Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Reconciliation Committee do not mince words when it comes to his assessment of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government.
According to him, the APC is still behaving as if it was in the opposition. This is just as he lamented the continued demonisation of the PDP and its members by the APC- led government, adding that APC has forgotten that Nigerians would judge the government by what it has achieved between 2015 and the election in 2019 and not what the PDP government failed to do in the 16 years it ruled the country.
What will your party do differently in view of the consistent allegations leveled against the PDP government by the APC?
Quite frankly, this is part of what is wrong with Nigerian politics now, the constant demonisation of the PDP by the APC, is childish, laughable and uncalled for. Because sometimes you have a feeling that the APC even though in power is still behaving like a party in opposition and is still on a campaign mode. I would have thought that after all the things they said that the PDP did not do well; they will go ahead and do things rightly.
Here in this state, there was a governor who was here for almost six years and I know what I am seeing in all the files, in all projects and in all programmes. But I did not waste any time looking behind to pursue people? I simply drew a red line and did things differently. You do not need to say you inherited an empty treasury, are treasuries meant to be full and be handed over?
Treasuries are meant to be used to work. The point is that at the end of the day, every incumbent will be judged not by the failure of the preceding government but by what they themselves have done. And I think as the days and months draw closer, the more they will come to that realisation that they will be judged by what they do and what they did not do, and not what PDP did.
I think they (APC) could have done better than they are doing. Quite frankly, the PDP made these mistakes but the PDP also achieved a lot for our democracy and for our country. There is currently too much division in our country so the APC- led government has to unify the country. There has to be a country first of all before you can claim you are in power. The APC has not been able to unify the country as much as one would expect. Just look at the wanton killings and destructions of precious life, not only by Boko Haram, because now there are the herdsmen and we are told we are under a foreign invasion and yet you are not addressing these issues.
You have been appointed five times as chairman of the PDP reconciliation committee by five different chairmen of the party, why must it be you always?
Well I thought that was a question you should have asked the people who keep appointing me, but since you have asked me, I will say that it may have something to do with my style of politics. I believe in consensus building. I believe in engagements, even when we disagree. And that is why even in this state we have this relatively stable political atmosphere.
Former President, Obasanjo asked me the other day – ‘what is the magic?’ You people know the kind of opposition I faced and I still face, but you do not see me go after anybody, I do not need to. In fact I tell everybody you are right to disagree with me. Look at this on-going public service reforms; immediately I came in, my first meeting was with the labour leaders. There is no truth I cannot tell anybody. What I will say behind is still what I will say in your presence. So when we engage in good faith and if our motives are pure, I believe that you can achieve better results. I believe in politics of engagement, dialogue and consensus building.
I tell politicians that all political views and aspirations are legitimate. I believe we are in politics to solve society’s complex problems. As a politician you must be prepared to deal with three kinds of people; those who are for you, those who are against you and those who are not for or against you. Maybe because of my background and my political antecedents and so on, I believe in consensus building and I am not afraid to engage and dialogue even with an opponent. It does not mean that I like you or I like your views, but that you disagree with me does not make you my enemy. That mentality has to be crushed. So when I see brigandage, intolerance in political parties, I marvel.
In politics you need people to achieve results, no matter how good you are. You need teamwork and team spirit; you need to work with people even when you disagree with them. The more they disagree with you, the more you should listen to them. These are some beliefs that inform my public life and politics. People should be very mindful of how they use power. I prefer to use influence instead of power. There is a difference between power and authority and influence. Consensus building is at the heart of polity building. I have a suspicion that these attitudes had consistently informed my nomination.
It has been challenging, sometimes you wish people behaved differently and that things were done differently, but then people always fall in the three categories I talked about. People are different, with different styles and ambitions. My hope and prayer is that people should rise above personal ambitions and put the overall interest of the parties and of the country at heart. This country needs as I have always said two strong parties; a strong united party in government and a strong united, cohesive, clear-headed opposition party, which my party is striving to be. We hope we get there.
You were credited to have said God would determine your successor in 2020. Can you throw more light on that?
I have always said that power belongs to God. Human beings try their best but ultimately, it is the wish of God that will prevail and the wish of God for our people, as a man of faith, I believe will come to pass. My attitude to such matter is that people should try their best to leave room for God who is the author of all life and all human power and authority. That is why I always advice people not to be too desperate. People do all kinds of things for power, authority and money. I do not belong to that school of thought. Not many people knew I was going to be governor, I myself did not even know I will be governor as at the time I became governor. But you see when God wants to do something; he creates the circumstances and even raises the people. That is why no human being should take credit. You can support somebody to win but do not take credit. At the very best you were just the agent God used.
Take for instance as governor, you know the number people I have made by the appointments I have given and other things I have done. It has gone into their CVs and they use it as a stepping stone. That is what God wants for them using me. I believe that at the right time the wish of God will prevail.
However in this state, my approach has been that of a consultative one, so at the right time I intend to start a process of extensive consultation because governorship of any state is a very serious responsibility. In this state, if you look at our recent past and you compare it with what we now have, you will see what it means to have a governor. At the right time I will call for prayers as I always do for God to give us ideas, and for His will and His will alone to manifest. I believe at the end of the day it will be well with us. I call for understanding although the time has not yet come; I must commend the politicians in my party for their discipline so far.
Recently the Bayelsa state government threatened to take the federal government to court if it fails to deduct and deploy to oil-producing states, the 13 percent derivation component from the $1b it is withdrawing from the Excess Crude Account to tackle the security challenges in the country, do you still stand by this?
It was not a threat; it was an opinion. The position contained in that letter was a position I advanced in my several interactions at the Governors’ Forum and my subsequent interactions with the vice president who is the chairman of the National Economic Council, and I have raised that view publicly also. And I had an understanding and I thought the understanding was for the processes I outlined to be followed because of the consultations.
The monies in the excess crude account belong to the states, federal and local governments, so I wanted transparency in the process. I understand the primacy of security in our country, region and state, Bayelsa. I know what we are doing as a state on security and I raised this concern so that we can streamline the requirement and procurement modalities before the commencement of the exercise so that funds are not used for other purposes as it is been speculated.
And most importantly too that the crumbs in the excess crude account are proceeds from oil and gas and therefore are subject to the derivative principles, that principle must be respected; it is not a threat. I have told them openly and they know me, I am a man of conviction. I do not take positions just out of convenience and I believe that is the right thing to be done. So I was just putting them on notice, that the right thing should be done, failing which the state has options. And as we speak we are considering those options seriously.