Hon. Ben Rowlands Igbakpa is the member representing Ethiope Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. He has been a very vocal and active member of the Green Chamber. He is a member of the House Committee on Ports and Habour. Speaking with Pleasure Onohwakpo in this interview, Igbakpa reeled out some of his empowerment projects to his constituents. He also condemned agitations for local government autonomy, just as he called for the urgent inauguuration of the NDDC board, amongst other issues.
Excerpts:
So far, could you highlight some of the developmental projects you have attracted to your constituents since you got their mandate to represent them in the House of Representatives?
Talking about projects, I have embarked on some major projects and programmes that have impacted on the lives of my people. For instance, we started by empowering some persons in my wards. I have 22 wards and I empowered 2 persons per ward with a monthly stipends of N10,000 each. To enable them do something tangible with the stipends, we decided to pay them N120,000, that is for 12 months, en bloc as a starting point. We paid this out to 44 persons, especially local women, to enable them embark on some small businesses, either in their farms or petty businesses to help themselves and their families. Most of them are making good use of the fund and are surviving with it.
We also appointed a total of 84 persons whom we paid N20,000 each for one year and thereafter, we went into our skill acquisition programmes where we gave out sewing machines, hair-dressing equipment, and for women that have their small businesses that need mobility, we gave them ladys’ motorbikes. We also gave out some fridges for those selling drinks and those who intend to go into such small businesses. For the fridges, we gave a total of 30 persons; for ladys’ motobikes we gave to 22 persons; for the sewing machines we gave out to 50 persons and for the hair-dressing equipment, we gave to 50 persons.
Some days ago, W gave out fridges and generators to a total of 43 persons. This is in conjunction with the Ports and Harbour Committee of the House which I belong.
One of the promises I made to my people during my campaigns was that I might not be embarking on highly publicized empowerment programme. This is because I believe that my work will speak for itself and those who benefitted should be able to give testimonies of my empowerment to others.
On the projects side, we were able to do 3 classrooms block in Ovade Secondary School, Ethiope West, a solar-powered water schemes in Okurode, Okuhevie, Agor road in Oghareki and another one in Ajatito in Mosogar. We also have a solar-water scheme in Jigo Ward 8, Okpara in Ethiope East and another one in Isiokolo, headquarters of Ethiope East Local Goverment Area. In all, they are seven solar-powered water schemes which are functional and providing potable water for my constituents.
For transformers, we have been able to install a total of 13. We have one in Oghareki, we have one in Ejemuoyavwe-Adagboye area, we have one in Asa street in Ogharefe and another in the College of Physical Education, Mosogar. We also have one in Kokori, we have one in Eremedafe Street, Abraka, another on in Ijomi, opposite the Delta State University Teaching Hospital and yet another one in Eku. They have all been installed. There are also preparation for the installation of one in Ovade and Otefe.
Presently, we are building an ultra-modern primary health care centre phase I in Jesse. It is at the roofing level now. We have done 3 kilometer Atiwon road rehabilitation to a certain level. I have petitioned the Committee chairman on FERMA to ensure that the contractor goes back to Atiwo to complete the road. Still in the 2020 budget, we have some road projects coming up in Ethiope West and Ethiope East Local Government Areas which we have not done because we are waiting for procurement. The projects will start immediately once the procurement process is complete.
In Oghara, we have done the reactivation of the Water Board road, fully asphalted with side drains and some culverts done already. We still have some pockets of skill acquisition programmes coming up once the 2021 budget comes on stream. But I would like to inform that in the 2021 budget, we are going to concentrate on rehabilitation of roads. At the federal level and NDDC level, we still have two roads, one in Obakpa and the other in Mosogar.
Lest I forget our agitation and advocacy on the repairs of the Mosogar-Oghara bridge. By the grace of God, the contractor has dealt with one side. He will soon mobilized to complete the other side.
It has been observed that the people at the local government level area keep piling up pressure on members of the House of Assembly and National Assembly to carry out some of the projects which are the responsibilities of the LGs. For example, the building and maintenance of primary health care centre which you have just mentioned. How do you react to that?
