•It’s tragic to see looters of public funds moving around freely
•Those who hijacked PDP are not founding members
•APC has no hand in Makarfi/Sheriff problems
•Says OBJ as a person should not be taken seriously

By Chioma Gabriel, Editor, Special Features

Senator Roland Stephen Owie, was former Senate, Chief Whip, a Catholic Knight of St. John International,KSJI, a member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria on the UPN platform between 1979 and 1983 and Senator between 1999 and 2003. He was a founding member of the PDP. In this encounter, he answers questions on the state of the Nigeria nation. Excerpts:

The fight against corruption is the best point of President Buhari’s government but many perceive it as selective. Do you agree?

Yes, that is the perception of most Nigerians but I urge the EFCC to do their job without looking up to the face or PMB. I do not believe that President Muhammadu Buhari, PMB, will give directives to EFCC not to go after corrupt people just because they are members of the APC. From what I know of him, PMB will never do that. EFCC operatives are just being intimidated by their minds and not by PMB. EFCC should do their work.

•Roland Owie

At present, some people are protesting the prosecution of ex-President Jonathan’s family. Is anything wrong with that?

The reaction to the prosecution of ex-president Jonathan’s family is what happens in a country where there is no social justice. The catechism of the Universal Catholic Church says “Society ensures social justice when it respects the dignity and right of the person as the proper end of society itself. Society pursues social justice when it provides the conditions that allow individual and associations to obtain what is their due”.

If social justice really operates in Nigeria and it is seen that individuals obtains what is their due -good or bad, punishing the guilty and freeing the innocent, there won’t be complaints. However, it is tragic when you find known looters of public funds moving about freely on the streets of Nigeria while others who earned their money genuinely are being pursued.

So, certainly there must be protests. For instance, Col. Sambo Dansuki has been granted bail by many courts and yet he is still detained. Also Mr. Olisa Metuh, who is alleged to have collected N400m from campaign funds was detained for over 6 months while those who collected more than that are walking freely on the streets of Nigeria. Where is justice?

Political parties are already planning for 2019, many believe both the APC and PDP have disappointed Nigerians and aggrieved members of APC and the PDP are about to form a new party, Mega Party, which is the third force. What do you foresee in 2019? Do you think this third force will make a difference?

Nigeria is a multi-party democracy. Formation of parties is the right of any group of Nigerians. For instance, I am a member of PDP.

In view of what is happening in the party PDP today, where impunity has become the watchword, do you expect those who believe in democracy to sit and watch their players, most of whom were not present at the following gatherings of respectable Nigerians on the 30th  of October, 1997; at a conference hosted by ICS at the International Conference Centre in Lagos; on the 13th  August 1998 in Lagos; on the public declaration on the 19th  August 1998 at Sheraton Hotel and also on the 26th  August, 1998 at Muson Centre Lagos and finally at ICC Abuja on 31st  August, 1998 to sit and watch?

Most of those who have hijacked the party were not founding members. Our first president Olusegun Obasanjo was in prison when the party was formed, and he became the major beneficiary of the efforts of the founding fathers of the party and also became the major destroyer of the PDP. OBJ killed PDP in the PDP National Convention in November 1999, when the late, great Nigerian and peace maker, Chief Sen. S.B. Awoniyi was rigged out of the national chairmanship race by OBJ at the Eagle Square.

All the efforts made that night, by respectable Nigerians like Alh. Adamu Chiroma, Alh. Bello Kirfi, who led a delegation of respected top leaders of our party, to OBJ at the State Box in Eagle Square, to complain of the rigging that was going on were in vain. OBJ kept deaf ears and refused to act.

The rigging that   went on that night was so devilish that even the OBJ appointed INEC, issued a statement, pointing to the massive rigging which took place at that internal PDP election, supervised by OBJ himself.

At 3:00am that night, I walked to my late leader, Distinguished Sen. Chuba Okadigbo in the company of Sen. J.K.N. Waku and I said, “Oyi of Oyi” PDP is DEAD”. Thereafter, I walked out of the Eagle Square.

PDP entered intensive care in November, 1999 and the attempts that were made by Chief Audu Ogbe and Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, to inject blood into the PDP were destroyed by those who came into the PDP to reap where they did not sow. Under a PDP Federal Government with OBJ as president, a sitting PDP governor was kidnapped and nothing happened.

God who cannot be mocked gave almost instant judgment on one of the top police officers that aided that despicable and criminal action. I support fully those who are going ahead to form a new party or parties, especially for us in PDP whose party now hold the party meetings in the court.

What is happening between PDP factions of Sheriff and Makarfi is perceived to be the handiwork of APC. What is your take on this?

No! APC had no hand in what is happening between PDP factions of Sheriff and Markafi.

