Guardian

Nigerian Activist and Founder of Holland-based non-governmental organization, Hope for Niger Delta Campaign (HNDC) Comrade Sunny Ofehe who was in the country recently spoke to SAMSON EZEA on the state of the nation, recent criticisms of President Jonathan’s government by an ex-militant, Asari Dokubo, how he was discharged by Dutch court over false allegation of sponsoring terrorism and other sundry issues.

How do you react to the recent flooding of streets in Abuja with President Jonathan’s 2015 campaign posters which his government has denied being responsible for?

I don’t think we should be distracted by the development especially when the Presidency has recently come out to not only distance itself from it, but openly condemned the action. It could truly be the handiwork of those who want to portray the government in negative light.

No government in its right senses will start flooding Abuja with campaign posters two years to the election year. The country is at a cross road with the series of bombing by Boko Haram in the North, kidnappings in the South East, terrible road network and constant air mishaps across the country.

The economic climate doesn’t look healthy and corruption has become endemic leading to the high rate of hunger and crime resulting from abject poverty.

Taking away sentiment, do you think President Jonathan has done well to deserve second term in office considering what is believed to be his abysmal performance so far?

The overall performance of the present administration may not be what we all anticipated, but we must understand that the administration just completed two years in office.

A time which I consider too short to assess the performance of the government.

The President has repeatedly asked Nigerians to be patient with his administration that he would deliver on his election promises. He has two more years to deliver on his promises. The problem we have today is a combination of many factors created by successive corrupt governments in the country before now.

The President can only succeed if he musters the political will to rule fearlessly. Nigerians have long been yearning for a messiah. As a man who grew up in poverty and understands the plight of ordinary Nigerians, he has no excuse to fail the nation.

I think discussing the issue of whether he deserves to run for a second time should not arise now. We must all give him the time he needs and upon the completion of his first term, it is left for Nigerians to decide if he deserves their votes for a second term.

President Jonathan must recognize the overwhelming support he received from Nigerians across the country and not let them down. We all have a role to play in the governance, if we want to see change. The country belongs to us and we must do our best to salvage it.

Do you think the country will be better this year as promised by President Jonathan?

The President probably spoke with a better understanding of his policies and how he thinks it can be implemented. As a Nigerian, I have never been less hopeful of Nigeria being a better country among the global players.

The President needs time and if he is not sure of his programme he will not say it because Nigerians are clever enough to hold him to his words. I have personally met the President and I saw in him a very humble, gentle and kind- hearted man.

Besides these good qualities, any leader who takes the mantle of leadership must have charisma and patriotic zeal with a strong determination to offset the mediocre attitude that has bedeviled our past leadership.

The President is on a threshold of making history and it is only him that can decide how history will describe his leadership.

Recently an ex-militant, Alhaji Asari Dokunbo critictised President Jonathan over non-performance, what do you make of it?

Alhaji Asari Dokubo is a man I have so much respect for because he is never afraid to speak his mind. He is a very close friend whom I have come to see not just his radical side, but also his personal and emotional side. Asari to some may be a maverick and to others a hero whose comment must not be disregarded.

We must respect his views, and take a look at the issues he raised, if they are actually what is affecting the people. I called him after reading his interview and he stood by them and explained his position and why he thinks the government has failed the people.

I think Asari Dokubo raised critical issues that should not only be debated, but address by the governments. In Western democracy, criticism help to engender good governance and Nigeria should be no exception. Our nascent democracy can only strive under constructive criticisms.

How would justify the billion of Naira contracts awarded to ex-militants by Federal Government to secure oil pipelines in Niger Delta region in the face of the prevalence stealing of crude oil in the region and poor pay package for our security agents?

The Nigerian government and the oil multinational companies have repeatedly said that the nation is losing a whooping 120,000 bpd of crude to illegal oil bunkering daily resulting from pipeline vandalisation.

With around 10,000 km of oil pipelines crisscrossing the Niger Delta region, it takes more than just awarding surveillance contracts to ex-militants to achieve effective results.