We are human and human wants are insatiable. The people will keep asking. We have infrastructure deficit in this country. And because of that people will always ask for more. It is not easy to close the infrastructure gap in Nigeria. According to a study, we need about $30 billion every year and for ten years to close the infrastructure gap in Nigeria. And that is a huge expenses. So, if the people are asking, I don’t think it is out of place. The pressure will always come. Again, the local government is like a place for the settlement of the ‘boys’. You don’t see them doing anything. A lot of them are not focused. Simple responsibilities such as environmental sanitation, security and road maintenance given to them, some of them can’t do them. A few of them do work. They have plans and blueprints. They came in and they are executing it. Like the young man who is the chairman of Ethiope West Local Government Area, he is busy opening up the earth roads in the area. That is one of the responsibilities ascribed to the Local Government Council. But some others don’t have anything to offer. I think the people will continue to mount pressure on us at the State and National Assembly because the administration at the Local Government level, which we call community government, has failed them. Either the Councils do not know how to generate revenue internally or even the little they generate go into wrong hands. So, the people at the grassroots lose confidence in the Local Government and continue to pile up pressure on members of the State and National Assembly whom they feel are doing something tangible. The more you do, the more they push more to you to do.
Does that mean that the Local Government autonomy they have been agitating for is unnecessary?
For me, I don’t see the necessity for the local government autonomy because it is going to be another opportunity to squander or engage in spending spree with the Council money to go down the drain. It is better for the governors to have any eye on them and control whatever the Council chairmen do. Yes, the Constitution recognizes them as democratically-elected arm of government. But because of our people and the peculiarity of our attitude, I don’t think it is necessary to grant them that autonomy because they will not use it well. Instead, it is going to be an avenue to enrich some persons at the Local Government level – the chairman, the Treasurer and HPM. Today, in Delta State, I understand that the governor is augmenting the Local Government monthly allocation for them to be able to get their salaries paid. There are several ways in which the Councils can generate revenue but the chairmen would not go into that. Even the little revenue they generate, who is accounting for it? Nobody!
However, as a democrat, if it becomes necessary and the system directs that they should be granted them autonomy, then a proviso should be put in place that will allow the governors to point a torch light on them.
You are a member of the National Assembly and presently, the process of constitutional amendment is ongoing. Would you support an amendment in the constitution that will scrap the Local Government system since you seem to believe they are not functional?
No, I disagree with total scrapping of the local government because if you scrap the local government then we getting close to unitary system of government which the federal government seems to be operating. You will discover that even at the moment, the federal system is already being violated by the Centre. We are a federating state and that part of the federating system is already being violated. It is absurb to see the governors of the states continue to run to Abuja for fund when there are emergencies in their states. The only area where I expect the federal to be very active when it becomes a matter of the country in its entirety are security, emergency and currency. I don’t see why the federal government is holding on to so many heavy weight provisions in the exclusive legislative list.
So, are you saying the National Assembly are doing something about amending the Exclusive legislative list in order to transfer some items to the concurrent legislative list?
That is the kind of thing we are looking at. We are looking at how we are going to shave the feathers of the centre, the federal government and send most of the items in the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list of the federating units, so that the state can become powerful including resource control. So, we really have to, as a people, agree that we are running a federating system and we must operate a federal government. And in a federal government, the federating units have their own power, they have their own power to generate their own revenue, they have their own autonomy to have their own state police, they have their own power to have their own judiciary. Then, the federal government should be talking about security, currency and emergency. Emergency could include insecurity, wars, etc.
Shortly after the decision of the Southern Governors’ Forum where they decided to place a blanket ban on open grazing across the whole of Southern Nigeria, the House Reps came up with a resolution endorsing the ban. For now, the only legal frame work on which the governors could implement this ban seems to be the provisions of the Land Use Act. However, the Act only empowers the governors to control the land in Urban Centres, leaving the rural areas to the Local Government. And taking cognizance of the fact that the cattle herders are always in the rural area, do you see the state governors as properly placed to implement their ban or they are going to make new individual states’ laws to that effect?
