Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Usenobong Akpabio needs no introduction. An erudite lawyer, a two term lawmaker, party chieftain in the ruling People Democratic Party, philanthropist and community leader, thus soft spoken but fearless and bold czar has left indelible milestone along has political career. His opinion have never been overlooked as he remains a principled and objective individual whose primary interest remains focused in the development of his constituency. A lover of football especially his younger day where he played for Jettimo FC and during his youth service at Ibadan, Oyo State where he played for league side Exide FC and a renowned golfer whose strides on the green course has been globally acknowledge, spoke with selected editors recently in Uyo. Excerpts.
You are aspiring to go to the Senate in 2015, what is your vision for the people of Uyo Senatorial district?
First let me thank you for finding time to come to me, even though as far as the press is concerned I am always very comfortable with them. For the issue of my senatorial ambition in 2015 that is representing Uyo senatorial district at the highest chamber of the country. I have seen that there is need for change as far as the senatorial district is concerned.
The incumbent Senator Ita Enang has done well for the period he has been there at the National Assembly and the majority people of the senatorial district now need a change. And I believe that, going by the experience that some of us have gathered, we will provide the effective representation needed in the senate.
We need a change and a change for someone who has the experience and would be there for the senatorial district. I believe that the having been there at the State House of Assembly and the things that I have been able to do while I was there; it is my belief that if given the opportunity to serve at the senatorial level I will not be found wanting in anyway . In the House of Assembly where I was, I don’t think I was just a nominal person, the House passed through me and I passed through the House. And I can say even until now the story of the state parliament cannot be complete without my name being mentioned because of the effects some of us have in the House.
I was one of the persons that was ready to propose and willing to have a private member bill, even in my first term, I was able to propose a private member bill and bring that was called the Anti Cultism Bill which was signed into law by the Governor Obong Victor Attah as at then. The next bill was the regulation of Oil Services Company and Oil companies in Akwa Ibom state. My intention was to make sure that all Oil Companies as far as Akwa Ibom state is concerned recognize the fact that they have the limit where they operate and even their corporate responsibility. That bill was also passed to law. Among other things that has taken place in my Constituency.
It has always been observed that representatives from Akwa Ibom state at the National Assembly don’t always do well and you have rightly observed Sen. Enang has done well to the extent that a lot of people has seen that he is still controlling national issues and even issues affecting the state, with this kind of credentials don’t you think you have a stiff opposition from the Uyo Senatorial District supporting you against senator Ita Enang?.
I am a very realistic person, the present democracy especially as it is, is still an emerging one. The people will have the power to effect a change. The people need to be briefed regularly. I would say in the Uyo senatorial district, I am one of those the incumbent senator is representing and I am yet to feel the impact. It is common knowledge that there is that detachment from the people. Let me also say this, in an advanced democracy, you can be there for as long as even 20 to 30 years.
There are people in America that have been in the Legislature for many years in fact sometimes they don’t declare their seat vacant, the party gives them automatic. Here that our democracy is evolving and we are not mature enough to allow for some kind of permanent seats in the legislature. Also you will agree with me that Akwa Ibom State should also begin to send other people to the national level, we must not limit ourselves and hang unto one person even when there other people that will do better than that one person.
In summary, in trying to answer that question, there is always an incumbent factor even if the person does well or not. But anybody who wants to go against that incumbency must be ready and must be willing to have the capacity. It is not financial capacity it has to do with human capacity and as I feel in the senatorial district today that human capacity is dead, it is time for change. That is why the people have said to me you could be that change, you could do better. It is expected that by the time I have succeeded Ita Enang I should do better than him. It is also expected that by the time someone else succeeds me, he should do better than me. I think incumbency here for the people to determine who they sent there it is not the incumbency factor that will guarantee incumbent success. By the special grace of God with the support we can go and represent the people effectively.
Honorable why is it that everybody is talking about representation either in the executive arm or legislative arm and nobody is taking about industries, entrepreneurship or business everybody is talking contesting for one office or the other. Why is it so?
I don’t think that assertion is correct, because if you look at the population of Akwa Ibom state there are more than three million people. I can say that in the senatorial race I can name the people that are interested they are not up to ten even in the governorship even if they are up to 50 it does not catch the population. Everybody has their own inclination it is just that politics is exalted so much these days, I know even as we speak now there are people who are into business and entrepreneurship. It is not being so much. Politics doesn’t stop anyone from being an industrialist or any other thing in life. If you have your own vision and you hold strong to your own vision. What I am trying to say is that the percentage of people that are even aspiring for positions in the legislature and the executive should not stop any other person from being an industrialist or entrepreneur.
It seems like everything revolves around governance, even the entrepreneurs needs governance, does it not bother you that the level dependency is so high among our young who wouldn’t want to make use of their energy but prefer to come hang around you as a law maker and what will be your major concern in terms of listing the needs of your people as their representative?
