Senate: The battle in Cross River
Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) in this interview rebuffs claims by Rep. Enoh and makes a strong case for institutional memory in the Senate.Excerpts:
What actually happened during the New Yam festival in your village because it’s alleged that you instigated youths to bar him from participating in the ceremony?
Well, I was not there. This is one New Yam festival I missed in many, many years. I wasn’t there during the New Yam festival because I had arrived from the United States to Abuja on a Friday evening in the first week of September, so, it was practically impossible for me to go home but I remember getting a call on that morning from the clan head to the effect that there was an issue that some youths blocked the road because the honourable member representing
*Ndoma Egba
Etung/Obubra Federal Constituency wanted to go for New Yam in my village and I told them: ‘why should that be an issue’? It shouldn’t be an issue because, one, it is his right, he has freedom of movement; it’s his right to go anywhere he wishes. I asked that the youths be persuaded that the peace was not breached; that every Nigerian has a right of movement and it was his constitutional right.
But having said so, in this our business, being stopped on the way is normal. I remember that I was going to a community in Southern Etung and to stop me, the youths removed the bridge! Yes! To stop me from reaching there, they ripped off the bridge; just to stop me from going. In another community, there was a bonfire across the road. I’ve been stopped three times: one in Abi Local Government and twice in Etung. It’s part of the game. They are seeking your attention and so, you give them that attention and on each occasion, I negotiated with them and they let me through! It’s normal in politics. In politics, there are different strategies, different methods.
It’s alleged that you are not popular in your senatorial district and that you were booed when Governor Imoke raised your hand in his village in 2011.
There was no such incident. He never raised my hand in Itigidi. It never happened. So, it’s a figment of Enoh’s political imagination; there was no such incident. And then, when you talk of not being popular, let me just by way of introduction tell you a little about myself.
I became a graduate before I was 21 years, I became a lawyer before I was 22 years, I served on a federal board during the administration of former President Shehu Shagari at the age of 24 years, I built my first house in my home town at the age of 24 years. I became Commissioner in the Old Cross River State which is, today, divided into present Cross River and Akwa Ibom States at the age of 27 years.
I was Commissioner for Works and Transport and that ministry is today, divided into eight ministries. I ran for governor of my state in 1992; I practised law for an unbroken 26 years across Nigeria. If you check the Law Reports, you’ll see my cases there; they use my cases to teach students in the Law School. I’m a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, I’m a member of the Body of Benchers.
I was a three-term Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association, Calabar Branch. That’s unprecedented. I was a three-term President of the Calabar Chamber of Commerce. I say this because today, they want to re-write history as if some people made me. I was made long before they all ventured into politics; long before them. I was a successful legal practitioner; known across Nigeria.
Do you see this as a smear campaign?
First, let me say that I regret the tone of Hon. Enoh’s interview. The family is a decent, polished, educated family and cultured as well. But, then, you should know that in every situation, there are exceptions, deviants. I think he’s just carried away by his luck. He’s a young man who’s been lucky and he’s pushing his luck too far and he shouldn’t take God’s mercies for granted.
You stand accused of doing things for your people because you saw Enoh doing projects…
(Cuts in) I’ll get to that in a bit. As I was saying, I have 39 bills to my credit. I also publish a constituency magazine called The Report which has been published since 2003 and there, I publish my bills, projects, scholarship beneficiaries, with their names.
The only thing that is not in this magazine is charity! I don’t dramatise charity because the moment you do that, it’s no longer charity. So, if he wants me to dramatise charity…and they accuse me of being stingy, that I’m selfish, well, my driver lives in his own house in Abuja.
Every staff I have owns a plot of land in this same Abuja, paid for by me. A lot of my staff live in their personal houses. I send people to India for treatment. Let him show me just one person whose life he has touched. Must I go and dramatise that? There’s an allegation that you began to have problems with the governor when you introduced Goddy Jedy-Agba to President Jonathan as a governorship aspirant in your state.
No such thing happened and I have said it before the president and the national chairman of our party. The president has even confirmed that nothing like that happened. That is one. Two, let us even assume that I did. Is the governorship of Cross River State an appointment?
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