Barrister Okonkwo Peter Chigozie-Ohamadike Hamadike
appoint heads of specialised agencies as his ministers. Excerpts:
Some critics of the president
say it will be difficult for him to fulfil his campaign promises because
months after his inauguration, many key appointments that would fast
track service delivery are yet to be made. What is your opinion on this?
Campaign promises are rooted in covenant. It is an unwritten contract between a leader and the led. It speaks of the end and not the processes that produce the end. Most of the president’s campaign promises are contained in the APC Manifesto which my humble self moved the motion for its adoption in the National Merger Committee. That time, we all anticipated the greatness Nigeria can attain if the country’s resources are entrusted in the hands of incorruptible leader like Buhari. I am sure God will grant him the vitality and boldness to weather the storm. The calculated steps he is taking should not be taken for a ride. Rather, we should embrace him as a diligent person. However, the president is supposed to have appointed his chief-of-staff, attorney-general, secretary to the federal government and minister of finance among others as a helping tool.
What type of people do you think the president should work with?
I think diligence, as a virtue, is profitable because it eliminates waste and poverty. Nigeria cannot continue as a locust nation-consuming without producing. The president is being careful to get the best for the country so that his campaign promises will be fulfilled. Nigerians will be amazed at the level of transformation this government will bring in the next four years. Let me also add that in our present austere period, we cannot, as a nation, sustain 36 ministers most of whom may not necessarily add value to the Nigerian project. Though the Constitution provides that each state should have a minister, the president can use some heads of prime agencies and parastatals as executive cabinet members and designate them as ministers, thereby attaining the Federal Character structure demanded by Section 147 of the Constitution.
Besides making appointments, what other things do you think the president must do in order to succeed?
The president is under tremendous pressure to expand government businesses but I think he should resist this pressure. What he owes Nigeria is primarily to reorganise and rebuild her institutions and make them capable of regulating our system equitably where no one is above the law. With strong institutions, the sky is our limit in terms of capacity to develop. China is gradually expanding her global economic frontiers after diluting their obsolete socialist system which gives individuals the flexibility to grow and nurture the economy. There are projections that Nigeria will be third most populous nation in the world in 2050 after India and China. Our country will be doomed if we did not start building strong government institutions and infrastructure that will accommodate this geometric growth. A modern railway system linking the 36 states is a necessity before 2050. Our electoral system needs to be further reorganised to ensure free and fair elections to serve as the greatest tool of fighting corruption. In the South-east, electoral process is still plagued with endemic fraud and impunity. Our criminal justice system is obsolete and can no longer serve the need of the 21st century world. Any fight against corruption without overhauling our criminal justice system is a waste of time.
Your party seems to be in disarray as a result of the crisis in the National Assembly… (cuts)
The president’s fatherly role has finally rested the crisis in the House of Representatives. The issue at the Senate is, of course, a different ballgame because the opposition PDP is already part of the problem. But, I think the president’s letter proclaiming the 8th Senate was sacrosanct and any senator that was not within the chamber when this was done only acted at his or her own peril. No court action can alter this status quo. The president should embrace the current leadership of the Senate as an act of God. I also believe this crisis will not in any way incapacitates the ability of the government to fulfill its promises.
Petroleum subsidy has remained a contentious issue. What is your take on that?
As the president rightly pointed out during his visit to the United States, petroleum subsidy is a sensitive issue that touches the nerves of Nigerian people. It requires either a statesman’s decision or a populist decision. A Statesman is a leader that cares for the present and future generation, while a populist is a leader of the moment, satisfying only his popularity ego and cares less if there is no Nigeria tomorrow. Petroleum subsidy is a cesspool of corruption. It must be cut-off and save Nigeria the unbearable criminality of a few that continue to deplete our commonwealth.
You are an advocate of a comprehensive peace initiative in the Niger Delta. Do you think the president’s decisions so far are on the right track?
The recent appointment of Brigadier P. T Boroh (rtd) as the coordinator of the Amnesty Programme for former Niger Delta militants by the president is spot-on and timely. Boroh should promptly tackle all outstanding issues to keep the peace of Niger Delta running. Nigeria cannot afford another dislocation in our oil production at this critical juncture. Crude oil theft in Niger Delta is a well organised crime run by a cartel with intimidating financial arsenal. This cartel is aided by the entire security apparatus in Niger Delta which is grossly compromised. A national ad-hoc committee is urgently needed to study the modus operandi of this cartel and proffer solution on how to arrest this rape of our commonwealth.