It bothers me because, I was talking with somebody recently and we were talking about football and I play football when I was in the University I played for some clubs, I remember in those days that we were young men who were so committed to things like that but today you find nothing like that. It is true that every young man wants to be an elder in the party, stakeholder and all those things. Sometimes in the university, students will tell you we have a group we will support you. It bothers me so much that we have left what we are supposed to do and we are doing what we are not supposed to do in terms of priorities. It is a matter of mentality that is prevailing now. I blame it on our system too because our country cannot boast of power that is electricity, a young man may want to open a barbing saloon and when there is no steady power supply he will be frustrated. If we can solve the problem of power we can solve many problems. It boils to the fact that there are basic things you must provide in the society. So I am worried and it is a situation that we just have to confront.
Some of us make fundamental mistakes in terms of how we assist people, we might buy cars for people, when there was motorcycle you buy it for them some of them will still come back to you and say I don’t have fuel in the car or I cannot service my car, at that point it becomes a burden. Towards the period of my being in the House of Assembly, I developed a method that must show me what you have to do. One will now invest on that. We were able to train some computer operators about 100 of them and I can tell you that some of them have come back to thank me. We were also able to put some people through school, like two medical practitioners. I can mention Dr. Simon he is in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. That is something that is lasting not the physical thing of carrying money to people or buying cars to people. I believe that as people who are willing to represent the people we must tailor our plans and programmes towards sustainable empowerment not just aesthetic empowerment. Empowerment that they will say this is the car that the Senator or House member gave me. The time has come now for us to review our vision and focus not just aesthetic empowerment but some sustainable empowerment and there are so many things we could do to encourage our youths and people. Agriculture is one area that we have not even considered. As a parliamentarian we are also there to make sure that the executive complies, they may not compile fully but they may compile substantially to the budget because there is enough interest in the budget.
Hon, you made mention that while in the House you sponsored a billed on Anti cultism looking at the situation now, even in primary schools we still have cultism.
You know, sometimes I don’t have the capacity even to answer that question because you don’t have the data to show the thing is either increasing or decreasing. My intention as at then was that when they say cultism you might be able to define what cultism means. Even taking oaths of secrecy to do one or two things that can be harmful to the society. Even as at then, we were having the problem of really differentiating what a cult really is, at the end of it we agreed that it is the activities of bad association when you talk about cultism in terms of bad mannerism. When you go beyond operating legally, carrying guns shooting people, carrying machete and arms that is when it is against the law and if you are caught the law will now take its toll on you.
You will also agree with me that some of these things are also there in the criminal code. In other for us to fight them we needed to do it in our own state, as sort decorum for any other person who feels that he can hide under platform to cause havoc. I really would not be able to tell whether it is prevalent now or not because as a legislator as of then, I had done my own part in making sure that this societal norms and vices that needs to be corrected in my own capacity I have done my own part in correcting it. It is now left for the executive and judiciary to implement the law.
You are going to run under the PDP for the senate and the party seems to be in a serious problem right now, what assurance are you giving to your supporters to stand by you, because people may be thinking that by 2015 the PDP may not be in existence again because of the problems.
The truth of the matter is that as far as PDP is concerned, PDP is one formidable party at least in this country that it will be difficult to push away. There will always be opposition but the greatest opposition could even be ourselves and therefore if that happens by the time we will come back to ourselves they won’t be any opposition again. This is not too much problem in PDP today I would say that because it just that PDP is the government in power and anything about PDP magnified. Every other party in Nigeria has the same problem or challenges PDP has, it could be leadership or hatred. Within our structure in PDP, it permits there has to be something like that, as at today we have a new national chairman of the party, the immediate past chairman had to resign willingly and PDP has come together without taking too long to come out with a new chairman. I believe that PDP has had a formidable structure and it is very difficult to destroy that structure now every other party is trying to have that structure. Within that structure we might have problems but does not mean we will destroy PDP and there won’t be any PDP again no. It is something that must happen in the party. There may be a crack on the wall but it will not affect the foundation because we have a solid foundation, we can mend that crack, it is not late. We will still come out very formidable so PDP is still very strong and we will continue to be strong, I don’t see any other party coming up to that make me fear. PDP is a party that has not changed name or logo before or even affiliate; it has always been PDP from the beginning unlike every other party that has change name, affiliation and logo.
The PDP has been in power since 1999, they control the majority in National Assembly but unfortunately there have been consistent disputes on the performance of the economy especially lately between the Finance Minister and the National Assembly. To what extent can you suggest measures that in future dispensations will ensure that harmony with regards to checking of the implementation of the budget?
