Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan was Governor of Delta State from 2007 to 2015. In this exclusive interview with TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI in Lagos, he speaks on his rumoured plans to dump his party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the All Progressives Congress (APC). He also bares his mind on his senatorial ambition, restructuring and other issues of national interest. Excerpts:

Sir, there are reports that you have concluded plans to join the ruling APC following alleged hostility being meted to you by party leaders in the PDP. How true is this?

As I sit here, I am still a PDP member. But having said that, I was a governor of Delta state, one of the prominent states in the Niger Delta for eight years. I was SSG for four years during the administration of Chief James Ibori. The critical things that my predecessor, Chief Ibori , myself and even the current governor had to deal with is the issue of security. In my time as governor, I had a three point agenda which included peace and security. Now in dealing with that peace and security, through what I called a 12-year period; four years as SSG and eight years as governor, I was exposed mainly to the strategy of engagement, engaging the youths, communities and those aggrieved, either directly myself or using various teams, people, traditional rulers, youth bodies who went and get involved in the engagement process. The other engagement process that we try to do is to ensure that we kept our people busy by ensuring that we properly funded Delta State Oil Producing Areas Commission (DESOPADEC). That kept people busy for so many years. The first like I said is engagement, the second is law and order which had to do with the Joint Task Force that the federal government is bringing which involves the Police, SSS and others. They did their bit but for them to succeed, we have to put up a team of young people called the Delta Waterways Security Committee that was working with them because the terrain is quite complex. You might see a river and you think your boat can maneuver anywhere but there are places that are shallow and some places are like roads. Sometimes, it takes these young people who know these terrains very well to navigate into the creeks and that was what we did. Also, in the process, we noticed that there are lots of damages to the environment either as a result of equipment by the oil companies but later more of our own people who were trying to steal crude and also try to operate illegal refineries. So that is also a challenge. What I am trying to say is that in those my years of getting involved, in analysing those years, I have come to the reality that this Niger Delta crisis will continue if certain things are not done. We will just be having recurrent crisis. I also believe that the things that are to be done have to be legislated upon. The security architecture that we have there now rely almost totally on federal government outfit but I know that without the architecture revolving around the communities and our youths, we will not have solutions to our problems just as we have seen with the herdsmen issue. Yes we are trying to talk about local police but policing must be around the communities. If for instance, there is a popular community where pipeline vandalism is very common, if you have the local security who know everybody in the neighbourhood, it will be easy to identify those behind the acts. For people to put those structures together, there must be laws so that another president will not just come tomorrow and cancel it. Some of us used local community people but they were not legal. When I wanted to use them, I wanted to form a body but I had to report to the office of the National Security Adviser who told me that I cannot do it because the law does not allow it. They said if I do it, I will use it for elections. So, there were those fears but if we are able to get a law that incorporates the local community in the security architecture of Niger Delta, even across Nigeria, I am telling you, a lot of insecurity issues will be reduced, same for illegal bunkering, ownership of oil wells and all that. That prompted me to say I want to be in the forefront of making laws in this aspect. That has been my driving force to say I want to go to the Senate but in consulting and doing that, for some strange reasons, there has been so much hostility for me in PDP. I don’t want to go into the details of the hostility. I analysed my future and say is it possible for me to remain in this place? Will I be able to get that platform to influence these things I am talking about? The answer I seem to get is that it is not going to be easy. It is not that it is not possible but it might involve bloodshed and other things. And when you look at it, you have a platform that is very difficult and you have another one that is not as difficult. You just have to weigh the options. So as at today, I am looking at options because PDP has become too hostile to me, very hostile and it might just be very challenging. But I am still in PDP but very soon, a decision will be made. I am also still consulting with the leadership of our political family. That is where we are.

There is an ongoing debate among Nigerians on the plan by the federal government to share $322 Abacha loot to poor Nigerians. What is your take on this?

I have listened to the debate and I have also listened to the reasoning behind it by the federal government. As nice as it sounds, I don’t think it is practicable. By that I mean I don’t think it is something that can work out in such a way that the intention of the federal government is fully met. First, it is quite complicated to really determine the poor in this country. It is very complicated and like you would have known, it is just a very few states that can be classified in the bracket of being poor. Secondly, sharing the money to certain persons who are poor is also not practicable because in so doing, you are just alleviating their problems temporarily. It is like the saying, ‘teach me how to fish instead of giving me a fish’. When I give you a fish, you will eat it and pass it out. After that, you will have no other fish to eat. But if I teach you how to fish, you will continuously have fishes to eat.
My advice on this would have been to invest it in areas that will affect the economy of this country. If you ask me straightaway, I will just say we should invest it more on infrastructures. $322m is a lot of money that can adequately handle infrastructural item that will attract investment and investment will result in employment. By doing that, you are teaching people how to fish. The effect of that money if used for an item that will ensure economic development will last longer than just dividing it among those we call the poor.

Looking at the issue of herdsmen killings across the country, do you think President Buhari’s emergence contributed in some way to the rise of these killings because some have argued that these herdsmen believe one of their own is in power and as such they are protected from prosecution?

