Emmanuel: There Is No Alternative to PDP Yet

Young, smart, cerebral and confident, the Akwa
Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has
turned out a terrific improvement of himself two
years after assuming office. From the boardroom
of the banking sector to the expansive and
complex office of the governor, albeit with a stint
at the office of the secretary to the state
government, Emmanuel is just another proof that
there is nothing cryptic about governance. A
clear example of generational power shift, his
capacity to tame the challenges that attend the
office of the governor was first put to test by the
economic recession that ushered in the present
dispensation in 2015. As a banker, his experience
and exposure came handy and today, Akwa Ibom
is generally believed to have fared better than
the days of the lousy ‘uncommon
transformation’ with a relatively conservative but
generously effective approach to governance. In
this interview with Olawale Olaleye, Emmanuel
relives his experience in office in the last two
years and how he has been able to meander
through the difficulties and demands of his office
to delivering on his promises to the people of the
state. He also speaks on several other issues.
Excerpts:
Two years in office, what has the experience
been like and was there anything that prepared
you for this job?
God has prepared me for this job. I keep saying
so. Nobody just wakes up and finds himself in
the position of being a leader. You build up
yourself to become a leader through your
experience. If you remember, last time I said
there are two types of politicians: professionals
in politics and professional politicians. For us
who are professionals in politics, it means we’ve
been prepared for leadership over time.
You know your vision is limited to your
exposure. So, I believe with the exposure that
we’ve had over time, our training both in and out
of the classroom and hands-on experience, our
interaction with the outside world across the
globe and even the field of the masses – the
grassroots, by the time you put all of them
together, they contribute in different areas.
Take for example, the heart you have towards
the common man, what can trigger that is your
experience relating with that common man. For
example, despite compulsory education at
present, at school hours, you get into some
wards, some units, you still a lot of children who
could not make it to school. And even if you say
let’s go and arrest the parents for not sending
them to school, the child will walk up to you and
if you ask, why didn’t you go to school? He
would say sorry, sir, I couldn’t go because I
didn’t eat. At that point in time, goose pimples
will be all over you.
How can you spend so much providing free and
compulsory education and even when the child
goes to school, he cannot still do well, because
the basic things have not actually been tackled?
So, it’s all these things put together that
actually get you prepared for the job. You are
willing to make sacrifices; you are willing to
push. In fact, we are afraid to celebrate. You
can’t even celebrate anything you do, because
you still believe you have a lot of grounds to
cover because of what you see. I think those are
the things that prepare people like us for this
job.
Looking back, are you fulfilled with the level of
work done so far?
I just gave you an example of what will enable
one to be fulfilled. I can’t feel really fulfilled.
That’s why I said a job well done needs much
more jobs to be done. I can only be fulfilled any
day I look at our per capita and it is comparable
to what others actually achieved outside this
place, because nobody has a monopoly of what
it takes to run governance. Those per capital are
in tens and hundreds of thousands of US Dollars;
they don’t have a monopoly either. Those who
have these things in excess, who have totally
overcome the basic needs of life don’t have the
monopoly. I can only be fulfilled when I see
Nigerians at that level.
No matter what I do from inside and outside, I
can only be fulfilled if I provide free and
compulsory education and every child will be
jumping to go to school because the child must
have had a balanced diet, must have eaten well,
must have had enough protein that can actually
enable that child to develop, so that when the
child is in the class and is being taught, he will
be able to feel happy going to school. However,
not when the child is afraid that ‘as I’m coming
back from school, won’t they even send me first
to farm before I have my lunch.
So, even when we are moving towards providing
school feeding system, it’s still not enough
because there is a whole lot to be desired
outside that. When the school is not in session,
won’t the child still eat? When they are on long
vacation, what happens? What happens on
weekends when the child does not go to school?
So, there is a whole lot to be done. It’s too early
to start drumming up to say I’m fulfilled from
inside of me. And that fulfillment will not
necessarily be from the state that you come
from. It will cut across the whole country. If you
train your state indigenes and you don’t train
your neighbours, know that even your children
won’t be at peace because it must cut across.
You don’t just train your child and leave your
neighbour’s child and think your child will be at
peace?
You once spoke about the politics of inclusion.
How much has that achieved in moving the
state forward especially, that you seem to be
issuing handouts to the opposition for them to
comply?
