Born into a prominent family in Okop Ndua Erong, Asutan Ekpe in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, on 20th November, 1938, Obong Victor Attah’s primary education was at Native Authority School in Calabar, and later, his post-primary education at St. Patrick’s College in 1956. The following year he earned a diploma from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He gained a degree from Leeds College of Art and a postgraduate diploma in Building Science from Liverpool University in 1965. He also won a scholarship to study at Columbia University in New York, where he obtained an MA in Advanced Architectural Design and Planning. He also attended the Kennedy Graduate School of Governance at Harvard University. After completing his education, he practised as an architect in the Caribbean, New York, and Nigeria. He was at a time, the National President of the Nigerian Institute of Architects. Attah was elected governor of Akwa Ibom in 1999 on the PDP platform and was re-elected in 2003. He was elected Chairman of the Forum of the 36 Governors of Nigeria in 2003. As governor, he applied his skills in architecture and city planning skills to modernise Akwa Ibom, earning him many awards. This includes the International Award for Leadership Role in Governance from the Nigerian Family Association in Sweden, the Face of Good Governance by Africa Today, and the Key to Africa (Leadership Excellence) Award by the prestigious President Kenneth Kaunda Foundation. In 2001, Attah travelled to the United States in search of foreign investors. The visit produced tangible results. He promised to improve telecoms, electrical power supply, and air transport infrastructure, and to replicate Silicon Valley in Uyo. He planned to build an airport in Uyo before he left office in 2007. He also laid the foundation for the establishment of the Akwa Ibom State University of Technology. In this interview with The New Diplomat’s South-south Correspondent, AKANIMORE KUFRE, Attah spoke on the expectations of Nigerians, recession, insecurity and economic liberation, the desires of Niger Delta people, and Akwa Ibomites among others. The architect also revealed why the Amakpe Refinery project failed, how Marginal Oil Fields came into existence and what must be done besides 13% oil derivation.
Excerpts:
| As the Co-Chairman of PANDEF, what has the Federal Government done about the 16-point agenda presented by PANDEF to President Muhammadu Buhari? |
You know, after the presentation, the government was going to set up its own dialogue team so that we can dialogue with the President. Well, you have seen a recent publication or statement claimed to have been made by the President that government was ready to dialogue with the militants. And he must have either been misquoted or was not properly presented because we don’t expect that the President wants to go into the creek to dialogue with the militants or he wants the militants to come out with their guns from the creeks and dialogue in Aso Villa. Rather, he is prepared to talk to representatives of those young men that have reasons to feel cheated and are going about the solution in what we considered the wrong way by destroying national assets. And as soon as the President sets up his dialogue team, we, from PANDEF representing the stakeholders in the Niger Delta, are ever quite ready to dialogue with him.
Any assurance that this dialogue will bring about development in the Niger Delta?
How else can you be sure without the talking? The important thing is to talk about it. But we know that it took time for us to know what their grievances were and we presented them to the President. It is what conclusion we come to and what action is being taken after discussing with the dialogue team of the presidency that we will know whether we’re getting the results we wanted or not.
But according to reports the PANDEF was to reconvene here in Uyo last December. What happened?
I don’t know about that report. And I’m the Co-Chairman of the central working committee. There was no such decision. I can tell you that. But the central working committee is meeting with Chief Edwin Clark in his village on the matter.
The Federal Government is believed to be looking for an acceptable leader from the Niger Delta that it can truely engage in the peace deal. Is this true?
You have to ask the presidency if it’s true that they made such a statement. If he’s looking for something different from PANDEF, then he should say what else he’s looking for. But I read an explanation given by one of the media people in the Presidency that the Presidency felt disappointed that he should have met with us, the leaders. Let me use the word ‘so called leaders’. After that, the boys still went and bombed the pipelines two days after. That’s why the President is wondering whether we’re the true leaders. For me, I don’t know how to describe it, but it doesn’t make much sense to me.
Situations don’t just happen. Nothing happens overnight. You know what I mean. The people have had their grievances and have talked to us. But sincerely and one has to admit that since that incident, there have been no more bombings. So, to use that incident to discredit the leadership of PANDEF or to say that PANDEF is not a true representation of the stakeholders of the Niger Delta, to me, is wrong.
