By SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN CITY
Mr Louis Odion is the Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation. In this interview with Saturday Vanguard, he gave insight on the $1billion Azura-Edo Independent Power Project which ground breaking stone was done by President Goodluck Jonathan last Friday in Edo state.

He also spoke on the last Saturday invasion of the quarters of the Edo State House of Assembly and the preparedness of the Governor Adams Oshiomhole led government in the state to inflict defeat once again on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state come 2015. Excerpts:

Last weekend, President Goodluck Jonathan visited the state for the ground breaking ceremony of the Azura-Edo Independent Power Plant. What does the Plant bring Edo State?

As the name indicates, it is purely a joint venture between Azura and the Edo state government. I think what the project simply illustrates is the growing confidence of investors in our economy. You recall that when the Comrade governor took over in 2008, the state was in a prostrate condition, all our infrastructure were down and he realized that the only way to grow the economy was by building solid infrastructure which would attract investors. For us it is a testimony to the fact that our investment along that line is yielding fruit.

*Odion

There were some skirmishes at the Benin Airport before the arrival of the President. What actually happened?

When it was announced that the ground breaking would take place on Friday, we saw it as a celebration of our modest effort to help grow the economy. We did not see it as something to politicize. For that reason we went out to receive the President, not on a partisan basis but as the President of Nigeria and we had invited our people to be part of the celebration.

We never knew that the PDP had other motives. You recall that on that day, I don’t think the APC did any banner or leaflet whatsoever. We were quite shocked that that morning the PDP came there with thugs. In fact, they took over the entire Airport and they started molesting our people.

Of course, we knew their game plan. In the last few months they have been frustrated in the sense that they had always wanted to plunge the state into chaos. You will recall that sometime in May when some of our members felt disgruntled by the outcome of the party’s congress, they opted to defect to the PDP. They thought that would offer them an opportunity to cause some destabilization in the state.

With the help of their god fathers in Abuja, they embarked on procurement of lawmakers in the House of Assembly with a view to securing the majority through the back door, hoping that that will enable them to commence impeachment proceedings against the governor.

Of course, that has failed so far. Some of their members were suspended after due process from the Assembly. And daily, some of them gather around Ring Road and they continue to amuse themselves and their paymasters in Abuja.

They do all these things to distract the government but they are increasingly frustrated because they found out that we refused to be provoked. Because the strategy was that if you don’t succeed in distracting the governor, if you don’t succeed with the impeachment gambit, then you try and create chaos in the state. And they realized that that has not paid off, so they are frustrated.

Saturday Assembly quarter mayhem

That precisely was what unravelled on Saturday. They were disappointed that we did not fight back at the Airport, then the following day they brought thugs to attack the Assembly quarters. And what is curious is that the police were told about the impending attack but they did not lift a finger.

On the contrary they reduced security formation around the legislative quarters. By the time they came in their hundreds with heavy arms, they started shooting. Our legislative quarters is barely two minutes’ drive from the police Command but while that anarchy reigned, while those thugs unleashed mayhem at the legislative quarters we were surprised that the police did not show up.

The police only came after the governor had paid on the spot assessment of the scene. It is the part of the agenda of violence that is being plotted in Abuja with a view to grounding the government in Edo state. But we remain focused and Oshiomhole will continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Edo state.

Ikimi, Ize-Iyamu exit

I believe the media some times over rate some of these people. I speak as a journalist, not as a politician. When you talk about the so called defectors and their political weight, I want to invite you to subject them to some empirical examination. When you talk about Tom Ikimi as a political heavy weight, you will ask yourself what did he bring to the table in the last two elections?

As I speak to you the Igueben Local Government where he comes from, the House of Assembly there is represented by PDP, the same thing with the senate and House of Representatives. He failed to deliver his locality. And when you talk about Ikimi with due respect, he may have emerged as a successful architect, you may also concede to him of having emerged as National chairman of NRC at some point.

But ask yourself, what process produced him? He was aided by the military to emerge. I was a reporter then, Ikimi was not the favourite candidate, he was helped by Admiral Aikhomu, his kinsman. He was there as NRC Chairman for two years before IBB removed him. He may be known outside here but when you come to his locality it is a different ball game.

And when you talk of Ize-Iyamu, he has been an influential player in this environment particularly in the last few years. Under Lucky Igbinedion government, some say he was the defacto governor because his principal then was mostly not around. So, he, as the SSG, was the defacto governor. He was the clearing officer. And today when we look back we point at that era as a lost decade in Edo history in terms of development.

He was a central figure in that office. It is a different thing when you are an SSG and you have the fortune to dispense patronage of government resources to supporters. It is a different thing for you to be truly influential in terms of bringing votes. He has always been a perennial candidate.

Shortly after Lucky Igbinedion left office, he wanted to be the PDP candidate. That was the genesis of his quarrel with Chief Anenih because Anenih believed that the power should go to Edo Central. When Oshiomhoe came, they queued behind Oshiomhole and because Oshiomhole performed, people like him began to have the effrontery to rear their heads on the streets.

These are guys who took cover under Oshiomhole. People now began to tolerate them. And over the years, they began to have the audacity to rear their heads as leaders. I think the first time he would directly have the opportunity to test his popularity, he failed. He was defeated and when he lost out he decamped. So when you now ascribe so much weight to them, with due respect, I don’t think that is the correct reading. And I don’t think they are in any position to alter the electoral arithmetic in Edo state.

Illegal deduction of state allocations

It is very very critical. At no point in our history has a country been this misgoverned.

When I say misgoverned I am speaking as a journalist of more than 25 years’ experience, at no time in our history have our finances been this mismanaged. In the last four, five years, at no time has oil sold for less than hundred dollars. For the current fiscal year, the benchmark for crude oil is 77.5 dollars meaning that you based the budget based on 77.5dollars. Meanwhile, oil has been selling at over hundred dollars meaning that now we should be having what we refer to as oil windfall.

The type we had in 1973 that led to massive spending when you had the Udoji award. Oil boom that led to the construction of the third mainland bridge in Lagos, the Ajaokuta steel. But unfortunately, under PDP watch, we had oil boom in the last six years but today we have nothing to show for it. Increasingly the states are being pauperized and to add salt to the wound, they have divided governors Forum, the governors no longer speak with one voice.

They did that by promoting minority over majority, so the governors can no longer speak with one voice and they are all suffering in silence. For last month for instance, we suffered more than N1billion shortfall which represents more than 25 per cent of what we earn from Abuja. So the situation is deepening poverty and it is simply inexplicable.

We are told oil theft takes place. Then you ask yourself what ever happens to our military, what happens to our Navy, how come you are paying billions of naira to former militants. Just when we are paying billions to them the incident of oil theft kept increasing. It has never happened.

Now you have a situation whereby states find it difficult to meet their obligations. You recall that two weeks ago Governor Amaechi came out and publicly declare that from the 25 billion that Rivers State use to collect in past, what they received last we N12billion.

In Edo state we have been fortunate because we have a governor who is prudent, we are very low profile in our expenditure and that is why so far we are still able to keep afloat. But that is not to say that we are in the position to do everything that we promised and honestly the future does not look promising. We have little or nothing to show for our wealth as a nation.