We don’t issue handouts. I don’t even know
what you mean by handouts. I only know of
handouts when we were in school and that was
for us to read and pass exams. Then in what
way have we ensured politics of inclusion? In all
ramifications! Everything we do, we don’t deal
with political party affiliations. We are not
partisan on anything; what we do, we just look
at our people, our state.
At the same time, if you look at the way we give
appointments, a lot of people who did not even
support me and what drives this is that the day
election is over, it is governance. It has nothing
to do with election again. This is time for
governance. It’s no more time for partisan
politics. These things are just the state of mind
and once you can overcome it from your own
mind, you can also conquer it. So, you embrace
everybody and try to break those barriers of
partisan politics. That’s the way we do it.
Recently, the Minister of Science and
Technology said by 2019, the nation would start
producing pencils and your state seems to be
deeply into this. Is it just for your people alone
as a test case?
Well, I didn’t hear the minister say so. But let me
also say something here clearly. I’m not the one
who brought out the statistics, but let me tell
you what I heard about the statistics that
Nigeria spent about N350 billion importing
pencil. So, the question is, is producing pencil a
wrong exercise? The answer is no. If you pay a
visit to Akwa Ibom State, I have everything that
it takes in terms of raw materials. I have all that
you use in that pencil. Is it the bamboo, the
wood, or is it the pieces of paper?
And you know, with the new attention on
environment, you can actually get used papers to
produce pencils that will be more environment
friendly too. There are so many things that they
are now using to produce pencil. It’s not as
difficult as you made it sound. If you don’t also
want to make use of wood to produce this
pencil, you make use of paper. Can you get the
technology from somewhere else, the answer is
yes. You can actually share knowledge. But
where you cannot, you can also borrow
knowledge.
What matters most is do you have the people;
do you have the material? The answer is yes.
I’m one of those who believe that we can start
this under small and medium enterprises
scheme. These are entrepreneurial schemes that
we are running for small and medium scale
enterprises. Why? It is because I don’t see this
as a major exercise. It doesn’t actually pay us
as a country to import a whole pencil when we
have so much unemployment and so much of
those things we can also use in making our own.
So, we have our blueprint and we are looking at
not just pencil, even the basic plastic materials
that we use on daily basis. Those are things that
we believe that small and medium scale
enterprises can produce on a daily basis,
because those are the things that people use on
a daily basis.
Coming to toothpick, any kind of bamboo, even
from the raffia palm, will do it. Some people even
use it for firewood. So, why should I import
toothpick, when I can easily produce it. It’s the
same bamboo that I’m going to import from
another place when I can actually create value
for the same local woman, who is cutting that
bamboo for firewood. A man can also cut the
same bamboo and use it to process toothpick,
rather than importing it. That’s basic knowledge,
nothing so special. It’s just for you to just look
out and say what do I have and what I have is
what I need.
So, why can’t the main bamboo tree now
become a source of raw material? And even the
raffia palm that we have all over the place in the
swampy areas. That’s a major source of rubber
materials. So, I don’t see a big deal in this. The
only aspect I think we need to also look at as a
people is those machines that process this. I
think that’s where the main issue comes in. I
think with time, Nigeria should be able to break
into that also because I look at those machines,
they can easily be fabricated by the people. It’s
not that difficult. That’s why I say some of those
technologies we can also transfer. That’s how I
look at those areas.
How do you go about that?
First off, we identify that needs there. How many
schools do I have? If I run a free and compulsory
education and the people need something to
write, why do I have to go and buy those things?
Why do I have to import them? Let me first of all
meet that need. It’s the same thing. The money
I could have used to import them, let me use
that money to manufacture them and in the
course of doing that, I will employ a lot of people
and create an economy.
By the time you look at the complete value
chain, I’ve done something within the economy
and the effect will be there. So, instead of just
throwing away raw cash outside, I keep telling
people that any country which imports
everything, that country is a rich country. So, can
actually look back and plough that money that
we want to use for importation into some other
small industrial businesses and it is in line with
our blueprint.
How have you been able to balance your goals
amid financial constraints?
As much as you prepare for leadership, you know
God also prepares you for serving the people at a
point in time. I try to let people know that in
time of recession, two things must be defined
clearly in your head and you must be able to
define and separate them to know what matters
at what point in time. There is a difference
between cash and money. So, in period of
recession, you must define what money can get
for you and what cash can get. In the time of
recession, you won’t be able to get cash, but
you can create money depending on what you
are pursuing.