Thank God that you are aware that the Land Use Act empowers the state governors to control urban lands and the local government councils, the rural lands. But when we talk about the security of lives we are talking about the constitution. And you know that the constitution is the grundnorm of all laws in the federation. Once the constitution speaks it supercedes every other laws in the land. And the constitution has said it that the primary purpose of any government is the security of lives and property of the people. And the governors position supercedes that of the local government. We are not just talking about land here now, but we are talking about security.
In this case, the provision of the constitution supercedes the provision of the Land Use Act which limits the control of land by the governors to the urban areas alone. And That is why the governors have to give a blanket ban on open grazing in Southern Nigeria. So, I’m very much in support of the decision of the Southern Governors’ Forum.
Also, you must know that cattle rearing is a private business. Just as I’m sitting here now, if I’m operating a mechanic workshop somewhere in the town, there is no way I would allow my workshop services to interfere with other people’s businesses. These people are doing their own personal business. I refuse to call them Fulani herders because once you put in that ethnic coloration, people will start reacting. There are good ones amongst the herdsmen. We have been living with them for so many decades but the problem is that some criminals have infiltrated them. And it becomes difficult to differentiate between the good ones and the bad ones.
The governors are not saying that they do not want to see the Fulani herders in the Southern Nigeria at all, but for the sake security, they have also decided in that communique that the federal government is at liberty to invest in ranching for the herders in any of the Southern States. The insecurity challenge has affected the activities of our farmers who, due to fear, no longer go to farms. Garri which used to sell for N2,000 is now going for N20,000 for a bag. Even in the North, it is not all governors who would oppose the Southern governors position. What is happening now has nothing to do with PDP or APC. We are all talking as Nigerians and we all swore to uphold the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Southern governors did not vote for seccession. They are for the unity of the country, but the unity must be based on justice, equity and fairness. They are also telling Mr. President to convoke a national conference where Nigerians could talk to themselves. Restructure Nigeria and provide for resource control. The governors are ready to compete amongst themselves.
What is the possibility of the House of Representatives which you belong to come up with a resolution on the adoption of the Southern governors decision, and secondly would the governors approach their respective Houses of Assembly to make laws to implement the ban on open grazing?
As for a resolution of the House, I need to remind you that the House has before now, made a resolution criminalizing open grazing. I personally moved the motion for that resolution in 2019 as my first motion in the House. And since then, there has never been any counter resolution to that. Then on the second question as to whether the governors will make laws to implement their Asaba Declaration, we should know that we are in a federating units. So, each governor in the South will approach their respective Houses of Assembly to, make laws to implement the ban. Benue State, for instance, has its laws on open grazing already.
This is about the second month that the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, has been on strike over financial autonomy. What is your take on the position of the state governors on this?
Autonomy for the Judiciary, yes, because it is an arm of government. They should have their financial autonomy because one arm of govenment is not superior to another. If you look at the constitution, you will discover that the legislature is the first arm of government but they are not the executors of laws and policies. That is the duty of the executive. So, I quite support the financial autonomy for the judiciary.
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has been in the news for nearly two years. Many believe that the Minister of Niger Delta, Mr. Godswill Akpabio has manipulated the Commission for his personal gains. How would you react to the current state of the Commission as it affects the development of the region?
Well, NDDC has since lost track for a long time. Last year we tried to see how we can bring them back, we held several public hearings and did a report which did not see the light of the day. I was a member of the Committee that did that report but I did not see it. I think our people are rising up. There is a serious illegality in that Commission. First, it is the interim management committee and now, a sole-administrator. Those nomenclatures do not apply to the Act that established the Commission. I think they need to work hard to put the board in place. I think the sole-administrator is a product of necessity. For me, the so-called forensic audit is not a serious thing even when the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs seems to be hinges all his excuses on the forensic audit. Niger Deltans are rising up and I think that the President should authorize the inauguration of the board as soon as possible.
