Usani: Niger Delta Has Benefited More Under Buhari than His Predecessors

Erstwhile State Chairman of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), now Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, one year on, in this interview with Ugochukwu Aliogo, outlines the policy direction in his ministry. He also makes the argument against the recalcitrant approach of militants whose activities are crippling the economy; insisting that the region is currently benefiting more under the President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime than his predecessors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

You were a surprise pick from your state to be minister, what is your experience in governance?
You should have asked for my résumé or downloaded it online to save all this time wasting. However, perhaps you are interviewing me to give me another appointment as a journalist and so let me answer your question as summarily as I can. I had my first appointment six years after graduation, in 1992 as PA to the then Cross River governor, Mr. Clement Ebri. It was an appointment which led me to administering two other offices, that is three offices at the same time.

From then, I became a Director in Oban Rubber and Palm Estates Limited ( a government owned agriculture farm), member, Nigeria Copyrights Commission Governing Board,Commissioner under three military administrators and then contested the governorship twice before I again was asked to serve as the State Chairman of the All Progressive Congress. After which I was nominated by my people and later appointed to be minister by the President, where I am today.

You are accused of deliberately shutting out people decamping into the APC while you were State Chairman and that even now, you do not welcome people and therefore not accessible?

I will answer your last question first; I did welcome you into my private residence even when I did not know your mission. Didn’t I? When you came into my parlour, you saw all the people there or the ones I have attended to before. Didn’t you? I represent a people and I work for the entire Nigerians. So honest and good intentioned people can be sure that my doors, both in the office and at home are open to those with genuine problems and useful contributions as to how we can move the country and the affairs of the Niger Delta towards greater good.

To your second question, I had not become the chairman of the APC when the membership registration took place. I only became chairman during the revised congress and have since then followed the party guidelines to admit members into the party. Before the elections, I made deliberate and conscious efforts to woo some persons whom I knew we could midwife to victory into the APC but such persons apparently feeling that they will be automatic winners if they got PDP tickets rebuffed my overtures and went to wrestle it out in the PDP. Now tell me, are you talking about those who used all their might against APC?

I had at no point refused anybody membership of APC. Where a man comes because he lost election in PDP or any other party and begins to insinuate that there were no persons in APC, this is not fair to the foundation members of APC. As state Chairman of the party, I owe my party men a duty to protect them and fight for their benefits. How does it feel for a man who ate and broke the pot to immediately go to another man’s cooking pot and want to even be dished food ahead of those who have been patiently waiting and persevering starvation when the food is ready? I still maintain my stance, which is that benefits should be served first to those APC members who have suffered and worked because anything short of that will be a betrayal of the resilience and hard work of those who hoped when others scorned and some despised; this was also, the maiden pronouncement of the president after election. Let the so called “No names” be known. For example, I was PA and Commissioner before I became 35. It means there are many talents untapped in APC that we can harness, because, out of conviction displayed in their resilience, these group of people have the integrity to drive this government’s agenda and ideology. I tell you sincerely, strengthen a small name with character and watch him become a giant.

Is it true that new entrants into the party in your state are penciled down for choice appointments leaving out those who grew the party from scratch through thick and thin?
Well, I am a party man, a product of the party. If the leadership of the party so decides, I will not have any contrary stance. But I stated earlier that we have evenly qualified persons in the members that hoped when others scorned and despised APC and so those people should be considered first for appointments. If we want to prove that there is dignity in labour, in resilience and in contentment.

Under this rancorous circumstance what is your advice for all APC members in Cross River State?
Unity. Let them unite and be able to call any leader to account. They should be able to speak out through all known civil media. They should be able to take collective positions and speak same without intimidation by any leader, without fear or favour.
They should also resolve to individually and collectively ensure to live the ideology of APC, they should ensure to win all elections even as they complain daily about the PDP government in Cross River State.

It seems there is a lull in activities since you mounted the saddle as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs. What is going on?
Well, I don’t work to be heard but to achieve results.

Could you briefly tell us about your activities and the results achieved since assumption of office?
I have done what I will say I am happy with, but the ministry is new and so much is yet to be done. Unfortunately, we assumed office to meet the budgeting process and the budget has just been passed so you should expect more action now. I am however, worried that no project has been commissioned or completed since the formation of the ministry of Niger Delta Affairs except a cassava processing plant in Ondo State, which we commissioned recently.

That has framed my burden whose jinx I want to immediately break. Recently, I formed a technical audit committee to audit all projects awarded by the ministry so far. Though they are yet to submit the full report, but the preliminary report will shock you. I think that’s the way to begin. We want to know what job was awarded and to whom, how much and what has been done. Does it conform to what has been paid, if not when was the job supposed to be completed and all that. You will realize that the observed differ remarkably from the claims we have.

With the reawakening of militancy in the region, how much is your ministry involved?
My ministry is deeply involved while the operational action is performed by the security Agencies. So the ministry of Niger Delta Affairs will continue to do what we have been doing before now, but I must say that the environment is ours and destroying it will not do us any good. Imagine the Ogoni reclamation is going to take 30 years, yet we have not learnt. Rather than support President Buhari to do more, we are adding to the destruction of the environment, our ecosystem, fresh water and aquatic lives. It is a condemnable and unthinkable approach that should be desisted. Imagine of all leaders that this UNEP report has been made known to, in just one year in office, this President has implemented it. I can say that the Niger Delta region is benefiting more under this APC regime led by President Buhari more than it benefited from any other regime.

How do you rate this administration, has it done well in one year?
More than well.