Mr Kenneth Imansuangbon was a top contender in the race to Edo Government House under the Action Congress (AC) in the last general elections, but pressured to withdraw from the race, days before the primaries. Imansuangbon, a lawyer of several years standing and an educationist, bares his mind on the Niger Delta problem and the state of Nigeria at 48 in this interview. He  insists that ill-prepared and poorly educated leadership is to blame for the slow pace of the nation’s development.



RECENTLY,  Nigerian marked its 48 years of nationhood.  What is your view on the journey so far?

First and foremost, Nigeria, remains one of the most unique countries in the world, because to the discerning, it is a nation of paradox, reflecting so much potentials  and promise, yet stunted by the inexplicable inability of its people to rise to greatness. So, as a Nigerian that knows the pain of unfulfilled expectations, it is saddening that  we are still where we are at 48  or, at best, you could say our ability to turn the corner on the platform of our potentials  has been disappointingly marginal.

Then, as a politician  who knows the limitless possibilities inherent in a nation as diverse and blessed as Nigeria, if its human capital is properly mobilized, at 48, I look into the future with  hope because with the right political leadership, no matter how late it might seem, it is still possible to take Nigeria to its expected level in record time.

 As an educationist  who knows the danger inherent in a society, where human capital development index is among the lowest in the world, owing to the declining standard of education, at 48, I am concerned about the consequences of a population that is not mentally and technological equipped to take Nigeria beyond this point.

Kenneth Imansuangbon

People blame the  slow pace of development on a combination of irresponsible leadership and military interference in governance. Do you agree?

I no longer want to believe that  the past indiscretion of the military, through its misadventure in governance, should continue to be a major factor in our inability to rise to where we should be. But I believe that  our leadership has been mostly irresponsible and,  in a few instances, tragically, ignorant of the expectations and comportment of the political offices they find themselves. Because, if you have a leadership  that is unprepared for the expectations of the office to which he or she aspires, even with the best intention, such leadership will end up hostage of power mongers and political jobbers who believe  in political power to service their parochial interests.

What do you think is the most critical  factor  required to be put in place to take Nigeria beyond this level?

I would say  leadership, by which I mean, if you are aspiring to be president of Nigeria,  for instance, you ought to have the sincere desire to serve the people, inspired by the knowledge of a better plan, that could impact more positively and engender a lasting testimonial.

This means  you are honest, not coming in to service a client, in this case a godfather or a clique of business and political vampires. It also means  you must have had a plan to make things better than it is, presupposing why you decided to serve. It is to mean that  you have taken time out to know and understand the environment and the people, over whom you must exercise authority or leadership. In addition, you must be mentally fit, by that I mean sound education or the type of learning required to be able to function optimally in that office.

But  what we have had in the last 48 years were leaders that are either surrogates of a regional, ethnic, religious or business power clique. And,  in many  instances, the much some of these leaders knew of other parts of Nigeria came from geography textbooks or at most minimal contacts inside the barracks, in the case of the military and during party meetings and political rallies.

We have also had leaders  who by reason of the standard of their education and mental ability would have made fantastic local government chairmen, but these leaders suddenly find themselves in the midst of technocrats and better-educated political contemporaries from other parts of the country, when they are pushed to the national level.

For a leader who is a stooge, it is already given  that  he cannot do anything on his volition  except at the prompting and direction of his master, meaning that, if his master demands that  the entire treasury be put  into his pocket, so be it. So, tell me, what better incentive do you require for corruption to thrive.

But, if you are a leader  who genuinely desires to come and serve, seeks the mandate of the people through a transparent and democratic process, you will serve at the pleasure of the people.

With a knowledgeable and informed leadership, he or she would know the right manpower and how to deploy them for a given task, rather than the prevailing practices of appointment on the basis of quota, campaign contribution and business and political  connections, which,  to my  mind, is one of the tragic consequences of poverty of leadership  since independence.

How do you relate this to what is happening in the Niger Delta?

The Niger Delta imbroglio arose in the first place  because past leaderships  were ignorant or uninformed of the consequences of what at first looked like the antics of a few disgruntled youths who wanted access to the crumbs of the billion dollar international oil trade.    It would have taken an informed leadership no time to realize that  the continued degradation of the environment and neglect of the people  would in time become a platform for the massive and violent agitation we have at hand now, which would in turn make it difficult for some people to criminalize what is happening in the Niger Delta  today.

But if you remedy the environment as spillages occurs, ensure the strictest application of international standards in oil exploration, optimally deploy some of the revenue to providing infrastructure in the area, invest heavily in educating the local community, I say, with all the emphasis  at my disposal,  that  it is simply not possible for us to find ourselves where we are today in the Niger Delta.

An informed leadership, whether military or civil, would know the advantages of fully developing and enhancing agriculture and other mineral resources in other parts of the country, otherwise the same type of leadership would neglect any part of the country, whether in the south or the  north, in the same manner the Niger Delta has been neglected. Moreover, oil is a commodity highly sought in the international market, for which many nations are willing to conquer other countries by force of arms, so it is given that  the crisis by now has assumed an international dimension, in  which case, some enemies of Nigeria stand to easily access our crude oil, at their own terms, under the present circumstances of poor management and armed militancy in the Niger Delta.

Do you see the creation of the Niger Delta Ministry as a policy initiative that could substantially stem armed insurrection in the area?

As an administrator and entrepreneur, I can say, with benefit of hindsight,  that  the transformation of the Niger Delta is dependent solely on the ability of the leadership to mobilize the right human and material capital, whether it is OMPADEC, NDDC or even a whole  ministry. Honestly, I am not fully convinced that we need a  ministry, with the complement of bureaucratic behemoth,  to accomplish the transformation of the Niger Delta. However,  if the creation of a  ministry is this administration’s way of showing its political will, so be it.

My reservation on the pragmatism  of  a  ministry in place of a presidential taskforce, a commission or a committee, for instance, is premised on the fact that  we could once again fall victim of past policy initiatives, with good intention, but ending  up serving the interest of a few. If it turns out that way, God forbid, I am afraid, we would have once again lost a glorious opportunity to turn the corner to greatness, because you cannot achieve greatness in atmosphere of insecurity, fear and economic uncertainty. I am willing, like most Nigerians,  to give the current administration the benefit of the doubt, inspite of the fact that I am an opposition party member.

In the light of this development, what advice do you have for the militants, most of whom appear not to be impressed?

First, under the laws of the  federation, our mineral resources are  a national asset. Whether oil  in Bayelsa or tantalite in Zamfara, ordinarily, no one should claim ownership of any mineral deposits in their domain, except to the degree interpreted and recognized by provisions of the constitution. Secondly, I do not subscribe to a situation where the use of arms has become the preferred instrument of protest and negotiation.

In the light of the above, I call on government to do what is right and the militants to reciprocate by giving peace a chance. Indeed,  it is also clear that  things have not been properly done, which is why you have the national army locked in combat with youths from a section of the country, within Nigerian territory. I sincerely appeal to the militants to allow government to  give full expression to its intention of creating the Niger Delta Ministry and allow posterity to be the judge, because I have always believed from the onset that  the right political leadership would address the problems of the area, with out any further waste of time.

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