But after the meeting with President Buhari, militants resumed hostilities by bombing Oil and Gas facilities thereby dissociating themselves from PANDEF…
You have to tell me that because I don’t have an idea. It cannot be true. Though there was a time the Avengers felt ‘we don’t accept this dialogue thing. We want to do it our own way.’ But when we pointed out to them, ‘Look, if the government decends on you in the manner it has descended on the Boko Haram people, you will have yourself to blame’. I think, everybody is toeing the line now. The only way to solve this matter is dialogue.
If dialogue breaks down, then everybody will see that dialogue has broken down. But at least, let us have dialogue.
But some people feel that the current administration of President Buhari does not favour the South-South
What does that mean? That to me is nonsense. Sorry I have to use that word. I listened the day that the Minister for Niger Delta had his thanksgiving in Calabar. Governor Ayade said that Cross River had never had it so good. He named the minister, he named the chairman of NDDC and many others. And in this state, I remember the day Ita Enang talked on the radio; he told us about the minister we have, the Managing Director of NDDC and others, including himself as the Senior Special Assistant to President on National Assembly Matters. Plus other things that the President has done in the South-South!
I don’t like people just making statements that either don’t make sense or don’t relate to reality. If somebody should come and tell me that the President has cheated us in this manner; that manner, then I can listen. But to just make a vague statement that ‘he has not favoured us’, what favour did we expect that we haven’t got? So when next you see those people that claim the government does not favour them, ask them what favour we expected that they’ve not got?
You once said that if a man’s hands are tied behind him, even if he is fed the best meal in the world, he doesn’t enjoy it. How would you want Niger Delta people to feed?
Involvement! I made that statement long ago but someday, people will get to know. I made that statement to former President Obasanjo when I was the governor. I said to him that 13% is guaranteed by the constitution and we know how we fought for that. But there must be some involvement. That’s the word to be used, ‘involvement’. And you can tell that to the whole world. That’s how the whole concept of Marginal Oil Field came to be. I, as governor had a man called Godwin Omene, he’s a specialist in that area. He prepared me a proposal which I presented to Obasanjo about oil fields. And I said “Look, if you just allow us get involved in this oil business, even if we are drilling 5,000 barrels per day, we won’t be jealous of Mobil drilling 500,000 barrels per day. But we just say that when Mobil drills, sells and government collects the money and comes and gives you 13%, it is not satisfactory. Go and find out from Kupolokun who was the Group Managing Director of NNPC then. That’s how Marginal Oil Fields came to be.
Because I initiated it, you will also get to know that Akwa Ibom was the first entity to sign Marginal Oil Field list. We were the first to sign it because I initiated it. Through a presentation that I hired a consultant called Godwin Omene to make. And believe me, everybody is now feeling satisfied that we have stocked creek, saying that we have this, we have that. So, we are involved in the oil business and if we can just extend that so that we find a way of involving all these militants in various aspects of the oil business. It doesn’t always have to be by owning oil fields or owning marginal or large oil fields, but it can be the refining business, it can be marketing business. Just get us involved in this thing and you will see that some measure of peace will come to the Niger Delta region. That’s what I mean by not sitting down and opening your mouth to be spoon-fed. But if you get involved, even if the food tastes bad, you will still eat it. And that’s the satisfaction that comes out from being involved.
How come that we don’t have Amakpe Refinery till this moment?
Stupidity on the part of the promoters, private sector stupidity! They said they wanted to build a cracking unit. And I said cracking unit for five thousand barrels of oil? Cracking unit is what we have if we have a major refinery producing PMS. I can tell you that as a governor, I had got Mobil to sign an agreement to pay all the NAFSA, all the Kerosene, and all other products that were to come out of just refining 5,000 barrels per day — but without a cracking unit which produces PMS. How much PMS do you produce out of 5,000 barrels per day? Yet the cost of this cracking unit was such that you could never recover it. And I said, ‘I’m not putting government money in this, if that is what you want to do. I am not going along with you’. So, we had to go to court, disengage ourselves from Amakpe because I was not prepared to accept what they were proposing.
