• Says commission is 100% his baby
• Supports Imo Charter of Equity
From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Rt. Hon. Goodluck Nanah Opiah is the immediate past Minister of State for Education. He was Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly from 2007 to 2011 and later went to the House of Representatives between 2015 and 2019, representing the people of Ohaji-Egbema/Oguta/Oru West Federal Constituency. He has also served as Commissioner for Petroleum in Imo State.
In this interview, he speaks on political developments in Imo State, especially the now controversial Imo Charter of Equity, governor Hope Uzodimma’s chances of winning the November 11 governorship election; calling on the leaders from Owerri and Okigwe zones to prevail on their brothers to step down for the governor in order to make the Charter of Equity a success.
He also spoke on the creation of the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC) and the impact the commission has made on the oil producing communities under the Uzodimma administration. Excerpts:
May we know your background?
My name is Goodluck Opiah. I come from Abacheke Community in Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State. I am a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). I was nominated to the former President Muhammadu Buhari by His Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodimma to be appointed a minister. The former president assigned me the portfolio of the Minister of State for Education, and we worked for nine months. It was quite an enriching experience. It was a challenging task though, but it was enriching nonetheless. It was an eye-opener for me. The appointment offered us the opportunity to make our mark in this country and do our little bit for Imo people. A lot of scholarship opportunities came to our people during the period through our efforts. I say “our” because it wasn’t just my efforts alone, but a collaborative effort with the governor. He was always a part of it. We ensured that our people got their fair share of the scholarship opportunities within the country and abroad. Today, there are indigenes of Imo State studying in China, the United Kingdom, and other places. The other ones are beneficiaries of the national scholarship programme, and they are in schools all over the country. We did all of that, and we were also able to confirm the upgrading of the Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education to a full-fledged federal university of education. The confirmation of a federal university status of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education came through the approval from former President Buhari. A team from the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the Federal Ministry of Education and some other relevant agencies of the government had visited and given the necessary approvals. We are waiting for the constitution of the governing board of the university and the appointment of principal officers. Within that period, we were also able to attract a campus of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, to Egbema, my own town. It was not a selfish effort on my part. Rather, there was already an existing facility there fit for a polytechnic campus, and we just used that place. The facility was put in place by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, but the facility was not utilized. When the opportunity came for siting the polytechnic, the NDDC quickly made the facility available. The polytechnic will kick-start their programmes any moment from now. The Rector of the Polytechnic has informed us of her readiness for the campus to take off. Of course, you already know that the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Owerri is now the Federal University of Technology Owerri Teaching Hospital (FUTOTH). It was a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, and the presidency. It was a short period for me, but I am happy that when I look back, I have a lot to point to as our achievements during the time.
Let us go back to the creation of the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC), which happens to be your first baby, so to speak. You had the vision to bring that agency to fruition. Could you tell us how ISOPADEC has impacted the life of the people of the oil producing communities, especially under the administration of Governor Hope Uzodimma?
Before I became a Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, I was first of all a floor member. I saw the level of neglect and marginalization of the oil producing communities in Imo State by the oil producing companies and governments at all levels. We had a situation where the oil producing companies and governments paid no attention to the developmental needs of the oil producing communities. There were agitations here and there, not just in Imo State, but across the Niger Delta Region, where oil is being produced. I realized that part of the benefits of the oil producing communities would be to have direct benefits from the 13 per cent oil derivation fund, which had become constitutional since 1999. For about seven years of democracy from 1999 to 2006, there were no benefits accruing to the oil producing communities from that fund. In spite of the agitations, protests, dialogue, conferences and delegations to the then Governor Achike Udenwa, not much happened, except that he was able to set up an adhoc committee on the 13 per cent oil derivation fund, of which I was a member. There were prominent indigenes of the oil producing communities on that committee, including the late traditional ruler of Egbema, Eze S.N. Uzor, my uncle. We realized that the committee couldn’t make any progress because we were continually articulating projects that were assigned to ministries, but bureaucracy killed those efforts. So, it occurred to me that the only thing that would make us achieve those things was to create an agency backed by law, from where specific funds could be made available to address the needs of the people. That was how the idea of ISOPADEC came up. It was entirely my baby. I feel happy sometimes when I hear a lot of people from my area laying claims to the creation of ISOPADEC, when they did not play any role. It is 100 per cent my baby. I conceived of it, worked hard and put the bill together, took it to the House of Assembly and got my colleagues, especially my colleagues from Orlu Zone, all of them supported it except one that I cannot mention. But I cannot tell the story of ISOPADEC without mentioning names like Hon. Declan Emelumba, Hon. Emma Dike, Hon. Peter Ezeala, to mention but a few. I was the leader of Orlu Caucus at the State Assembly, and part of the solidarity I got was the overwhelming support I got from all of them. They rallied around me and some of the members from the other zones, too. First and foremost, I went into negotiation with the governor