Mr. Femi Adesina, Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, in this interview, asks some Igbo elements agitating for Biafra not to hurt themselves, saying they still seem to be in pre-election mood. Excerpts:
The regulatory authorities are said to be planning for new electricity tariffs. Why the increases amid darkness in homes and offices? What is government’s plan to provide stable power supply in the country?
I saw the indication from NERC; but Vice President Osinbajo has said the increase would not come that early. No matter what the regulatory body says, the increase is not reflective of government’s position on the matter. Our position, however, is to improve power supply first, then, the increase could follow. In terms of supply, I spoke with the Permanent Secretary on power about the problem. He identified two issues: Nigeria had lost megawatts compared to what we had before. The first problem came from Egbin Power Station based on an industrial issue. There are new owners. Some people went into it based on the industrial action and Nigeria lost about a thousand megawatts. It’s now a question of resetting and re-boosting the megawatts. But the Permanent Secretary affirmed that as soon as these industrial issues are settled, things will get better again. Once a minister comes on board, there would be action plan to forge ahead.
But there are states that are keen to generate their own power supply. Can’t there be a law that can accommodate such development?
It’s a constitutional issue, but it can be sorted out. At the opening of the ministers’ retreat, the issue came up again. There are lawyers in the cabinet and all they were agitating for, was the review of our laws along the change agenda. I believe power generation and power transmission aspects should be part of what would be looked into.
Is there really a fight against corruption?
Certainly, there is. Once an attorney general comes into place, things will work speedily. Are we recovering money? I say, yes. Because the President himself said in India that we had recovered huge sums of money, but we don’t have it in figures. And he promised that the CBN would provide the figures.
How realistic is the N5,000 stipend promised unemployed youths during the APC campaign ahead of the general elections?
You know what transpired at the Senate, penultimate Wednesday, when PDP senators moved a motion for the N5,000 payment. It appeared funny, but the PDP knew it had run the country’s account dry. The money would not be possibly available now. The campaign promises are what we will execute in 48 months. The administration is just five months old. It does not mean it would not be achieved. You and I know we are in a difficult situation. Oil price dropped from $120 per barrel to $48. We can hardly even pay salaries. For PDP senators to move for APC government to implement its manifestoes immediately is mischievous, because they know that the capacity to fulfill it is not there. We need a rebuilding of the country’s finances to support it. It doesn’t mean, however, that it has been abolished.
What is government doing about basic infrastructures nationwide, like the contract for the rehabilitation of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway?
I was with the Senate Committee on Erosion in the East. During my visit to some places in the South-East, I noticed that Federal roads were very bad. This did not happen a year or two ago. It is a cumulative thing. It happened over eight to ten years back. You cannot expect a government of five months to fix them overnight. The Lagos-Ibadan expressway, unfortunately, I will refer to President Jonathan’s administration. I wish I didn’t have to, but then it is part of our history, we cannot wish it away. Towards the end of the last administration, capital projects were not embarked on, only recurrent. Even at that, a former minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said, two months before the elections, that government had to borrow to pay salaries. What Nigeria is going through presently is the consequence of corruption. The consequence could show-up in three to four years’ time.
Now the consequence of corruption is beginning to show-up on our roads. The Lagos-Ibadan expressway is a serious issue. I called the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works about his position on the roads, and he revealed that the challenge is in two folds. One is legal while the second is funding. Lagos-Ibadan expressway was contracted for N169 billion by Jonathan’s administration, they paid N50 billion to kick-start the project, the concession was to last 25 years. But somewhere along the line, the concession was revoked. And it became a legal issue. The Federal Government is being sued for terminating that concession. Government later awarded it for N157 billion. Perhaps they could not sustain the contract.
Surprisingly somebody emerged again, saying the road was concessioned to him. How can you do a concession when there was no competitive bidding? Who knew about it? It was a behind the scene matter. Based on these issues, it is only palliative measures that can be done. Ogun State government and the Redeemed Christian Church of God have moved in. That is the best that can be done on that road until the legal issues are sorted out. It’s unfortunate because it is one of the major roads in the country.
What is government doing about the Apapa gridlock?
We know that Lagos State government had tried, but it is a federal issue. Former Governor Fashola did a lot while in office. Apart from the congestion caused by tankers, we also have the issue of bad roads. About two weeks ago, a tanker fell at a bad point. It is a terrible situation and the country cannot continue that way. I heard the governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosu, stressed that something must be done on that road between the state government and the Federal Government. I guess something would happen on Apapa Road, once the Minister of Works swings into action. These are the first issues I would call his attention to – the issue of Apapa and Lagos-Ibadan expressway. Definitely palliative measures would be taken.
What is government’s plan on judicial reform?
This was discussed at the early session of the retreat for ministers. You know that judicial reform is something we have to be circumspect about.
With the regional unrest going on with Biafra agitation, has the Federal Government any strategy of reconciliation among political parties and regions?
Although the government has to play a leading role, it is not the duty of the Federal Government alone. It is the duty of all Nigerians. Some parts of the country are still in the pre-election mood, which should not be. Elections are over, a government has been sworn in, we should team up as Nigerians, reconcile and move our nation forward. I believe the region where such is happening, at the end of the day, would hurt itself more, unless the people quickly change their strategy. So it is a collective responsibility of all Nigerians, not just for the Federal Government.
-Vanguard
