Former President, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Edo State, Peter Esele, speaks on some critical national issues in this interview with Ben Ogbemudia

You are an APC chieftain, what role did you play during the Edo State Governorship election?

Well, it was a collective outing for the party in the state. The party took a decision on its candidate and we all supported the idea. The decision was made in accordance with the constitution of the party. We did everything that needed to be done in accordance with the rules.

So, I supported the party’s candidate even though we lost that election. That was the decision of the Edo people. For now, we don’t have option but to stick to the decision of the people and look forward to another four years. Hopefully, we shall kick the PDP out because they are actually not performing.

Will you take a shot at the governorship election again?
Well, I am sitting on the fence right now. Nobody knows what is going to happen tomorrow. Politics is very dynamic and this is 2021 and that will be 2024. Three years are more than a long time in politics. I am just watching. In all, I am still a member of the APC and will support the party. However, whether I shall take a shot or not at the next governorship election, only the future will decide that.

Do you consider it the turn of Edo Central in 2024?
I think it is clear. We have had from Edo South, Chief Lucky Igbenidon, and from Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole. Currently, we have Godwin Obaseki, who is from Edo South. So, considering that we have three Senatorial districts, I think it is fair and proper that Edo Central should produce the next governor.

I think it is the best thing to happen to the state. I have learnt over time that we are one. Edo State is one state where people differ but we virtually understand our languages, whether Etsako, Owan or Benin.

Again, we are united under one throne, the Oba of Benin, irrespective of what anybody thinks, I think the Oba is the most powerful institution and the most respected in the state.

For many months now, there are no commissioners and other political appointees in the state, does this worry you?
To be frank, it’s shocking. What is happening now has not happened before in the state. Today, the governor seems to be the only wise man in the state. The governor thinks he knows it all. Right now, it is just the governor, his deputy and the secretary to the state government that are virtually running the state. So, why do we have the positions of commissioners.

Again, in a democracy, we have checks and balances. Incidentally, the state House of Assembly which is suppose to act as a check is dormant and its members have become foot mats to the governor because whatever the governor ask them to do that is what they do. It’s setting a very dangerous precedent because when the next person comes and sees that Obaseki ran the state for close to one year, he can decide not have commissioner for three years.

So, it is sad, especially when somebody believes he knows it all. This kind of scenario breeds nothing but corruption. Indeed, if there are no checks in any system, corruption flourishes there.

What is your take on the debate about the leadership of the party at the national level following the recent Supreme Court verdict?
Being the chief executive of Yobe State is enough job for Governor Mai Mala Buni. Making him the chief executive officer of the APC is an added responsibility.

So it is not about the judgement of the court. We need to ask ourselves, is it right? Is it necessary that we should have a technical committee that is not elected, or we should have people that are not elected leading a political party? A political party is the bedrock of any society and so it should be an example of democratic value and tenets.

I am happy about the debate that is going on now and it is beautiful that we have this conversation. We have those who believe that the governor should not be there. I have not seen anywhere in the constitution that we should have caretaker committee.

Initially, the Buni-led caretaker committee was given six months. Now what I have heard is that the committee is going to remain until the powers that be agrees that it is time for it to go. That is not right. I, however, hope that this ongoing debate will make APC to take the right step decision before the next general election.

The Central Bank of Nigeria came up with Bureau de Change Policy; can you tell us more about it?
Technically yes, I think it is something the authorities would have done some six to eight years ago. I say so because its cost about $7billion dollars every year to cater to the needs of the no fewer than 5,000 BDC in the country. And I have been wondering why we encourage it.

I pray that the CBN is going to follow this through. So the challenge is not in terms of policies. The challenge is to have the discipline to follow whatever policies we are bringing to the table. That has been the bane of our development. Again, most often, our policies are based on impulse that are not well thought through.

2 applicants docked for allegedly wandering

Just like somebody will wake up and say we have to construct a road. He never asks what it means to construct the road or what is the economic value of the road? So you need to ask what is the cost of the road? Is it worth it? So, not respecting our policies is what we are suffering from. We wake up in morning with one policy , by noon, we have a different policy.

The Niger Delta youths are still threatening to return to the creeks, what are your fears?
The thing is very clear. We make laws, yet we don’t’ have respect for such rules. Right now, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is supposed to have a board, but only one man is running the commission and this is against the law. There is no law that supports that. Again, we hear that the authorities are carrying out an audit. How long does it take to audit a firm? Also, must you undermine the laws in the name of auditing?

You know what we have: very powerful men but our decisions are very weak. A governor can do whatever he likes; he can rule without commissioners; a minister can easily fire a board. All these are happening in the country.

So, fundamentally, we lack discipline. We are not structured. Today, we all admire Europe or America because they have structures and these emanate from their schools- primary, secondary and university. They have set short-term, mid-term and long-term goals and these things manifest not matter who is in power.

So, we must be structured in our thinking. We must be organic. We must not encourage policy somersault. When things are not properly thought through, you will end up having your policies over turned.

It shows that you are not thinking. I am sorry to say that, but that is the challenge we find ourselves now.

One of the ministers went to Gbaramatu to meet with Tompolo. He perhaps met with Tompolo because the boys have issued an ultimatum. This is what they call optics. But somebody else who have been saying it quietly, peacefully for the last seven months, not given any ultimatum, asking you to respect the law, you are not listening to that person.

If I threaten the government, government will listen to me, but if I do peaceful protest, government will chase me and deal with me. So optics is very important in governance.

What is your take on the insecurity in the country?
When you fight war for a very long time, is either that the war sucks you in and when it does that, all manner of things will start playing out. For instance, kidnapping has now become a new business terrain arising from the insecurity in the land. It is like everyone, including security agencies are involved now.

I have a friend whose brother was kidnapped and his abductors initially demanded N20 million. They later reduced it to N10 million. So they sent the younger one to take the N10 million to the kidnappers and the young man was also kidnapped.

The family reported to the police and the police urged them to go and pay the money. So, you can see that the business is snowballing and expanding. It has become a big business. Again, if you look at banditry in 2020 in the country, over $18 million have been paid as ransom. When you convert that at the exchange rate of N420, you will be looking at N9 billion.

So, what we have now is that the bandits and terrorists have found a new method of generating income. It is, therefore, going to take a lot of will power, ammunition, strength and co-operation by every Nigerian to root this evil out of our land.