I don’t see anything wrong with the people of the area being awarded pipeline security contracts after all they know the terrain and it creates jobs for the locals. The government has the responsibility to assess and review the contracts if they are not yielding the expected results.

A recent report by the UK based watchdog Platform revealed that 40% of Shell’s global security spending of $1 billion which amounted to $383 million dollars was spent in the Niger Delta between 2007 and 2009. This was the period of the crisis in the region. Today this same amount is being saved because of the relative peace resulting from the government amnesty to the ex-militants.

If awarding those contracts to the ex-militants has created jobs to indigenes of the region and also given them a sense of belonging, it must not be considered an exercise in futility.

When I invited Hon. Kingsley Kuku to address selected members of the European Parliament in Brussels, he openly lambasted the oil companies for refusing to invest in the Amnesty programme, despite being the biggest benefactors of the peace process.

I will agree with you that the security agents particularly those of the JTF are poorly paid and this will always hamper the effective discharge of their duties. There is a saying that “to whom much is given much is expected”.

There have been calls for dialogue with Boko Haram sect to ensure peace in the country. What is your take on it?

Any religious or political agitation that would result in the killing of innocent citizens of the country should not be tolerated by any government. The sadistic nature of the terrorist attacks particularly at innocent Christians at their places of worship is completely unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest term.

It was recently revealed that nearly 4000 people have been killed by the Boko Haram, a group whose agenda is shrouded in mystery and secrecy. How you one negotiate with such group? Who do you negotiate with? What political or religious goal do they want to score? Who do they represent? What are the assurances that the government’s negotiation with such a group will not encourage other groups to spring up?

I think the solution to the Boko Haram insurgency is high intelligence gathering by the security agencies with the support of the international communities coupled with the political will to expose and prosecute suspected sponsors of the group. Any form of negotiation with the group will be considered an act of weakness by the government.

Recently you was discharged and acquitted by Dutch Court over the case of terrorism, what really transpired and how did they let you off the hook?

The Dutch Public Prosecutor in my case Mr. Gert Veurink has been desperately exploring all avenues to promote malicious prosecution against me. The charge of terrorism against me is anything, but laughable as it is ridiculous.

I must first remind you that the charge of terrorism according to the prosecutor is that I planned to or incite people in Nigeria to blow oil pipelines belonging to Shell in the Niger Delta.

It was clear from the day I received the subpoena that it was orchestrated to justify the huge investment, manpower and high investigative tactics used against me over a period of 18 months. It was a clear case of character assassination and conspiracy to malign my person in order to destroy my campaign for a better Niger Delta.

By next month it will be two years that I was arrested by the Dutch authorities and yet no trial date. My lawyers Mr. Ed Manders and Mr. Michiel Pennings kept piling pressure on the prosecutor which led to my petition against the prosecutor, when it was obvious that he falsified the translation of the wire tap conversation that he based his evidence on.

The aftermath of that petition possibly added pressure to the withdrawal of the charge even when we had not been to court. It was a matter of when the ego will be mellowed and the charge dropped.

It is worthy to note that there are other charges still in the indictments that will necessitate a court session. I am very ready to go to court and clear my name completely. As I have always said, the Dutch court system is very independent and I expect a fair trial! The pendulum of Justice will swing in my favour.

There have been calls for the scrapping of the Amnesty Programme for ex-militants over the alleged mismanagement of funds earmarked for it. Do you think such calls are necessary?

I cannot comment on the mismanagement of funds earmarked for the Amnesty programme for ex-militants because I have no records of the budget and how it is spent. But I can comment on what I know of the programme through my personal investigation from people I know that are running the programme. I think we must heave praise on Hon. Kingsley Kuku for the way he has managed the programme and the people so far. We can only encourage him so he can be more focus and committed to achieving the objective set by the government.

It is an audacious task to manage the combination of characters that make up the composition of the amnesty programme. I have personally monitored a few of the boys in their different locations of training outside Nigeria and can testify to the fact that many have truly benefitted from the programme.