I know a lot of people still get highest revenue
but at what revenue line? I only get when it
comes to sharing from oil. For months, there
was a time when we did not even lift a barrel of
crude oil. Akwa Ibom produces almost 46 per
cent of the entire oil this country produces. So,
there was a time when we did not lift even a
barrel of crude oil. You can imagine the impact
of that on our revenue. So, in time of recession,
we must differentiate what you can do with cash
and what you can do with money.
I think for those that count payment of salaries
as major achievement, it is because in a period
of recession, what cash can do is an
achievement. My workers work in a particular
day and they get alert, not just salaries but
pensions. So, we take those things for granted.
Once you differentiate between what cash and
money can do, you will know where you are
going. I think that’s the edge we have over
certain people who can’t create money. I think
we can create money even in a period of
recession, but we may not have cash. If you are
looking at what cash can do, it will affect
everybody. But if you look at what money can
do, it may not affect everybody because it’s not
everybody that has the capability and the
capacity to create money during a recession. But
I think we do.
Specifically, how did you manage during this
recession?
This thing has a lot to do with attitude. In every
situation, there is always an opportunity. If you
look at the opportunity in that situation and
tackle that opportunity, you would have coped
with that situation at that point in time. Even in
the period of recession, there are lots of
opportunities. So, why not address those
opportunities and leave the setbacks. You must
deliberately look at what are the game changers
and then pursue those ones. I was just talking to
one of your colleagues and we were sharing
ideas.
If a human being can die and there is an
opportunity, how much more a recession? If
somebody dies now, while the bereaved are
crying over their dead, the man selling casket is
happy that there is going to be sales. It’s an
opportunity for the man. So, in every situation,
there is an opportunity. Even the recession you
are saying, that is the time you can change the
mental attitude of your people, because they are
facing the reality of the time. Don’t wait. Don’t
look at the global economy. Look at what you
have. We use different teachings. Look at also
where they are familiar with.
The easiest thing to talk to an African is religion,
because in Africa, anything goes. The same man
who is going to work in the morning is going to
church in the evening. So, you can do leadership
training. You let the people know that with five
loaves and two fishes, you can actually make a
difference to enhance your potential. This is the
time to launch a mental rebirth and a philosophy
that could guide the people. So, by the time
there is a period of abundance, that philosophy
you can’t easily change it. They will now use
that in the management of the resources at that
point in time, because they are coming from a
different mindset. So, in every situation, you
always create an opportunity. That’s how we are
managing.
In what ways are you improving the IGR of your
state, because that is central to achieving these
goals?
I know a lot of people say different things about
rates, but there is a limit to what you can do
because no matter how lovely your tax laws are,
no matter how aggressive you are in driving
collections, the ability to pay must be there. How
many people would you lock up because they
couldn’t pay taxes? The ability must be there.
Mind you, some of these taxes are not collected
in advance. They are collected in arrears.
So, the people may have spent both your tax and
his own earnings because a whole lot of state
government IGR comes from pay as you earn.
Some of them would have spent what they are
earning this month because they live in advance.
As time comes, the money doesn’t even get to
them. It must have vanished from the banks.
So, how do you collect that kind of IGR?
It’s so nice with words how to improve IGR, but
does it work in real time? The answer is no. The
reality is: these are your people. The ability to
pay must be there. We can’t just lock somebody
because the person didn’t have the ability to
pay. There is a limit to what you can do and
that’s why we are trying to do that shift in
paradigm that there are other things that can
earn revenue for you, not just the same PAYE
concept.
So, what do you now do with that? You now
look at the economy. If the economy is buoyant,
there will be many sources of IGR. You need to
build the economy and then IGR will be added.
You must build on something to get something.
You cannot just build without foundation. The
building will collapse. So, you first of all look at
the foundation and then tackle that foundation.
Once the foundation is strong, it will be easier to
build and it will be sustainable.
Have you pondered the sustainability of your
projects?
The answer is yes, because of the sense of
ownership. For example, the coconut plantation
we are doing, the communities own certain
percentage of what we are doing there. So, there
is that sense of ownership. Once we start
earning revenue, some of the local government
areas will participate actively in this thing,
because a lot of people will be interested in being
local government chairman, because of the
sources of revenue. Ownership will be there.
