The administration of Governor Adams Oshiomhole was three years on November 12,2011. As he celebrates his third year anniversary, there have been several comments and reactions as regards his second term ambition and his achievements so far. In this interview with Saturday Vanguard, the former Director General of the Center for Democratic Studies (CDS) Prof.Omo Omoruyi declared that the Governor deserves a second term, just as he also reacted to the on going debate about the planned removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.

Excerpts:

There has been this tension in the country as a result of the plan by the Federal Government to remove fuel subsidy. Do you share this general believe that it may lead to a revolution in this country?

I still believe that the politics of oil has not been well resolved in this country. I am coming out with a book on the politics of oil and I will rather wait for that book to be published. It is something which I did for the South South governors in the past I now want to bring it together as a book. I still believe that we do not still understand the place of oil in this country. There is no reason why oil is being produced in Bayelsa and they cannot get petrol to use. There is no reason why somebody should pay the same price for oil throughout the country. The same thing goes to salaries.

We have come to a stage in this country where every state should be on its own. It will appear that the South South where this oil is coming from is not properly managing this matter. So I believe that Jonathan should not be selling a national agenda, there is a South South agenda and I believe that is really where the problem is. Because if you look at the Niger Delta website, there has been an article by me oil as a means of liberation.

It is not liberating us now. When I said liberation, liberation of the oil producing areas. I have my doubt as to the survival of this country unless certain fundamental issues are resolved. Fundamental restructuring, the present political order is not working. And that is the first thing Jonathan should have resolved it is not economic issue.

The political order is very defective. Look at what is going on at the National Assembly all those shouting I feel ashamed. Every week the Federal Executive Council must always come up with something that they have approved certain roads. The other day they said they want to start having toll gates on a road that is not good.

Then they have somebody called the Minister of Information, as I have always said we do not need a Minister of Information. We do not need that Ministry, we do not need Federal Government Television, that is the NTA, we don’t need Federal Government Radio. We can have Press Secretary to the President but other things no. this issue of subsidy now, most of us don’t even know what the subsidy is.

We had that problem under Abacha, and Abacha now set up what we call PTF. Now they are saying that we are going to have eminent Nigerians to manage the funds, who are these eminent Nigerians. Are you saying a special committee will manage this fund when you have Minister of Finance, Economic team, something is going wrong. I am a little scared by duplicity of organs of government. And this duplicity in my view is not helping this country.

Gov Oshiomhole

You also have the one they call Sovereign Wealth Fund, that is scandalous. The constitution is clear, all monies raised from anywhere should go into one fund. What you are calling this sovereign Fund is like what we have before under this gulf war windfall under Babangida which Pius Okigbo and others talked about. All monies shall be paid into one account, shared by the body that is supposed to preside over the sharing of money. Any other thing is unconstitutional.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole will be celebrating his third year anniversary in office today. How will you review his performance so far and his chances in the forthcoming 2012 guber race in the state?

Let me very frank, just like I told Edo people early this year through Vanguard, as regards the Presidential election where I urged our people to support Jonathan. I just came back from the US for medical checkup, the doctors where surprised that I was still soldiering on, they thought I should have been dead by now but God has been kind to me. The doctors told me to come back February 29, 2012, and also directed me to be seeing doctor every day here because they believe I might die before then.

So I don’t know, but before I close my eyes let me be candid with our people, at two levels. We should all join hands and support Comrade for a second term. I don’t like all these things going on in Edo South where people are busy saying they want to succeed Comrade. A good term not a good turn, deserves another term. Comrade’s first term deserves a second term. If there is anybody who want to challenge him, the person should wait till 2016 because he deserves a second term. Is there anybody to compare with him, no body right now.

Omoruyi

I am not saying he is a magician, or that he knows it all or he does not make mistakes, but compare him with any other person who has managed this state since creation, no body can compare with him. Alli tried and created educational order, Ogbemudia did his best too.

But from what we have seen today, Oshiomhole is the best for the state. Comrade deserves a second term and all that politics of succession does not make sense to me. Edo South can wait till 2016, whether it is PDP that will succeed him, or ACN, or ANPP, they should all wait till 2016. Comrade today deserves a second term and therefore there should be no dissipation of energy on the part of our people from Edo South. Just like I made that declaration for Jonathan, don’t waste your energy, Comrade deserves a second term.

But the party has been engulfed into crisis due to the disagreement on who runs as Oshiomhole’s deputy in the 2012, what is your take on that?

I think those who are talking about the choice of a deputy have been unrealistic. The constitution is clear. Anybody who is made a candidate chooses his running mate. It did not say a running mate first before the candidate. Choose Comrade first, Comrade in his wisdom will choose who he can work with. And who he can work with is not a successor. The constitution also made it clear the functions of a Deputy Governor. The Governor shall assign functions to the deputy governor as he assigns to his commissioners.

So technically a deputy governor is there. That is why in some states they get confused like in Plateau State where the deputy governor said okay the constitution said you should assign me with functions, she now said give me education. And they now made her commissioner for education and deputy governor, of course you knew what happened it did not work.

A deputy governor is not a successor that is the confusion here in Edo South. Successor will be amenable to what I call inter play of political forces when the time comes. So a Deputy Governor is not being groomed to be a successor, infact contrary, his weakness will become too obvious. Think of the 36 states of the Federation, how many deputy governor became governor. I think it is only one and that one later had problem I think somewhere in the North.

The succession in Lagos, Fashola who became Chief of Staff to Tinubu for two years, nobody ever heard of all others who were deputy Governors as the case may be. People are confusing our people to say that if you give the present deputy Governor (Dr Pius Odubu) another opportunity he will have advantage over others, politics of succession is politics of succession. Yes Odubu is qualified, yes you also have others like the Vice Chancellor of UNIBEN, like the Registrar Mrs Ogbogodo, we have never had a woman Governor here before. She is from Edo South.

May be those who are thinking of Governor, Deputy Governor while in office are thinking of some thing else. Do they want to kill Comrade, do they want to impeach him or force him to resign. These are the three conditions in the constitution where a deputy governor can succeed a Governor automatically. Otherwise, let the Deputy Governor be a loyal person to the Governor and therefore for people to say what has Odubu done for anybody, what do you want him to do?

Is it to go there and be challenging Comrade every day? Tell me where Deputy Governors has powers, may by Oghiadohme during the tenure of Lucky Igbinedion. Oghiadohme was virtually associate Governor. So it is unfair to introduce the element of a Deputy Governor into choice of supporting Comrade. Everybody knows that the current Deputy Governor and I are not the best of friends but it does not matter. I will not oppose him if he is the one Comrade wants as his deputy.

It is Comrade’s prerogative and we must not tie him down that he must choose A or B. It is obvious that ACN next Governor will come from Edo South and whoever that will be will be the decision of the party through the interplay of political forces. And that is why I am asking the PDP people why don’t you wait and sale yourself when the time comes. Today no PDP person from Edo South should be talking about Governor. I am not saying they are bad people, they are good in their own rights but they should not waste our people’s time because Comrade deserves a second term.