BY DAPO AKINREFON

Mr Hosanna Jalogho-Williams is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State. Jalogho-Williams, an environmentalist, is also the Chief Executive Officer of   Seabridge Environmental Marine Ltd.  In this interview, he faults the retention of the 13 per cent derivation fund given to the Niger Delta. saying it would have been increased to 50 per cent. He also explains, among other issues, why Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan remains the best candidate to represent Delta South in the Senate. Excerpts:

What is your take on the retention of the 13 per cent derivation fund proposed at the ongoing National Conference. Do you think there should have been an improvement?

Every right thinking Nigerian should know that the 13 per cent given to the Niger Delta region is not sufficient because of the environment we found ourselves in the Niger Delta. It is quite small. The 13 per cent we talked about, what are we going to use it for? It is not for salaries because we are talking about infrastructural development.

For example, to construct a road in the Niger Delta, it is about seven or eight times of what you use in constructing a road in the Northern region. 13 per cent is nothing to us.   Every right thinking person should know that people of the Niger Delta require at least 50 per cent and not even 13 per cent.

Would you agree that each state should control its resources to enhance development?

That is an element of true federalism, that is what should have been done. I keep telling people that if the foundation is weak, there is nothing that you build on top of it that will work. Democracy is an orbit but we are not practicing true federalism. How can that kind of government work?

Now, there have been agitation that power should shift to Delta North in 2015, do you support this move?
Power shift is purely a PDP verbal arrangement, it is not in any law. The truth is that the PDP arrangement power should rotate round the three senatorial districts in Delta state. That is a PDP arrangement, it does not apply to APC or other parties, but as a PDP man, I think that we should adhere to the shift of power to Delta north. That is my view.

But do you think the next governor will be able to sustain the Delta Beyond Oil initiative of the Uduaghan administration?
In Delta State, nobody knew that most of the roads could be dualised. The dualisation of roads in Delta state were borne were by Chief James Ibori and after that, no one would have thought that Governor Uduaghan would sustain it and even go further to improve on it and so the next person too will do his part. It is a fundamental arrangement in Delta state that this programmes must go on. So, he people will work in an alliance.

Also, most people think that the governor is imposing himself on the people with his senatorial ambition. Do you think so?

That is not true. This is an area where you find friendliness. Those are statements that are political and they move on the surface of the water, it does not mean anything.

He is going to the Senate to represent Delta south senatorial district and the district is made up of three prominent tribes. That is the Itsekiris, Isokos and Ijaws. The Senate is not just where anybody can run to, you need a large strength, clout, popularity and integrity for you to be able to go to such a place. The place is a conflagration of parts and so, we need somebody who is popular, somebody who has interacted with the people. So, in Itsekiris today if you ask who is more popular to go there, it is Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan because from the political calculation is the is turn of the Itsekiris to go. He is also the one who has the loudest voice and that is why think he should go because most of his contemporaries are there. He should be able to match the people that are there because we cannot just take anybody who has not got the political experience. I do not think it will be good for the Itsekiri ethnic nationality to allow an inexperienced person there.

Do you agree that the Uduaghan finishing strong slogan was initiated to deceive the people of the state?
The man is doing well but the facts speaks for themselves. He worked on the works of his predecessor even thought his predecessor laid the foundation stone for all that we are seeing today, he took it to the next level