People protect what they own. Even when they
don’t have the money, you give them certain
percentage of shares from there. That is
sustainable.
Second, we made these projects as pure
business. Let me give you an example. What we
did with cocoa, instead of us to start planting
cocoa afresh, we started with the maintenance
of the 26,000 hectares of cocoa that we have. All
of them are individual ventures. And as support
from government, we first of all brought
consultants, who will show them the
maintenance of that cocoa.
Immediately, we started that maintenance within
a short period. We told them, leave the farm to
us for three to four weeks, then, come back.
When most of them came back after six weeks,
the way the thing had sprout all over, even a
tree that they wanted probably to cut off, by the
time they came back, the flowers were all over
from the top to the base of the tree. They
couldn’t just believe it. They started calling it
magic. It’s not magic. It is about knowing what
to do at every point in time. So, what we did
was, the government pays the consultants, the
people who have knowledge. Knowledge is
power.
Your government is believed to be doing a lot in
the area of agriculture. How far have you gone
here?
Now, we are launching into improved seedlings
for them to plant. In doing that, you could see
that it flows from the hands of the people into
government. So, government is just creating an
enabling environment, depending on the kind of
produce you are looking at. Like that cocoa, we
do that. But things like palm fruits and so on, we
leave those in the hands of individuals. We just
provide the enabling environment. There are
some that we need to bring the seeds like the
maize farming that we are doing.
The problem that we had was that over the
years, what we used to think were pests for corn
plantation and they were not really pests.
Research now shows that the seed that were
planted are the great, great grandfather seed.
How do you preserve seed in Africa? Once you
harvest corn this year, those domestic
consumptions you’ve finished, the remaining
ones, people now put it in this clay pot and then
dry it in front of fire to preserve it. Those things
are losing value.
After certain generation, when you plant it, it
comes out as if they are being attacked by pest.
It’s because those things have actually lost
value. So, what do we do? As a government, we
said no, we started running at out-grower
scheme. We bought improved seeds in order to
suck off those old seeds and then we give the
seeds free. Anywhere in the world, government
must subsidize the basic life of people.
So, we bought the seeds for them. We also
introduced two planting seasons in a year. We
believe if they plant twice in a year, in 24
months, we will have a cycle of four. So, within
three to four years, we would have actually
eliminated the old seeds from the system and
there will be new ones. These new seeds have
improved starch, improved vitamins and it’s also
sweeter. It’s a sweet corn.
In terms of rice production, I know without even
improved seedlings or anything, our yield is one
of the best. So, we started with what I call a
demonstration system of 10,000 of hectares that
is solely into the private bodies that are coming
to grow in. Once they start growing, we will set
up a mill and they will process that. To also add
to cocoa, we are also trying to bring a
processing plant for the cocoa, because why our
people are not getting value for cocoa is because
the flavor does not stay in the international
market. What makes one particular type of cocoa
different from the other is the flavor in the
international market and that’s due to the drying
system.
Once you go and spread it under the sun, that
drying process loses the flavor in the
international market. So, we are now coming up
with the latest technology in processing. These
are the enabling environment that you create for
people and that’s why I think it’s sustainable.
So, when you are asking whether it is
sustainable, the answer is yes, they are
sustainable, because you are actually teaching
people the right approach, the right things to do
that will make them sustainable. Once people
start getting value out of this, they won’t let it
go and they will try to maintain it.
There have been speculations that you were
planning to join the APC, because you already
have issues with your predecessor. Is it true?
The answer is no. I’ve never considered that. It
is unthinkable that a pillar of PDP like me will
think of jumping the ship. In my entire lifestyle, I
don’t jump ship. I’m a very loyal person. The
church I was born into by my grandfather is the
church I’m still maintaining till today. I’ve not
changed. I keep saying that nobody has a
monopoly of God.
That same man who can read that same bible
and understand it, the same ministry is available
for me too. I can also read to understand it. So,
I also know what to do to find fragrance in my
own worship service too that will make my
church sustainable and attract people, not to
talk of political parties. I can’t go anywhere. PDP
is my blood. So, I can’t go anywhere outside
PDP. PDP can never die. PDP is the largest party
in Africa.
Forget the propaganda, PDP is the only party
that if you go to any ward in all the 774 local
governments in this country, and you mention
PDP, nobody will ask you what you are referring
to. In fact, PDP in my state is like a religion.
