The Minister of State for Niger Delta, Prof. Claudius Daramola, in this interview with Gbenro Adeoye, speaks on Ondo State, Niger Delta and other national issues

Some Nigerians have been complaining that the current All Progressives Congress-led government is slow and that the economy seems to be at a standstill. Do you think that the government has justified the confidence reposed in it by the people?

The APC-led government is a change agent. It is fair to say that all Nigerians have accepted or acknowledged this fact, especially in the face of recurring revelation of monumental corruption and unthinkable inefficiency by the past government, that government business could no longer be conducted as usual. Government was at low ebb at the time President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office. The President was correct to deal with governance strategically by assessing the government activities collectively in the first instance and then dealing with governmental problems strategically. You may call the President “Baba Go slow” at the moment, that will soon change to “Baba Goal Getter.” I am certain that this government has justified the confidence reposed in it.

What are APC’s chances in the next governorship election in Ondo State?

As a person, I do not have anything against the incumbent Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko. He is the governor of my state and I am above mudslinging and gutter politics. I paid him a courtesy visit when I went to Ondo State to inspect ongoing projects of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs there. However, the governor’s score card is very low. He has been parading cosmetic projects as infrastructural projects. How can construction of bus stops, market stalls and roundabouts be showcased as infrastructural development in this age, in a region that had showcased the Cocoa House, International Stadium, and television station, among others, over 60 years ago? The government of Pa Adekunle Ajasin could point at Oluwa Glass Company, Cocoa Processing factory and others over 35 years ago but the current state government can only showcase market stalls and other inferior cosmetic projects. The generality of Ondo State electorate feel deceived and duped by this government. Resultantly, they cannot wait to replace this Labour Party/Peoples Democratic Party government with an APC-led government.

But some people believe that the APC is not united and therefore not strong enough in Ondo State to defeat the PDP at the next election?

I am aware that some people are saying that the APC is not united in the state but these people said worse things about APC before the last general elections. Some went as far as saying that the APC was still born. We got 55 per cent of votes cast in Ondo State during the last presidential elections against all odds and they are saying we are not united. Whatever our detractors may say, the APC has unity of purpose, unity against poverty, unity against underdevelopment, unity against institutional decay, and above all, unity to govern Ondo State in the interest of the generality of the suffering people. This unity will propel the APC to defeat the PDP at the next governorship election.

What role are you playing as a minister to strengthen your party in the state?

We have to understand that the constitutional responsibilities of ministers are to administer designated departments of government. Having said that, I recognise that I am a leader in the party by virtue of my position and I have a role to play like other leaders. So, I have to function as a good minister and be seen as working in the best interest of the people of the Niger Delta area as required by my office. In that capacity, I am a role model for the party. I will ensure that all ongoing projects of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in the state are completed within a short period. I would ensure that new capital projects are commenced and completed within the stipulated time. In fact, most of our projects will be completed within the financial year. My performance in that respect will heighten the confidence the people of Ondo State have in APC to govern the state.

Some APC leaders in your state accused you of shunning them, saying they waited at a meeting for you for eight hours after your inauguration. Is there a crisis in the party?

As you are aware, I had attended the stakeholders meeting on January 18, 2016 in Akure despite the fact that it coincided with a pre-arranged inspection tour of Ondo state. Assuming my official engagement had prevented me from attending the stakeholders meeting, they would have said that I did not attend because there was a crisis in the party. The APC leaders in Ondo State are responsible individuals and I am doubly sure that they give me total support to carry out my responsibilities as a minister.

They said it was the third time you failed to show up at a meeting….

It is incorrect that I had shunned meetings with the party members on three occasions. I was in the state to visit my hometown’s monarch, the Halu of Ode-Aye, on the occasion of Layelu Day which was held on November 14, 2015. I could not have reasonably be expected to attend the meeting fixed for November 13, 2015 in Akure two days after I resumed office because the permanent secretary and directors were still briefing us at the time. Furthermore, ministers are expected to notify the Presidency if they are travelling outside Abuja. Therefore, I could not have made such arrangements at the time in question.

A lot of party members were not in support of your nomination as a minister, have you reached out to them yet?