through the then Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, J.T.O Nnodim SAN. They made offers from 5 per cent to 10 per cent and 15 per cent and said they were not going to go beyond that. So, I took the fight to the floor of the house and asked for 60 per cent of the 13 per cent oil derivation fund to be set aside for the development of the oil producing communities. The house overwhelmingly supported it, but through legislative diplomacy, the then Speaker, Rt. Hon. Kelechi Nwagwu, and the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Chuma Nnaji had an interaction with me, and we were able to reverse it to 40 per cent for the development of the oil producing communities and 60 per cent in favour of the government. The bill was passed into law in 2006, but it wasn’t signed by Governor Achike Udenwa. But while we were ready to use the legislative powers to pass the bill into law, the governor signed it during the last week of his administration and inaugurated the board on the 20th of May 2007 and handed over on the 29th of May 2007. I have taken time to tell this story so that you can understand that in the eight years of that administration, there was no benefit coming to the oil producing communities from the 13 per cent oil derivation fund. But while he was leaving the Government House, Ohakim came in as the next governor, and I became the Speaker of the house. So, in partnership with His Excellency Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, we ensured that the commission took off on a good note and was able to give a lot of scholarships to our people, which was what we needed very highly, because apart from Oguta community, other parts of the oil producing communities lacked manpower development. A lot of scholarships were given to our indigenes, and a lot of supports were given to traders, and some health centres and market stalls were built. At least there was an impact at that time. After 2011, when we left office, that commission began to decline in terms of its service to the people of the oil producing areas. There wasn’t a single project put in place by the state government through that agency between 2011 and 2019 when the Owelle Rochas Okorocha administration ended. I would say that the commission wasn’t moribund, but was probably serving the interests of cronies of some highly placed individuals in the government. But during his campaigns in 2019, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma promised the people that ISOPADEC under him would serve the interest of the people and that the impact would be felt. When he became governor, he promptly constituted the board with one of our brothers, Chief Charles Orie, as the Managing Director. I can say that there is a remarkable difference between the ISOPADEC of the past and the ISOPADEC of today. I say so because virtually in all the oil producing communities of the state there are projects, be it electricity, pipe borne water, roads, schools, and some of them are completed while others are ongoing. But the landmark is the multi-billion naira hospital projects that have been commissioned at Oru East, Oguta, and Umuokanne in Ohaji-Egbema. Let me inform you that in a few days, another groundbreaking ceremony will take place in Egbema for the fourth general hospital. The governor conceived of the idea because Ohaji-Egbema is such a large local government that would need two general hospitals instead of one. In summary, ISOPADEC has been able to live up to the expectations of the initiator, which is me, and I am happy that it is taking place during the time of His Excellency Governor Hope Uzodimma, whom I can describe as a talk-and-do governor. I am satisfied with the performance of ISOPADEC so far and I am certain that the people of the oil producing communities are also pleased with the governor, and this is the more reason they want His Excellency to continue in office for the next four years, within which period they would expect that those giant strides are doubled.
As former Minister of State for Education, how much of impact did you make in Imo State from your office as a minister, and how did you use UBEC and TETFUND to impact the educational institutions in the state?
By the time I became Minister of State for Education, there was a kind of soured relationship between UBEC and the state government over something I consider a minor issue that was mismanaged. My intervention resolved the issues, and today, Imo State is benefitting bountifully from UBEC progranmmes. I must thank the governor for using his contacts in the presidency and the Executive Secretary of UBEC to resolve the issues. There were cases in court because of the matter, but the cases were withdrawn through the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation. The case was at the appeal stage in Enugu, but it was withdrawn and resolved. Today, Imo is benefitting very well from UBEC. The other area the governor played vital roles in is the payment of counterpart funding. Most states are not even interested, and, in fact, past administrations in Imo were not too keen on the payment of counterpart funding with UBEC. But, the governor paid all the arrears and updated Imo State’s expected payment with UBEC. So, I give him that credit, and it was one of the things I can tell you we were able to achieve for the state. I am aware that some UBEC projects are ongoing in the state and will be commissioned very soon. There are model secondary school projects going on, and I think I will invite you to be part of the commissioning ceremony. As for TETFUND, it wasn’t under me directly. It was under the mandate of the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, but I was able to get some projects for our state owned institutions. I must say that TETFUND has lived up to expectations. I went round and commissioned a lot of projects executed by TETFUND in our tertiary institutions. You could see that the presence of TETFUND makes it possible for such institutions to function. As of the time we left office in May, TETFUND probably would have spent about N2.3 trillion in the provision of infrastructure in institutions across the country. As a matter of fact, during the last ASUU strike, ASUU didn’t have any reason to complain about infrastructure. The strike was basically on their welfare, and I can tell you that I played a major role in seeing that the strike was brought to an end and normal academic activities resumed in our universities. I was appointed a minister at the peak of the ASUU strike, and I felt it was for a special purpose for me to be there at that point in time. I didn’t waste time liaising with the minister himself and other stakeholders, and we were able to resolve that matter. So, Imo benefitted from UBEC and TETFUND, and still benefitting,
The people of Imo State will go to the polls on November 11. How do you see the chances of the governor at the polls?
