By Emmanuel Aziken, Clifford Ndujihe, Dapo Akinrefon & Charles Kumolu
On the sidelines of a visit to the management of Vanguard Media Limited last Monday, Sir Tony Obuh, a frontline aspirant for the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, took time to interact with the editorial board of the newspaper.
Gone was the mask of a reticent bureaucrat that he wore for 32 years in the civil service during which he proved himself to be a master of details of governance as Obuh unveiled himself to be an eloquent communicator of the ingredients of public policy.
HOW far have you gone with your aspiration?
Since my retirement, I have been moving round the state and consulting the stakeholders in the PDP. I have also consulted the various civil society groups, members of the political class among others. I solicited their counsel as to whether I have what is needed to occupy that position.
From my tour, we were encouraged to go further. That is why I am here to let you know that I will formally declare my intention to run for the governor of Delta State on Friday. I am also here to let you know that the business ahead of us is a serious business and that I am in the field for that purpose.
Is your aspiration based on the fact that your section of the state appears favoured to produce the next governor?
Obuh: I represent the three senatorial districts
I am not hinging my aspiration on the fact that I am from Delta North. I told someone that I want to be seen as Nwobodo. It means that I want to be seen as a son of the larger Delta community. I am running because I see myself as a candidate who will represent the whole ethnic nationalities in the state. I am someone who represents the three senatorial districts.
Where do you want to take the state beyond its present state?
I want to take the state to a point where it can be seen as one of the leading states in the country. I want the state to be a point of reference beyond Nigeria. I have been exposed to government and governance. I have been in government for 32 years.
I started from the lower cadre learning how policies are formulated and executed. I also watched policies being implemented between the public servants by the political class. My exposure is such that I know what it can take to implement a sound policy. I also know what leads to failure of policies. Therefore, I believe that I have the experience more than any of the aspirants. There are so many things that we can do to grow Delta State. The windows are just being opened from what we have today as ‘Delta Beyond Oil’, it is obvious to us that the lives of the people can be advanced. I want to grow a state that will depend on things outside oil.
For instance, tourism is an aspect of the peoples’ lives that can help us generate the revenue that will sustain our economy. I want to build a state that will be financially independent without dependence on what it will get from the federation account on a monthly basis.
Are you not rattled by the presence of other aspirants?
We have so many prominent aspirants seeking for that position. And I am not rattled by the presence of any of them.
Social inadequacies
Every society cries about unemployment, insecurity and other social inadequacies. We in Delta see our children always wanting to work in the oil sector, we also see people believing that it is only government that can employ in the state. For me, I want employment to come from the government and the private sector because the private sector is the major driver in the society.
I believe that the presence of a gap in the training that our people have, is responsible for the inability of some of our people to get jobs.
So, I want to work to ensure that our people get the required skills for employment.
If we have a curriculum that guarantees good skills for our people, I am sure that getting employment will not be difficult. We want to ensure that we will build a secured environment that will encourage people to come and invest.
If they invest, employment will be created while wealth will also manifest in our society. We want to touch agriculture because it is an area that will help us to grow without oil. We will establish primary and secondary industries that can help us convert our raw materials into finished products. There are so many things that we need to do to grow Delta and we are going to pursue them with sincerity.
You are from Delta North and there are many formidable aspirants there. Have you people met and how do you intend to close ranks to speak with a common voice?
For now, I believe everybody wants to sell himself to the market and the market is the political class and the Delta community.
If we run the race and it becomes obvious that it is only one person that will go, we will close ranks and submit what we have as our agenda for the people of Delta State to whoever becomes victorious. That is to say I intend to run this race from the beginning to the end.
If per chance it is not me, which is very unlikely, I will submit whatever I have to whoever wins.
How will you assess the ward congresses held last Saturday?
The elections that we held last Saturday was held under convenient atmosphere, where every leader had the opportunity to present and articulate his interest and at the end of the day, everybody that was there, was satisfied by the process that was adopted. I think that the result was satisfying to everybody.
Were you by any chance invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)?
In the last one week, I have continued to hear stories that I was invited by the EFCC and that I was detained by the EFCC even up till yesterday (Sunday).
Political contests
I am sure that if you go to some social media, they will still tell you that I am yet to be released from the EFCC net. Those are stories coming from the pit of hell and those who have decided to abandon the issues, in terms of political contests, to blackmail or run others down. As you can see, I am working freely on the streets of Nigeria and particularly Delta State.
I came from Delta State on Sunday and I participated in the ward congress held last Saturday.
I had no invitation, not even a phone call from any organisation or EFCC, to respond to anything. So, I was never arrested, detained or queried by any organisation. I have tried to get people to record me wherever I went to show to the world that I am still walking and that what you see on the streets is not a spirit but Anthony Obuh.
Consultations
The consultation was wide because I covered the 25 local government areas of Delta State. I met with every executive committee of the PDP in Delta State, in the local government areas and the state PDP to discuss my political intention and ambition to seek election on the platform of the PDP. I have met with my spiritual fathers, my family members, different sectors and groups.
The consultation was with every sincerity and modesty, greatly encouraging.
All sectors of the Delta society, whether the employed or unemployed, market persons, civil servants, the political class, have shown tremendous support. What I have today, as my campaign materials and have been coming freely from different persons.
For those who do not have printed materials to give to us, they have offered physical support, in terms of labour to paste posters across the state. So, support has been massive and very encouraging.
Delta Central complained that they are been marginalised. How do you intend to convince Delta Central to buy into your ambition?
In the course of my consultation, I visited all the local government areas in Delta State including those in Delta Central. Beyond that I also met with the umbrella body of the Urhobo ethnic nationality, the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU.
I have discussed and met with them. They have expressed their anxiety and feelings about government, both within Delta and outside of Delta State.
I didn’t hear anything from them to suggest that it has to be Delta Central or no Delta North. I think what it takes is negotiation and how to ensure that you represent the interest of all the ethnic nationalities within the state.
Ethnic nationalities
I believe that the people of Delta State can grow side by side without harm, aggression, malice or ill feeling from any group.
Once your programme addresses the sensibilities of the people, you take them into account in what you are doing, you will get their support. What they want is sincerity in what you promise and what you do.
Corruption
I have been in the civil service for 32 years. I have not had any invitation from anybody both within or from the EFCC to answer or respond to any enquiry as to corrupt practices in all the ministries I have worked.
If I have been able to keep a clean bill, rising to the position of Permanent Secretary, a position that I will continue to cherish all the days of my life, I do not think that I will now go out, in the terminal days of my life, to do something that will give me sad memories as I go to my final resting place.
At 57, I am closer to where I am going to, what I want now is how I can leave my name as a legacy, both for my family and to the people of the state.
I am not going to do anything to soil that image, I am looking for something that can give me joy as I go finally.
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