Campaign promises are rooted in covenant. It is an unwritten contract between a leader and the led. It speaks of the end and not the processes that produce the end. Most of the president’s campaign promises are contained in the APC Manifesto which my humble self moved the motion for its adoption in the National Merger Committee. That time, we all anticipated the greatness Nigeria can attain if the country’s resources are entrusted in the hands of incorruptible leader like Buhari. I am sure God will grant him the vitality and boldness to weather the storm. The calculated steps he is taking should not be taken for a ride. Rather, we should embrace him as a diligent person. However, the president is supposed to have appointed his chief-of-staff, attorney-general, secretary to the federal government and minister of finance among others as a helping tool.
What type of people do you think the president should work with?
I think diligence, as a virtue, is profitable because it eliminates waste and poverty. Nigeria cannot continue as a locust nation-consuming without producing. The president is being careful to get the best for the country so that his campaign promises will be fulfilled. Nigerians will be amazed at the level of transformation this government will bring in the next four years. Let me also add that in our present austere period, we cannot, as a nation, sustain 36 ministers most of whom may not necessarily add value to the Nigerian project. Though the Constitution provides that each state should have a minister, the president can use some heads of prime agencies and parastatals as executive cabinet members and designate them as ministers, thereby attaining the Federal Character structure demanded by Section 147 of the Constitution.
Besides making appointments, what other things do you think the president must do in order to succeed?
The president is under tremendous pressure to expand government businesses but I think he should resist this pressure. What he owes Nigeria is primarily to reorganise and rebuild her institutions and make them capable of regulating our system equitably where no one is above the law. With strong institutions, the sky is our limit in terms of capacity to develop. China is gradually expanding her global economic frontiers after diluting their obsolete socialist system which gives individuals the flexibility to grow and nurture the economy. There are projections that Nigeria will be third most populous nation in the world in 2050 after India and China. Our country will be doomed if we did not start building strong government institutions and infrastructure that will accommodate this geometric growth. A modern railway system linking the 36 states is a necessity before 2050. Our electoral system needs to be further reorganised to ensure free and fair elections to serve as the greatest tool of fighting corruption. In the South-east, electoral process is still plagued with endemic fraud and impunity. Our criminal justice system is obsolete and can no longer serve the need of the 21st century world. Any fight against corruption without overhauling our criminal justice system is a waste of time.
Your party seems to be in disarray as a result of the crisis in the National Assembly… (cuts)
The president’s fatherly role has finally rested the crisis in the House of Representatives. The issue at the Senate is, of course, a different ballgame because the opposition PDP is already part of the problem. But, I think the president’s letter proclaiming the 8th Senate was sacrosanct and any senator that was not within the chamber when this was done only acted at his or her own peril. No court action can alter this status quo. The president should embrace the current leadership of the Senate as an act of God. I also believe this crisis will not in any way incapacitates the ability of the government to fulfill its promises.
Petroleum subsidy has remained a contentious issue. What is your take on that?
As the president rightly pointed out during his visit to the United States, petroleum subsidy is a sensitive issue that touches the nerves of Nigerian people. It requires either a statesman’s decision or a populist decision. A Statesman is a leader that cares for the present and future generation, while a populist is a leader of the moment, satisfying only his popularity ego and cares less if there is no Nigeria tomorrow. Petroleum subsidy is a cesspool of corruption. It must be cut-off and save Nigeria the unbearable criminality of a few that continue to deplete our commonwealth.
You are an advocate of a comprehensive peace initiative in the Niger Delta. Do you think the president’s decisions so far are on the right track?
The recent appointment of Brigadier P. T Boroh (rtd) as the coordinator of the Amnesty Programme for former Niger Delta militants by the president is spot-on and timely. Boroh should promptly tackle all outstanding issues to keep the peace of Niger Delta running. Nigeria cannot afford another dislocation in our oil production at this critical juncture. Crude oil theft in Niger Delta is a well organised crime run by a cartel with intimidating financial arsenal. This cartel is aided by the entire security apparatus in Niger Delta which is grossly compromised. A national ad-hoc committee is urgently needed to study the modus operandi of this cartel and proffer solution on how to arrest this rape of our commonwealth.
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