Douglas-West: ‘It’s Ijaw’s Turn to Produce the Next Governor of Rivers State’

Anglican Priest and oil magnet, Rev Asoliye Douglas-West is an aspirant for the 2023 governorship election in Rivers State. In this interview with Mary Nnah, he speaks about how the Ijaw-speaking parts of the state have been sidelined in governance and stressed that the situation should be addressed in 2023

What is your view on zoning in Rivers State?

The Constitution governing our democracy does not recognize the sanctity of zoning of hierarchical political offices, but, the zoning principle is an extra-constitutional mechanism which evolved as an appropriate response to deal with moral conscience in enthroning equity and fairness in the distribution of political benefits to satisfy sentiments relating to our ethnic diversity. No matter how contiguous our geographical affinity might be, we cannot live in denial or be pretentious about the existence of ethnic diversities just as resource endowments are diverse. Since we have found a mechanism of pooling proceeds of economic resource exploitation into a commonwealth for redistribution among the entities, therefore it is a logical corollary that high ranking political offices should yield to a negotiated zoning formula. Perhaps this was why the writers of our Constitution introduced the federal character concept as a means of invoking balance in representation and some semblance of fairness and equity in the allocation of resources among the constituent entities.

Rivers State is geographically dichotomised between an upland north and a littoral south with their peculiar physical features and topographies. Four prominent linguistic groups are recognisable within the ethnic diversities that make up Rivers State, which include the Igboid tribe (Ikwerre, Etche and Oyigbo), the Ogonis (Khana, Gokhana, Tai and Eleme), the Ijaws (Kalabari, Okirika, Bonny/Opobo and Andoni/Nkoro) and the Beninoid stock (Ndoni, Ekpeye, Abua/Odual. The Igboid, Ogonis and Beninoid stocks are located in the upland north while only the Ijaw speaking ethnicities are located in the riverine south. The threesome of Celestine Omehia, Chibuike Amaechi and Nyesom Wike, all of whom are Ikwerre speaking have ruled as governors for a consecutive totality of 16 years shared among them. Peter Odili representing the Beninoid was governor for eight years. A disregard for the zoning formula and the political expediency that enabled and enthroned Nyesom Wike as the third governor of Ikwerre speaking extraction is apparently emboldening them to enact an agenda and act a script intended to perpetuate hegemony which is unconscionable to good moral conscience, equity and fairness. If and when we recognize our diversity, the application of the zoning principle is a pragmatic way of guaranteeing inclusiveness and social justice.

Despite the heterogeneous nature of Rivers States as you have laid it out, all the governors since 1999 come from one particular area, how do you feel about that?

It is rather disinteresting, disquieting and disconcerting to witness a situation where one particular ethnic group had devised a stratagem of capturing and retaining power for 16 years in Rivers State without consideration for the political well-being of other constituent ethnicities. Using the advantage of incumbency, that same ethnic group is still unjustifiably wrangling and plotting to produce a candidate for the 2023 election. I am a strong proponent of a paradigm shift where compromises and negotiations would embrace themselves in favour of a candidate from the riverine south. I stand to be corrected; the riverine Ijaws have been very patient and understanding. It is the turn of the Ijaws to produce a credible candidate to be elected and serve as the next governor of Rivers State. It will be a demonstration of bad faith and insensitivity if our brothers upland should insist on satisfying their appetite for power by presenting another candidate for the governorship election in 2023. Their argument of possessing a higher voters’ population in Obio/Akpor is untenable and dubious.

What will be your agenda for the people of Rivers State if you become governor in 2023?

Often times we give priority to the wrong things. I wonder why the incumbent governor finds it fashionable to expend so much resource on constructing flyover bridges in the Port Harcourt metropolis. This appears to me as heaps of concrete clutter. Things have to be done differently to fetch different results and change the narrative about governance. There is going to be a departure from the old ways of doing things. After nearly 24years of uninterrupted democracy we can hardly perceive or feel a meaningful impact of governance positively changing lives in Rivers State. Poverty is still very pervasive. We have to create a new message that emphasises value creation as the distinctive selling proposition with focus on investing in human capacity development, inventing new ideas to modernize the economy through knowledge and eco-tourism. Human beings are the most valuable resource any society can possess and developing the capacity of human resource should form the priority of any government. It is human beings that initiate and propel the knowledge-driven economy. Human beings build and work in factories. Human beings construct the roads and bridges. Human beings cultivate the farms. With a bold determination, I have unyielding conviction that the new direction to steer the state is investment in human capital that would be armed with the capability to create ideas, invent innovation and reduce poverty. Therefore, our agenda will prioritize human capacity development and to build brand new cities that would redirect the movement of population away from a congested Port Harcourt. Research and development, Supply chain logistics, Tourism and agriculture are other critical sectors that would receive preferences in the agenda.

What stands you out among other aspirants?

There is an urgent call to duty to alter the narrative about the ways the business of governance is conducted. Rivers State needs a forward thinking leadership whose preoccupation would not be to preserve its own privileges but to channel energies and resources into building a modern economy and a smart society In very critical moments in the history of a people, those in whom God is well pleased would hear His voice, whom shall I send and who will go for us? They would offer themselves and say, ‘Here am I, send me’. Many governors have come, and seen but failed to conquer. Many appropriation bills have been passed into law but budget implementation has failed to deliver on promises. I would like to describe two scenarios and situate myself in the appropriate context. On the one hand there are those who are either thrown up by the system or they throw up themselves and run for political offices in order to fulfill some personal ambition or ethnic agenda but on the other hand there are others who seek the opportunity to serve in leadership position in order to manage resources efficiently and effectively for the benefit of the community. Those who run the race most likely turn out to be chips off the old block whose contribution would terminate at maintaining the status quo but those who seek to serve would bring value. The challenge is big but my resolve is firm. The mission is urgent but my purpose is unmistakable. The terrain is tough but my faith is solid. I am a political outsider but a providential insider.