I think the chances of His Excellency Governor Hope Uzodimma emerging victorious in the election are very high. I think that so far, we have been trying to kill an ant with a sledge hammer because the pretending opponents don’t have anything to offer in terms of campaigns and vision for Imo people. On his side, the governor has for over three years now distinguished himself as a man who can lead Imo State to the Promised Land despite all the challenges. I am not surprised because I have always known that if Governor Hope Uzodimma was given the governorship of the state since 2003 when he first contested for the seat, Imo could have been rated one of the topmost states in Nigeria. He has the vision, the dynamism, the exposure, and the reach and national contact to turn things around. I don’t want to talk about the over-flogged issue of road revolution especially the federal roads – Owerri/Orlu Road, Owerri/Okigwe Road and Owerri/Mbaise/Umuahia Road, but I will only say that apart from putting those roads in place, what is distinguishing is the quality of those road projects. What is also of interest to me is the fact that those roads have been there throughout all the administrations since 1999 and even beyond, and there were little or no efforts by the previous administrations to tackle those problems. Some people could argue that those roads are Federal Government roads, but those roads are being used by the people of the state. Previous administrations abandoned those roads, but the governor came and fixed them irrespective of the fact they are federal roads. Let me also say that contrary to the belief of the opponents of the governor and the government, those roads are not funded by the Federal Government, and they have not been paid for by the Federal Government. They are paid for by the Uzodimma administration. The governor has been able to manage meagre resources coming to the state. Imo State is not one of those states with bumper allocation, but he has managed the funds so well, and sometimes I wonder how he does it. Granted that there are still some urban roads that need attention, including the one leading to my local government and even the governor’s place. The good news is that those roads are receiving attention. I understand the road from Orlu to Omuma is being attended to now, and the road from Avu to Etekuru – that is the one leading to my local government – has been awarded. I passed through there a few days ago, and I saw the contractor there. The only problem I see is that this is the rainy season and it is not a good time for road construction. So, the rains may be a huge handicap. Apart from these roads, the governor has also done about 135km roads in the 27 local government areas. They have not been able to fix all the road challenges in rural areas, but they are a good starting point. I am sure nobody expects the governor to fix all the roads and all the hospitals in four years, but the governor has been able to show adequate marks of a concerned and responsive leader. Of special note is that the governor is so transparent in governance. He has been running an open administration and he has been quite selfless to the extent that by now, some governors would have acquired so much and the news would have been everywhere about how the governor has acquired so much and there would have been stories tracing some billions of naira to his accounts or property. On many occasions, he has challenged Imo people to confront him with evidence of looting or misappropriation of funds, and until now, nobody has been able to come up with anything. You can see that even his opponents are not accusing him of looting or amassing wealth. Since nobody has come up with anything, I think, as the wedding priest would say, they should keep quiet. I am very optimistic that the governor will win, and Imo people will be happier for it because these other people are unserious and have nothing to offer Imo people. The only person who has something to offer is the governor, and it is only him that will lead Imo State to where he would stop and hand over to a successor. My prayer is that the successor should be masses friendly and visionary like him.
Before we conclude, I would like you to comment on the Imo State Charter of Equity propounded by the Imo State Council of Elders and endorsed by the governor and other stakeholders. How would you allay the fears from some people from Owerri Zone and Okigwe Zone whether the people of Orlu Zone would keep to the Charter of Equity in 2027?
I want to say that the reason Okigwe and Owerri zones feel excluded from the governance of Imo is obvious and legitimate, especially that since 1999 Orlu Zone has produced the governor three times out of the five governors, so Orlu seems to have the upper hand. That informed the motive of the Council of Elders, of which I am a member, to properly articulate the Imo Charter of Equity so that this thing can go round so that everyone will be happy. Let me clear the point: some people think that the Charter of Equity is a political gimmick for the governor to win his re-election. It is far from it. Governor Hope Uzodimma will win his re-election whether there is a Charter of Equity or not. So, those who say that if there is no Charter of Equity, the governor will not win are actually shooting themselves in the leg because the governor will win. I am being modest here. If he wins the election without the Charter of Equity, these two zones would lose the moral right to demand that Orlu Zone should concede the governorship to them in 2027 on the basis of a Charter of Equity. But the good news is that eminent personalities in Okigwe and Owerri zones are the ones driving the Charter of Equity in order to make it a success. I am happy each time I see vibrant men from these zones talk about it. It is not of any special favour to the governor or the people of Orlu Zone, which has the numbers and the capacity to win the election. The truth of the matter is that if you leave it on the table, we will always grab it. What we must take into consideration is the fact that a sitting governor has prominent roles to play in deciding his successor. It is not going to be a single effort, but the sitting governor has a major role to play. The sitting governor is from Orlu Zone, and I think that every Okigwe man and every Owerri man should come together and persuade the pretending contenders from Owerri and Okigwe to step down. I believe that before we enter the month of November, which is the election month, a sense of reason would prevail on the leaders of Owerri and Okigwe zones to prevail on the pretending contenders to step down and embrace the Imo Charter of Equity so that it can take effect from the end of Governor Hope Uzodimma’s second term.