I believe the legislature is the watch dog, it is not supposed to be pro government all the time the legislature is supposed to be more responsible to the people than government, it is expected that there has to be some friction between the legislature and the executive if there is no friction between the two, then there is something wrong because it will therefore mean that the legislature is not doing what they suppose to do. I can tell you that no matter how lofty the programmes of the executive are, you find out that those programmes or plans will not be executed to the end, it is now left for the legislature to say this is not what you promised the people, even in advanced democracy, that is where there is more friction. I see even in the UK Parliament sometimes they clamp down on the Prime Minister if you remember what happened in the United States of America sometimes ago they almost shut down the government when the executive could not agree with the legislature.
Once this friction beckons, it shows that government is alive and is working and all the arms of government are working. The only thing I would say and caution is that government is supposed to work together for good of the people; they are certain things that we should not be too hasty to come out with. But they should be some harmony too between these tiers of government so that as a country we can move on. This friction is something we should treat with caution so that we will not send out wrong signal to the outside world.
In your senatorial district do use zoning to determine who represents you in the Senate from each Federal Constituency?
It is already there as an agreement that it is the turn of Uyo Federal Constituency to produce the next senator in 2015. But that does not mean somebody from any other federal constituency does not have the right to contest. In a democracy you cannot stop any body from contesting especially if it is not a law but it is clear that Uyo federal constituency should now go for the senate but when it comes to Uyo federal constituency you now make a claim that some local governments have not tasted the position of senate, you can also say that from 1999 to 2007 Ibesikpo Asutan has enjoyed the Governorship position and Uruan has not, so our brothers from Ibesikpo Asutan should please team up with us to produce the next senator and as it trickles down to Uruan it will trickle down to my humble self. (Laughs).
How prepared are you to cater for the expectations of the people come 2015 and the nine local governments that make the senatorial district?
You know, when I was representing Uruan I was in the House of Assembly and now that I want to represent Uyo senatorial district I am going to be in the senate so there is a difference between the House of Assembly and the Senate. The people who carved the senatorial district knew that there is difference that is why incidentally, Uyo senatorial district happens to be the smallest in terms of the number of Local governments.
So as I said, it is a higher responsibility, it is a higher calling and therefore it also entails a higher I.Q. It also entails me using the same method but a method that is a bit higher than the one that I used when I was in the House of Assembly. Nine local governments is enormous coming from one local government, I think from one you can get to two and so I started with one, I don’t see why I cannot move from that one. It is like in the field of football, I think so many people who are playing for big teams now like Barcelona or Real Madrid, it is still the same field but the stage is bigger. If you know your role in the field you can now be elevated.
Honourable, please what is your take on the development of the present government?
I think the current government came in with a set mind; every leader has his mind set on how he or she is going to tackle development, I saw Godswill coming in with a mind set and for me he has done well. If you look at Uyo today, Uyo is wearing different look completely, you must give it to him that he has a very large heart. So I will say he has done well. He might not finish all his projects the governor that will come must take up those projects because that is what he did when he came in and took over from Attah, to me that is the mind of a leader. Whether he is the one that started that project or not like the Airport project he did not start the project it was Attah that started it. There are some roads that Attah started but he has been able to finish it and so many other things like that. Everybody that comes into Akwa Ibom state sees the state as a beautiful place. He has done very well the next person should even do better than he has done.
What criteria would you ascribe for the successor?
The governor’s successor must be the people’s successor that is expected, he must not be a successor that is given, I don’t have a right to choose any successor I also believe that nobody has the right to choose any successor like Godswill was not a given successor by Obong Attah it was people that voted for him, and knowing how Godswill came in I want to believe that people should be part and parcel of choosing the next successor.
I am in the PDP and once the PDP has given nomination to somebody I must make sure that we deliver that person but we must make sure that it is somebody who knows the feeling of the people. I remember when Godswill was Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, I know that he went round, he won the hearts of the people and people liked him even when the incumbent was there. I believe that God is going to work in Akwa Ibom state because we might not have what we want but God will give us what we need.
What was your relationship with immediate past National Chairman of the PDP how close were you to him?
Yes, I was his co-ordinator when he wanted to be national chairman in Akwa Ibom state. Now that he is no longer there I also support the new chairman. Laughs! You see, politics is not one man stuff. I see what that is happening in the PDP as something that is good because we are going to learn quiet a lot of lessons, what is happening now in PDP is that people are not happy not because PDP is not giving them money but because we had agreed to do this and we have done this but at a certain level things have not changed.
And they have seen it now and i believe that as we move from where we were to where we are now, I believe that we have learnt the lessons; you must summit yourself to the will of the people. For me that is one of the ways PDP will guarantee success. If the PDP is not ready to subject theirselves to the will of the people it might not go down well with us in terms of our electoral year. My position with Bamanga Tukur was close yes; I coordinated him Akwa Ibom state. It was by chance that I had to coordinate him, whether he is there or not, it does not in any way diminish my chances of succeeding. More so, I totally believe that it is God that grants power