Let me ask, were APC governors the ones that went to invite Sen. Sheriff to come and lead PDP? The answer is no. Governor Wike and Fayose were the ones that went to invite the man. They thought that they could use Sen. Sheriff in their usual impunity game in the PDP. I was one of the first leaders of the PDP that attacked the arrangement of the governors and Sheriff.

I did it so openly in the media. One day before the botched PDP convention in Portharcourt, one of the impunity leaders of PDP called me on phone and was pleading with me to stop attacking Sheriff. I told him   that Sheriff is my personal friend, besides being a colleague in the Senate, and I told the old man that my point is that the North needed a presidential slot from our party and not the national chairmanship slot. That was my reason not that I have anything against Sen. Sheriff. However, when I later met Sen.

Sheriff, he showed me some documents and it became clear to me where the problem was. And from that day till now, I have been a supporter of Sheriff because, as a lawmaker, I cannot be a lawbreaker. The truth is that some power hungry governors of our party are the problem of our party, not APC. It is clear that if there is no peace in PDP by December 31st  2016, the party might not return from the intensive care that OBJ took it to in 1999.

Poverty occasioned by recession has rubbished Nigeria and Nigerians. Prices of food and commodities are skyrocketing. Former administrations are being blamed for it but the solution is not yet in sight. What is the way out?

APC was elected by the people on the basis of APC campaign promises. The party should deliver on their promises and stop the blame game.

Should Nigeria borrow money as being advocated by Buhari’s regime?

No! There is no need for that loan.

Are you done with politics or will you return to active politics?

I have never left politics; it is just that I have not contested election since after contesting the Edo State governorship election in 2003. My duty now in politics is to mentor credible young men and women to represent our people at the various levels of government. By the Grace of God, I will continue to be in politics for some time to come.

What should be done for the naira to bounce back.

For the Naira to bounce back, there must be discipline at all levels of government and less favoritism in economic/ monetary matters. Not long ago, government openly destroyed the economy by granting certain category of pilgrims the power to purchase dollar at N197 while in the open market at the time, it was above N350. Certainly, that action was economic sabotage.

Many people who were not ready to go on pilgrimage at that time were encouraged just for their selfish interest of buying dollar at government rate and selling in the open market, thereby enriching themselves and bringing down the value of the Naira. I urge the CBN to be disciplined enough to fix a single exchange rate for the dollar, because as at today, there are about five different exchange rates of the dollar to naira. Let the government find a clear exchange rate for the dollar instead of the conflicting rates that is hurting the economy.

Blood flew in Rivers at its re-run election, how can electoral violence be contained in Nigeria?

Electoral violence can be contained in Nigeria, when all of us who are actors in the political system keep in our minds constantly, that “naked from our mother’s womb we came and naked we will depart” “Ecclesiaticus 5:14”

What is your impression about Obasanjo’s recent attacks on Buhari’s government?

OBJ is a person that no one should take seriously. A man that wasted the fortunes of Nigeria ought to hide his head in shame instead of pretending to be what he is not. Which head of State living or dead has OBJ not attacked? None! Even those he led to the villa, like late Yar’Adua whom he abandoned at his hour of need.

OBJ parades himself as a saint and therefore should be ignored. You will recall that at the beginning of Buhari’s tenure in 2015, when I read that OBJ was sending a Blue Print on governance to Buhari, I raised an alarm and advised Buhari to avoid OBJ like leper and I said then and still maintain that, a Bini parable says, “How can a eunuch prepare sexual medicine for a brother of his that can attain a sexual erection occasionally?”. I advise Buhari to dine with OBJ with a long spoon if there is need to dine with him at all.

Was it not OBJ who in 1979, expunged the provision for “Electoral College” in the transitional decree of 1977:1978, when he realized that members of the then, NASS on the platform of UPN, NPP, PRP and GNPP were set to vote for Late Chief Awolowo?. His wish culminated into the twelve two-third states of the federation of Nigeria? Was it not OBJ who emboldened the military to annul June 12, when he issued a statement then, that “MKO Abiola wasn’t the expected messiah”? I urge OBJ to stop busy bodying around and start going for “Sacrament of Reconciliation” and ask God’s forgiveness for his sins against Nigerians and Nigeria.

You have given knocks to former CBN governor, HRH, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and urged him to resign as traditional ruler and join politics. Don’t you think Sanusi’s comments on the Naira, the economy and recession are helping to clear the air on many unanswered questions?

Yes! What I said that time and I still maintain is that with the status of Emir of Kano, he has direct access to President Buhari and his successor at the Central Bank and he can give whatever advice he has for them without resorting to the media. A Bini parable says, “Only one’s own enemy is the one that advises one in the presence of the Oba in Council”.