But there were some amount of money paid to the promoters?
Yes, we had put in 10 million U.S dollars. It was one of the first few projects that I promoted here because I said Akwa Ibom people must get involved. Ten million U.S dollars was what we paid. And went to court to disengage and get back our money.
Apart from the Amakpe Refinery, there were other projects you initiated but which were abandoned by successive governments
Please name them for me
The Science Park for instance
Is that all? You don’t know that I initiated and did the Ibom Airport (MRO)? That I did Ibom Power plant? You don’t know that I initiated and did Five Star hotel? Why do you want to talk about only those that have been abandoned rather than those that have been completed? Don’t you know that I initiated and built Ibom Power Plant? Fine, the ones that I was able to complete; I completed them, and the ones that I carried to a point where nobody could stop, they couldn’t stop them. But those they felt could stop, they stopped without studying the feasibility. You want to pretend that you don’t know that the government that came in after me had a philosophy of destroying everything that I did?
We are aware —
Then why do you asked the question? You know and is aware that their philosophy was to destroy so that they could boast that Obong Attah did not do anything when he was here. Fortunately, that statement is being given the lie now because everybody knows that it is not true.
You should ask the people. Do you know something called AKWASOL? AKWASOL was the company formed by this government in conjunction with the Barbados government. It was $1million from the Barbados government, $1million from Akwa Ibom State government with a few private investors. We were producing; we had a factory here producing Solar Water heater. Today, everybody is talking about alternative energy, but the next government that came destroyed it, vandalized the whole place. The whole place is ruined now. Just go and see AKWASOL. And the matter is in International Court because the government of Barbados wants their money back. So, when you have a government that does not want to continue whatever good the previous government did, that’s what you get. And that’s why the Science Park is where it is now. And today, we’re talking about ICT, we are talking about Alternative Energy, we are talking about all the things that I foresaw. Why don’t you talk about the University of Technology? Did I not initiate and start it? It has been bastardized and made to become a regular university so that campuses can be put in various peoples’ villages out of “influence” rather than logical location. So, that’s what Akwa Ibom people have to live with.
You once fought for the relocation of Mobil Headquarters to Akwa Ibom. Why was this unsuccessful ?
Till today, I am still fighting for that. But that one cannot be blamed on Akwa Ibom State Government even though there could be a lot more. It could have pursued it a lot more strongly than what I am doing. But it will depend also on the federal government. Don’t also forget that all these IOCs, federal government owns sixty percent of them. So, you have to get federal government consent to bring those things here. And unfortunately, we do not get that kind of backings from the federal government. If the federal government says, ‘Yes, I agree’, this will bring peace to the Niger Delta. Perhaps, it would have moved, but the federal government did not come out strongly in support of that position. They just decided not to do anything.
How do you see the suggestion that the International Airport be named after you?
But you know that the stadium was named after Akpabio? So, it’s the government that decides this thing. It’s not the person that did it or the person that had left the thing behind. So, go and tell the government that you feel that the International Airport be named after Obong Attah. I am not the one to say that to the government.
How do you see the recent Collapse of Reigners’ Church in Uyo?
There’s a commission of enquiry that has been set up. So, let the commission come up with answers, I don’t know what the answer is, but I do know one thing. As an Architect, an uncompleted building is a construction site that only authorized persons, properly attired are allowed to go into. If it is established that it was not a construction site, which anybody could go into, no problem. But if it is established that it was still a construction site. Because I know what the Contractor All-Risks insurance will include. It does not cover non-authorized persons on that site. So, it means nobody is going to get compensation from the insurance. So, it is very sad. So, it means it should never have happened if we had just observed the simple principle of a construction site as a restricted site. No unauthorized person should go there.
What project did you leave behind that you expected the successive government to complete?
You had mentioned the Science Park. I mentioned the AKWASOL, which was already in production. I mentioned the University of Technology. I can now also mention Ibaka Deep Seaport.
