What are the challenges facing your ministry?
I think the basic challenge is funding. If you look at Nigeria, we are coming from long experience of inaction and President Goodluck Jonathan assumed leadership of the country at a time when almost all infrastructure in the country were begging for attention at the same time and so the resources we have as a country are not enough to go round all the things that we want to do. So funding is the main problem, but due to the dynamic planning, transparency being preached by Mr. President and because we prioritise our projects, we are doing things we need to do to move this great country forward.
Some stakeholders in the Niger Delta feel that the problem is not funding but that you are just pocketing the money being made available for the development of the region?
Today, there is a process of doing things in this country and the President has emphasised the importance of due process. Before a project is done, it has to first go through the National Assembly; it has to be appropriated. So, how do you pocket money in such a situation? Before you do anything, it has to go through due process. Contracts are tendered, advertised and people who have interest tender for these contracts. When these contracts are awarded, they are awarded to people. So how do you pocket money? People who are saying that are talking out of ignorance. They don’t know what it takes for a contract to be awarded. As a minister, I don’t have the power to sit down in my office and call in Mr. A and say I have given you this contract. It has to be advertised first and then it will go through the due process. When due process is satisfied, you will be given a certificate of no objection and it is with that certificate that you would forward your memo to the Federal Executive Council. At FEC, we have 42 ministers, the President, the Vice-President and other technical advisers who will look at the contract before it is awarded. So, if a contract will go through these processes, how will a minister pocket money?
But a former member of House of Representatives asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to prosecute you for corruption…
I am not corrupt and cannot be. A former member of the House of Representatives said I awarded N27bn contracts that were not in the budget and pocketed the money. He said I awarded one contract for N1.2bn and then increased it to N12bn and paid it. But I believe Nigerians are clever and now understand the process of awarding contracts. The man said I was given N27bn but the contracts that were awarded were just N6m. He also said I was given the money but mobilised the contractors with only N990m. As at the time of the accusation, we were owing some contractors. We even approached some of their bankers to let them know that truly we gave them contracts and we had yet to pay them. We had a media tour, where many media houses were invited because the mischief makers also claimed that the contractors and the communities where those contracts are were not in existence. Besides, journalists based in the South-South carried out and published their findings. So most of the negative stories about me in the media are fabricated but I am not perturbed and will not be distracted.
There have been calls on Mr. President to sack you. What is your take on this?
I am not bothered at all because Nigerians, including Mr. President, know that these are people that are just being mischievous. If you observe, you will see that most of the times, I don’t respond because I don’t want to be distracted from my work. Some of those who made these unfounded allegations against me do so because they expect certain things from me and when those things are not available, they say ‘Orubebe is a bad man.’ But as far as I am concerned, that concept of blackmailing people for personal gains is old fashioned. My concern is to follow the due process and be transparent so that we can move the nation forward. A lot of them have sought favour from me and a lot of them have benefited from me in one form or the other. If you ask them, they will tell you and if they want me to publish it, I will publish it. Some of them are not credible as they want Nigerians to believe. They are just deceiving the public.
How true is the news that your are interested in the governorship race in Delta State?
My immediate concern is to work for Mr. President and support him to enable him to deliver his transformation agenda for the people of this country. I stand as one of the key supporters of Mr. President, who will do what he wants us to do to move Nigeria forward. As far as I am concerned, 2015 is still very far and it is in God’s hands. When we get to 2015, that is when other things will come up. I have the right to contest like any other Deltan but that is not in the agenda for now. It is not my priority.
But Chief Edwin Clark, is one of those who opposed you and even said you were not fit for the office of governor. What is your reaction to this?
Well, Chief Clark is entitled to his opinion. If I want to contest the governorship of Delta State in 2015, Chief Clark also knows that I have the capability to run. I am not barred by the constitution and I have the support of people and if I want to run, nobody will stop me. Clark is free to support anybody but there are thousands of people, who will also support me if I want to run in 2015 but today as I said earlier, that is not my priority.
What is your relationship with Chief Clark?
My relationship with Chief Clark is very cordial. I don’t have any problem with him. He is one of the leaders we have in Ijawland.
Is it true that he recommended that you should be made a minister?
It is not true that he recommended me but it is true that he supported me when there was crisis over any appointment. I know the person who recommended me and at the appropriate time I will mention the person’s name. I was recommended to the government by a young man.
What is your relationship with the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party in the state?
My relationship with the leadership of the PDP is very cordial. Peter Nwaoboshi is my state chairman; he is a great man and we are blessed that he is doing very well and I am supporting him and his entire executive so that we can deliver all the elections in 2015 to the party. PDP is the only party we have in Delta State. I am very happy with the party chieftains and the way they run the affairs of the party.
But you have been accused of instigating some members to drag the party to court?
How can I instigate people to take the party to court? The beauty of democracy is that you have the freedom to say whatever you wants. If people are aggrieved and they go to court, are they saying they don’t have the right to seek redress in court? If somebody is walking and stumbles on a wood, it is Orubebe. I have said that I am working with the state chairman of the PDP to ensure that we deliver in all future elections.
No comments:
Post a Comment