Professor John Ebhomien, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is a former Advisor to the United Nations Workplace on Mission Providers. The previous World Financial institution/Worldwide Financial Fund (IMF) economist and monetary administration knowledgeable, on this interview with EJIKEME OMENAZU, speaks on the September 21, 2024 Edo State governorship election and different essential points. Excerpt:
The Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) Chairman, Mahtemper Yakubu, has mentioned that the company is able to conduct the Edo governorship election, How do you see his confidence making an allowance for INEC’s poor document of election dealing with up to now?
The INEC Chairman and his administration ought to put in place applicable mechanisms to make sure free and honest election in Edo State. The great individuals of Edo State look as much as Mahmood Yaakubu and his staff to satisfy their expectations. By now, the INEC chairman will need to have learnt a lesson from their previous errors. As an neutral orbiter within the conduct of elections, they need to make certain the preparations of the election are in high gear, supplies, human and logistics assets are put in place. A situation the place election supplies don’t arrive on the polling stations or arrive late is unacceptable. The INEC administration should be certain that the instruments, together with BVAS are functioning correctly as anticipated they need to realise that the individuals of Edo State and Nigerians should not prepared to simply accept lame excuses for his or her lapses. A satiation whereby the courts give the ultimate verdict of elections doesn’t augur properly for INEC and Nigerians. They need to borrow a leaf from South Africa and the civilised world to make sure that elections are performed in effective trend.
What’s your recommendation to INEC and safety businesses as regards the Edo governorship election?
Safety brokers and INEC ought to be certain that applicable safety measures are put in place for a easy conduct of the election. We have now seen up to now the place elections have been marred with violence and normally, destruction of lives and correctties. The safety businesses, especially the police and the navy ought to endeavour to hold out their tasks with military precision. They have to not be seen taking sides with any of the political events. They need to prosecute any particular person or group of people concerned in election malpractice in accordance with the rule of regulation.
How do you see the extent of acrimony and politics of hate being exhibited by Edo politicians? Don’t you assume that they’re tips to imminent hazard and potential violence earlier than, throughout and after the election?
The politicians and events that shall be collaborating within the coming election ought to shun politics of bitterness. Campaigns needs to be issue-based. Assaults on personalities, private lives of individuals and circus shows of gangsterism needs to be discouraged. We have now seen to date the place some political rascality is simply too far. Actually, the nice individuals of Edo State don’t count on to listen to this from individuals who wish to lead them. The politicians ought to advertvise their followers towards these issues that may trigger violence earlier than, throughout and after the election. They need to notice that the peace and stability in Edo State needs to be the last word concern of everybody. No person is above the regulation. Elections needs to be conducted in line with the enabling Act and tips.
Individuals see the Edo governorship election as between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Get together (PDP). Don’t you assume that with the continued bickering between PDP and APC, the Labour Get together candidate, Olumide Akpata might create an upset having come from Bini, whereas the APC and PDP picked Esans as their candidates?
The APC and PDP ought to put their homes so as. They need to know that the election is a recreation of numbers. Whoever scores the best votes is the winner. My recommendation to the APC and PDP is that they need to not underrate the Labour Get together. In elections, identical to any contest, the celebration and group underrated might spring a surprise. The APC and PDP ought to develop strategic approaches on the right way to win elections as a substitute of baseless conjectures. Dr. Asue Ighodalo, the candidate of PDP, and Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of APC, ought to pay attention to this and examine the utterances of their celebration leaders and supporters..
How formidable are the frontline candidates?
I feel candidates of the entranceline events, APC, PDP and LP are eminently certified to vote and be voted for. The Edo individuals are advertvised in their very own rights to vote for whoever they imagine can take Edo State to the following stage primarily based on their antecedents. The Edo individuals are earnestly on the lookout for monupsychological improvement, employment for younger individuals and who will flip the state to agrarian hub of Nigeria. I may keep in mind the nice outdated days of Esan Rice, Auchi Rice, Ilushi Rice, the oil palm and rubber plantations. These are gold mines the eventual winner of the election in Edo State can faucet into.
Are you foreclosing the potential of any of the smaller events just like the AA, AAC, SDP, NNPP and ADC springing a shock and coming tops within the election?