The fact is that unlike me, some individuals and their supporters within the party lobbied strongly for the position and assumed that they would be nominated. By and large, their supporters were disappointed and said that I was not known in the party. It will be a waste of time to counter that erroneous statement by facts. Let me say that I have been actively involved in the politics of the state for a long time but politics was never my primary occupation. I was actively involved in receiving some of the party leaders to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria and the APC. I made substantial contributions to the governorship campaign of Mr. Akeredolu in 2012. I distributed ACN T-shirts for the entire Ondo State on behalf of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2012 governorship election. The former state Chairman of ACN, Mrs. Jumoke Anifowoshe, Senator Ajayi Boroffice, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, Mr. Sola Iji, Baba Akeju, Baba Aiyegbusi to mention a few were aware of my active political involvement. I contested the APC state chairmanship with Mr. D.I. Kekemeke and others. In fact, I was a joint financier with the late Pa Akerele Adu of the stakeholders meetings we were holding in Ijare prior to the formal launch of APC in Ondo State. I can tell you that all the individuals who wanted to be nominated would have received much more criticism than me if they had been nominated. It was all politics and we have all forgotten about that episode.

People are saying that you are not popular politically at ward, local government and the state levels? What can you say about your relevance to Ondo politics?

You need to take a poll or conduct elections before you can rightly say that a person is popular or not popular. In any case, I reasonably believe that popularity is not one of the main factors the President considered in nominating his ministers. I own a hall in Ode Aye, “Ayodele Daramola Memorial Hall” where the APC ward meetings have been regularly held since the inception of the party. Even the APC South Senatorial District meetings are held in the hall free of charge. What I can say is that I am known as credible, competent and committed politician in my ward, local government and the state.

What is your relationship with other APC chieftains in your senatorial district like Isaac Kekemeke and Olusola Oke?

I have a good relationship with APC leaders in my senatorial district and the entire state. I have very cordial relationship with Mr. Kekemeke as the state chairman of the party and with Mr. Olusola Oke as a very important stakeholder in the party. We all have the same unity of purpose.

Since your appointment as Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, what have you done in that capacity?

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and I had embarked on inspection tour to sections of the East-West Road in Delta, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states. The minister and I also went on projects inspection to Ondo and Edo states. The essence of the inspection tours was to keep us abreast of the progress of work done on the various developmental projects being executed by my ministry.

What are your plans for the ministry and the Niger Delta region?

My plans for the ministry and the Niger Delta region include: Prioritisation of projects for timely completion and inauguration, value-reorientation of the staff of the ministry and youths of the Niger Delta region.

What is your ministry doing to prevent escalation of restlessness in the Niger Delta as a result of the recent bombing of oil facilities in Delta State?

We are of the view that the recent bombing of oil facilities was not connected to agitation or any form of restlessness. In anyway, we shall be assuring the people of the Niger Delta region that government is committed to the development of the Niger Delta region; intensifying value-reorientation programmes in the Niger Delta region; embarking on stronger co-ordination and synergy among security operatives to share intelligence reports to nip in the bud plans to attack oil facilities in the region and holding interactive sessions with the people of the region as and when due to douse tension.

How does your ministry plan to tackle the problem of oil pollution in the Niger Delta Region and decadence in the Niger Delta development sector?

The people of the Niger Delta region have been sensitised to report incidence of oil pollution in their domain to the relevant government agencies for prompt remediation actions. My ministry will liaise with other relevant government agencies and the oil companies involved to fast track remediation exercises to address such a problem.

The ‘B’ part of your question bothers on decadence in the Niger Delta. We need to acknowledge that the problems in the Niger Delta have been addressed over the years through the creation of my ministry and other agencies with specific focus on the development of the Niger Delta area. We will, nevertheless, in collaboration with our partners redouble our efforts in bringing about speedy development in the Niger Delta area.

There are allegations that many projects have been abandoned in the Niger Delta by the past governments. What is your ministry doing to ensure that development gets to the region that produces a large percentage of Nigeria’s income earnings?

I agree that there are allegations that many projects in the Niger Delta were abandoned by past governments. Based on our inspection of the projects in some states in the Niger Delta area, we noted that the contracts relating to some of the supposedly abandoned projects had been terminated by the past administration, while others are ongoing. However, I want to assure the people of the Niger Delta region that the present administration will prioritise developmental projects in line with needs, assessments and availability of funds for the benefit of the people.