A former governor, Abubakar Audu, in this interview says he is
the best man for Kogi State’s top job as the November 21 gubernatorial
election draws nearer. JOHN AKUBO reports.
Ruling Kogi again
KOGI has not been the same since the past twelve years when I left
office. Look at the township roads; they are in a very bad shape. No
water and the supply of electricity is epileptic. No drugs in hospitals.
Teachers and civil servants are not paid. Those that are paid are
receiving percentage payment. So many things have gone wrong in Kogi
State and this is most unfortunate. The state has been described as
being very sick.
As the first Executive Governor of the state I am the father of the
state. My baby is sick and I have the responsibility to nurse the baby
back to good health. The characteristic of a good father is not to
abandon the child. You can see that there have been hues and cries from
every stakeholder. They have stopped me on the highway, young men who
have been urging me to come and contest and several times I have
declined because it is not a matter for highway.
Today again young men have invited me to the stadium. I did not want
to go to there but they insisted that I should contest to be Governor in
2016. It is because the state is in a very bad shape and it requires a
very experienced person.
Since I performed very well to the satisfaction of the entire
electorate, they felt I should come and salvage the state to be what it
used to be in 2003 and even go beyond.
Creating a million jobs in six months
I have done it before. What I did in 2003 was to ensure the
establishment of Obajana Cement Factory which can boast of 15,000 staff
strength when fully operational. I approached the Federal Government to
release the Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mills to me for us to run so that we
can raise the working capital and make it a growing concern. When it
becomes a growing concern, there would be mainstream industries and
small-scale industries that will spring up from the billets being
produced and that is how I want reduce the pressure on the labour
market.
Within the first one year, I will produce a million jobs for the teeming
youths and school leavers that are roaming the streets jobless. It is
something I have done before and I will do it again. Even while I was in
office those who were not gainfully employed were catered for through
some monthly allowance. That will reduce the tension. I can do better
than that by getting everybody employed. We have a vast land and we can
create a demonstration farm where we can get people employed where food
for local consumption can initially be produced. From there when the
climate is healthy, nothing stops us from exporting food because Kogi
could easily be made the food basket of Nigeria
Improving power supply
Speaking on the power issue, while I held sway in 1999-2003, we did not
rely on the National Grid. We had stand-by generators that we operated
in Lokoja and this time, around I am going to adopt the same system so
that there would be 24 hours uninterrupted power supply in Lokoja and
Kogi State in general. If you think that is a political gimmick go to
Kano and see how they did it. In Kano they have 24 hours power. We can
introduce the same thing here and even do better.
When people talk about lack of funds I cannot understand. Even if you
are given N20 billion a month and you failed to manage it well it will
never be enough. Nobody has ever had enough money. Like I said, while in
office between 1999 and 2003, crude oil was selling between $9 and $12.
Our allocation from the federation account was between N200 million and
N400 million. Despite that, we still developed the state and we were
ahead of other states in Nigeria.
The media tour then, which was put together by the then Minister of
Information, Professor Jerry Gana, confirmed it after touring the length
and breadth of Nigeria.
They named Kogi State as the best performing state and fastest
developing state in Nigeria. With that marginal allocation we were able
to achieve that feat. Now because crude oil price is dwindling,
everybody is making noise. I have not done any other job in my life than
money management and it is more difficult to manage money than to make
money. So with that background, we can do better now because of the
improved earnings.
Alleged slow pace of Buhari presidency
The mess that we met on the ground is not something that can be overcome
in one month. It is like taking time even though we are not afraid of
making mistakes but we are afraid of rushing to do things that will make
Nigerians to lose confidence in us. Very soon we shall overcome. If you
know the level of devastation this country suffered, you would not say
two months are two much. People are calling for some people to be
crucified but we are not going into that. We don’t want to blackmail
anybody but the situation is very bad and we shall come out of it in a
grand style. Nigerians would not be disappointed with the confidence
they reposed in the APC at the end of the day.
NASS leadership crisis
THE democracy of the past sixteen years is not democracy but military
rule. A situation where two or three persons will determine who should
be the Speaker is not democracy. It is now that we are going to operate
the real democracy, which is different from military rule. It is not
autocracy but all about disagreeing to agree.
What is going on is the effort to introduce the proper democratic norms
in Nigeria. We are not used to that and that is the reason for the
entire hullabaloo. Nigerians are used to doing things by force; no it is
by the decision of the people, which translates the Government of the
people by the people and for the people. So, the people must have inputs
in everything you do and not imposition, which we have been used to. As
far as I am concerned,
what is happening at the National Assembly is a proper democratic upheaval to disagree and we would eventually agree.
Remember in those days, someone who did not contest for an election
would be declared winner. Is that democracy? Ability then was left for
those with strong arms that carry “Ghana Must go” to Abuja. That is no
longer possible because we are going to practice real democracy now
where people have to enthrone their leaders and not the question of a
man sitting and dictating the pace for the rest. That is very
unfortunate.
Source: Guardian
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