PDP is the only place that you can see quality
leaders. Anything you hear of and you still
believe in Akwa Ibom is PDP. So, how do you
expect my people to leave PDP?
In my state today, if you ask anybody in the
local community, who is the party chairman, they
will mention the PDP chairman. Even from the
airport, ask them that you want to go to the
party chairman’s house and see where they will
take you to. It’s PDP chairman that they will
take you to straight. Is there any other political
party? The answer is no. It’s one party that I
know and that is PDP. I don’t know of any other
party. Anywhere you see me, know that you’ve
seen PDP.
So, is it true you have issues with your
predecessor?
I’m not aware of that, depending on what you
call issues. You know there are two types of
issues – issues of development or negative
issues. If you listened to my speech on
democracy day, I said our politicking is pro-
development. If you mean we are having issues
of developing in the state, of course, that’s how
we do our politics. But if you say issues, I don’t
know of any other issue. The day I was voted
into power, I was not voted to have negative
issues.
I was voted to have positive issues and those
positive issues have been part of development of
the people and resources of our state. So, we
don’t have any issues in the direction that you
are looking at. Somebody told me one day that
this is a banana peel and I said we won’t match
that banana peel. So, when you read those
things, just ignore. There have never been any
issue and there will never be.
It has also to do with how you play these things.
If the whole idea is about service to the people,
your self-aggrandizement must come down for
people’s interest to override that and once that
overrides your self-aggrandizement, we don’t
have issues at all. Our state is too precious for
us to be thinking of any other thing. We have a
very cordial relationship as expected. It’s left for
you now to define as expected.
You were the chairman of the PDP committee
that zoned the national chairmanship of the
party to the North East and eventually to Borno
State. Do you regret the emergence of Senator
Ali Modu Sheriff as PDP national chairman,
given the crisis at hand?
I’m one person that if I take decisions, I don’t
regret my decisions. I took that decision at that
point in time based on what was available for
me at that time. So, it was the best of judgment
at that minute. Situations change. It is only God
that does not change. So, if situations have
changed that could change the character of
people, it doesn’t actually matter. So, you don’t
sit back and regret that.
The question now is: when will your ingenuity in
the management of crisis come in? How do you
manage yourself out of that situation and remain
unscathed? That’s where we are going towards
and at the same time, we will go with the rule of
law. So, it doesn’t call for me castigating
somebody’s character. At the time we took that
decision that was the best at that point in time.
You said earlier that the PDP is known for
throwing up quality leaders. Does it include
Senator Sheriff?
Before Sheriff was nominated chairman, the
forum talked to so many other people. There
was actually an interview process and everybody
at that committee accepted that. At that point in
time, was that the best decision to take? The
answer is yes. Can that decision change in the
next minute? The answer is yes. That’s why we
are immortal. We are not God.
So, we can take decisions today that might not
look good to anybody in the next minute. But we
must learn to stand by that decision and
manage ourselves out of it. That’s what
differentiates a man and who is not a man. So,
when you hear people just sitting and criticising,
they are recruits in this field. They are not yet
Generals, because if you are a General, you
should manage yourself out of that situation, not
criticising that situation.
So, when I said PDP produces best leaders, I
mean elected leaders under the PDP platform. I
mean people elected under the PDP platform.
It’s like if you have a house, there is a difference
between your biological son and an adopted son,
even though you might try to share your rights,
biology and law are two different things. They
don’t even belong in the same faculty.
Your state often boasts of having one of the
best hospitals in the country and yet, prominent
Nigerians, most of them politicians have never
deemed it fit to patronize the hospital. Is there
a problem?
In life, we must respect our bosses. I have
absolute respect for anybody who is on top of
me. So, I don’t discuss anybody on top of me.
The only person I’m allowed to discuss is only if
the person is my biological father. But anything
outside that, I respect the system. But coming to
Ibom Specialist Hospital, it is one thing to have
facilities; it’s another thing for the facilities to
get to where they produce optimum results. So,
where we are today, we’ve gone somewhere.
But I can say that we have not fully equipped it
to that level of vision that we have. That’s why
we called on the minister that we need to partner
the federal government. You remember within
that period we made that statement, dollars
dropped from N186 to over N500. So, it dropped
by almost N75 per cent. You can see the
paradox there. Cost increased to almost infinity.