You are not decided on the political party platform on which you want to contest the election, how do you want to actualize your aspiration?

I am not a card-carrying member of any political party yet. I realize that the mechanism for selecting candidates for election in the existing political structure in the dominant parties is flawed. The so-called dominant political parties have cultivated and entrenched a certain culture and habit that could be likened to the laws of the Medes and Persia that changeth not. A game changer would probably be located in one’s ability to create a vision and an alternative message that can resonate a rhythm that would connect with the hearts and minds of the people. All things being equal, upsets caused by dark horses are not improbable in the race.

Why should the Rivers people vote for you against other candidates in other parties?

Athletes who compete in the 100metres race usually set their focus on the finishing line with little regards for other opponents. My personality is braced with impeccable and well-balanced credentials containing physical, educational, corporate and spiritual attributes in a total package. We have experimented democracy for more than two decades and the system has been structured in a particular way that seems to breed and throw up a retinue of predictable candidates whose world view is content and consistent with satisfying and maintaining the status quo. Rivers State is known to be resource-rich but conversely performance-poor. Run-of-the-mill candidates cannot give any performance beyond their substandard capacity. The time is ripe to look outside the political box so things can be done differently and achieve smart results. I am convinced that I fit into the species of political outsiders with forward-leaning and cosmopolitan mindset and without affiliation to preexisting power blocs and appendages that usually constitute encumbrances to good governance. This is the era of the emergence of a new kid on the block.

Considering the role of money in Nigerian politics, do you have the financial muscle to scale through the selection processes and election proper?

If we consider the volume of money injected into politics and electioneering in Nigeria, one may be overwhelmed and discouraged to venture into the political enterprise. The significance and influence of money on politics and electioneering cannot be underestimated. The significance of money is intended to achieve the right purpose but the influence of money does the contrary. I would rather focus on the significance of money than on its influence. Money is a flow variable like current in water which is not stagnant. It flows in the direction where the gradient is not flat. If the message we have can connect with the people and the value proposition we are bringing can resonate the proper rhythm then we are confident that one can become marketable to attract patronage from crowd investors and passive stakeholders without overriding interests. Holders of campaign funds who are much discerning are usually persuaded to direct their funds to support the candidate with higher prospects of election marketability. I am confident that the charisma, character and content about my candidature should give me some edge in this regard.

What is your grassroots standing, how do you intend to endear yourself to the people?

Elections are not won by grassroots per se. Elections are won by the largest number of voters drawn from different demographic constituents through effective mass mobilization. The same crowd of grassroots can appear at different political campaign events organized by different political parties. As vulnerable as they might appear to be, the grassroots do not mortgage their loyalty and dedicate their patronage to one politician. As long as the pendulum in the clock swings, the loyalty of the grassroots can be shifted at a right price. The structure of our electioneering has been designed in such a way that huge investment of capital is often required to achieve mass mobilization at the base of the voter pyramid. And the capital here refers to credibility, social net-worth, political goodwill and war-chest. The most important among these variables is the war chest, which has the capability to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. What this means is that beyond one’s reputation and socio-political capital, how heavy is your war-chest could swing the pendulum to command the widest spread of grassroots’ loyalty and patronage in your favour.

What do you think is the greatest challenge facing Rivers state and how do you intend to overcome this challenge?

One of the greatest challenges facing Rivers State is widespread poverty fuelled by a local economy that has refused to expand and deepen. The over-concentration of the Rivers economy and infrastructures in Port Harcourt is its own source of affliction. Rivers State is a one-city state and it has annoyingly remained so since 1912. Population density statistics for Port Harcourt is high and unacceptable. Port Harcourt is aging and decaying. We need to redirect the movement and flow of population pattern into Port Harcourt by building brand new towns and cities. There is no plausible reason why four public universities and two polytechnics should be located in Port Harcourt. Despite the fact that baseline studies reveal that communities and their outlying terrains are laden with enormous resources in the mangrove swamps, some of the towns serving as local government headquarters have not proved viability to attract bank branches, We have to identify competencies and resource endowments peculiar to specific localities and create smart ideas and invent innovations in the making of a new economy. The building of new cities would entail massive physical and infrastructural development that would create multiple layers of thousands of jobs and linkages in town planning, architecture, engineering designs, construction, supply chain logistics, building materials, environment, safety, water and sewage management, food vendor and other artisanal vocations and enterprises etc.

What is your relationship with the church, which is a critical factor in winning election in Rivers State?

Admittedly, the church is a critical factor in electioneering but arguably we cannot overestimate the influence of the church in deciding the possible winner in an election. We all need divine validation and prayers from the spiritual fathers and church elders in support of our quest for political power. Nevertheless, I am a product of the church. My roots are in the church. I am an ordained minister in the Anglican Communion. That does not confer any special advantage on me and therefore nothing can be taken for granted. Voting behaviour of many Christians and church goers are often more influenced by ethnicity and other sentiments more rather than persuaded by faith-based consideration. Rivers State is a predominantly Christian religious entity therefore it is highly probable that most of the candidates would be of Christian background but of different denominations. Ethnicity holds the tendency to play stronger determinant than religious faith.