that are contending for the minds and
hearts of our people beyond issues of religion, ethnicity and zoning - that's
the whole idea. The whole political engagement is all about grandstanding,
manipulation, positioning and it sickens me, really. So, for me, and I'm not
speaking for my party; I'd be very happy to see a very virile, effective and
well organised opposition because a democracy without an opposition is
dictatorship.
What informed the idea of PDP Governors' Forum?
The Governors' Forum is primarily a mechanism for peer
review of governors that are equal. You do not have to be a member of the
Nigeria Governors' Forum to be a governor. Isn't it? Yes! It is just like your
association, NUJ, whether you are there or not, you are functioning. So the
Governors' Forum is a platform for collaborating with the federal government on
critical issues of development, national security and other challenges that
come up. The Governors' Forum is not and should not be a platform for control
of national politics, because we are not elected to run the country.
We, as governors are elected to manage our states. So the
Governors' Forum cannot be allowed to go on as a trade union. Of course, that
is wrong! What has happened is that people are taking advantage of the
development and discontent in our system to manipulate it to suit their
individual whims and caprices. But what is wrong is wrong! Look at the United
States Governors' Forum where we even copied it from, you don't see Governors'
Forum there coming to tell Obama what he should and what he should not do.
We are provincial players because our mandates are to lead
our states and not to run the federation. Those who have a mandate to run the
federation are the President, Vice President, the elected members of our
National Assembly and the political leadership of the parties. And if as a
governor, I have any strong view on things that go on at the federal level, we
have avenues; informal and formal- we have the National Economic Council.
Over the years, governors of the PDP who became chairmen of
the Governors' Forum- all attempted to use it as a platform for playing
national politics- a platform for occupying national political space. It
shouldn't be allowed! That's why the idea of the PDP Governors' Forum became
necessary. But you see, because there is manipulation of facts and our
institutions are not yet strong enough, including the media - you are doing a
very good job but not yet strong enough.
You see things being manipulated as if anybody is disturbing
anybody and instead of saying no, this thing you guys are doing is wrong.
People are saying as if "there is a crisis and somebody does not want
somebody, no! PDP governors have the right to have their own group because the
associative right is a first law in a democracy. ACN governors and others, even
councillors have associations. There is so much focus on what goes on in the
PDP.
If you are in the PDP, you will use the structure of the PDP
to resolve problems; if you are not in the PDP you concentrate on your party
and make it strong to defeat the PDP. You don't operate outside the PDP and
control the PDP or want the PDP to do things according to your own dictate. But
if you are in a party, you must play according to the rules of your party or
you get out. That is what is done all over.
But what do you think of the crisis between the President and
Governor Amaechi who are both members of the same party?
You should not equate a provincial player with elected
President of the Federal Republic. The President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria cannot have misunderstanding with a provincial player as a governor of
Rivers State or any other governor for that matter. I don't know how you came
by that. That is why we must be careful because you are also very important
players in our democracy. As governors, we are elected to run our states, no
more - no less.
If you want the mandate to run Nigeria, you contest an
election for it. Don't do it through the back door. If you want to be a leader
of opposition, you go to the opposition. What is happening is that people are
taking advantage of our weak institutions and our fledgling democracy such that
sometimes you don't even know who belongs to where socially and politically.
So, please, I'm not aware of any misunderstanding between the President of
Nigeria and a provincial player like me who is a governor of a state.
You are demeaning the President and you shouldn't do that in
this country. He (Amaechi) is the one that does that because every little
thing, he brings in the President as if he is at the same level- at par with
the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But what we know is that for
you to be a good leader, you must be a good follower first. So, I'm not aware
and I'm not a presidential spokesman.
What’s the state of the oil dispute between Bayelsa and
Rivers?
This thing you talked about has been in existence for long,
even before the creation of Bayelsa State. Even when these two local
governments were in old Rivers State, commissions of enquiries were set up and
so on and so forth. As a governor, your responsibility is to use existing
institutions to solve problems because there are statements you make that could
inflate tensions and create instability.
What I have been doing since this incident is to call for
peace and I'm using our existing channels both within the Ijaw system because
these people are all Ijaw people in case you don't know; the Kalabari are Ijaw
people, the Nembe people in Bayelsa are Ijaw people. Just because of the way
the country came into being and states were created and today we now find
ourselves- some in Rivers and some in Bayelsa- they are not enemies.
For us as a state, what we have done is that we have
submitted ourselves to federal institutions - we are cooperating with federal
institutions. We have federal institutions like the Boundary Commission; we
have the Revenue Allocation and Mobilisation and all of that. When they came,
we were ready but unfortunately, even the people who were shouting - come to
the table and establish, pulled out.
They are more interested in using it for political
grandstanding and for any other thing. But I think that the system will take
its course. Remember they have now gone to court and lost. And let me use this
opportunity to also clear this disinformation; there was no time any money was
paid to Bayelsa from the so-called Escrow account. There was no time monies
were kept in an Escrow account and paid to Bayelsa State. No!
What happened was that Akwa-Ibom, Abia, Delta, Bayelsa - all
the neighbouring states had issues and they now deducted funds from us and paid
to Rivers State. They also now, on another claim, deducted some money from
Rivers State and other states and paid to Bayelsa. So, whereas we received N15
billion, Rivers State received N17 billion! Now, was that money from an Escrow
account?
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