When dealing with security, you have to look at things broadly and one of the things people do when they want to sabotage your government is in security areas. I have my own thinking about what is happening because this is not the first time. There was Boko Haram and the effect of that was that a president was pushed away. Now we are having herdsmen before election and there is so much antagonism to the sitting president and it is now being used as a campaign tool against the sitting president. Security was first used as a campaign tool against former president Goodluck Jonathan. It is now being used against President Muhammadu Buhari. So, it is becoming a pattern and as such, we must look deeper than what we are seeing now. I am not just restricting myself to Fulani herdsmen or religious issues, I am looking beyond that. I am looking at the area of sabotage. Somebody may have organised something somewhere that he or she wants to use when he or she is not happy with the system or government.


Read more https://independent.ng/its-wrong-to-assume-ex-govs-go-to-senate-to-retire-sleep-uduaghan/

Uduaghan port if you wanna port

I agree to that

Been the commander in Chief and former military commander

I expect by now all service chief to be sacked

Total overhauling of our security apparatus

Then I will know that Baba is damn serious with it

port nd lose your relevant in your state

sarrki:
I agree to that

Been the commander in Chief and former military commander

I expect by now all service chief to be sacked

Total overhauling of our security apparatus

Then I will know that Baba is damn serious with it

see let us accept the fact that, the government can't protect everyone, more especially those in the villages and bush, America has the highest number of dead rate in the world (war free countries),school killing almost every week.....
Even with two eyes you can only see half the picture - Ragnarok.

Kyase:
see let us accept the fact that, the government can't protect everyone, more especially those in the villages and bush, America has the highest number of dead rate in the world (war free countries),school killing almost every week.....
Even with two eyes you can only see half the picture - Ragnarok.

The security chiefs are not up to speed

Am not comparing America that have been developed for over 400years

Another fool has emerged

hmmm what is Ibori cooking ala APC? forget this voice of Jacob, na Ibori dey talk.

Most things that was used to worked against gej is failing in mbuhari case

Please remain in the PDP or Join R-APC

Please have anyone heard of R-APC in the past week?
It seem they've faded out with the speed of light.

Obainoneandonly:
port nd lose your relevant in your state

My osu brother. You should leave politics and concentrate on your gala hawking business.
By the way, it is 'lose your relevance' not the Abakaliki version you typed up there.

What are the things they used to fight the last administration

Kyase:
see let us accept the fact that, the government can't protect everyone, more especially those in the villages and bush, America has the highest number of dead rate in the world (war free countries),school killing almost every week.....
Even with two eyes you can only see half the picture - Ragnarok.

So should those in d villages n rural areas relocate to the urban areas or just prepare to die without any care for them? What kind of reasoning is this!

sarrki:
I agree to that

Been the commander in Chief and former military commander

I expect by now all service chief to be sacked

Total overhauling of our security apparatus

Then I will know that Baba is damn serious with it

How come u agree then still complain that service chiefs have nor been sacked till now? Obviously those supposedly sabotaging Buhari are responsible for hiring and firing service chiefs isn't it? They have held his hands and told him to tell us to pray because he can do nothing more no be so?
Obviously there's an 'Assistant President' somewhere that must therefore take the blame for the failure in governance, not darling, saint Buhari.

freeze001:


So should those in d villages n rural areas relocate to the urban areas or just prepare to die without any care for them? What kind of reasoning is this!

not saying that.
But when people blame them security chiefs without considering the fact that, this guys are not omnipresent.
The only thing is will want to see is community police, that meant help in securing most people....

sarrki:


The security chiefs are not up to speed

Am not comparing America that have been developed for over 400years

and yet America have security issues...

Kyase:
not saying that.
But when people blame them security chiefs without considering the fact that, this guys are not omnipresent.
The only thing is will want to see is community police, that meant help in securing most people....

So what are u saying?
If the service chiefs cannot advise the president on the importance of community policing and the president himself is too dull to see d need especially since he says restructuring is a selfish desire who do u then blame? Poor Nigerians in the rural slums or the incompetent service chiefs and the slow-reading dullard who appointed them?

freeze001:


So what are u saying?
If the service chiefs cannot advise the president on the importance of community policing and the president himself is too dull to see d need especially since he says restructuring is a selfish desire who do u then blame? Poor Nigerians in the rural slums or the incompetent service chiefs and the slow-reading dullard who appointed them?

Single government can't give you everything, government is continoum, was expecting you guys to ask the fast reading president (GEJ) to help in resolving this issue then but no.


For your info reading fast doesn't mean you are intelligent Eg GEJ.

He probably got a tip-off that EFCC is coming his way, therefore he had decided to do what the likes of Obanikoro did to get immunity...chow the caked shit while licking Buhari's bony ass.

...only a matter of time for his decamping to APC...using the media to say nice things about PMB and APC...or maybe EFCC will soon open his file...

Kyase:

Single government can't give you everything, government is continoum, was expecting you guys to ask the fast reading president (GEJ) to help in resolving this issue then but no.

For your info reading fast doesn't mean you are intelligent Eg GEJ.

Kai! This slowness and dullness is infectious o!

freeze001:


Kai! This slowness and dullness is infectious o!

i know you just hate Buhari, so there's nothing someone will say to change your mind...

Obainoneandonly:
port nd lose your relevant in your state

D guyman don port naw, if you know Delta politics Uduaghan don lose relevance for PDP abi you know see who wan follow am drag senate?

Just look at this clueless and unproductive ex-governor ass licking PMB and APC because of senate position...