It didn’t balance.
So, it affected the planning. No matter how
efficient, no matter your level of ingenuity, you
cannot create something out of nothing.
So, that’s what affected the speed of getting to
where we wanted that Specialist Hospital to be.
So, you could see that most of the equipment
that could have actually helped us reach that
level of such other hospitals that you can find in
Germany or anywhere, with the forex was not
even available. Even when you have N500 to buy
1 dollar, where will even find the genuine
transaction that you wanted to buy? Mind you,
this transaction is in the international market
and you can only go through international best
practices. That’s what actually made us not to
reach that peak that we were hoping for.
Talking about the issue of the Bakassi
returnees, in what ways are you proposing to
help?
Bakassi returnees have been there over the years
and it is not how do we intend but how have we
been helping them. I think as at today, most of
them have actually been re-integrated into the
system. So, it’s not new. It might interest you to
know that Bakassi is so close – about two hours
from Akwa Ibom market. If you go towards Ibaka
area right now, most of the settlers there are the
Bakassi returnees. Some of them have picked up
new trade.
Some of them are going back into fishing. What
matters most is how much do we want to
accept these people? Once we accept them, then
there are no barriers. There won’t be any issue.
Some of them are very good fishermen. So,
they’ve fully re-integrated themselves like the
other fishermen, who are settling around the
riverine area. That also helps the state, because
it makes the fish and aquatic materials available.
In fact, there are so many people now bringing
them to the shore line for people to buy.
Are considering holding the local government
elections anytime soon?
When people refer to conducting local
government elections, I said it’s quite clear. The
hierarchy of needs, some are fundamental and
urgent and important. Some are important but
might not be so urgent, might not be so
fundamental. I consider that meeting other basic
needs of people is much fundamental, urgent and
material, because of the style. When we are
talking about policy inclusiveness, I don’t sit in
my office and write names of those who are the
local government transition committee. That’s
what makes the difference.
Those I put in the local government transition
committee, even if I were to do elections, it’s the
same people that will go hundred per cent
because I leave this thing back to the people to
decide. So, we called headquarters meeting. We
want to do transition Committee. We don’t have
money to do election. And no matter how we do
an election, we must do the election in almost
3,000 units. Look at the materials that we need.
And here, when you are doing anything, it’s with
your own infrastructure. Look at the generators
that we will buy.
Look at the security that we need there. Look at
the manpower resources, mobility and vehicle,
because you must convey materials. So, by the
time you put these things together, you now
wonder, what am I set to achieve? What is the
purpose? At times you run out of answers. Just
for me to have somebody to govern a local
government. We can use that money and even
pay the local government employees, who have
not been paid for some time; pay the pensioners,
who could die even before the election. Who will
the voters be if everybody is hungry? The money
we could have used to give them what is
required so that they can actually have the
strength to go and vote we now use for election.
Who are we trying to impress?
Who are we working for? Some of these things
are not cast in stone or iron. You can actually
look at what the law allows you to do within the
context of available resources and what you
want to achieve for your people. I think my
people are very happy. If you hear anybody going
to court, you know it’s an exception. But the
question is: are we going to do the local
government election? The answer is yes. We are
meeting with the State Independent Electoral
Commission so that we chat on how we are
going to do the local government election,
because that is the law. But we have to cushion
the effect and the drastic nature of last year’s
recession. That’s why I’m the manager of
resources.
What efforts are you making to creating jobs
given the teeming unemployed youths in the
state?
I’m not actually taking count of this. But I can
tell you that in a period of recession, approvals
given to capital projects will create a lot of jobs.
I was talking one of the construction companies
and he told me that he had 400 employees. You
can imagine the likes of CECC, Julius Berger,
how much they have in my place. In the period
of recession, you need to defend the economy by
pumping a lot of money. That’s why I talked of
creation of money. Once I create money, those
people will look for cash and pay the workers.
So, I am not taking stock of this but I know we
are going somewhere very significant. If you add
the empowerment scheme, you will see that we
have created a whole lot. It’s only in my state
that you will see a journalist who used to write a
lot when we contested, and today, he can stand
tall and give you a testimony that he has
dropped his biro and he is in a tomato farm and
from that tomato farm, he can even publish two
or three newspapers.
