Reuben C. Wilson
Reuben C. Wilson is president of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI). In this interview Copy Editor Peter Ekanem, he speaks on the political situation in the country and the political crisis in Rivers State. He also speaks on ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter to President Goodluck Jonathan and the Boko Haram insurgency and the amnesty programme. Excerpts:
The timetable for 2015 is out. How do you see the political situation in the country?
I would like to commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its activities. I do not think they have favoured any particular person or party.
I know that with the release of the timetable, more events will start to unfold; the tussles will intensify. However we should not fail to preach peace.
And what do you make of the Rivers State political crisis? Does it portend any danger in the Niger Delta?
The political crisis in Rivers State is peculiar to the state alone. My only annoyance is that the governor has failed to recognise those that supported him politically even the Presidency. Governor Rotimi Amaechi should stop portraying himself as a tiger and stop the public challenges of President Goodluck Jonathan because of the northern backing he has. He should know that the ex-militants and a majority of people majority of the Niger Delta are not happy with his conduct towards Mr. President.
I believe Mr. President and the first lady have no hand in what is happening in Rivers State. It is just a political tussle between political opponents in the state.
How do you see ex-President Olusegun Obansanjo’s letter to President Goodluck Jonathan?
I don’t think it is right for him to have addressed the president in such a manner. I believe he should have trashed out those issues with the president in a better way. We all know that the president is a man ordained by God and sent to take our dear country to the next level. So, I see no reason why Obasanjo would resort to openly addressing critical issues in that manner. This could afford those with bad intension opportunity to begin to disturb the peace of the nation.
Obasanjo is a respected elder statesman and a fatherly figure and as such we expect better conduct from him.
What is your assessment of the insecurity challenges and how government has responded so far?
Well, there is obvious reduction in the insecurity situation in the country. The president is doing well. The insecurity situation in the North caused by the Boko Haram insurgence is politically motivated and that has also made it difficult to tackle. We can recall some time ago a prominent politician promised to make the country ungovernable if a minority was made the president of the country. This I believe is what is playing out today.
The president is working hard to curb this situation as can be seen from his constant mandate to the security agencies and changes of the service chiefs. Gradually the situation will be neutralised.
How would you rate the Jonathan’s administration in terms of amnesty to the Niger Delta militants and delivery of good governance?
The amnesty program has been a huge success. Kingsley Kuku, under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, has piloted the amnesty programme very well. Our sons and daughters have been undergoing various training and skill acquisition programmes. In the area of education, our boys have been sent all over the world to be educated and acquire knowledge. A perfect example is my own younger brother who is now a pilot and currently undergoing training in the United Kingdom.
The only problem with the amnesty programme is the leaders. The leaders have not benefiting anything from the programme. The key things promised each leader by the previous dispensation have not been made. Firstly, they promised a lifeline for leaders; secondly, vehicles and thirdly, accommodation and security. All these we are yet to get from the government. The leaders were made to receive the same N65,000 as the boys and still take care of these boys as they are still under their control. We are not happy about this.
On good governance, I believe Mr. President is doing well. People who say he is not working are people who do not travel by road. I travel a lot by road and I must say I am impressed with the road construction in the country. It surprises me when people then come out and attack the President for not doing any work.
What is your organisation, Leadership, Peace And Cultural Development Initiative all about?
The leaders of the ex-freedom fighters decided to come together as one for a single goal- peace in the Niger Delta. It cuts across all the states in the region. We have established offices to help the government maintain the peace in the region and to curb vices. We hold our leaders meeting every month end and there we discuss only issues of Peace.
The office also works hand in hand with the amnesty office to assist in resolving conflict that may arise between camps or between leaders and their boys. We also have coordinators across the nine Niger Delta states. Our office address is at: 94 Dimrose Road, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
What impact and achievement has LPCDI recorded since its inception?
We worked hand in hand with the late security adviser, Gen Azazi, when we went as a delegate to Gen. Latos camp and were able to persuade him to surrender arms.
On social impact, we have through the assistance of PPMC and NNPC distributed gas cylinders to rural communities in the region. This was as a result of several complaints of fire outbreak due to use of bad kerosene in the communities. I will also like to mention the contribution of Senator Paulker in this regard.
We have made several visits to the motherless babies homes s.
We have also mapped out a programme of event for the year 2014 that we will unfold as time goes on. Peace is indeed here to stay.
How do you see to the state of the Niger Delta at the moment?
There is relative peace and calm in the region at the moment. The only problem is with oil theft and it is due to this that we are still asking the President to give us the mandate to work with the security agencies to tackle the problem. We have been in the creeks and know the modus operandi of those involved in the act and we are better equipped to bring oil theft to a stop if we are assigned the surveillance job, which we have been asking for. The award of this contact will also provide job opportunities for idle youths in the region.
Would you compare or equate the Boko Haram struggle or crisis to that of the Niger Delta crisis?
There is absolute no basis for comparism. We took to arms to fight for our rights because we were being oppressed by those who exploit our oil and leave our communities underdeveloped and after dialogue and agreements with the government to turn around the situation in our region, we gladly surrendered our arms.
Unlike the Boko Haram, you and I don’t even know what they are fighting for; they hide their identity because they fight for no just cause. As Niger Delta agitators, our faces and camps were known to the government. We even invited them severally for dialogue; so we had nothing to hide.
Boko Haram is politically motivated and they go about bombing churches, killing innocent citizens, even their own brothers and assassinating top government officials.
This can never be compared with the struggle in the Niger Delta. They are clearly trying to fulfil the promise of the prominent politician to make the country ungovernable if someone from the minority is elected president.
It’s like the Niger Delta crisis is what brought Jonathan to the presidency; so, the Boko Haram is now fighting back to take back power to the North. And what efforts are you now ex-militants putting-up for Jonathan to get back to power in 2015?
We are strongly behind the President. All other presidents have been allowed to serve for two terms. Then, why is it now an issue with President Goodluck Jonathan? Some people have decided to fight him and even use some of our brothers in the Niger Delta region to fight him. We are calling on all to stop and support our dear president. We have vowed total support and will soon start our state-to-state peaceful campaign for Mr. President.
Also, there have been pockets of complaints by some ex-militant leaders, particularly those in phase three of the amnesty programme that they are not being carried along by the chairman of the Amnesty programme, Mr. Kingsley Kuku. What is your comment on this?
Phase three people just came on board and should be patient. It is worthy to note that the leaders of the phase one are yet to be carried along. Hon. Kingsley Kuku has no budget to take care of the leaders. He only has a budget to run the affairs of his office. All other things come directly from the Presidency and this is what we the first phase leaders are still expecting till date. So I can only preach patience and in time all will be carried along.
What are your last words?
I want to specifically commend the work of Hon. Kingsley Kuku for his hard work and his leadership qualities. Nobody would have done better than the way he is now piloting the programme. I also call on all other leaders to lend him their support as much as they can just as we continue to ask him to take all our burdens to Mr. President.
I salute Mr. President for his good work and equally ask him to look into our request for the surveillance job as it is in the benefit of all to curb crude oil theft and creating job opportunities along with it.
We also wish to call to his attention the attitude of some of the Niger Delta Ministers particularly the Ministry of Niger Delta and NIMASA. The President cannot do everything on his own and that is why he has ministers to reach out to the people of the region. We have received rejection from the ministry and are calling on Mr. President to look into their affairs and possibly reshuffle them and replace them with hard working and rooted people like Hon. Kuku.