Honourable Prestige Ossy represents Aba North/South Federal Constituency of Abia State on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance. He is the Chairman, House Committee on Nigeria – Meico Relations as well as the Technical Committee on Customs and Excise. In this interview, he says South East governors are lily-livered, following what he describes as their poor response to the killings linked to herdsmen in the zone. He also says restructuring Nigeria is the way out of the current economic recession.



Fulani herdsmen have been terrorising some communities in the country, especially in the South East. What is your advice to governors and lawmakers in the zone?

It takes one with guts to be a leader. Most of them are lily-livered. There is nothing that will stop you as a leader, as a governor or a member of the House from saying something that will protect your people. If you cannot take the bull by the horn by enacting laws that will protect the citizens of your state, then I don’t know what else you are talking about.

Most of them don’t have that confidence. If you have confidence in yourself, I don’t see any reason why you should not come up with such legislation because you are not doing it against anybody. Nobody will be happy to come to his farm the next morning to see that his farm is ravaged by herdsmen. It is never done but because of the fear of the unknown, ‘who knows if I say this now, what will happen?’ some of them are even thinking of second tenure. ‘If I say this now, these people might make it difficult for me to go for second tenure’. That is actually the problem.

I don’t see any reason why most of them in the South-East are keeping quiet when these things happen.

I am challenging them, if they know that they actually have the mandate of the people, let them speak for the people and do things right for the people. I don’t see the reason why they should shy away from the truth of the matter by enacting laws to protect our farmers and our citizens from the rampaging herdsmen.

Have you made any effort to talk with the Abia State governor or Speaker on the herdsmen’s attacks?

Let me say this, I have a lot of programmes here at the National Assembly but they (governors) are there in the South-East, they know what the problems are, and that is why we elected them. They also elected me to come to Abuja and look at those laws that will benefit our people and bring in Federal Government presence that our state should get from the center.

I feel sad that most of them are just there, these things are going on and none of them is speaking but that does not mean that I wouldn’t make out time.




•Honourable Prestige Ossy
The country is witnessing economic recession. What do you think the Federal Government can do to get us out of this quagmire?

I have been an advocate of diversification. I want to say that government has been paying lip service to diversification. I have not seen the seriousness on the part of government to diversify this economy.

They are talking of diversification into agriculture, but tell me one policy of government that has encouraged real mechanized farming. I have not seen that government, state, local or even federal, buying one tractor to support farmers. All we hear is that we are to do mechanize farming. How can you do mechanized farming without tractors to work with? How can you go into mechanized farming without fertilizer, without improved seedling, without facilities where you can store if you harvest, without processor that will process those things and they come finished products.

All we do is pay lip service. Tell me one area, at least I come from the South East, I have not heard from any governor, I have not seen one tractor imported, the Federal Government has not also not imported one. What we hear is that we are diversifying into agriculture.

Go to the Bank of Agriculture and talk of loan and see whether you will get it. The incentives are not the order of the day

Firstlieutenant:
After dem go say Yorubas be coward, ordinary Fayose pattern dem no fit copy.

Firstlieutenant:
After dem go say Yorubas be coward, ordinary Fayose pattern dem no fit copy.

AgentH2SO4:
I agree.

The governors are just cowards.

They are most likely afraid of Buhari using the EFCC to harass them.

comshots:
Na only fayose you dey talk.Shebe herdsmen don attack lagos and Ogun state and go scot-free?Why the governors for these state no take action?Yeye.

CliffordOrji:
It is true. All our leaders in Igboland are liily livered, spineless and gutless cowards. How I wish Governor Fayose can rule us in Igboland

Firstlieutenant:


At least one Yoruba done stand out whereas all igbos be sitting-ducks. Okpo!

comshots:
Shey be una call am a traitor,that he is not a Yoruba?

Bobandgreat:


Don't mind them. If u check well, u will see that Fayose has a little Igbo connection in him. Let Fayose come to Igbo land, he is our son.

Unblockable:


He has little Igbo connection yet those who are 'complete' Igbos are lilly-livered.

Firstlieutenant:
After dem go say Yorubas be coward, ordinary Fayose pattern dem no fit copy.

Firstlieutenant:
After dem go say Yorubas be coward, ordinary Fayose pattern dem no fit copy.

Firstlieutenant:


At least one Yoruba done stand out whereas all igbos be sitting-ducks. Okpo!

AgentH2SO4:
I agree.

The governors are just cowards.

They are most likely afraid of Buhari using the EFCC to harass them.

Funlordjnr:


Not suprising sef.....after all their gods "ojukwu [size=5pt]and[/size] kanu" have displayed a mastery of cowardly actions in the past!



Pls don't mind my people. We term [size=15pt]chest beating [/size]and [size=15pt]shouting[/size] as [size=15pt]bravery[/size]

proeast:
The day your people can produce a courageous and fearless person like Nnamdi Kanu then I'll take you serious.

proeast:
The day your people can produce a courageous and fearless person like Nnamdi Kanu then I'll take you serious.

Firstlieutenant:
After dem go say Yorubas be coward, ordinary Fayose pattern dem no fit copy.