Comrade Ovuozore Macaulay is the Secretary to the State Government in Delta State since 2011.   Macaulay, in this interview, gives an insight into the agitation of the Isoko nation for equity. Excerpts:

By Hugo Odiogor

Would you say the political atmosphere in the state today is convivial?

In every crisis situation, once the leader is matured, he does not degenerate. And the maturity in this case means leaders should be ready to sacrifice, leaders should be ready to play down issues instead of playing them up. They have to do so because a true general is a general that goes to war and comes back with his team.

Macaulay

It’s not the general that goes to war and lose his men. Immediately after the primaries, I called a meeting of my people and I told them I was not ready to shed any youth’s blood because of position.

The first thing I must make clear is that it has nothing to do with me as a person. The winner of the primaries was free, even if it was zoned to Isoko to pick anybody of his choice.

Imposition of deputy governor

I’ve always told people there are two positions you don’t impose on the governor or anybody who wants to become a governor, his deputy which is what we call a running mate, because this is a person that must be a man of his heart. In normal circumstances, it must be someone close to him that he can confide in, he understands and two of them can even use signs to talk and government will run smoothly.

The second person you don’t impose on a governor is his secretary to government because if he does not have the confidence of the secretary to government, there’s no way there can be peace in that state.

Even if they pretend to be peaceful, the government cannot run smoothly because the secretary to government should be somebody who’s ready to take the bullets on behalf of his boss and the state at any time.

It should be somebody who can do it and damn the consequence and who has the confidence of his boss as well. It should be somebody who understands who his boss is and the boss should also understand who the secretary to the government is. I’ve always believed that you don’t impose these two positions on any person.

From 1999 to date, you see that not one federal minister has come to Isoko. Mrs. Omu was there as a senator for just four years, 1999 to 2003. Thereafter till today, Senate has never come to Isoko; in short no federal position is in Isoko land.

Federal position

You will recall that after Oloibiri in 1958 where oil was discovered, the next place oil was discovered was Isoko land. And we have remained a main onshore oil producer in this country till date.

This is a tribe or a nationality that till this moment does not enjoy a significant federal appointment. Not a reputable board or a minister of state, not an ambassador to the Isoko people. That was why they were agitated, so they are justified. But I will not tell them they are justified to the extent of going to the streets and bringing the youths out to spill their bloods, instead let us dialogue. Politics is about dialogue.

What do you think are Okowa’s chances in the forth coming election?

I’m not God, but I think all the indices are in his favour. It’s not just because he’s Dr Okowa. It will be a miracle for PDP to lose election in Delta State. Delta State is a PDP state. And any day any time, PDP will win. PDP is doing local government to local government rallies; the oppositions are doing what you call senatorial rallies.

At times when people want to judge, they will say see the crowd that went for the rally of the other party the other day. But you forget that that party is doing one for the whole eight local governments in central and you are comparing it to the man who is doing it in eight places.

That is a wrong judgment. But I can tell you that PDP will win Delta state any day any time. That is why you always see that PDP’s struggle is always on the primaries, because once you get the primaries, you are as good as already the elected governor because it’s a PDP state. I don’t have fear about that.

How can the Urhobo be assuaged to drop their threat to vote against the President and PDP in Delta State?

The game of politics is played more informally. We are talking to ourselves, people are talking to people. For me I will continue to appeal to my brothers in the central. I’ve always told them whenever I had the opportunity of speaking publicly especially during the 2007 campaign in which I was really prominent.

Second fiddle

I told that there is no doubt you are the elder brother, you have the population but you cannot continue to dominate the scene, you must give the other people a room to also taste so that we can have a peaceful state where everybody has a sense of belonging and want to work to contribute to it. Because if I see that I’m always a second fiddle, of course you don’t expect me to be that productive.

If now Okowa from Delta North becomes the governor by God’s grace this year, eight years just now is over.

So for me, the Urhobos should just be patient. In eight years, Okowa would have been through. James Ibori was the first governor for eight years, he left and we fought for power shift and it came to south and Dr Uduaghan was fortunate to have it.

Just now, his eight years is coming to an end. After him, if Okowa now has it, eight years after Okowa is through, they can now make a case that it is now the turn of Urhobos to start again.

What do you see as your own political future after being SSG for four years?

For me, I’m somebody who lives life everyday giving thanks to God. In have a history that those who contend with me can only contend with God. God has my future and He has always played it the way He wants to play it.