It’s only in my state that you will see a young
man who has never gone to school. He was
weaving baskets for people to go for the fishing
of shrimps in the swampy land. He will tell you
that he has weaved 1000 of those baskets for a
tomato farmer and he has realised N40 million,
that he has never realised in his life time.
Today, there is something we are about doing for
palm wine tappers. You know in those days,
when somebody taps palm wine, they will think
you are the poorest person, but it shouldn’t be.
We just discovered now that the ethanol from
palm wine is one of the best on planet earth for
both cosmetic, gin and alcohol manufacturers.
So, what do we do? Anybody who taps that
palm wine, in that case, it won’t have any expiry
date. We just create a silo. You put the palm
wine once you tap. From there, you get ethanol.
It’s not rocket science. It’s simple knowledge.
All I need is electricity to process them.
Which of the PDP camps do you belong?
I belong to PDP, not any side. But at the same
time, I belong to everybody. Once you are in PDP
with all sincerity of purpose, you are my party
member. As human beings, there is no way that
we will expect to live in this life without minor
hiccups; it’s not practicable. Anywhere you have
two or three people, there are bound to be one
or two issues. In PDP today, for somebody to
say if you go this way, he’s going that way,
when you hear somebody talking that way, you
know that he’s not a PDP person. Any PDP
person will stay to build PDP.
You mean even if it was under Sheriff?
It doesn’t matter. After Supreme Court judgment,
the name will not disappear. The party will
remain. The day I was voted into office, I wasn’t
voted as Udom Emmanuel. I was voted as PDP.
So, people go to the polls to vote the party, not
individuals. So, how come somebody will be
talking about individuals and not the party? Once
you see people talking like that, you know that
they are not true party people. How come it’s
only in Nigeria that people just jump ship,
probably because your party has lost election at
the centre? If you are a Republican, you are a
Republican for life.
Somebody can even tie you to your grandfather
– oh that’s the family of Republican, that’s the
family of Democrats. It’s only here that you
can’t even determine where people belong. But
not me, I’m in PDP. Anywhere the judgment
goes, I remain PDP. I want somebody to look
tomorrow at my children tomorrow and tell them
that you are from a family of PDP, not where you
can’t pronounce certain names. I hear all kinds
of name, but forget it. Nobody is going
anywhere. Politics is about negotiations. All
those people who are creating those things are
just looking for negotiations – all of them.
We will negotiate. But don’t ask me any faction I
belong to. I belong to PDP and I will not leave
PDP. When you hear people just jumping, today
they are here, the next day they are there, they
are being greedy. When you see them, look into
their eyes and tell them you are greedy men. You
are jumping from one place to another, you are
greedy men. Tomorrow, the same people who
jumped two years ago, you find that they are
jumping to another place.
You will lose your legs in the cause of jumping.
Judgment will not change the umbrella of our
party. Judgment is just to decide who heads and
all those things are just personal issues. It’s just
the individuals. Why must you follow individuals?
The party should stand on its own; it should
stand on the principles on which that party was
founded and the mission of that party, not
individuals. So, the party remains. Don’t let
anybody deceive you.
Lastly, let’s talk about tackling poverty, isn’t it
sad that in spite of the uncommon
transformation of the eight years of your
predecessor, you still have to deal with poverty
at such a level?
Poverty is relative. I’m sure tomorrow now, you
can just touch your pocket and tell my
commissioner, I’m very poor. It is relative, and
we might look at your assets and you can
actually buy up the whole place. It’s relative
depending on how you define poverty at that
level. But what I mean here is that poverty is a
generic term because I’m measuring this on per
capita and we’ve not reached there yet. Let me
also say that uncommon transformation was to
lay a foundation. Few things attract investment
anywhere but I want to concentrate on three:
security, reliable infrastructure and transparent
legislation.
Uncommon transformation tackled the
infrastructure. But you need others to actually
get people out of the poverty line. So, security is
not only in terms of physical security. Food
security is there. So, the foundation laid by
uncommon transformation would have been the
foundation for a sky scraper.
But you don’t a skilled person to come and build
a bungalow on top of that foundation that is
supposed to be for a sky scraper. What we are
looking for is a square peg in a square hole to
actually fit in there. So, having laid the
foundation, we must build a super structure on
that foundation. Until you finish it, it’s not yet
done. So, uncommon transformation laid that
foundation. We are building on that foundation.