I cannot be stunned if any of the underrated events like AA, AAC, SDP, NNPP, and many others, spring a surprise. So, the APC, PDP, LP, shouldn’t underrate them in any guise or type. Will probably be suicidal for them to take action. The Edo individuals are already traumatised by dangerous governance. So, there could also be protests.
How do you see the human rights document of the President Bola Tinubu administration, particularly contemplating the reported arrest, detention and trial of a number of #EndBadGovernance protesters for treason?
The constitutions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly assured freedom of affiliation and proper to vote and be voted for. The individuals in all spheres of life would have the proper to affiliate or protest. However, this should be carried out in a violent-free method. A situation the place hoodlums or avenue urchins hijack protests doesn’t augur properly for peace and tranquility of any nation. No affordable authorities, even a household, will permit his home to be set on fireplace. So, my attraction to the federal government in any respect ranges is to mood justice with mercy and do the needful to make sure that the starvation within the land is reduced to the minimal stage. The federal government should endeavour to release these individuals who had been arrested and detained attributable to their involvement in protests. The government and the judiciary needs to be magnanimous to make sure that injustice is seen to be carried out. That’s the strategy to go.
Would you say that the federal government in any respect ranges is doing something to chop the price of governance? How do you assume this may be achieved?
The federal government in any respect ranges ought to return to the drawing boards and put in place applicable mechanisms to enhance on their efficiency. The place their performances fall in need of expectations, they need to take corrective actions for modification. The place the government insurance policies are ant-people, or fall in need of individuals’s expectations, the federal government ought to contemplate all components and reverse such policies. That’s the hallmark of excellent management. The management should develop a diagnostic method to fixing crucial problems with nationwide significance.
What’s your tackle how the nation’s oil sector is being run? How are cabals controlling this crucial sector?
The NNPCL has been within the information for dangerous causes attributable to dangerous administration, lack of probity and accountability in any respect ranges of management. The NNPCL is bedeviled with a excessive stage of corruption and impunity. The NNPCL has been hellojacked by cabals who’re holding it on its jugular. The federal government ought to provide you with clear-cut methods on the right way to rescue the NNPCL from these cabals who imagine they’re untouchable. The debt profile of NNPCL is frightening. I’m wondering why the humongous sums of cash working into billions of {dollars} being sunk into the abyss within the identify of revamping the refineries couldn’t be properly utilised. Nigeria is in dire straits due to the NNPCL quagmire. The Federal Authorities and President Tinubu ought to do one thing urgently to re-jig the NNPCL administration so it may compete favourably with Aramco of Saudi Arabia and different viable oil corporations of the world.
What’s your tackle the elevated value of petrol and different petroleum merchandise?
The elevated value of petrol, kerosene, diesel and fuel is unimaginable. Authorities ought to attempt urgently to scale back the price of these important merchandise that are a residewire of any economic system. The excessive value of the merchandise has a multiplier effect on the price of different important items and companies within the nation. The federal government ought to look into the fast and distant causes of the excessive value of those important companies which can have deleterious results on the economic system.
A cross part of Nigerians believes that the Nationwide Safety Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, being a partisan politician, shouldn’t have been given the place by President Bola Tinubu. How efficient do you assume Ribadu has been in his place as NSA?
The ruling celebration, APC, and the president have the proper to nominate whoever they deem match because the Nationwide Safety Adviser. Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, whether or not an APC member or not is eminently certified to deal with the place of the NSA primarily based on his antecedent as former head of the EFCC. To date, so good. He has carried out so properly. The NSA wants the assist of different heads of safety businesses to have the ability to discharge his duties creditably. With the extent of insafety and terrorist assaults within the nation, the NSA and heads of different safety businesses ought to return to the drawing boards and develop aggressive approaches to sort out the issue of insecurity, particularly kidnapping, Boko Haram, herders’ assaults and banditry which have assumed harmful dimensions. The federal government ought to endeavour to acquire modern subtle weapons for the police, navy and different safety businesses as a result of safety of lives and properties is predicated on scientific approaches instead of outdated analogue approaches.