Do you know that designs for Ibaka Deep Seaport were completed and my government actually paid five million U.S dollars to the consultant who designed it. And all we needed wasto have paid additional five million U.S dollars. Any government since then, does not know how to go about implementing the Ibaka Seaport. Do you know that the Steel for the MRO maintenance and Overhaul facility that are standing at the Ibom Airport were ordered and they arrived a few months after I had left office. The building had since been completed and was standing there and nobody seems to know how to get it operational. This is something that would be earning foreign exchange for this state and this country. So, there are a lot of things that are very saddening. There are a lot of things that I started standing there not completed because either people seem not to understand them or people don’t believe in them or people don’t know how to go about them.
The last administration seemed to push you aside from the government activities
Nobody pushed me aside. You see, we have to use words very carefully. I made a statement. People keep using the word “reconcile” and I got very angry at the use of that word. You reconcile people that had a quarrel. I don’t have a quarrel with Godswill Akpabio. But since people insisted on reconciliation, they took us to a church service and I got up and made a statement. My name is Obong Attah; I served this government for eight years. I’m out of government, but not out of ideas. But I cannot give ideas to someone who doesn’t want the ideas. I’ve not been called to give any idea. Including Udom Emmanuel, he has never called me to mention what his government is about, whether there’s anything I can contribute to that government. So, don’t say anybody pushed me aside. But I’m there waiting. Invite me and I will provide whatever ideas and advice I can. But I have not been pushed aside. They just decided not to involve me in their government and I will not quarrel with that. They have the right to. You talked about Lagos; Lagos constantly consults with the previous government. So, if they don’t find the need to do so here, it’s not a crime.
How do you see the current recession in Nigeria?
Recession is cyclical, it comes and goes and so on. Even when we got into office, oil was selling at about thirty-something. During our period, it got to a hundred and something dollars per barrel. Then, it later came down again. Even a well- managed economy like America had a recession that lasted for almost 10 years before it could get out of it. So, recession does happen.
What is critical is what measures you take to overcome the recession and how long it might take you to overcome the recession. Circumstances for recession are created by mismanagement of economy and Buhari has named some of them. We did not save anything for the rainy day. We squandered money. I heard that one person is returning N4billion. And there are many like that. I heard that they’ve just recovered 40 vehicles that one permanent secretary bought to use for a campaign and they were not even distributed. I heard that a certain place in Abuja is parked full of stoves that were ordered to be distributed to people all in the name of campaign.
But go and read Professor Akinyemi. He made a point that we all enjoyed these profligacy and all the corruption that was done but we are complaining now. Even the mason is complaining that he has not gotten a house to build in a long time because people are not stealing money to be building new houses. The car dealer is saying that he has not sold an exotic car because people are not stealing money and buying exotic cars anymore.
We are now coming down to our true level. By the time we come down to our true level, maybe the recession will go. But let me tell you something, we know how much we spent. In fact, it was established that fifty percent of our foreign exchange expenditure is on importing fuel. Tell me why it should be so when we are an oil-producing country? If we had fixed our refineries, would we have spent fifty percent of our foreign earning importing fuel? Would there be recession? Would there be shortage of currency? And same with food. See how much we spend importing toothpicks, rice and all kinds of nonsense.
Let me tell you, we will wake up one day and find out that this North that we are talking about had left us far behind. Because by the time this recession is finished, you will see who is producing rice; you will see who is producing millet and others. What would we say that we are producing? Oil? A pollutant? And oil will keep on polluting our environment. Because we think we have oil and also be getting angry that other people are sharing in our oil.
How can we come out of this recession?
I’m not in government. The government has to ask me and I will contribute. But one of the things I know that the government must do for us to make progress is that it must accept the basis by which the three regions had agreed to come together in the first instance. If you like, self-help, which means fiscal federalism. Take what you have, develop yourself, pay a certain amount to the center, full stop. There, we agreed that that’s what we are going to do. And there will be total peace in this country. Massive development where people will suddenly realize that they have to do this for themselves. That they can’t wait for money to come from somewhere. You will see a complete difference in attitude and pace of development. It will just be transformed to a Nigeria that we used to know.
