Emeh Glory Emeh, a lawyer was Senior Special Adviser on Media and Commissioner for Transport under former Rivers State governor, Peter Odili. He later served as Chief of Staff to former Governor, Celestine Omehia. In this interview,he spoke on a wide range of issues as it affects his state and the South- South geo-political zone. Excerpts:
There has been this clamour for the South-South zone to produce the next Secretary to the Government of the Federation. What is your take on this?
Barrister Glory Emeh Glory
I have always advocated that one of the best things you can find in life that will not bring trouble in any society is equity. When you apply it, whatever decision you are making from the point of equity, fairness, fair play will work out fine. The south-south region has always looked forward to when the Nigerian nation will begin to appreciate that the region is a very important component of the country. Every region is as important as the other, but it will not be out of place to say that the South-South region can be adequately described without mincing words, as the most important region in the country, being the region that produces the wealth which other regions are feeding on at the moment. So, we deserve a special treatment. Even when our young men went ahead to demand this special treatment, though in their own form through what they called militancy, most people did not understand that they were doing so as a way of driving home their point, that the region deserves attention. In the present dispensation, I have no difficulty in believing that President Mohammadu Buhari will pay special attention to the region and more importantly, the fact that every region has picked one important position or the other except the South-South region, we are very expectant. What it means is that the only next important position left untouched at the moment is the office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF. I don’t need a soothsayer to tell me that the decision is deliberate. It is designed and set aside for the people of south-south since other regions have been settled. We believe that the next SGF should come from the south-south region, and we don’t need much debate on it.
Two former governors from the region, the current APC National Chairman Chief John Oyegun and former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi are being touted for the position. What kind of SGF will they make?
It is quite interesting to note that the two of such persons are being considered. I have read about this in the national dailies, and I am also aware that Chief Oyegun has opted out of the race, what it means therefore is that Amaechi is a candidate that has no competitor anymore. So far there is no other name that we know to have shown interest, or been penciled down to occupy that position. I would have said that both ex-Governors have sufficient pedigree for the position. But now that Chief Oyegun has opted out, let us concentrate on the fact that Amaechi having been a two- term Speaker in a complex state as Rivers, and thereafter Governor for eight years, also in such a peculiar state as ours, we have no doubt that he has acquired sufficient knowledge, sufficient experience and sufficient information and therefore adequately ready to occupy and perform any administrative function of any type irrespective of what name that office or position is called. I don’t see a person who has managed a place as Rivers state as a governor for eight years and would not be able to creditably perform in the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, which is just one component of government. I believe that if it is the wish of the Federal Government to narrow the appointment of the SGF to the South-South which in any case deserves the position and Amaechi is from the South-South, there should be no difficulty in situating him to the office if that is what the president would wish to do. In any case, every person in APC appreciates the enormous contribution of Hon. Rotimi Amaechi in the formation and nurturing of APC culminating in his directing the election that threw up General Mohammadu Buhari as the winner.
Both as South-Southerner and as a person, I think, it is like the proverb which says that, “you put a palm fruit into drum of palm oil”. I have no difficulty to believe that in view of Amaechi’s experience, just like any other person who has had high level of experience shouldn’t have difficulty in performing very well in the office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF.
What do you think the South-South region really needs from this new political dispensation?
We have discussed a little bit in that regard, but for the sake of emphasis, if you build a house, chances are that you would not want to be kept at the corridors of the house. You will need a room. You cannot finish building a house and you give the room and parlor to the visitor and remain at the balcony of the house. The South-South being the producers of the wealth of this country, deserve to be taken off by the Government at the centre and I know President Buhari is disposed to carrying us along.
Nigeria at the moment does not have any other source of revenue except the oil. We do not want to continue to emphasize on it, it will look as if we are being arrogant of what God has given to us free of charge.
We are merely reminding the Nigerian nation to develop the region that produces the wealth on which others feed on. For example, if you should go to the United States, you will notice the different between the state of California and most other cities in United States. If you go to Houston Texas, you can see the distinction between Dallas and others. Even Sugarland which used to be a slum has developed tremendously, not many people can still remember how it was. I have no difficulty to believe that, if the Nigerian nation wants to recognize and compensate us for the sufferings we have been exposed to, due to oil exploration and exploitation, they are likely to redesign the south-south region.
What do you mean by redesigning the South- South region?
By redesigning, I mean the Federal Government can re-design Port Harcourt and make it a new city, re-design Calabar and make it a new city. It can leverage on what Ex-Governor Akpabio has done in Uyo and make it a better city. You can change the entire city of Yenagoa and expand it up to Odi and southern Sagbama and make it a new city, etc. These are south-south states where the mineral oil is found and where the wealth is produced.
In Yenagoa, I was told that one of the reasons the Niger Delta youths took to militancy, was when the late military head of state General Sani Abacha invited them to Abuja, for the two million -man march, to support his transition to a civilian President. Before then, most of them had not travelled beyond Benin. So on reaching Abuja; they saw the level of development therein. It then occurred to them that the money with which the former desert area was developed came from their area and they naturally began to ask questions as to why the money coming from their area could not be used to develop their area.
I understand that, that was the genesis of militancy. So far so good we would like to thank the Federal Government for reacting positively to such agitations. There are more to do than what has so far been done. I do not believe that the agitation is intended to give a few people just monthly stipend. If you know the population of our region, as against the number of people who benefits from the amnesty, you will agree with me that such is not the original intention of those who reacted to the non -development of the Niger Delta region. We should go beyond the level of giving some people stipends.
Giving people stipend means you have to identify yourself as a militant before you can receive anything. I understand that not all those who receive the stipend today are militants.
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